Aspiring teacher and possible paths to take

[sarahny]

I’m an aspiring teacher and researching my options on which path to take towards teaching abroad. I’ve read through many resources and forum posts but since requirements change with the times, I am concerned some of what I’ve read may now be outdated or there may be new opportunities. I wanted to get some feedback on three paths I am considering.

Background info:
- I have a bachelor's in graphic arts (serves its purpose but not exactly useful for teaching).
- I am starting a CELTA course in the next few months.
- I am in the process of applying for a MAT in Elementary Education program. If I am not accepted, I'm going to start on the TESOL path. If I do get accepted, I need to start thinking about which option to choose.

Path one: Teach English abroad, do alternative teaching certification (like TeacherReady), possibly do an online Master’s, and work my way into an international school.
- Practical experience: CELTA, English teaching, teaching fieldwork/internship
- Time: Can start TESOL this year; time to int'l school unknown
- Notes: Lacking a Master's and experience, getting into an int'l school requires a great resume, connections and luck.

Path two: Stay where I am for the next 1.5 years, get my Master's in Teaching and an initial teaching cert. Aim to go abroad either as an English teacher or start applying to (lower tier) international schools.
- Practical experience: CELTA, student teaching
- Time: At least 2 years
- Notes: Difficult to get a position as a newly-certified teacher, but not impossible.

Path three: Stay where I am for the next 1.5 years, get my Master's in Teaching and an initial teaching cert, then get another two years of experience (maybe while getting an additional cert like SPED) before attempting to go abroad.
- Practical experience: CELTA, student teaching, full-time teaching
- Time: Minimum 4 years
- Notes: Best teaching experience and qualifications, but takes the longest.

Of course I would love to go abroad sooner than later, but I know I shouldn't be too hasty and need to consider the long term. English teaching is decent money now, but eventually I'd want to move up. I don't want to be stuck with low qualifications that will make me scramble home for my Master's.

I also don't want to be a bad teacher and would really benefit from the real-life classroom experience and on-campus teacher prep program. From what I see, online programs are looked down on in the Middle East, and I want to have the option of teaching there.

Sorry that my first post is quite lengthy; I only know a few SPED teachers in real life and a couple of acquaintances teaching English abroad, so I’d like to see if I can get some input from international school teachers.

[MedellinHeel]

I was in the same boat as you last year. Here is my 2 cents.

Scrap the CELTA and TESOL certs you plan to get. (why would you even do both to begin with?) They (CELTA) cost too much money and are not needed.

Apply for a FBI background check now.
Get your degree and FBI check apostiled(sp?) and notarized.
Apply for jobs in Korea. (night/hagwon jobs)
Start the TeacherReady program.
Accept job & move to Korea.
Work & Complete TeacherReady program.
Come back to USA and take your licensing exams.
Find first International teaching job (via fairs, job boards, etc)
Get Masters at a later date if you so desire.

All that can be done in 1 year without spending much money. You will actually have a decent amount of money saved when you finish your contract even with paying for the TeacherReady program.

Dont worry about any concerns with an online program. You will hold the same Professional license that Uni students have. Can easily get a 3rd or 2nd tier job to start off. Experience and references trump everything and you will certainly be able to get a job in the Middle East or where ever.

And thus, I would recommend getting licensed the quickest way so you can get the much needed experience (most important thing) and start building contacts / networking.

[sarahny]

MedellinHeel, thanks for your input!

To clarify I'm not getting another TESOL cert, I was referring to doing TESOL work in general. I'm going for the CELTA because I may start on the English teacher route or at least do tutoring on the side. I feel it's always a good qualification to have since English teaching jobs are quite plentiful, and I don't mind paying for the training and peace of mind (as opposed to that 'omg, I'm in a new country and I have no idea what I'm doing' feeling).

I'd rather do public schools than hagwons due to the benefits and overall experience though. How has your hagwon experience been?

TeacherReady is quite attractive since I could do it sooner, but I feel that the Master's would be better for me in the long run. I'm a 'better safe than sorry' kind of person, and going for my Master's now is more affordable and I can do it full time without worrying about insurance coverage. With TeacherReady, there may be difficulty transfering credits to a future Master's program. The second path is the most attractive one to me, but the first one is my backup.

[MedellinHeel]

I think most people would tell you to go ahead and get licensed and get some experience under your belt.

However, if you feel you must have a Masters now then go ahead. Certainly cant harm you ;)

And fyi, you don't need a CELTA to teach oral English. You certainly wouldnt / shouldnt get one if you are gonna be doing a masters or only teaching oral English for a year or two.

I recommend the Hagwon due to you needing to be free during the day if you did the TR program ie observations, homework, studying, student teaching etc. I enjoyed my hagwon experience. Only taught 3 classes a day, almost zero prep, was a cake.

Good luck.

[lemonlily]

If you are in the US, a really great online Masters program is from University of Southern California. You can attend form any US state, or internationally and they will place you in a school where you are located for student teaching(what they call Guided Practice). It is an excellent program and you can finish in 4 quarters, so just over 1 year. However, it is expensive. Very expensive. But I highly recommend it. I was in their second graduating class and I learned soooo much about teaching there. So many of my colleagues talk about how their teacher prep program did not prepare them at all for the classroom. I can say, without a doubt, I was more than prepared for the classroom....there are still some harsh realities in the real world, but I had the tools/skills to tackle them. Also, you do 20weeks (nearly 6mo of class exp. ) of student teaching, so you really get a feel for the classroom and you have to do it in an early grade and the second session in a later grade.

Anyway, that's my two cents. I would also scrap the CELTA and TESOL and go straight for an accelerated Masters program. You could get in and do that (and they have cohorts that start every few months, not just Aug/Sept) and then do 1yr teaching and be ready to teach internationally in 2 yrs with 1.5yrs teaching exp and a Masters.

[rcoy2]

Here's what i'm doing and it's very similar to what you want to do.

1st) I'm in the process of finishing my BA in English and working as an English camp teacher in Thailand.

2nd) After the BA is finished i'm planning to do a Master of Science in Education through Buffalo State University at their overseas location in Bangkok. The price of the course is very inexpensive for a master degree and if you complete the TEFL certificate through their affilite university it counts as 9 grad credits, leaving the cost at about $10000 for a fully accredited US university master degreethat only takes about a year to finish.

3rd) Please note however that this master degree does not include stateside licensure (although it does include a license to teach in Thailand), so i'm also planning to complete the teacher ready program (which by the way will require you to go back to the states at least one time to take tests)

If everything goes according to plan then by the end of next year i will have an alternative teaching license and master degree in education.

A teaching license and a couple years of teaching experience in the states will pull in a lot more money and job opportunities for you, and a master degree will certainly help but if you are like me and absolutely cannot wait to leave the states this isn't a bad path to take either.

[escapeartist]

I think option 2 is the most balanced. Certification, Master's degree, done--you're all set up with nothing to worry about obtaining online later. I would scrap the CELTA and save the $2,000 for something more worthwhile (like registering for and attending a fair next year). If you can work while in school, maybe you can get an Instructional Assistant position to beef up your resume in terms of experience (I know it wouldn't technically COUNT, but it is still something) or tutor in your grade/subject level.

So, you will finish your degree in Spring semester 2015? You could feasibily apply for jobs at the winter 2015 UNI fair, which hires a fair share of first year teachers. If you didn't get an offer that was enticing to you, what's one or two more years stateside gaining some valuable experience?

Go for the MAT & certificate, see what happens through TIE and UNI, go abroad if you land a position, and if not, a couple of years of experience is only going to make you a more viable candidate.

Honestly, my first two years of teaching were so difficult that I cannot imagine having that stress compounded up on the stress of moving to a new country. Kudos to those teachers who have the guts to go for it and are able to!

Best of luck! Sounds like you are really excited to go overseas. With a little bit of patience and hard work, I think you'll have a better foundation to go for it!

[Rye]

Don't limit yourself to lower tier schools, you may be a perfect fit - and as everyone kept telling me, "The worst they can say is no"

I like option 2 the best as some have said, but this is really on you. Going overseas is great and all, but some time and patience I think will make a huge difference. You can get a masters in 1.5, I didn't do it online but I prefer to be in a classroom. Wasn't easy, but the end-goal kept me focused. (That and I honestly love taking classes that interest me)

Try to attend a lot of PD if you can - as someone that interviewed some people for jobs at the US school I taught at, a canidates ability to be proactive and go out and get relevant training before it was required was a plus. Experience is nice, but looking long term taking a canidate that is determined and willing to go that extra mile may pay off over someone who just has 1-2 years in a classroom. So does my plant. Doesn't make it a better teacher.

Just a thought. Either way it will work out - you have a long time ahead of you to teach, so going in guns blazing now vs. taking it a little slower will shape your initial experience. Good luck and keep us posted!

[sarahny]

Thank you so much everyone, it is very much appreciated to hear your experiences and feedback! It is a major career/life decision and I want to be as prepared as possible, as I’m leaving the comfort and stability of home.

Experience:
From past experience, I feel that I am good at learning on the spot, but I need proper training in order to be more confident in my role. I do want to be proactive and learn as much as I can before getting there. From what I’ve seen with other alternative teacher cert programs like TFA, there’s a lot of negative feedback regarding lack of training and support/mentors. While this is a different environment, I still want to make sure I can be a good and confident teacher, since I would have some effect on childrens’ futures.

CELTA:
I wanted to start as a English teacher as I feel it’s a good transition into a new country and lifestyle, and I want the flexibility and freedom to start with. I know you can do it with just a Bachelor’s, but again, it’s about that confidence and peace of mind for me :) Plus, I've already paid to reserve my seat in the CELTA program, so I will have to go against everyone’s advice here (still appreciated though!). It’s also good for personal growth since I’m a spelling/grammar nerd and want to be an even more annoying one.

Where:
I am a bit undecided on the country I want to settle in, but I do want to start in Korea and then maybe Japan. Although it seems to be paradise for many expats, I am not interested in Thailand at the moment; I’ve vacationed in nearby Vietnam and am just not into tropical weather.

Master's/Certification:
As for the Master’s, I’ve looked into TeacherReady some more and see that you can transfer credits into UWF’s graduate online program. It’s a contender now, as the price is similar to the MAT program I’m applying to now, but with less prereqs. I do prefer the on-campus experience, but the student teaching should make up for that. I also feel there’s some stigma with online courses, but not so much with UWF since Florida’s pretty edtech-savvy and there’s a real-life campus attached to it, plus it’s more convenient and flexible. Plus, the accelerated MAT program I’m interested in is in limbo right now, so I’m waiting to hear news if it’ll exist or not for next semester. Is it possible to do TeacherReady courses first, and then save the student teaching for the next year? I would really like to start in a public school rather than a late-night hagwon.

I feel like I’ve written an application essay. Let me stop rambling to say thank you again. It’s a change I’m nervous about, but one I’m excited to make.

[MedellinHeel]

Unless you dropped 1,500 dollars to reserve the CELTA you should really scrap it. Complete waste of money for someone not wanting to make ESL their immediate career. Much more cheaper options if you insist on getting some ESL cert. Esp if you go to Korea, pretty much gonna be a glorified babysitter. Not worth paying for a CELTA imo.

[patthebunny]

If you are going the Teacher Ready route you really want to get into a public school gig. You can do your student teaching at your school where you can not at a hagwon. Also with public school hours and good vacation times you can get in the student teaching completed at an international school during summer or winter breaks as Korea lines up their school year a bit differently from international schools.

[Tyshine]

patthebunny wrote:
> If you are going the Teacher Ready route you really want to get into a
> public school gig. You can do your student teaching at your school where
> you can not at a hagwon. Also with public school hours and good vacation
> times you can get in the student teaching completed at an international
> school during summer or winter breaks as Korea lines up their school year a
> bit differently from international schools.


You can do it that way, but I think it would be better to work in a hagwon and student teach at an international school. I didn't resign at a good public school and chose to work at a hagwon so I could get experience at an international school. Even though the hagwon job was less than ideal I would do it the same way again because I learned so much that I wouldn't have the other way, and it help me land a good job.