Employment & Prof. Development

Dear Dr. Mavrides,

I was fortunate enough to find your guide on teaching in China and it has proved to be an excellent source of information, as well as a valuable tool for evaluating a possible future in teaching English in China. I am still however somewhat confused on the subject of obtaining a TEFL certificate.

I am currently on a limited budget (I graduated University with a bachelor's degree in History this December), and so the prospect of getting a certificate at my Alma Mater is somewhat out of reach besides the classes are spread out over a year and I was hoping to begin teaching in China come August 2009.

I have been looking at the online programs linked from ESL base as well as some that I just Googled, and there is an overwhelming amount that all make similar claims but are diverse in accreditation and actual requirements for certification. Basically I want to be sure I am obtaining a relevant document that certifies me in TEFL that will be accepted by institutions of standing in China. Is there a particular international certifying body that holds more weight in the Chinese market than another? And how comprehensive does my TEFL experience have to be if I only plan on staying for one possibly two years before returning to the States to pursue my Graduate studies? I wanted to note that I take this kind of work very seriously and I believe my goals coincide with what will be most beneficial to the students that I will be lucky enough to teach. I appreciate any assistance that you can provide me, and greatly appreciate the time you must have spent compiling the current information and the immeasurable help that your guide has already granted me.

Respectfully,

Jeremy

Dear Jeremy,

Any standard four-week program leading to a TEFL certificate seems to be fine in China and throughout the rest of Asia. If you were trying to teach in Europe, then anecdotal evidence suggests that the CELTA is better. Unfortunately, this is no authoritative accrediting body for TEFL (although Cambridge in England is the accrediting body for CELTA and DELTA) so, basically, you have to choose based on the criteria that I mentioned, as well as total cost and convenience (see chapter on TEFL Training).

The truth is, you don’t really need a TEFL certificate (or a degree for that matter) to teach oral English in China. Having just written that, you will probably find it to be vocationally useful if you’ve never taught EFL before, and it might make you a little bit more competitive for your first teaching position. Certainly, you will find a job a private English language school without TEFL certification and I think most universities would consider you as well. In fact, if you find yourself teaching in a major city, especially at a university, then you could always attend such a program during the summer or winter breaks.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.