Teaching English as a Foreign Language - anyone done it??

[mumblechum]

I'm thinking of a career change, or at least getting an extra qualification under my belt, as I expect to be made redundant this year (my law firm's on it's last legs due to no conveyancing work).

Has anyone taken a TEFL qualification, and was it worth it?

I'm thinking of the Trinity College TESOL certificate which is a basic looking cert, involving a one year course, one day a week plus prep time.

TIA

I did it for years mumblemchum, though stopped in 2001 to work in EFL publishing.

The CERT course would be the first step - I'm a bit out of touch with the quals these days, but I did the RSA cert rather than Trinity, and then did an MA in TESOL a few years later. The cert would be the absolute minimum required for teaching jobs in the UK, and in most cases they'll be looking for the Diploma, which is the next step up. The best time to look for jobs is usually the summer (in the UK, the opposite overseas), as this tends to be the busiest time in langage schools, so they often take on extra staff.

If you don't have a languages/teaching background (and even if you do, I have a degree in French), it's really helpful, as you need to know all about grammar in order to teach, and of course it gives you practice in working with a class, which can be quite daunting if you've never done it before.

Depending on where you live,there may be other options. If you live in a relatively touristy town then a Trinty or CELTA certificate should be fine as you will be able to teach at language schools. If you are hoping to work in adult education though, you may be better of going for a teaching in the lifelong learning sector qualification. You can do these at various levels, but level 5 is what the government are now recommending and can be taken on a Part time basis at most colleges. Good luck in your new career!

Thanks, both of you for your replies.

midnightexpress where did you do you MA in TESOL? I have a TEFL qual but am looking at an MA. Was it worth it?