Click Here to Subsribe to the 'Ask Jean about China' Feed Dear Jean,
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, a computer networking degree in WAN/LAN (Cisco Systems) and a Master’s in Educational Business. I also have a ******** Teaching certification and I’ve been teaching here in the US for 7 years. Do I still need to take the TESOL/TEFL classes and show a TESOL/TEFL certification in order to get a job in China(summer or 1-2 year contract?)
Thank you,
Theo
Jean answers Theo’s question
Dear Theo,
In your case, the answer to this question is no. Even with just a bachelor’s degree, you could probably ‘get away’ without having a TESOL certificate but if you have a teaching certification, then going through a TESOL program would be a big waste of money. Plus, with 7 years of teaching experience in the U.S., you are probably not going to learn very much from a TESOL course.
I only recommend TESOL certificates for people without bachelor degrees who are going to teach in China. Schools want to see some sort of qualification, even if it is minimal.
With all of those qualifications, you should be able to land a job anywhere. In fact, some schools will pay you extra just because you have a Master’s degree.
Good luck with everything.
Sincerely,
Jean
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I have a degree – and a teaching degree at that, and home my students were vocational students. I taught subjects like hospitality, retail, job search, communication and personal development. I was told that I had to do TESOL, which I did, and later learned that the truth was that I didn’t need it. However, I am glad I did it. It gave me so much information, and many ideas for classes that I am pleased that I did it. Now I am a TESOL trainer.
Just doing a basic course will give you many good ideas to use.
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Dear Jean,
I have a TESOL Certification but i do not have a college degree. Will I be about to find a job. Also giving that I am black will it be hard to me to find work in China.
Thank you,
Zed Zeller
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If you do skip that step (not just any step, remember, but the step of getting any training at all before you step in front of class), you might just be having that horrible time in front of a class of paying students instead
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http://www.thebeijinger.com/ This site has alot of schools you can get in contact with. I think it is just a waist of money to get a cert. I did and regret it. I had a horrible time and at the end when we wanted jobs they told us about this site. So lets skip a few steps
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What Jean says is most certainly true about getting a visa and a job (although it might exclude you from work at a small minority of schools), but teaching EFL is substantially different from other kinds of teaching and I would highly recommend some specific training with observed teaching practice. I have trained experienced teachers to become TEFL/TESOL teachers of adults for the first time, and although the primary teachers find it hardest to adjust almost all of them started with teaching practice marks as low as or lower than people who had never taught and were only able to bring their experience to bear once they had grappled with adjusting to a completely different way of teaching.
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