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Finding a job What do we do in the Careers Department? Living and Working in Prague Working in other parts of the world Using the certificate to teach in the UK or USA FAQs about finding a job Our graduates talk about their jobs
What do we do in the Careers department?You can expect the following from our careers service:
More and more we are seeing the need for teachers to have an externally validated and internationally recognised TESOL certificate such as the Trinity College Cert. TESOL offered here at OxfordTEFL. We have interviewed people with vast amounts of teaching experience - in one case over 11 years! - who are now finding it extremely difficult to secure work without it. Our two careers departments, in Spain and the Czech Republic, work closely together to provide you with the most up-to-date information to help you secure work. With our strong ties to local schools and links worldwide we take a proactive approach to finding you work. We take pride in our personal approach as we are very aware that not all language schools are the same and nor are all Trinity graduates. We aim to match the individual to the institution. The Career Services Department at Oxford TEFL was instrumental in assisting me to find appropriate work for my skills. My preference was to stay in Barcelona but being an American national, the options seemed limiting. Anna was extremely honest with the options I had if I decided to stay and the necessary steps I would need to make including the look of my resume, building contacts and contacting schools. I was lucky enough to find some part-time employment through Anna herself. Many employers will contact her looking for people with particular skills related to knowledge of students' mother tongue, child-development, business education, etc. I assume I fit the bill as result of my experience, which Anna so gratefully considered. All in all, the Careers Services Department is meant to help and does. Certainly it is not entirely up to them. The more the individual student makes clear what their significant skills are and what they want, the easier it is for Anna and other teachers to connect one with potential employers. Many thanks again! Diana Rivera Cert. TESOL Course August 2004. Back to top of pageLiving and Working in PraguePrague is booming; it is at the forefront of the emerging markets that make up the former Eastern Bloc states, now members of the European Union. Prague attracts massive inward investment due to its already thriving and varied economy and proximity to other regional commercial capitals. This has a direct impact on English Language Teaching (ELT) opportunities in the city as most teaching work comprises provision of in-company lessons, English being so essential in the business world. The term "Business English" is often loosely applied, e.g. a larger business may want to offer its lower-ranking workers English lessons, in which case their linguistic needs will in fact remain fairly general, due to their limited ability with the language. Cultural life is booming too. Whatever your tastes, there is something for you: the music scene is brimming with places and styles from jazz to techno. Bars and clubs are affordable on a teaching salary; the TEFL/ex-pat community tends to party hard in the country where the best beer in the world is cheaper than mineral water! Prague's strategic location also means that, apart from all the postive aspects to spending time in the city, one can easily make a weekend or even day of it by heading, for example by train, to nearby Vienna, Berlin, Budapest, Krakow and other tourist centres. Prague continues to attract English-speakers from both inside and outside the EU. Americans form the largest ex-pat community in the city and are still flocking, undeterred by recent EU entry. It is easier for a US citizen to "get legal" in the Czech Republic than for any other non-EU national. The process of getting a visa that allows you to work is relatively simple and involves exiting and re-entering the country along with appropriate documentation. You will find that larger schools actually do this for you. Back to top of pageWorking in other parts of the worldThe following are TEFL websites, publications and resources I would recommend to help you with your job search: www.englishjobmaze.com has a section called "Countries at a Glance", which provides you with extremely useful country specific information and worldwide jobs listings Using the certificate to teach in the UK or USADave Waters (UK) Cert. TESOL Course in Prague, Sep. 2003 I am so happy with the training that I received last summer and the opportunities it has provided for me this last year in the United States. Under new government reforms , the requirement to learn English will now be an integral part of obtaining citizenship and/or entry into the US under a work visa, which has created a tremendous demand for ESL teachers here. One of the greatest areas of demand is on the community college level which serves most immigrant communities as their only means of affordable adult education. However, the majority of community colleges do not have the funds to hire full-time faculty and thus are getting around this problem by hiring adjunct (part-time) faculty to teach a majority of the ESL classes. The requirements to teach ESL at a community college in the US is possession of a Master's degree (it does not matter what subject it is in) and either a U.S. ESL certificate (which is quite costly and time consuming to obtain) or an acknowledged TEFL certificate. As far as my research can discern, Trinity is the acknowledged TEFL certificate. This is a great opportunity for any graduate student to pursue part-time employment as a faculty member. Salaries range anywhere from $400 to $800 a credit hour - each class is 3 credit hours. This past semester I taught 12 credit hours for 15 weeks and this summer I will be teaching 6 credit hours for 8 weeks. In addition, I did not have to convert my TEFL certificate over to US standards - all I had to do was provide a copy of my certificate along with my grades from your program to show that I had made at least a B in the program. The students are remarkable and are so willing to learn that it is a pleasure to teach them. The training received in your program is exactly what is needed to do this type of work here, because there is no mentoring and very little guidance or resources. This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to use their TEFL certificate in the US. I hope this information might be useful. Biba Kavass (USA) Cert. TESOL Course in Prague, Aug. 2005 After completing the TESOL Cert. in Prague, I quickly found an exciting job in Riga, Latvia. In addition to being a great experience, it really prepared me to succeed in my career as an educator. I'm back in the US now, teaching ESL in the public school system during the day and tutoring adults privately at night. By June, I'll have opened up my own office and be serving about 30 students. It's going pretty well. I'm also working towards my MA TESOL through a local university... at the rate I'm going I'll be finished in 2008. Looking back, the summer in Prague was one of the best experiences in my life. Eric Gulley (USA) Cert. TESOL Course in Prague, Jul. 2004 Todd Wimer (USA) Cert. TESOL Course in Prague, Sep. 2003 I received credits for my Trinity certificate; all I had to do was provide my university's registrar office with the certificate and they did the rest. As for being hired, I just had to present a copy of my certificate as the Trinity TEFL certificate is widely recognized in the U.S. If the individual's university is not helpful (although they should be), the individual can go through Education International (www.educationinternational.org) and have the certificate translated into U.S. credits. I would caution the individual that each state and each university follows different procedures. It would be beneficial to contact the specific university first to make sure that 1) the university will not take care of this themselves, and 2) they will accept the translation from Education International (some states may have a preferred agency to do this type of thing). Biba Kavass (USA) Cert. TESOL Course in Prague, Aug. 2005 Back to top of page FAQs about finding a jobWhen is the best time for me to look for work?This varies from country to country. Generally speaking in Europe the academic year runs from October to the end of June although hiring takes place year-round in Prague. The recruitment is done locally so you need to be there and actively looking with the prime hiring time being mid-September. The second best time is after the Christmas holidays. In other parts of the world starting dates vary: January in Japan, March in South America. Our graduates find work at all times of the year. What if I’m a non-native?Some schools will have policies whereby they will only hire native speakers due to client requirements, but good English and a prestigious TESOL will usually be more important. Typically there is more demand for a non-native speaker in their country of origin. Germans are used to being taught English by German natives, for example. An advantage for non-native speakers is that they can offer another ’useful‘ language. A French graduate from Oxford Tefl was employed by a language school because of her ability to teach both English and French. What if I haven’t got a degree?A few countries, notably Japan, will only employ teachers with a university degree. In most parts of the world your Cert.TESOL is sufficient. What if I’m a more ’mature‘ teacher?Much depends on the background you have come from. You may have been in industry for many years and some employees will like if you can show transferable skills. What if I don’t speak the local language?Occasionally, some schools like the teacher to know the basics of the local language when teaching kids classes (for discipline purposes) and/or low levels. This is not going to be a problem in the majority of countries as the whole point of the TESOL is that you give your lessons only in English. On the other hand you will be expected to make efforts to learn the language of the country where you work! What if I’m a non-EU teacher?In Western Europe you will have extra challenges to overcome when seeking work, as it is not easy for non-EU citizens to get a work permit. However, many of our non-EU graduates are successful in finding work. In Central and Eastern Europe, non-EU citizens can get a work permit, including in countries such as the Czech Republic, which has recently joined the EU. Our graduates talk about their jobs:Being a non-EU citizen made the job-hunt more complicated, but it was by no means impossible. I spent more time on the phone than some of my friends, personally dropped off more resumes, and definitely had some doors shut, but I also worked on my ingenuity, interviewing skills, etc. After putting up flyers, emailing resumes, visiting schools, making calls, and ensuring that I got face-time with employers, I now have a full schedule that I´m really happy with. Ultimately, employers are looking for someone with a lot of energy, a great personality, and someone who they know they can trust- all qualities that have nothing to do with nationality. Hey Anna, so cool to hear from you--I'm still at that job in Thailand, in a town called Sriracha about 2 hours south of Bangkok. Anneli just took a job out here at the same school, but at different branch (she's in Thonburi, just outside Bangkok). I've got 50 kids in each class!!! it's completely insane. so if you've got any advice on activities to do with an unmanagably large class, send 'em along! I did the course with Oxford Tefl in Prague in July 2004. Immediately afterwards I, along with a bunch of us from my course, got a job with a Prague-based school with which Mali has regular contact. The Director of Studies visited Oxford Tefl during the "Finding a Job" session towards the end of the course and we were all interviewed and employed within a couple of weeks. After about 8 months in Prague I got a job in Mongolia, again through the careers service. It's great; since joining the company here I've been made Head of Department. What's more, don't believe that TEFL never pays, my job here in Mongolia does pay. Just decide whether you can put up with the -30 degree Celsius temperatures! This is Ryan (Zach) Smith from the class of June 2004. I'm doing very well right now and am back in the States. My friend Nick Siegel and I didn't seek work right after the course and I just now got a job in the States and he went back to Vienna to look for work. I'm working in a high school in St. Louis Missouri as an ESL teacher, working with 9th-12th graders from over 20 different countries. It is awesome. On the other hand, I will be keeping this job for just one year and then will be off again looking for ESL work in either Japan or Germany. So for now I'm doing well and I will be looking at possibilities for work in those 2 countries during the course of this year. Please tell Iona my story, as I'm sure that it would please her to know. Let all know I'm doing well and truly miss Barcelona! Cheers, The Career Services Department at Oxford TEFL was instrumental in assisting me to find appropriate work for my skills. My preference was to stay in Barcelona but being an American national, the options seemed limiting. Anna was extremely honest with the options I had if I decided to stay and the necessary steps I would need to make including the look of my resume, building contacts and contacting schools. I was lucky enough to find some part-time employment through Anna herself. Many employers will contact her looking for people with particular skills related to knowledge of students mother tongue, child-development, business education, etc. I assume I fit the bill as result of my experience, which Anna so gratefully considered. All in all, the Careers Services Department is meant to help and does. Certainly it is not entirely up to them. The more the individual student makes clear what their significant skills are and what they want, the easier it is for Anna and other teachers to connect one with potential employers. Many thanks again! I have almost come to the end of my one year contract here at English First. I just have until November and then its back to England. The school is in a small town called Jambi on the Indonesian island of Sumatera. I know so much more about English than I did and am slowly learning how to best get it acroos to the class. The language here, bahasa Indonesian, is an easy language to learn, whithout any 'to be' verb or any tenses and it's easy to pronounce. The islands in this country are something else. Bali is only a couple of hours away and there is so much architecture and colonialism to see that it would take a while to see it all. Its been fab here, the heat, the teaching, the office drama and the beaches! How nice to hear from you - 11 months is more than a few I think! How are you - having fun in Barcelona I hope. I have had a brilliant year (you might remember I was taking a one year career break). I have been back at work a month now. I'm at the same college but have a new job - Head of Development. I'm enjoying it so far! I spent 6 months in The Gambia and had a wonderful time. I lived in a really nice flat near where several of my friends live so it was lovely going to see them regularly - and the beach was just a 20 minute walk away. Take care, Anna - have a nice time with all your new students! Hey Barcelona. this is Jessica Springer, and i'm still in Cambodia. teaching at an excellent school with amazing resources, and opportunities, like next term i get to teach a diploma class, creative writing. however, growing tired of phnom penh, and will go home in December for a month. then, i'll come back and travel a bit, laos and northern thailand, then off to south korea to work in Busan. that's the plan anyway! i'd like to get back to europe soon, but need to save money and South Korea is supposed to be good for that. that's all. how many of my group are teaching english right now? hmm. send 'em to Asia. After completing the CertTESOL in Prague, I quickly found an exciting job in Riga, Latvia. In addition to being a great experience, it really prepared me to succeed in my career as an educator. I'm back in the US now, teaching ESL in the public school system during the day and tutoring adults privately at night. By June, I'll have opened up my own office and be serving about 30 students. It's going pretty well. I'm also working towards my MA TESOL through a local university... at the rate I'm going I'll be finished in 2008. Looking back, the summer in Prague was one of the best experiences in my life. I graduated from Oxford tefl in Prague in December 2004 and have been teaching ever since. I lived and worked as a TEFL teacher in Prague for 9 months after the course as I had completely fallen in love with the city! Prague was such an exciting and interesting place to be, and we were never stuck for entertainment. I must say I loved Prague in winter-time too, a real fairy-tale atmosphere, very pretty and December is great, the Christmas markets etc. I moved back to London last August and I am working for a great school in the South of the city. The plan is to teach in Africa in a year's time and I know that the TEFL course prepared me well for it! I've been wanting to write you all for awhile now! Thanks for your continuing interest. One of the reasons for doing the course was to be qualified to work at Siemens Learning Campus which is quite near my home here in Germany. It's where they teach all those German engineers English! And I got the job!! I've started out with one group( I could have had two more but I'm completely booked up with other courses!) I'm so pleased to have the chance to work for Siemens because their headquarters is here so courses will keep on coming! Thanks again for your great course!! Tell Iona and Duncan hello, I just loved working with them!!! I am working in Tallinn, Estonia teaching teenagers in a private language school, pre-int to advanced. I teach 6 general course classes, they attend twice a week and additional phonology and writing classes for other groups. The working week is Tuesday to Saturday and they are largely well behaved, some classes are talkative and eager to learn, others difficult and sulky and impossible to elicit answers from but thats teenagers everywhere, I teach only Russian students, and am taking Russian lessons. The money isnt great but teaching in a developing country is an experience and Helsinki and St Petersburg are ferry rides away, the native speaker teachers earn almost half again the wages of the local Russian teachers doing the same job as well as getting accommodation paid for. The management are incredibly supportive and I chose this school over a chain because I have more freedom in lesson planning and they really do care about the welfare of the teachers. I have to commend you for the shear amount of information that you constantly put out to graduates. Even if I never plan to teach in Kazakhistan, it's cool to actually be presented with the opportunity - It expands one's geographical and mental horizons if only for just the minute that one reads the email. Thank you. I am teaching in Chia-Yi, a beautiful city in the middle part of Taiwán. I am wnjoying my new surroundings and teaching children in a small city, it´s a quick scooter ride into Taiwan´s high mountains. Taiwan´s cost of living is low and teacher salaries are high, making it one of the most lucrative spots on the TEFL circuit. My school, New Garden Language School, is very modern. Teachers have their own desks and computers. The owners and staff are very supportive and pleasant to deal with. Good luck with everything, I hope everyone is enjoying Oxford Tefl as much as I did. After the course, I moved to Bratislava, as planned. I did some half-hearted looking for work. I know it's illogical since I chose ESL, but I found it hard to hustle for work that pays so much less than I used to get as a government lawyer. I answered an ad for a part-time position in a city of 27,000 a 45 min train ride away. They hired me. They are thrilled to have me, which is very nice. The hours are what I want, the pay is very good (for ELT), the school owners are dedicated teachers. I am teaching several levels of adults, a class of advanced teenagers, and a one-on-one with a high-level guy in one of the bigger firms in town. Soon I'll be working with the school's owners on an intensive weekend course on business English. The other day, after finishing a class, I found myself thinking how much harder this job would be, and how the students would be short-changed, if hadn't taken your course. So, thanks. I hope your current students are as much fun as the Jan/Feb '04 class! I realised that teaching was a career that I´ve been interested in from High School. I decided to do TESOL at Oxford Tefl which gave me the opportunity to qualify and teach at the same time. By doing this I was able to decide quite quickly that teaching was right for me. Working in Italy now is great. Teaching itself is very diverse (I teach children from 7 years old to adults). The Italians (like the Spanish) make brilliant students and I am learning new ways of teaching everyday.... I want to teach for another year or so and then open an English-speaking nursery school here in Jesi, Ancona. Doing TESOL is probably the best career move I´ve made. I completed the OHC course in August and got a job in International House Moscow, Russia. The visa process took weeks, that was the only tricky part. I would be happy to talk to anyone interested in working in Russia.
I signed a two year contract in The Maldives! I will be teaching English at a five star resort. It promises to be the most challenging EFL assignment so far! I will create an english program for all of the employees of two slands from level zero to advanced. There are between 150 and 200 employees. I will not only create, but I will be the ONLY teacher. I will work 6-7 days a week, 9 hours a day including preparation time. I am more than a little sad to leave Barcelona again, but I can´t pass up this opportunity! Love and hugs! As a retired (hopefully "more mature") person I have thoroughly enjoyed starting a second career as a TEFL teacher. I have found that my years in the business world are a great asset in teaching upper level management. It seems to give me a certain amount of clout that younger teachers have to
earn. Since my first career was in the insurance industry I have been able to develop insurance courses for Czech students. Developing these courses has made me more marketable. I had no trouble finding a job in Prague when I finished the TEFL course. I went to work a month after graduation and though it is more difficult for non EU residents to get visas to work here, from my discussion with several school owners I feel that the better schools will always try to hire the best teachers regardless of their home country. |
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