Brazil a Warm Up!

First of all, I would like to thank everybody that's accessing the blog all around the world!!This Blog is starting but it's made to help each one of you teachers all around the world!

Brazil is a South American country where English teachers have loads of work opportunities, but where?
To start, there are many free course schools such as Cultura Inglesa, Wizard, Fisk, Cellep and others, that hires mainly Brazilian natives that studies English, but for foreign English teachers coming to Brazil nowadays, other destinies are the norm.

Also the regular schools in Brazil have the English language in their courses but hardly ever they hire someone that do not speak Portuguese, as the school adopts a method of teaching that requires Portuguese to teach English.

But for foreign teachers will have more chances as the new upcoming events(World Cup & Olympic Games) are bringing loads of needs to Brazil, such as: training taxi drivers, touristic guides, sign's translation, and a lot of other opportunities!

This post is only a Warm Up for the upcoming posts of Brazil where we will bring some links of institutions and organizations where each of you can enter in contact for more information, and of course some more information about the schools and the government rules from this country!

Cheers!!

Vietnam - Sai Gon. Part II

Indeed those who manage to survive their first week will start to discover an amazing place to teach and a rewarding life style; but first things first... let’s find a job.

As we mentioned before in our first post about HCMC, loads of new schools were opened due to the high demand. Good schools, bad schools, big, small, cheap, expensive, the options go on and on; so, let’s focus on the ones that are worth a try. First you have to decide between international schools or language schools. In this post we are going to talk about some of the best language schools in the city, because those seem to be the ones that offer better short term contracts and appear to be more suitable for the wandering ESL teacher. In general all of them work with adults on weekdays and children on weekends; therefore, you are very likely to teach kids.

Apollo-International House is one of them. It is a long established school with two branches in HCMC. The management team is very approachable and the school environment is totally friendly. Apollo offers 90 to 120 hour courses in general English and exam preparations. On weekdays the school receives adults and teenagers and on weekends the school boils with children from 5 to 13 years old.

From the big schools, VUS is probably the school with more branches in the city and probably the one that employs more teachers. If you work for them you will certainly be teaching in different places and because of this you will not have the opportunity to meet many of their teachers. However, it is definitely a place you should consider applying.

Finally we have ILA, probably the biggest of them all. They tend to give preference to native speakers, but a qualified ESL teacher will not have problems. The main branch is a tall building close to the backpackers’ district and it is one of the first places to go when applying for a teaching position in HCMC.

All of the three schools mentioned above also offer international certification courses for teachers, like CELTA. In general all three of them offer similar benefits and salary for their teachers and they require either a university degree (any course) or documented proof of 5 years professional experience in order to provide a work visa. It’s also recommended to have a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate, along with a police check.

On Part III we are going to throw a great survivor's guide for ESL teachers in HCMC.

TEFL EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS IN IRELAND

The CELT plus minimum level 7 qualification entitles you to teach in a recognised English language school in Ireland. Abroad the stipulations vary from country to country and from school to school, e.g. in Greece a university degree is stipulated, but in other countries a good TEFL cert alone suffices, with the right personality and work ethic. There are many people on the job market with qualifications ranging from introductory 20 hour certificates to masters degrees.

If you would be prepared to teach and accommodate a student in your own home there are many opportunities for this kind of work. The CELT is not required for this teaching, nor is a degree.

Many schools abroad state the CELTA (Cambridge TEFL) or equivalent as their certification requirement. The CELT is certainly equivalent, being recognised by the British Council and other national bodies. However, remember that schools are looking for teachers with good personality, clear voice, reliability and simply good teaching skills!

The extent of the demand In late September and to a lesser extent in early January there is usually a strong demand from overseas for the winter terms (in the southern hemisphere the terms may be different).

 In Ireland the demand is highest in July and early August, when there is often a shortage of supply.

In winter, however, it is not easy to secure full-time tefl work, and during the economic downturn this may be more noticeable, but the silver lining is that now more than ever people realise how important it is to learn English. Cuts in the number of resource teachers of EFL/ESOL in state schools do not help, but the demand for home or school-based grinds may consequently rise.  

Go to www.tefl.com, www.tefl.net and see the current situation.

Regarding jobs in Ireland the advice is always the same: send a well-presented CV and follow up politely and often. Be prepared to work part-time and awkward hours if and when called. Ignore statements about school groups employing trainees from their own TEFL courses – schools want the best teachers they can get.

Advice

Check out prospective employers abroad – some schools pay badly and/or late.

When you do take up a job, if the school generally keeps its part of the contract please honour yours also.

Take an interest in the people of the country. Study their culture and what you can of their language before going there. It will certainly help!

Information taken from Language College Ireland

TEFL 

In our last post I mentioned the TEFL course which I took in Ireland. Here goes a little bit more information for those who are interested in teaching abroad:

TEFL is an abbreviation for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It is not an organization or approval body. The abbreviation EFL is similar to ESL (… English as a Second Language – preferred in USA) or ESOL (… English to/for Speakers of Other Languages – used by some examination bodies and lately in reference to teaching immigrants in Britain and Ireland. Publishers tend to use ELT, English Language Teaching, yet many American universities still prefer TEFL for their teacher training courses. 

Any school can offer its own TEFL Certificate. The value of the certificate would be determined by the length of the course, the reputation of the school and the qualifications and experience of the trainers. 

ACELS, part of NQAI, is the quality assurance agency of the Dept. of Education & Skills for English Language Teaching. See www.acels.ie  and www.nqai.ie. Since 2005 the CELT (plus minimum Level 7 qualification (degree) is required for teaching in Dept. of Ed. & Sk. recognised language schools in Ireland. The Certificate is also widely recognised abroad and is equivalent to the Cambridge CELTA. 

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have 1) good general knowledge, 2) good learning skills, 3) competence in English and, most importantly, 4) good personal interactive skills.  

 *NB: although you may be awarded the CELT, unless you have a level 7 qualification (primary degree – see www.nqai.ie  - you will not be eligible to teach in a recognised language school in Ireland.  

If your first language is not English you should have a level of English equivalent to C1 on  the Council of Europe Scale.There are 6 hours teaching practice with real foreign students and you will observe at least 6 hours of classes.

As I did the course in Ireland, the information above is related to this country (Language College Irelan)  but you can also take the course in other countries. 

TEFL in Brazil:

http://www.eslbase.com/courses/brazil/

In this website you can find links of institutions that offer the course throughout Brazil.

Good luck!

Sai Gon - the next big thing.

Incredibly hot, dusty, smelly, crowded and chaotic; well, that is usually the first impression foreigners get from Sai Gon, nowadays called Ho Chi Minh City, a real jungle in the South part of Vietnam.

HCMC is not the capital, but it is certainly the most developed city in the country. The thirst of the proud Vietnamese people for development and their desire to communicate with the rest of the world created the necessity to learn the “global language” and consequently a huge market for English schools.

New opportunities are rising steadily and HCMC seems to be the next big thing for ESL teachers.

So, if you are bold enough to go through your first impressions, check the next posts out and you will see why this city has been attracting so many teachers recently.  

Teaching English in Ireland

Despite the cold weather, Ireland is a great place to live in. Irish people are very nice and friendly. During my stay  I was granted the opportunity of teaching in Ireland as I went there to do a TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). The course consisted of 120 hours of classes, 6 hours of class observation and  6 hours of teaching practice. Although I didn't have a vast experience (it was only 6 hours of practice) I can say that teaching in there was completely different from teaching here in Brazil.The students were from various countries and the classes were very objective and communicative. I could also notice that student's progress increased very fast, as they were in a complete immersion of language and culture. 

The country may not be in its best economic scenario, many people might find it very hard to find a job in there; however, with students coming from all over the world to study English, even Irish people are doing the TEFL course in order to become teachers and increase their income. 

I'm sure that if you decide to go to Ireland, you will love it at the moment you arrive there! Just be sure to take a raincoat with you!

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”

                                                                        Saint Augustine

Perhaps Saint Augustine’s quote describes better than anything else our desire for travelling.
Throughout history it’s clear that part of our nature consists in the necessity to move from one place to another. Civilizations have moved and expanded, motivated not only by power and domination, but also by the exciting feeling of unpredictability, stepping on unknown land, discovering new things and giving life to stories and legends.
That’s what drove the ancient Romans to visit the Acropolis in Athens and sent many historical characters to explore faraway lands.

The benefits of travelling are immeasurable, it opens your mind and broads your heart. It can teach you the simplest things and the deepest lessons in life. Once you start you can never stop and once this feeling infects you, you will never be the same anymore.
Travelling nowadays became easier than ever. We have information, budget airlines, internet and agencies; it’s just a matter of organization and picking a destination.

You may ask: What about money?
That’s where teaching comes. Nothing better than living abroad to soak and experience all of the costumes and traditions of any specific region; people are learning English all around the world and qualified teachers are required from South to North and from East to West. With so many job opportunities all around the world, living abroad also became easier than ever, especially for good English teachers who are up to discover the planet and read as many pages as they can from this huge book.

Personally that’s what motivated me to teach English in the first place. The experience was so amazing that I chose this to be my profession. Teaching in another country takes travelling to another level of experience and cultural exchange, it simply changes your life and the way you see the world.

How to start? Where to go? Who can help me?These are the basic questions we expect to answer with this blog, by sharing our experiences and providing trustworthy resources and sources of information. We would like to go even further and collect as many details and information as possible about the many different places available around the globe where an English teacher is required. Going deep into the culture, habits, costumes, dos and don’ts, hazards, tips and advice from these locations and inspiring teachers with amazing and authentic stories.

Please feel free to contact us to make any kind of request or to share your stories.