Just a few questions to settle the mind a bit :)

[traineeT]

If you wouldn't mind guys :)

I'm just wondering a few things about teaching abroad in general, and hopefully some kind fellow can shed some light on a few things for me.

First of all, a few things; I want to teach in the far east, i'm 23, have a degree, and I want to do a CELTA in the summer. Is having a degree and a CELTA a relatively good thing? Like, would I be looked upon favourably by prospective employers? Sorry I can't really be more specific with this one haha.

Also, will the fact that i'm young have anything to do with my applications? Do schools in the far east, and the east in general, favour older teachers because they see them as more experienced?

And one more thing, will the CELTA enable me to teach younger learners? I have no qualms with teaching adults (which is why I want the CELTA) but I suppose in the long run, I would prefer to work with younger learners/teens. Will I absolutely have to have the YL extension to the CELTA, or will having the CELTA standalone be enough?

Thanks to anyone who can answer these (probably) overasked questions :D

[prague]

Yes, having a CELTA is definitely a good thing. Also, you can earn a TESOL or TEFL certificate as well. I recommend doing some research on them and seeing which one is best for you. 23 is a great age to embark on an adventure like this! I was 24 when I decided to move to Europe, take a TEFL certification course and begin my adventure living and working abroad, and I haven’t looked back since.

I got certified in Prague and am now living there and from my interactions with TEFL professionals, I’ve noticed that the demand for young learners is increasing all the time in Eastern Europe, especially amongst my community of peers who earned their TEFL Certificates. Countries are becoming more and more diverse all the time and the demand for English at a young age is continuously increasing. Some of our graduates who were especially good with kids even rose up the ranks within their preschools and kindergartens and are now in leadership positions.

From what I’ve noticed with friends of mine, schools in the far east (Asian countries such as China, Korea, Japan, and Thailand) willingly hire younger teachers, so no need to worry about that.

To teach in the Far East, there are many opportunities as well as many recruiting agencies who will help you get everything set up. To teach in Eastern Europe, there is a steadily increasing demand for English teachers and they are willing to hire Americans to work in the schools (Especially Czech Republic, Turkey, Poland and Ukraine). In Middle Eastern countries, they generally hire teachers with a lot of experience, however, there are opportunities in countries such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Hope this helps, and best of luck!

Justin

[Alex Case]

23 is probably the perfect age to apply for jobs in Japan, Korea, Taiwan etc, and a CELTA plus degree will be perfect anywhere, including for teaching kids - although you'd probably want to look for a school that offers some extra training before throwing you into a room full of three year olds. Though it's difficult to find courses, the other option is to do the Cambridge Young Learner Extension after your CELTA.