Not sure what to do/choose

[claha]

Hello,
I'm a 20-year-old female and you could easily put me in the 'not-sure-what-to-do-in-life' category. I think I'm not really wanted here but I still want to hear your advice.

First of all, I'm not a native speaker but I daresay I'm pretty much fluent in English (oral).
I have some teaching experiences, e.g. as a student I worked as an English tutor and I was a private tutor in a foreign country (including other subjects such as Maths, Biology, Geography) for some kids. But it was never really 'professional' like working for the government or at an institute.

Soo, I'm now preparing to get into a university in England but it's all unsure whether I get accepted or not (results in February). I stumbled upon the idea of earning money (I don't have any qualifications, I started university but decided to drop it) by teaching English because it's something I like to do and can be fun while being abroad. I consider myself a travelling hobo so I <thought> about doing the CELTA. It's neither something I want to do for all my life (since I want to get into university and I have some other plans) nor is it something I want to do for a 'gap year'. I want to do it for myself and whenever I'm abroad, I at least have a wee bit of guarantee of finding a job as an English teacher.

So what do you think about my idea? The motivation is here, the money I am currently working for.

I'm just hesitating after I read through some threads and what I've perceived so far is that people like me doing the CELTA are frowned upon..... if so, what alternative would you advice me to do for teaching English? Furthermore I'm not a native speaker but I think I'm still allowed to do the CELTA? I have done the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English and I got a grade C (I know I could've done better and I regret it but I was 16 and lazy).

Thank you for reading and I hope you can help me decide my future.

[Susan]

Welcome and of course you're wanted here!

[lorna]

hello Claha< I have joined this site for the exact same reasons as you have written above; I am desperately undecided about whether TEFL is for me or not and whether or not to take the plunge for the full CELTA course for I too, have read so good and bad things about it.

Have you had any good advice you could perhaps pass onto like-minded me?

Hope your future plans gow well, good luck in whatever you decide to do

Lorna

[pokedmund]

I'm guessing that you want to do the CELTA to travel? Or is it to save up money for when you study in the UK?

Where will you be teaching English then? Asia, Europe, America, Africa? or are you hoping that you'll be able to just land in any country and get some money through teaching English? Different countries, different rules and regulations, different pay.

And I'm sure you've used the search function to check the previous posts about CELTA, so my next question is whether the estimated 1000 pounds you will spend on the CELTA course is also part of your budget?

My initial gut feeling for you is to forget the CELTA for the time being and wait to complete it when you have finished your University studies. A degree looks very good when applying for jobs. But not being native MAY POSSIBLY limit you to certain countries. Also, appearance matters as well in some countries, so bear that in mind too.

[systematic]

Generally, a university degree is the most important passport to working abroad as an English teacher. This is because it is required by most countries in order to provide you with a work permit. Without it, you would probably only get illegal, low paid work. When you have completed your degree in England, you can be sure that your English will be more than good enough to follow and pass a CELTA certification.

[luqm80]

All in All , i think as others mentioned before that the university degree is much better than CELTA since it's more recognizable .

Good luck