Hey everyone,

First of all, thank you so much for all of your input! My apologies for the late reply, I decided to jump ship abroad impulsively for the holiday and left my electronics behind.

I see both sides to the NYCTF argument. I got interested in it due to a number of friends who were previous co-workers abroad being accepted to it and they've said some great things...but other reviews online can be pretty brutal and there's no guarantee they'll keep you after the initial training period (so not a basket I want to put all my eggs in). The appeal for me as far as the program is that I don't think I'll find a greater diversity of cultures than in New York. TFA on the other hand I've had a lot of friends give overwhelmingly negative reviews of and there's a big crap shoot as far as where you are placed.

@Helloiswill,

I've actually had some contact with TNTP. I have already applied to the NYCTF once and got an in person interview but had to turn it down when my funds got zapped. Afterwards other satellite programs of TNTP reached out to me to ask me to apply but the same issue arose at the time (not a problem anymore; now I'm just playing the waiting game).

@Psyguy,

You're right about the postings for QTS in ESOL online. I've found a few but I guess I'm just used to a bevy of opportunities having first worked in TEFL and then behavioral -. I had preemptively checked out board posts regarding Teach Now and Teach Ready, but my concern is there's not many posts from people saying, "Yeah I did this and now I'm successfully teaching abroad" (though I'm sure I could be missing some). They mostly seem to be brought up as a suggestion or by people currently enrolled at the time? As for Utah and Massachusetts, how would you renew the former while abroad and for the latter is it that it never needs to be renewed as long as you're not working in MA (and were you referring to what they have listed as a preliminary credential)?

GMU is now out for me. They were very affordable at $550-ish per credit hour...now they're $770.00. I love how much digging I had to do before that gem was discovered (their website hasn't been updated in awhile). And really, cash is my limiting factor. I'll go to whatever lengths to work my way up it's just that my options are somewhat limited by the 28k I already have in student loans (not too much according to today's interest rates but I went to school during the recession). This makes a lot of career changer programs for me non-feasible because I'd have so much debt I'd be unable to live abroad (or even in America as a teacher for that matter). In that vein am I going about this wrong? Should I be jumping ship again and tackling career development once I'm overseas again? (that's probably a very divisive question)? I enjoyed my time in TEFL; I had/have a passion for teaching those of different cultures than my own...it's just that coming from a teaching family I'd like to have my cake and eat it too (i.e. have that exposure and run my own classroom as well as improve learning outcomes).

Hey Psyguy,

Sorry I think I misrepresented myself. I don't have QTS (my bachelors was in an area unrelated to education) but am looking into programs which would make me so with the subject area of ESOL. But, in checking out the typical job boards, I don't see a lot of demand for teachers licensed as ESOL/EAL educators (of course they're mostly STEM subjects) and was wondering if there is actually a demand for it abroad or if the prospects would only be slightly (or not at all) better than what I currently have as a CELTA holder.

If not, I guess it boils down to either learning a more marketable subject stateside or going abroad again and taking my chances with a much less costly program like Teach Now or Teacher Ready?

Thank you for the help!

Just to confirm, in your first paragraph you are referring to one who would only have something like a CELTA whereas when you discuss the changing environment and opportunities further down you're referring to someone with EAL/ESOL QTS?

Hello everyone,

New to the boards (and I'm sure this has been asked a million times before) but I was wondering what the job prospects were abroad for an American with QTS in ESOL. I'm a career change attempter who spent some time abroad with a CELTA and am looking to apply to fellowships or fast track programs. After I earn my stripes in the states, I'd like to go abroad again but I'm uncertain if I'd be any better off than what I already am with a CELTA (but have no issues working my way up the tier ladder and don't have any restrictions as far as where I'd want to go). While I'm mostly looking at programs like the NYCTF (which I'd have to spend much more than two years with) or GMU's Fasttrain, I've also heard of the Teach Now and Teacher Ready programs and were wondering if they are actually legit and if I'd be better off going abroad again first and doing these instead. I wish there was something like the PGCE in the states but as of yet I've had no luck finding such a thing (trying to emulate my European friends) but if anyone else has some suggestions I'd love to hear them!