Thinking of a new life TEFL at 45?!

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Bulstrode
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Posts: 1
Joined: 17 Nov 2016, 19:39
Status: Prospective Teacher

Thinking of a new life TEFL at 45?!

Unread post by Bulstrode »

Hi, I'm new to this and would be very appreciative of any advice. I'm 45 just, and very keen to change career as well as relocate to Spain, particularly Barcelona. I don't have a Degree and my only classroom experience was when I trained cabin crew and pilots for an airline. Should I do the online course first and then the weekend classroom course or visa versa? Without a degree and my age is it a realistic prospect for me? Any advice would be grateful. This is something I'm serious about but I do have reservations about my lack of experience. Thanks in advance
Briona
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Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Thinking of a new life TEFL at 45?!

Unread post by Briona »

Hi there and welcome to the forum,
Bulstrode wrote:I'm 45 just, and very keen to change career as well as relocate to Spain, particularly Barcelona.
I live and work in Barcelona and it is the most competitive market I've ever worked in. The place is literally awash with teachers, so it takes a while to get established and to earn enough money to live on.
Bulstrode wrote:Should I do the online course first and then the weekend classroom course or visa versa?
In a market this cut-throat, you will need to invest in a face-to-face intensive course, such as the CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL. An online TEFL certificate will not cut it.

If you can afford to do it, I'd recommend taking your TEFL course in Barcelona as this would give you some experience teaching Catalan students. Furthermore, the course providers tend to have links to local employers, which may come in useful when looking for work. You can do the CELTA at International House (http://www.ihes.com/bcn/tt/celta/celta.html) or, if you're happy to travel 40 mins outside the city, you could do it at Cambridge School in Granollers, which is where I did mine (http://www.celta-delta.com/celta-course/). Alternatively, you can do the Trinity CertTESOL at Oxford TEFL (http://www.oxfordtefl.com/).
Bulstrode wrote:I don't have a Degree and my only classroom experience was when I trained cabin crew and pilots for an airline.
When it comes to finding work, a degree is not normally required. However, third-level education is a big thing here, so many employers will insist on you having one. You haven't said what you currently do for work, but if it's business-related, you may find your skills and knowledge compensate for the lack of a degree as there's a lot of demand for business English here.

Jobs are not usually found from abroad; you really need to be on the ground at the right time handing out CVs. The best time to find work is, obviously, at the start of the academic year - early September through to early October. After that, there's precious little work around till very early January. If you choose to do your TEFL course in Barcelona, choose one that finishes in time for the academic year start or Xmas. Any other time of year will leave you struggling to find work.

And talking of struggling to find work, there's almost no work for EFL teachers during the summer and teachers aren't entitled to claim the paro (dole) until they've worked for two full years. So you need to save enough of your meagre wages to see you through the long summer or you need to go back to the UK and work in a residential summer school.

Hope that helps, and if you have any other questions, please ask.

Briona
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
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