Pros/Cons of attaining a Teaching Certificate

[SNACK]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and I hope you guys can help me out by shedding some of your knowledge and wisdom on me. I currently work as a high school teacher in Chicago, (which is great) but I'm ready for a new challenge.

I know that getting a teaching certificate is not going to make or break me as an English teacher, but it seems like there are some benefits (experience, help w/ job placement, to name a few). It also seems like a lot of companies only seek people with certification when they hire...

Should I consider enrolling in a course to get a foot in the door?
If not, what is my best bet to start looking for a decent ESL job?

thanks!

[gfell]

It never used to be like this, but nowadays, the majority of ESL job ads require a TESL / TEFL certificate of some sort. The online ones are ok, but better is to do a course that is around 4 weeks and includes some practical hands on training.

I just saw a job ad today that requires applicants hold a teacher certificate that is from a 4-week classroom based course. The employer wouldn't accept online TEFL certificates.

Since you already have classroom teaching experience, you could probably though get away with just an online TEFL certificate.

Cheers.

[SNACK]

Hmm... interesting, thanks for the advice. I was hoping I could get by without taking a course...but maybe its worth it?
Any suggestions as to where I might look for work if I want to find an ESL job without getting certified?

[Billy]

Take a look at the various job forums here and elsewhere. There are still a good handful of job ads that don't advertise this requirement.

Look and you will find.

[SNACK]

Good advice...

Does anybody who has gotten work w/o getting certified have any insights to share?

I'm also curious...do those of you who are certified feel that it was a good investment of time and money?

thanks!

[ICAL_Pete]

It really depends on where you want to teach and at what level. Being certified will certainly make you more marketable but, perhaps more importantly, it will prepare you for the job.

TESL/TEFL courses offer a great training opportunity at entry level. They can provide a thorough grounding in a new career and in your case the right tools to approach a different side of the teaching profession.

Online courses are a good option particularly if you have a limited budget to further your studies or if you have other work and/or family commitments that restrict the amount of time you have available to study.

You can find good online courses that provide quality training and allow you to work at your own pace. Having no deadlines but those which you set for yourself is a great advantage. Working on a course with a flexible schedule where your personal tutor can be contacted 24/7 or your coursework can be submitted whenever ready has allowed many of our students – teachers to complete successfully their TESL/TEFL Certificate course, further their knowledge and gain better prospects of employment.

Good luck!