Advancing my career in ESL teaching

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GregS
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Advancing my career in ESL teaching

Post by GregS »

Hi everyone,

My name is Greg and I am a British ESL teacher (and an occasional proof reader), based in the east of France. I have been teaching ESL for about 1 year and a half and I love the work and the interactions I have with student, both in one-to-one and class settings. Although I original fell into this line of work, I feel that I have finally found a career that I care a lot about, and one that could potentially last a lifetime. I find myself at a crossroads however and so I could really do with some advice and information from the ESL community.

I began teaching at a private training centre that accepted me as I am a native speaker, rather than because I have adequate qualifications (I have none at all!). Since then, I have managed to find a second job at the local university. Though the university job has boosted my confidence a great deal, I still cannot escape the fact that I am seriously under-qualified both in terms of my past studies and my job-related certificates.
I still find myself stuck at the bottom of the ladder, generally only able to take low-security and low-paid contracts (the university job is an exception to this but I am quite lucky to have found this job). I have not been able to save any money for the future and I don't have a pension yet.

I have a real passion for my students' welfare, the English language, language study in general and the craft of teaching but I am worried that this will only go so far. I need to build a real ESL Teacher's CV. Can anyone please advise me on where to start and what to aim for?

Do I need a CELTA or should I be aiming for a Masters' degree?
Can I build my professional profile by doing online courses through a website such as Coursera.org?
I am contemplating returning to the UK but I worry that I will lose the advantage of being a native speaker abroad. Is it realistic to work as an ESL teacher in the UK?
Are there opportunities to train on the job and build my profile while I work?

Thank you all for your time,

Greg.
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Joe
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Re: Advancing my career in ESL teaching

Post by Joe »

GregS wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:03 pm Do I need a CELTA or should I be aiming for a Masters' degree?
Can I build my professional profile by doing online courses through a website such as Coursera.org?
I am contemplating returning to the UK but I worry that I will lose the advantage of being a native speaker abroad. Is it realistic to work as an ESL teacher in the UK?
Are there opportunities to train on the job and build my profile while I work?
Do I need a CELTA or should I be aiming for a Masters' degree?
At the very least you would be well advised to get a TEFL Certificate. A CELTA is in fact a TEFL Certificate - probably the best, and certainly worth considering. (You might need to have a degree of any sort to get on a CELTA or even some ordinary TEFLs, but not necessarily. It's not clear whether you have a degree (in anything) or not.) A Master's in ESL/TEFL is really not necessary but a possibility for later.

Can I build my professional profile by doing online courses through a website such as Coursera.org?
This could help but not wildly.

I am contemplating returning to the UK but I worry that I will lose the advantage of being a native speaker abroad. Is it realistic to work as an ESL teacher in the UK?
It is very possible/realistic to teach ESL in the UK. BUT you would definitely need a TEFL (preferably CELTA) to even be looked at.

Are there opportunities to train on the job and build my profile while I work?
Yes but it's hard to specify.

I suggest you start at The Definitive Guide to TEFL at:
https://www.tefl.net/tefl-guide/
Follow the guide through. There's loads about training. (And Teflnet doesn't offer training so it's all objective.)

:mrgreen:
"We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood :-| " — Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood

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GregS
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Re: Advancing my career in ESL teaching

Post by GregS »

Hello Joe,

Thank you very much for posting this link. I will follow it and note the information.

Have a great day and thank you,

Greg.
alexanderfinn
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Re: Advancing my career in ESL teaching

Post by alexanderfinn »

If you wold like to stay in the University sector, a Masters will eventually be necessary. It seems that you have already hit a ceiling. My suggestion would be to do a Cert and get a grounding, but a Dip tends (this is contentious, others may disagree) to root you in the low-paying private school circuit where you can see the world, be professional and not even dream of getting a mortgage. A Masters can lift you over that. (A very personal opinion)
GregS
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Re: Advancing my career in ESL teaching

Post by GregS »

Hi Alexander,

Thank you for the frank and very informative advice. Yes, I know all about low-paid small-centre teaching jobs! Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to get the Master's yet as I don't have the finances to do it (at least in the UK) and I don't even have a Bachelor's yet either. It is my long-term ambition but for the moment, can you see any other solutions in terms of navigating the difficulty of not having one?

I will be going for the CELTA but is there anything else I can add before I am able to get a Bachelor's and then a Master's?

Thanks again,

Greg.
alexanderfinn
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Re: Advancing my career in ESL teaching

Post by alexanderfinn »

No, CELTA is your entry point. If you want to progress or even get a first job in most countries you will need a Bachelors at least. You could do stuff online. COVID has opened the eyes of many Universities to the possibilities of remeote, part time study, which might allow you to study while earning.
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Re: Advancing my career in ESL teaching

Post by hayselder »

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