CertTESOL, The World at your Fingertips

ELA-Edinburgh’s next Trinity CertTESOL course begins on October 30th. Graduating from our 4-week intensive English teacher training course can open doors to exciting and creative career opportunities across the world.

If the standard 9 – 5 and daily commute isn’t for working you, but you thrive from working with people, our ELA-Edinburgh’s Trinity CertTESOL could be just the ticket to changing your career around, finding peace of mind when looking for work overseas and becoming part of a challenging industry.

The practical training and groundwork in teaching skills gives trainees the ability to find employment in a wide range of ways. Graduates of the Trinity CertTESOL work around the world for independent schools, further education colleges and universities and freelance: both face to face or online.

“An intense and rewarding learning experience leading to an international qualification. There’s not a country that doesn’t recognise it, it’s a passport”

– Douglas Mathieson, Teacher Trainer ELA-Edinburgh

What’s more; the Trinity CertTESOL is recognised internationally, is valid for life and opens the door to further skills and training.

• What do you get from ELA-Edinburgh’s CertTESOL course?
• Teaching practice with real English learners with different levels of English
• Lesson planning experience and practice designing courses
• Learner needs analysis experience
• Teaching one-to-one class practice
• Input and guidance from experienced tutors
• Structured sessions to help you understand language teaching
• Focus on professional awareness and development
• A respected certificate to kick start your new career

So, what do you need?

The course focuses on practical training competence, so no prior teaching experience is needed. Time management, the ability to prioritise, working as a team member and a willingness to share ideas, are perfect transferable skills you will have gained from jobs and education, essential to becoming an English teacher.

Find out how to book your place on our October 30th – November 24th course by contacting

email dos@elacademy.co.uk or phone 0131 226 6182

For more information about our school, check out our website ELA-Edinburgh 

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Location…….location…….location

Completed your Trinity CertTesol at ELA??? Here are some fabulous TEFL destinations where there are no shortage of jobs (check out tefl.com for an exhaustive list)

Czech Republic

Yes, Prague is still beautiful and still cheap! Go on, name another European capital city that is so affordable, liveable and has so many job opps. That’s right, you probably can’t.

Good for:

* money; you can probably earn the average Czech monthly wage very soon in your career.

* architecture, choose from one of Prague’s painfully cool but beautiful inner city areas or go for communist chic in one of the outer neighbourhoods

Will it be Žižkov or ….

Jižní Město (south city) ???

* Sport, there are teams galore for football and ice hockey fans. Kick off times range from 1800 Friday to 1000 (yes AM) Sunday. Don’t worry, good beer is always available.

* Film, the vast majority of cinemas use Czech subtitles so gorge on the city’s independent cinema scene

* Gigs, most bands feel obliged to add a central European leg to a tour. Tickets are normally very easy to come by.

*public transport, highly efficient and highly subsidized. You’ve really no excuse not to explore the capital and the rest of the country

* Language, the locals know it’s difficult and appreciate any sort of effort you make in murdering it

But hold on:

* Czechs think nothing of having lessons at 0720 before work! Few teachers can afford to turn down these pre-morning

Winter commute- tram style

classes so get your beauty sleep

* You will travel a lot, from company to school to private home. In the winter this can be tiring

* it’s an employers’ market and many schools want self-employed teachers. Plus, as most TEFL managerial

roles are occupied by Czechs you may need to look elsewhere for career progression

* Whisper it to your students but Czech food can be a tad monotonous. And stodgy.

Spain

Boasting a thriving TEFL market, a dizzying selection of beautiful places to live and noticeably more money than Italy (the other major European destination).

¡Olé!

* if you want a relaxed lifestyle with good public services look no further

* the Spanish know how to party, keep up with them if you can

In Spain even your grandparents stay up all hours

* Village or city? Mountains or beaches? Andalusia or Asturias? The range of destinations can be daunting, in a good way

* Contracts, most academies in Spain offer proper 10 month contracts with paid holidays. The work tends to dry up in the summer.

*Tapas, go to the right part of the country and you will effectively eat for free

As tasty as it looks

* Spanish and English share a number of Latin based words. Save time by asking ‘Is it the same in Spanish?’

* Region rules. You may have dined on Galician sea food but you haven’t tasted paella if you haven’t had it in Valencia. Which region is most        Spanish? Visit them all to decide!

* Quite simply: the people. Your classroom will never be dull. Your town center will never be quiet.

It’s not all tinto de varano :

* The climate is not all it’s cracked up to be. Madrid and Granada can be cold in winter and stifling in summer. Many rental flats in the south don’t have any heating at all!

White Madrid, a more common sight than you might expect

* Be aware that not all private academies are of the same quality. Do your research before you commit to a school!

* Learn the lingo to 1) make local friends and 2) enhance your promotion chances. Academies tend to want managers who can speak with parents and clients

* Remember the locals’ language skills may not be up to much, especially in more regional towns and smaller cities

* Fix a smile on your face, grab a strong a coffee and be prepared to teach kids!

China

Always an attractive option for the more adventurous TEFLer; teachers who go normally come back with tales of an unforgettable experience.

Get going for:

* the high salaries Westerners, especially those with relevant degrees, are often offered in big cities

* the buzz of International cities like Beijing and Shanghai with the thriving expat scenes

Enjoy the buzz of Beijing

* Shenzhen in the tropical SE, a booming city close to some of China’s best beaches

Dameisha Beach, Shezhen

* the challenge of a different script. Remember you can get by without speaking the language initially and there are lots of handy apps to help!

* the typically warm Chinese welcome

* a truly different society and a different world view

Remember:

* The air quality in some of the bigger cities famously leaves a lot to be desired

* There’s a big difference between teaching in private academies and public schools, make sure you know what you’re letting yourself in for

* Chinese work places tend to have a different mentality to their Western counter parts. Bosses are rarely questioned and saving face can be all important

* to carefully consider the reputation and location of the school/academy. Finding yourself as one of a handful of foreigners in a provincial city working for a poorly run organization….is best avoided

Have you got what it takes to be a TEFLER???

If you’re looking for a way to live abroad and enjoy helping people, keep reading: ELA’s Trinity certTESOL courses could be for you.

TEFL can take you anywhere in the world but you have to be up for the challenge.

Where will you TEFL?

Moving abroad into the unknown is sure to get the heart pumping. Most expats vividly remember their first few days abroad and it takes some time for that initial buzz to wear off, if it ever does. As you rise to the challenges of finding our way around your new city, shopping in strange surroundings or figuring out how to get wifi, you will feel a sense of accomplishment out of all proportion to such mundane tasks.

Added to the undeniable thrill of living abroad is the sense of satisfaction that you are there to contribute to local skills and education. Whether it’s in public schools, language academies,

companies or even private homesyou have a unique chance to get to know, understand and help local people. Along the way you will meet characters you would never otherwise have been exposed to, some of these will become good friends.

If these benefits appeal to you then perhaps it’s time to consider if you’re ready for, or content with, your 9-5 office world. Flexibility is certainly a key attribute TEFL teachers must have in bucket loads. Always remember: it’s the students’ lesson not the teachers’! You don’t have to be the expert but you do have to exploit different parts of your personalities with different groups.

Mind your Teacher Talk Time

Flexibility doesn’t just extend to personalities or lesson types. The green TEFLer must also be culturally adaptable. If you expect a mini super-market open from 1000-2200 on every Italian street corner, stay in Blighty. If you have to have your tapas before 9, stay home. ‘Normal’ and ‘right’ are truly subjective matters.

Can you learn to adapt? 

Embrace the strangeness of your new home and learn more about your own as you go!