The place to ask China-related questions!
Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou Shenzhen Chengdu Xi'an Hangzhou Qingdao Dalian Suzhou Nanjing More Cities>>

Categories

Close
Welcome to eChinacities Answers! Please or register if you wish to join conversations or ask questions relating to life in China. For help, click here.
X

Verify email

Your verification code has been sent to:

Didn`t receive your code? Resend code

By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .

Sign up with Google Sign up with Facebook
Sign up with Email Already have an account? .
Posts: 186

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Q: To do or not to do the CELTA course?

My cons:

- I'm not a native English speaker, so I'm worried the course might be too difficult and I'll quit

- Since emphasis is laid on looks here in China, I'm going to have a hard time finding a job since I'm an overseas-born Chinese

 

My pro ( s ) :

- Teaching English sounds like a good short-term way to earn money and travel for a while

 

The list isn't complete, but those are my main pros and cons.

 

Any advice on whether or not to do the course? Or is it going to be a waste of money, time and energy?

 

11 years 26 weeks ago in  Teaching & Learning - China

 
Answers (8)
Comments (2)
Posts: 703

Shifu

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Have you already experienced teaching here in China?

You may not get paid as much as 'white' westerners, and you may not be treated very well. So it could be risky investing your time, money, and energy taking the course.

However, if you are serious about teaching it may be a good thing, even though it is not needed for most jobs.

debbie.luo:

I haven't had any real teaching experience yet. I have tutored for about 2 months, but stopped since I wanted to concentrate more on getting better grades since I'm still a college student.

 

As for the question if I'm really serious about teaching, I'm not sure. I see it as one way to make some money and travel for a while. But, maybe I will eventually think about a teaching career.

 

Thanks for the answer!

11 years 25 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
11 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4397

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

  I had a friend who was American born Chinese and he got work easily enough, but I don't know about in the coastal cities where the big money is. I do think you should do the test though, just find yourself the cheapest one available. I did mine online. You can learn stuff off the test, of course, but the main education comes from spending time in classrooms. If the test is too hard for you I don't see you finding much success in teaching, though you might find work teaching little kids. My advice: do the test, it can only help.

Report Abuse
11 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2186

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

CELTA is, in my opinion, the best course out there, with the exception of the DELTA which is an advanced version of CELTA and needs two years teaching experience before you will be accepted.

CELTA is not easy, but is VERY worth it, IF you are interested in teaching, it focuses mainly on the English skills needed but does touch on the psychology of teaching. I did the four week intensive course in Oxford, and it required a good level of English but it also expects you do to a considerable amount of homework and lesson plans for every lesson planned down to the second, and adhered to to the minute. It's a lot of work if you are just hoping to pay for a holiday.

If however you are genuinely interested in teaching it is very worthwhile, but I would recommend a PGCE / Cert Ed as that teaches you HOW to teach CELTA is much more concerned with WHAT to teach.

However, the main qualification Chinese employers are looking for is a degree and it really doesn't matter in what subject. If you already have a degree then CELTA will put you above other candidates but many employers aren't interested, only in the degree.

Report Abuse
11 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

99.99% of jobs in China DON'T require a CELTA and about 95% will hire you without even a TELF cert although they 'prefer' it. 

As for being of Asian descent, employers will differ in how accepting they are of you.  You may do better in adult training centres

Report Abuse
11 years 25 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

DONT do a CELTA  it is so not required, or even useful for teaching in China.  CELTA is for serious teaching - teaching in China is NOT SERIOUS. 

mArtiAn:

  Teaching in China is as serious as you make it. For some people it is a way to pay for a holiday, but for others it is a career.

11 years 25 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
11 years 25 weeks ago
 
Posts: 91

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Do the CELTA. It can be very useful and if you can devote a month of your time and pass it then it will be useful sooner or later (here or somewhere else).

Adding qualifications to your resume is not a bad thing. I agree with mArtiAn, teaching can be what you make it: can be a way to pay for stuff or can be a career.

I plan on taking the CELTA course next year. It is not as bad as it seems - it's a month of work and keeping tight to schedules. That's it. Definetly worth it.

Report Abuse
11 years 25 weeks ago
 
Posts: 3

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

DONT do a CELTA  it is so not required, or even useful for teaching in China.  CELTA is for serious teaching - teaching in China is NOT SERIOUS. 

 

I agree. I have a CELTA and would say only do it if you're thinking of doing TEFL somewhere else. It will also make you realise how bad some of the people teaching ESL for a living in China are.  

Report Abuse
11 years 20 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1968

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Dear Debbie,

 

You say that you are an overseas born Chinese. So the first question is whether or not you hold a PRC passport, or perhaps a Taiwan passport,  Hong Kong document, Macau document, etc..  If you hold one of those, it will be difficult for you to find gainful ESL employment here.

 

If however, you hold a US, and any of the other Big Five Countries, or a Singapore, etc., etc., or even an EU passport, then you qualify as a "foreigner", notwithstanding your nationality of origin.

 

In terms of CELTA vs TESOL certificates, it all depends upon your market.  It's the Brits vs. the Yanks on this one.  The CELTA course is decidedly more solid, at least generally speaking, but both are quite marketable here. 

 

Next, the ethnic question.  I have worked with both ABC's and CBA's in previous positions in two of the largest cities in China.  Both were government schools and not LTC's.    You do stand a chance in the larger cities, for a fact, you will just need to be more diligent.  If you hold a foreign passport, then your chances increase considerably.

 

Report Abuse
11 years 20 weeks ago
 
Know the answer ?
Please or register to post answer.

Report Abuse

Security Code: * Enter the text diplayed in the box below
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <br> <p> <u>
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Textual smileys will be replaced with graphical ones.

More information about formatting options

Forward Question

Answer of the DayMORE >>
A:  "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "S
A: "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "Shenzhen agent can connect you with an employer, who's authorized to hire waigouren ... and can sponsor Z visa." It's not like every 10th person you meet in Shenzhen's hood can sponsor work visa ...  The only way to change student visa to labourer one is just a regular way by: 1. Finding an employer, who'll apply for an Invitation letter; 2. Exit China and apply for Z visa in your home country's Chinese embassy; 3. Enter China in 30-days after Z visa was stamped into your travelling instrument ...As I am aware, you won't be able to switch to Working permit by remaining in China....,so make ready for a return to your home .... -- icnif77