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What ESOL qualification is the best?

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Original post by carnationlilyrose
PGCE or BEd is a qualification for teaching in UK schools. It's not designed for teaching abroad. If you are wanting to teach English as a second or foreign language abroad, then you will need a CELTA or Trinity certificate. My son teaches in Spain with a Trinity cert and a BA in English.


So, a CELTA qualification would be for teaching abroad?

What happens if I want to teach English to people where English is a second language to them in this country (UK)? What qualifications do I need then?
Original post by >Username<
Sorry I wasn't very clear. :s-smilie: I'm not too sure where I want to teach... I know I want to work in the UK teaching English. I'm not too fussed about what school it is (I'm not really one for prestige ect). There's so many qualifications out there and everyone says something different. So I was just wondering what is the best way into teaching ESOL?

This is interesting. So, what you're saying is to teach English abroad what all you really need is a degree... The subject is actually irrelevant?
Yes, that is true if you are a native speaker. There are very few jobs teaching ESOL in schools in the UK. If you want to teach English as a school subject, then it's an English degree and PGCE. You could do a BEd, but that tends to be for primary schools and has much less flexibility.
Original post by >Username<
So, a CELTA qualification would be for teaching abroad?

What happens if I want to teach English to people where English is a second language to them in this country (UK)? What qualifications do I need then?

If you want to teach in the UK, not in a maintained school to school age children, then CELTA will do the job, but you will be working in private language schools as the norm, which is seasonal and paid per hour usually. There used to be some jobs in the public sector with immigrants, but I'm not up to date with this. Your best bet to cover your bases is a degree, then PGCE, then CELTA. CELTA or Trinity doesn't take long. IIRC when my son did it, it was a six week course.
Original post by >Username<

Thanks for your reply. :smile: So, doing a PGCE/PDGE would mean I would need to have a degree beforehand... What degree should I have beforehand in order to get into the PGCE/PDGE?


You don't even have a degree? CELTA will take you nowhere.

Any degree will do, but preferably from Oxbridge if you want to teach in Asia, assuming that you're white.

If you're serious about getting qualified, then a degree in English.
Original post by carnationlilyrose
If you want to teach in the UK, not in a maintained school to school age children, then CELTA will do the job, but you will be working in private language schools as the norm, which is seasonal and paid per hour usually. There used to be some jobs in the public sector with immigrants, but I'm not up to date with this. Your best bet to cover your bases is a degree, then PGCE, then CELTA. CELTA or Trinity doesn't take long. IIRC when my son did it, it was a six week course.


How is it possible that people anywhere in the UK would hire someone without even a degree in anything from anywhere (or working on one) to teach English?

If they'd hire a school leaver to do that, I very much doubt they would have cared about a CELTA in any case since it'd seem as if they are willing to hire anybody.
Original post by carnationlilyrose
Yes, that is true if you are a native speaker. There are very few jobs teaching ESOL in schools in the UK. If you want to teach English as a school subject, then it's an English degree and PGCE. You could do a BEd, but that tends to be for primary schools and has much less flexibility.


Or School Direct, or Teach First, or a foreign degree then a PGCE.
Original post by >Username<

What happens if I want to teach English to people where English is a second language to them in this country (UK)? What qualifications do I need then?


You need an actual degree and an actual teaching qualification to teach. CELTA is neither. CELTA is a very short long-distance certificate with easy hurdles and no admission requirements and many holders. It is only an additional 'qualification' in the sense that all things being equal(ly bad, in the sense that both job applicants possess an irrelevant degree from a lesser-known universe of the same racial and cultural background), it *might* be better for you to have one then not.
Original post by carnationlilyrose
PGCE or BEd is a qualification for teaching in UK schools. It's not designed for teaching abroad. If you are wanting to teach English as a second or foreign language abroad, then you will need a CELTA or Trinity certificate. My son teaches in Spain with a Trinity cert and a BA in English.


Your son would have likely gotten the job even without the certificate.
Original post by clh_hilary
How is it possible that people anywhere in the UK would hire someone without even a degree in anything from anywhere (or working on one) to teach English?

If they'd hire a school leaver to do that, I very much doubt they would have cared about a CELTA in any case since it'd seem as if they are willing to hire anybody.

No idea what you are talking about. The CELTA is on top of the degree. If you are talking about my son, he did his Trinity certificate after his degree. Where do school leavers come into it?
Original post by carnationlilyrose
What on earth do you know about whether my son would have got the job or not?


Because most people get hired without CELTA.
Original post by carnationlilyrose
No idea what you are talking about. The CELTA is on top of the degree. If you are talking about my son, he did his Trinity certificate after his degree. Where do school leavers come into it?


The OP is one it seems.
There isn't a best one.

The number of ESOL tutors vastly outnumbers the number of ESOL jobs in the UK, the 27% budget cut in April means there are even less, there is a 15% budget cut due for next April too.
Original post by >Username<
Thanks for your reply. :smile: Okay, so you're saying that a PGCE/BEd isn't that useful as people think. So, what would you recommend?



Thanks for your reply. :smile: What do you recommend I do? Go to university then get a CELTA qualification?


It entirely depends on what you want to teach. If you're set on teaching English as a foreign language then you need to be aware that there aren't many jobs for this in the uk. You could go down the traditional teaching route and then go work in a school with a high proportion of EAL students.
Reply 33
To teach English in a language school in UK you will need a degree and a CELTA - absolutely no language school would employ you without a CELTA, even if you have other education qualifications, such as a BEd or PGCE. We see PGCE etc as a bonus but we wouldn't even interview without a CELTA. There's no point. Education degrees and PGCEs are, after all, usually geared towards teaching children, and not usually connected to language-learning (unless your PGCE is in French or something). Since teaching in a language school requires (a) knowledge of language and (b) pedagogy skills more pertinent to (fee-paying) adults, a CELTA gives a better impression of your capabilities. Obviously, it's just an entry-level qualification, so you have to do a lot of learning on the job, but your performance on CELTA will usually give a good indication of your potential. To an extent, PGCE skills are transferable to the adult sphere (the basic principles of education are not unduly complex, after all), but in my experience PGCE-qualified teachers are by no means the best language teachers. Some are excellent, of course; but many others simply can't make the transition to a language school environment effectively. (There are also hugely different demands--discipline being not the least of these--between teaching a group of 30 teenagers in a comprehensive school and teaching a group of 12 foreign university students in a private language school).

This is the case in the UK, where I have most experience. Asia and South America tend to be less rigorous, although some countries are now tightening up as the teaching market is getting saturated - you would now be unlikely to find a good job in Thailand, for example, without a relevant qualification or well-placed contacts. Of the Asian countries, Japan is certainly the most rigorous when it comes to employing people. Jobs with international firms (International House, British council etc) will require a CELTA.

I have worked with one excellent teacher who only had celta (no degree) but she really is the exception. Usually you would need a degree to get a job in a language school. Most relevant degrees would be languages or linguistics --- I personally would preference these to English or education, although those are useful too.

It is worth adding that most people with a CELTA do not go on to teach full-time for the rest of their lives. Many of them find they don't take to the profession, or the profession doesn't take to them. It really is quite a basic qualification, which, like all qualifications, is a starting-point for a career, not a goal in itself. Be that as it may, it is indispensable for a career teaching English for adults, and if you are considering a stint in TEFL it is well worth the relatively modest investment in time and money that it requires.



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Original post by Shelly_x
It entirely depends on what you want to teach. If you're set on teaching English as a foreign language then you need to be aware that there aren't many jobs for this in the uk. You could go down the traditional teaching route and then go work in a school with a high proportion of EAL students.


So, what is the traditional teaching route?
Original post by Verst
To teach English in a language school in UK you will need a degree and a CELTA - absolutely no language school would employ you without a CELTA, even if you have other education qualifications, such as a BEd or PGCE. We see PGCE etc as a bonus but we wouldn't even interview without a CELTA. There's no point. Education degrees and PGCEs are, after all, usually geared towards teaching children, and not usually connected to language-learning (unless your PGCE is in French or something). Since teaching in a language school requires (a) knowledge of language and (b) pedagogy skills more pertinent to (fee-paying) adults, a CELTA gives a better impression of your capabilities. Obviously, it's just an entry-level qualification, so you have to do a lot of learning on the job, but your performance on CELTA will usually give a good indication of your potential. To an extent, PGCE skills are transferable to the adult sphere (the basic principles of education are not unduly complex, after all), but in my experience PGCE-qualified teachers are by no means the best language teachers. Some are excellent, of course; but many others simply can't make the transition to a language school environment effectively. (There are also hugely different demands--discipline being not the least of these--between teaching a group of 30 teenagers in a comprehensive school and teaching a group of 12 foreign university students in a private language school).

This is the case in the UK, where I have most experience. Asia and South America tend to be less rigorous, although some countries are now tightening up as the teaching market is getting saturated - you would now be unlikely to find a good job in Thailand, for example, without a relevant qualification or well-placed contacts. Of the Asian countries, Japan is certainly the most rigorous when it comes to employing people. Jobs with international firms (International House, British council etc) will require a CELTA.

I have worked with one excellent teacher who only had celta (no degree) but she really is the exception. Usually you would need a degree to get a job in a language school. Most relevant degrees would be languages or linguistics --- I personally would preference these to English or education, although those are useful too.

It is worth adding that most people with a CELTA do not go on to teach full-time for the rest of their lives. Many of them find they don't take to the profession, or the profession doesn't take to them. It really is quite a basic qualification, which, like all qualifications, is a starting-point for a career, not a goal in itself. Be that as it may, it is indispensable for a career teaching English for adults, and if you are considering a stint in TEFL it is well worth the relatively modest investment in time and money that it requires.



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Thank you so much for your reply. :smile:

So, a degree and CELTA are necessary? Does it matter what the degree is in? For example I'm planning to do my degree in Economics. Would this be okay?

In terms of a PGCE is this necessary?

Everyone keeps saying different things and I'm extremely confused to what route I need to take. Some people say even a degree is not necessary...?
Original post by Justpin
There isn't a best one.

The number of ESOL tutors vastly outnumbers the number of ESOL jobs in the UK, the 27% budget cut in April means there are even less, there is a 15% budget cut due for next April too.


So, what you're saying is there are very few jobs what I want to do? Do you think it's worth going into teaching then?
Original post by >Username<
So, what is the traditional teaching route?


There are several different kinds.
If you want to teach primary you can either do a 4 year primary education with QTS degree. Or do a subject degree then do a primary postgraduate teaching course after.

If you want to do secondary the most common way is to do a degree in the subject you want to teach (at least 50% of your degree must be in the subject you want to teach) and then you do a postgraduate teaching course.

Posgraduate teaching course options include:
Teach first - 6 weeks intensive training then straight into teaching. Two year long course and you get paid to work in deprived areas.
Schools direct - there is a salaried and a nonsalaried option. The latter you obviously don't get paid for but you may be entitled to bursaries and you will still get student loans. This is basically on the job training. Will vary in terms of course structure depending on the provider you study with.
SCITT - on the job training again. Will vary in terms of course structure depending on the provider you study with.
Pgce - a course with more of a balance between the university and school placement elements. You will spend chunks of time at uni and chunks of time on placement.
Original post by Shelly_x
There are several different kinds.
If you want to teach primary you can either do a 4 year primary education with QTS degree. Or do a subject degree then do a primary postgraduate teaching course after.

If you want to do secondary the most common way is to do a degree in the subject you want to teach (at least 50% of your degree must be in the subject you want to teach) and then you do a postgraduate teaching course.

Posgraduate teaching course options include:
Teach first - 6 weeks intensive training then straight into teaching. Two year long course and you get paid to work in deprived areas.
Schools direct - there is a salaried and a nonsalaried option. The latter you obviously don't get paid for but you may be entitled to bursaries and you will still get student loans. This is basically on the job training. Will vary in terms of course structure depending on the provider you study with.
SCITT - on the job training again. Will vary in terms of course structure depending on the provider you study with.
Pgce - a course with more of a balance between the university and school placement elements. You will spend chunks of time at uni and chunks of time on placement.


Thanks for this. Here's the problem though... I plan to do a degree in Economics. However, I want to teach ESOL. I have been told that I cannot specialise in ESOL because my degree is in Economics, however others have said I can.

I can't do a degree in English because I don't have an A-level in English... Also, I'm not that interested in it anyway. However, I am interested in ESOL. Therefore, when it comes to doing my PGCE... What should I specialise in?
Original post by carnationlilyrose
If you want to teach in the UK, not in a maintained school to school age children, then CELTA will do the job, but you will be working in private language schools as the norm, which is seasonal and paid per hour usually. There used to be some jobs in the public sector with immigrants, but I'm not up to date with this. Your best bet to cover your bases is a degree, then PGCE, then CELTA. CELTA or Trinity doesn't take long. IIRC when my son did it, it was a six week course.


Okay... So lets say I do a degree in Economics... What should I do my PGCE in? This is my problem. :s-smilie:

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