spccdt1229 wrote:I don't want to spend money I don't have on in person certification, as I don't know whether this could turn into a career or not. CELTA can always come later, right?
If you want to teach, the very least you should do is invest in a TEFL qualification. Quite aside from the fact that being able to speak a language does not necessarily imply that you can teach it, students pay a lot of money for English classes and, not unreasonably, expect to have a teacher who has some idea of what they are doing. In any case, you may find that, in addition to a Bachelor's degree (related or unrelated), a TEFL qualification may well be a requirement of the work visa.
spccdt1229 wrote:I've heard everything about online courses, from "they're useless", to "it's mostly useless, but could give you the upper hand over another candidate without one", to those who fully endorse it, if for no other reason thana grammar refresh, learning about classroom mgmt., etc.
Online TEFL courses are much of a muchness - if an employer accepts one, they'll accept them all. However, an increasing number of employers refuse point-blank to accept them, not least because they don't include any real teaching practice. FYI the weekend or classroom-based element of online/blended TEFL courses don't not count as you 'teach' your fellow trainees rather than actual students.
If you want to teach in a native English-speaking country, or you have your sights set on the Middle East, or you are interested in working in Western Europe (not really an option for North Americans), you will need to invest in a more reputable face-to-face course, such as the Cambridge CELTA, the Trinity CertTESOL, the American SIT TESOL or the Australian Cert IV TESOL. Contrary to popular opinion, these are initial teacher training courses, aimed at complete newbies. Teachers who've taught for years and then do the CELTA tend to do less well because they have to 'unlearn' all the bad habits they've picked up.
spccdt1229 wrote: Also, I'm really confused about what kind of job I can get in China, Korea, Thailand, or Japan. To what extent would an online tefl cert. help in each of these.
Although I briefly worked in Asia (Vietnam), my area of expertise is Europe. My advice, therefore, would be to visit the relevant forums on Dave's ESL Café (
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/) and put your questions to people who are currently working in your preferred countries. Be advised that there are some VERY snarky posters on there. If you can see past this, you will find a wealth of information.