Latest / bit of a Rambler / 099 TEFL Time!
Transcript
- 1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,720 Hello, my name is Kai and I am a bit of a rambler. 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:07,120 I like to travel, learn, and tell stories. 3 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:11,960 And today I want to talk about certification because it's something I didn't really think 4 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:18,600 about while I was teaching because of my specific situation, having been hired without certification 5 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:25,160 and then really only working at two schools while I was teaching and the second school was 6 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:26,320 wholly owned by me. 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,720 So again, certification wasn't really an issue. 8 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:34,040 But obviously most new teachers who sign up for schools are wondering how to get into 9 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:35,440 it and all of that. 10 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:39,520 Tefl is such a fundamental piece of that puzzle I thought I should get into it. 11 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:44,360 If you're looking for a job teaching English abroad, a Tefl certificate can make a big 12 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:45,680 difference. 13 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:50,160 Whether that's access to certain countries that require the certification or preparing 14 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:55,260 you for the teaching position or just making you more comfortable and confident as a first 15 00:00:55,260 --> 00:00:56,660 time applicant. 16 00:00:56,660 --> 00:01:02,220 The Tefl certificate, T-E-F-L, teaching English as a foreign language. 17 00:01:02,220 --> 00:01:06,260 Now there are all sorts of certificates, but I don't know anything about the ESOL or 18 00:01:06,260 --> 00:01:11,900 TOEFL or any of the other ones, but I'm pretty familiar with the Tefl one because I have 19 00:01:11,900 --> 00:01:17,580 one of those and I've helped other people get those and I talk about them all the time. 20 00:01:17,580 --> 00:01:22,740 Whenever I'm talking to someone about teaching English in China, I usually mention this teaching 21 00:01:22,740 --> 00:01:25,580 English as a foreign language certificate. 22 00:01:25,580 --> 00:01:31,380 I think it's the most commonly recognized English teaching certificate, at least from all 23 00:01:31,380 --> 00:01:33,540 the countries I see job listings in. 24 00:01:33,540 --> 00:01:40,180 They usually mention a Tefl certificate if they have that as a job requirement. 25 00:01:40,180 --> 00:01:42,420 So what is Tefl? 26 00:01:42,420 --> 00:01:47,720 Teaching English as a foreign language is a program and certification you can get to demonstrate 27 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,940 you know how to teach English as a foreign language. 28 00:01:50,940 --> 00:01:57,140 And it goes over all of the grammatical rules and also teaching methods you can use when 29 00:01:57,140 --> 00:01:59,140 you become an English teacher. 30 00:01:59,140 --> 00:02:06,740 So it is a useful certificate because it goes over all of the basics that you would need 31 00:02:06,740 --> 00:02:09,100 to become an English teacher. 32 00:02:09,100 --> 00:02:14,340 It actually goes over more than you need because generally you're going to be teaching primary 33 00:02:14,340 --> 00:02:19,220 school students and you're just going to do colors, basic sentences and that kind of 34 00:02:19,220 --> 00:02:20,220 stuff. 35 00:02:20,220 --> 00:02:27,700 But the Tefl will cover like I said grammar and complex sentences and how to teach adults 36 00:02:27,700 --> 00:02:29,380 versus children. 37 00:02:29,380 --> 00:02:33,660 It just covers everything that a beginning English teacher would need and much more so you'll 38 00:02:33,660 --> 00:02:39,540 be completely set up with the fundamentals you should know to become an English teacher. 39 00:02:39,540 --> 00:02:40,540 I was actually surprised. 40 00:02:40,540 --> 00:02:45,100 I did not have my Tefl certificate before I became an English teacher. 41 00:02:45,100 --> 00:02:48,780 Like I said, I just flew over there and there's so many jobs available. 42 00:02:48,780 --> 00:02:54,620 It doesn't really matter if you have a Tefl certificate in China because there are so many 43 00:02:54,620 --> 00:02:57,460 available teaching English jobs. 44 00:02:57,460 --> 00:03:02,460 You're going to get a job if you're a native or fluent speaker if you fly to Asia. 45 00:03:02,460 --> 00:03:06,540 Most countries Japan usually requires a Tefl certificate. 46 00:03:06,540 --> 00:03:08,860 I think Vietnam requires one. 47 00:03:08,860 --> 00:03:12,980 But if you fly to China, you'll get a job as a fluent English speaker. 48 00:03:12,980 --> 00:03:14,220 You can get a job teaching English. 49 00:03:14,220 --> 00:03:16,780 You don't need the Tefl certificate. 50 00:03:16,780 --> 00:03:23,100 So let's first talk about the advantages of having the Tefl certificate, which are significant. 51 00:03:23,100 --> 00:03:29,220 If you have a Tefl certificate, you can teach English in any country and you're going to 52 00:03:29,220 --> 00:03:33,620 get the English teaching job you apply for if they have an open position. 53 00:03:33,620 --> 00:03:38,140 They'll probably accept you if you don't have one, but if you have one, they'll almost 54 00:03:38,140 --> 00:03:41,020 certainly hire you as their teacher. 55 00:03:41,020 --> 00:03:44,260 Also like I mentioned, it's really useful for learning the fundamentals and brushing 56 00:03:44,260 --> 00:03:45,660 up on grammar. 57 00:03:45,660 --> 00:03:53,300 When I took my PDF tests for my Tefl certificate, I realized I didn't know any grammar anymore. 58 00:03:53,300 --> 00:03:59,980 And I had to reread the grammar section so that I knew what the heck I was talking about. 59 00:03:59,980 --> 00:04:03,820 But that was pretty useful because then I was teaching high school kids who were going to 60 00:04:03,820 --> 00:04:07,620 school in the US and Canada the next year. 61 00:04:07,620 --> 00:04:12,220 And I could answer their questions about grammar because I actually passed the test after reading 62 00:04:12,220 --> 00:04:13,540 all this stuff. 63 00:04:13,540 --> 00:04:16,460 But even if you forget it all after a couple of weeks, it doesn't matter because you'll 64 00:04:16,460 --> 00:04:18,060 have at least learned it once. 65 00:04:18,060 --> 00:04:21,780 So if you need to teach it, you can look it up again, be like, oh, right, grammar. 66 00:04:21,780 --> 00:04:24,540 Yeah, so you'll definitely get the job. 67 00:04:24,540 --> 00:04:27,740 You'll learn all the stuff you're going to teach anyway. 68 00:04:27,740 --> 00:04:32,260 It does offer a couple, I think, useful real-life classroom scenarios. 69 00:04:32,260 --> 00:04:34,380 What do you do with a problem student? 70 00:04:34,380 --> 00:04:36,740 It explains how to deal with that. 71 00:04:36,740 --> 00:04:40,100 What do you do if the class is too loud or they aren't paying attention? 72 00:04:40,100 --> 00:04:43,900 It advises you on how to deal with that situation. 73 00:04:43,900 --> 00:04:49,300 It just, like I said, it provides a bunch of useful information for a beginner English teacher. 74 00:04:49,300 --> 00:04:54,460 But aside from getting you the job and like teaching you all of these fundamentals, getting 75 00:04:54,460 --> 00:04:58,500 the Tefl certificate also means you can ask for the highest salary. 76 00:04:58,500 --> 00:05:02,780 So when you're looking at a lot of these jobs, you're going to see they mention pay scales. 77 00:05:02,780 --> 00:05:08,620 You can get 1,500 to 1,500 a month, just as an example in various countries. 78 00:05:08,620 --> 00:05:11,180 Or even 1,100 to 1,400. 79 00:05:11,180 --> 00:05:17,060 If you really want to go to like a place like Vietnam who doesn't pay as much money as say 80 00:05:17,060 --> 00:05:22,220 China for English teaching, but you just want to live in that country, which makes 100% 81 00:05:22,220 --> 00:05:23,220 sense to me. 82 00:05:23,220 --> 00:05:28,460 That's what the pay scale might say, 1,100 to 1,400 or 900 to 1,200. 83 00:05:28,460 --> 00:05:33,220 If you have your Tefl certificate, you just say I would like 1,200 to start. 84 00:05:33,220 --> 00:05:34,060 And they'll say yes. 85 00:05:34,060 --> 00:05:38,500 If you have the Tefl certificate, it's an extreme, it's the bargaining chip for 86 00:05:38,500 --> 00:05:40,060 English teachers. 87 00:05:40,060 --> 00:05:43,580 The only other bargaining chip is experience. 88 00:05:43,580 --> 00:05:50,700 That lower pay scale is for people with zero experience, no certifications who just want 89 00:05:50,700 --> 00:05:55,020 to teach and won't ask for a higher salary. 90 00:05:55,020 --> 00:05:58,820 And you'll still be saving money because the cost of living is so low in those countries. 91 00:05:58,820 --> 00:06:00,640 That's why that pay is so low. 92 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:04,260 But if you have the Tefl certificate, why not? 93 00:06:04,260 --> 00:06:08,660 Hopefully if you're going for money, like if you need money and that's why you want to 94 00:06:08,660 --> 00:06:13,500 start teaching English, which is a great reason to start teaching English as a second language. 95 00:06:13,500 --> 00:06:16,420 If you're in a country like Vietnam, right? 96 00:06:16,420 --> 00:06:17,940 Like that example. 97 00:06:17,940 --> 00:06:22,620 Let's say you broke your leg or something in the States and you have $30,000 in medical 98 00:06:22,620 --> 00:06:28,980 debt because you took one ambulance ride and stayed in the hospital for four days. 99 00:06:28,980 --> 00:06:33,620 That $300 a month is nice, but it's not going to make a huge difference. 100 00:06:33,620 --> 00:06:40,820 You know, the sliding pay scale 900 to 1200, if it's a lower paying country, the pay bump 101 00:06:40,820 --> 00:06:43,500 from your Tefl certificate won't count as much. 102 00:06:43,500 --> 00:06:47,860 But if you're teaching in a higher paying country like China or Saudi Arabia, they can 103 00:06:47,860 --> 00:06:54,220 pay up to $6,000 a month and instead of 900 to 1200, the pay scale might be $4,000 to $6,000 104 00:06:54,220 --> 00:06:55,740 per month. 105 00:06:55,740 --> 00:07:00,060 And then boom, you're making an extra $2,000 per month. 106 00:07:00,060 --> 00:07:02,780 And importantly, it's a lifetime accreditation. 107 00:07:02,780 --> 00:07:07,740 So you take this course once and then you have the certification for the rest of your life. 108 00:07:07,740 --> 00:07:11,500 Another advantage is you'll feel more prepared because you have those fundamentals from the 109 00:07:11,500 --> 00:07:16,540 course and the tests before you even step foot in a classroom. 110 00:07:16,540 --> 00:07:20,340 So you'll be a little more confident, which is really nice if you're teaching for the first 111 00:07:20,340 --> 00:07:21,340 time. 112 00:07:21,340 --> 00:07:24,740 So should you get a certificate? 113 00:07:24,740 --> 00:07:26,580 Really difficult to answer. 114 00:07:26,580 --> 00:07:31,900 Nowadays I pretty much just recommend people get it because now that I have one, I know 115 00:07:31,900 --> 00:07:34,820 what an easy process it is. 116 00:07:34,820 --> 00:07:37,820 It's so painless and so simple. 117 00:07:37,820 --> 00:07:43,820 There's basically zero risk in taking the course and taking the tests to get certification 118 00:07:43,820 --> 00:07:47,140 and all of the reward that I just mentioned. 119 00:07:47,140 --> 00:07:56,660 I got my Tefl certificate while I was backpacking in Taiwan living in a seasonally closed water 120 00:07:56,660 --> 00:07:59,660 park, which is kind of a story in itself. 121 00:07:59,660 --> 00:08:06,060 But there was an outlet in one of the structures and I would sleep in that building at night. 122 00:08:06,060 --> 00:08:10,580 The whole water park was closed, but it was in the middle of this huge park where people 123 00:08:10,580 --> 00:08:12,860 played Pokemon Go during the day. 124 00:08:12,860 --> 00:08:17,100 So during the day I'd walk around, play Pokemon Go with other Taiwanese people, hang out in 125 00:08:17,100 --> 00:08:18,220 my hammock. 126 00:08:18,220 --> 00:08:22,980 And then at night I would pretend to leave the park and then walk around and then go back 127 00:08:22,980 --> 00:08:31,860 to the park and go into this closed water park and sleep in one of the closed buildings. 128 00:08:31,860 --> 00:08:36,020 Sometimes I just put it my hammock, but I got lazy one day and decided to sleep on the second 129 00:08:36,020 --> 00:08:41,300 floor of this like water slide or something, but it was a full building. 130 00:08:41,300 --> 00:08:43,900 And I realized that one of the outlets had power. 131 00:08:43,900 --> 00:08:46,540 So I could use my laptop at night. 132 00:08:46,540 --> 00:08:49,460 And I think I had been traveling for a year at that point. 133 00:08:49,460 --> 00:08:55,420 So I was kind of wondering, maybe I should do something because I was just 11 life. 134 00:08:55,420 --> 00:09:01,420 I was just backpacking, but I think I just wanted to do something that seemed productive because 135 00:09:01,420 --> 00:09:03,900 I hadn't taught in a year or something. 136 00:09:03,900 --> 00:09:08,420 And I remembered my Tefl certification and I was like, well, if I get that, you know, 137 00:09:08,420 --> 00:09:11,380 I'll have that for my whole life. 138 00:09:11,380 --> 00:09:16,220 I felt comfortable financially, but whenever somebody would ask me, well, what do you do 139 00:09:16,220 --> 00:09:17,980 when your money runs out? 140 00:09:17,980 --> 00:09:22,820 And while that wasn't really an issue, I always said, well, if I ever need money, I'll just 141 00:09:22,820 --> 00:09:24,980 go back and start teaching English again. 142 00:09:24,980 --> 00:09:27,900 The jobs are there and now I have years of experience. 143 00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:31,420 So I can take any of those jobs I want. 144 00:09:31,420 --> 00:09:36,940 And I would be able to get any of thousands of jobs, but I figured, well, I can have the 145 00:09:36,940 --> 00:09:38,300 Tefl certificate too. 146 00:09:38,300 --> 00:09:47,140 And then I really will be able to get any teaching job immediately with the certificate and experience. 147 00:09:47,140 --> 00:09:53,620 So I lived in this Pokemon GO Park in Taiwan on the second floor of I think a water slide 148 00:09:53,620 --> 00:10:00,460 with an outlet and did my Tefl certificate over a week at Walker Enduring the day and play 149 00:10:00,460 --> 00:10:08,700 Pokemon GO with Taiwanese people and then do another hour or two of my PDF courses in 150 00:10:08,700 --> 00:10:11,100 the evening when the park was empty. 151 00:10:11,100 --> 00:10:16,100 I'm not sure exactly how long it took, but it didn't take longer than two weeks and it 152 00:10:16,100 --> 00:10:17,940 was self-directed. 153 00:10:17,940 --> 00:10:21,300 The more time you put in the quicker the course will be. 154 00:10:21,300 --> 00:10:27,540 But I think even at a couple hours a day, it was only a week and a half for me. 155 00:10:27,540 --> 00:10:31,780 Should you get a certificate is answered really what you're looking for. 156 00:10:31,780 --> 00:10:36,540 If you just want to teach or you're more interested in traveling than the financial rewards of English 157 00:10:36,540 --> 00:10:39,260 teaching, you don't need one. 158 00:10:39,260 --> 00:10:46,420 With that said, it only takes a couple of weeks to get with an hour of work a day. 159 00:10:46,420 --> 00:10:53,780 It's all PDF online tests, self-directed study, learn it your own pace. 160 00:10:53,780 --> 00:10:55,300 It lasts your entire life. 161 00:10:55,300 --> 00:11:00,220 You'll definitely get more money more easily if you have it. 162 00:11:00,220 --> 00:11:03,260 So if money is at all a consideration, yeah, get it. 163 00:11:03,260 --> 00:11:07,740 You'll have it forever and you can choose which job you want and you can choose the 164 00:11:07,740 --> 00:11:09,900 pay you want. 165 00:11:09,900 --> 00:11:14,300 When they ask why they should pay you more, you're like, boom, Tefl. 166 00:11:14,300 --> 00:11:17,260 Look at this Tefly thing I got here. 167 00:11:17,260 --> 00:11:22,420 If you look at any of the listings, job listings online, like just type in whatever country 168 00:11:22,420 --> 00:11:29,100 you want to go to, Tanzania, English teaching jobs, chances very likely are that the only 169 00:11:29,100 --> 00:11:33,380 requirement they're going to have is Tefl certificate. 170 00:11:33,380 --> 00:11:39,620 The only other requirements I ever see are software requirements of a college degree, university 171 00:11:39,620 --> 00:11:43,100 degree, or experience preferred. 172 00:11:43,100 --> 00:11:50,300 So you don't need it, but it gives you so many advantages and it's such a low cost investment. 173 00:11:50,300 --> 00:11:56,940 I mean, financially it only costs less than $40 to get the 160 hour certificate. 174 00:11:56,940 --> 00:11:59,420 Oh, there are different levels of certification. 175 00:11:59,420 --> 00:12:04,580 You can get a 20 hour certificate or a 240 hour certificate and it just teaches you more 176 00:12:04,580 --> 00:12:07,580 things like more situations that you'll deal with. 177 00:12:07,580 --> 00:12:11,300 The standard, like the average is 120 hours. 178 00:12:11,300 --> 00:12:14,700 I think I got the 160 hour certificate. 179 00:12:14,700 --> 00:12:16,980 So let's assume you like money. 180 00:12:16,980 --> 00:12:18,460 How do you get a Tefl certificate? 181 00:12:18,460 --> 00:12:20,180 Well, you can do what I did. 182 00:12:20,180 --> 00:12:26,380 You type in Tefl certificate on a search engine and look at the options and choose the 183 00:12:26,380 --> 00:12:28,580 one that sounds good to you. 184 00:12:28,580 --> 00:12:36,500 All you have to look out for is that the institution selling the Tefl course is internationally accredited 185 00:12:36,500 --> 00:12:41,660 and there are other websites where you can type internationally accredited Tefl courses, 186 00:12:41,660 --> 00:12:45,380 Tefl programs and it'll tell you which ones are accredited. 187 00:12:45,380 --> 00:12:47,460 If it's not accredited, it means nothing. 188 00:12:47,460 --> 00:12:52,580 It doesn't matter how nice their diploma is or certificate, you're training, your course 189 00:12:52,580 --> 00:12:54,980 won't mean anything in other countries. 190 00:12:54,980 --> 00:12:59,580 So make sure that it is an internationally accredited program. 191 00:12:59,580 --> 00:13:03,460 And for that reason, the next question, well, which one should I get then? 192 00:13:03,460 --> 00:13:05,620 I have Tefl full circle. 193 00:13:05,620 --> 00:13:11,460 I would recommend you also get Tefl full circle because that one is internationally accredited. 194 00:13:11,460 --> 00:13:16,660 So you're going to receive all of those advantages I talked about earlier and they have a perpetual 195 00:13:16,660 --> 00:13:17,660 group on. 196 00:13:17,660 --> 00:13:23,260 It's been on group on for, I don't know, like a decade or something. 197 00:13:23,260 --> 00:13:29,820 And it's basically always $35, $37, $33, less than $40. 198 00:13:29,820 --> 00:13:33,900 And Tefl certifications can cost a couple hundred dollars easy. 199 00:13:33,900 --> 00:13:41,500 And if you go to their website, I think it says $200 or $300 for the Tefl full circle course. 200 00:13:41,500 --> 00:13:46,060 But this is the course I still recommend to people and when I had to get my teachers a 201 00:13:46,060 --> 00:13:51,580 Tefl certificate or they wanted one, I just told them type in group on Tefl full circle, 202 00:13:51,580 --> 00:13:53,220 that's the course you want to take. 203 00:13:53,220 --> 00:13:56,620 That one is a fully PDF online course. 204 00:13:56,620 --> 00:14:00,420 You do all the work, like I said, at your own pace online. 205 00:14:00,420 --> 00:14:06,900 You take PDF tests each time you finish reading a chapter after you pass all of the PDF tests. 206 00:14:06,900 --> 00:14:09,180 It's a UK based company. 207 00:14:09,180 --> 00:14:16,220 You are entered into their registry as an internationally accredited English teacher, teacher of English 208 00:14:16,220 --> 00:14:18,140 as a foreign language. 209 00:14:18,140 --> 00:14:19,140 And you're done. 210 00:14:19,140 --> 00:14:24,460 You give it 15 hours and you have instant job security for the foreseeable future. 211 00:14:24,460 --> 00:14:26,580 The ability to travel anywhere. 212 00:14:26,580 --> 00:14:31,700 Yeah, it's just so many benefits for such a low investment. 213 00:14:31,700 --> 00:14:34,820 I definitely think it's worth the $35. 214 00:14:34,820 --> 00:14:36,940 And I think the course itself is worth it. 215 00:14:36,940 --> 00:14:43,820 It's a little standard, it's not very exciting, but it does provide you very useful information. 216 00:14:43,820 --> 00:14:48,860 That one specifically, that's the course that I did in my Taiwanese water park. 217 00:14:48,860 --> 00:14:58,020 You study for a week or two, finish those tests, more money, instant job security, just all 218 00:14:58,020 --> 00:15:00,580 of the advantages right away. 219 00:15:00,580 --> 00:15:02,380 It's a pretty good deal. 220 00:15:02,380 --> 00:15:06,580 It might be the difference between a job you like and a job you don't. 221 00:15:06,580 --> 00:15:10,340 Maybe if you don't have the certificate, you won't feel confident applying for jobs that 222 00:15:10,340 --> 00:15:15,820 sound better or that have certain classroom requirements that you would be unfamiliar 223 00:15:15,820 --> 00:15:19,140 with if you didn't take the Tefl course. 224 00:15:19,140 --> 00:15:20,140 Might be. 225 00:15:20,140 --> 00:15:22,180 It's totally up to everybody. 226 00:15:22,180 --> 00:15:26,660 Everybody has their own situation and everybody has to decide for themselves how they want 227 00:15:26,660 --> 00:15:31,500 to go through life and how you want to approach your professional life. 228 00:15:31,500 --> 00:15:36,740 Do you need the Tefl or other certifications to become an English teacher abroad? 229 00:15:36,740 --> 00:15:37,740 No way. 230 00:15:37,740 --> 00:15:39,740 In no way do you need a certification. 231 00:15:39,740 --> 00:15:45,220 As a fluent English speaker, there are thousands of jobs all across Asia that you can get 232 00:15:45,220 --> 00:15:46,980 at a moment's notice. 233 00:15:46,980 --> 00:15:51,380 But there are so many advantages to getting the Tefl certificate that I usually recommend 234 00:15:51,380 --> 00:15:57,980 it to people looking to travel or looking to start teaching English abroad. 235 00:15:57,980 --> 00:15:59,700 And that's pretty much it. 236 00:15:59,700 --> 00:16:04,540 Tefl teaches you how to teach English as a foreign language. 237 00:16:04,540 --> 00:16:12,220 It has all like every advantage you could want in a certification for an industry. 238 00:16:12,220 --> 00:16:16,540 You should probably get the certificate just because it will be easier for every single 239 00:16:16,540 --> 00:16:22,060 part of you finding a job and getting higher pay and all of that. 240 00:16:22,060 --> 00:16:23,780 And yeah, I like Tefl full circle. 241 00:16:23,780 --> 00:16:24,980 I recommend them. 242 00:16:24,980 --> 00:16:30,060 A fully online course with PDF tests that ends in a lifetime accreditation. 243 00:16:30,060 --> 00:16:32,660 Really can't go wrong there. 244 00:16:32,660 --> 00:16:33,900 Thank you very much for listening. 245 00:16:33,900 --> 00:16:36,860 I hope you have a great rest of your day and I'll talk to you soon. 246 00:16:36,860 --> 00:16:59,960 [ Someone's calling ]