Hi there, new to this page so I apologise if this topic has been touched on before. I am new to the idea of teaching English in Japan and have researched a fair amount into it thus far.
But I am stuck and unsure whether I will REALLY need a TEFL 120 hour certificate or not? Their website (unsurprisingly) is making it out as a necessity which is kinda spooking me into buying it.
If I wanted to be an ALT or work in an Eikaiwa, would a TEFL course be necessary beforehand? Thanks for any help!
Ps I have a bachelors degree but not in English teaching
13 comments
If you’re going to be serious about teaching (i.e. you want to make a career of it, which is possible despite what a lot of people will tell you), then it can’t hurt to at least look into it. Acquaintance of mine has a Masters in that kind of thing and he teaches full time at a prestigious private school. I would bet heavily that his qualifications were one of the reasons he got the job.
If you’re only interested in teaching English as a springboard towards something else, then personally I wouldn’t bother. When I was in that line of work, I was never asked once about TEFL, etc. They were more concerned about whether I’d turn up, not take any days off ever, make no attempt to teach the kids anything useful, never take the initiative on anything, and not disturb the wa.
Most online TEFLs are scams. They don’t teach you anything you can’t learn from a couple textbooks, and in Japan the certificate isn’t worth much. They don’t show competence and most people know it. And, to be honest, most English teaching jobs in Japan are not looking for competence. For the jobs that are, an online TEFL won’t be enough. You’d need a real certificate like a CELTA to get your foot in the door – a Master’s if you wanted to be really competitive.
While the certification might not be necessary in finding a job, if you are serious about teaching, it won’t hurt you either. It is always a good thing to learn more.
It helped me to understand why Japanese(or other languages that aren’t based the same) have trouble understanding certain concepts with English.
A bachelor’s degree is for the visa, not the job, so to speak.
Is it absolutely necessary? No, absolutely not- in fact, many of the usual places for getting in at an eikaiwa or as an ALT will never mention in, and probably would prefer you to NOT have one- after all, a TEFL does teach you a handful of things, and the majority of eikaiwas or ALT (specifically dispatch) companies want you to use THEIR method, without question.
That said- and seeing as how I recently got mine- it does show you’re willing to put in some extra effort for this occupation, and if you start doing a deeper search outside of the major job boards, you’ll find that having an TEFL makes you slightly more competitive.
The benefit of any tefl course really is that it gives you an opportunity to practice and learn some methodologies/ways to lesson plan before you start teaching.
I’d say it can’t hurt. Didn’t do any wonders for me since I am still looking for a job. It is proof that you have studied this topic at the very least. It costs money and time(not really 120 hours for the online ones at least), so be sure you have those.
I did my online TEFL when I was a student as a side thing since I had some free time. I can’t say I regret it, but it did cost a bit much for what it offers.
Also, as others have said, you do need to know at least that much if you are going to teach. I am doing my gig as a tutor, and without that TEFL, I would have had no idea how to go about it.
I have both done hiring for *eikaiwa*s and been involved with university hiring committees, and a TEFL course or lack thereof has never made a difference in any hiring decision I’ve been involved in.
All other factors being equal, I might lean toward a TEFL holder because the TEFL holder might be considered more serious about the work or a better planner, but I’ve never seen a hiring decision go down to that.
As u/InterestingSpeaker66 and others say, it’s always a good idea to learn something about a job you’ll do, but if you’re thinking of making a career of teaching, getting a teaching certificate in your home country or a MA in education or a related field will help you far, far more.
If you don’t plan to be a professional educator, and you don’t have a lot of money to throw around, then don’t waste it on a cert.
The main reason is that those online courses barely scratch the surface and without a practicum or observations, they aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. You won’t learn to apply what you’ve studied, so it’s pretty pointless.
In addition, language schools and ALT dispatch companies don’t care if you have a cert or not. They hire based on personal qualities, such as flexibility, ability to follow direction, enthusiasm, social awareness, and communication skills. If you go into the interview smiling, demonstrate that you can speak articulately, and show that you’d be a good entertainer in the classroom, you’ll likely get a job easily.
Keep in mind that these jobs aren’t actually teaching jobs – at most you’ll be assisting the teacher (ALT) or chatting with people (eikaiwa).
In eikaiwa particularly, knowledge of language systems and skills doesn’t even come into it since you’ll be told, step by step, what procedure to follow in the classroom. In fact, if you hold any qualification above cert level, eikaiwa won’t touch you with a ten-foot pole because all they want is compliance, not knowledge.
As for ALT work, if you’re applying to JET your cert will matter in the hiring process as they are a bit more serious about it and are honestly looking for people who *potentially* can later become real teachers. But if you’re applying to one of the dispatch companies, there’s little point in spending the money since they are just looking for warm bodies to fill slots in their system, and only care that you’ll show up on time and won’t give them any problems.
TEFL is surprisingly difficult and only those who have done it get this. Bystanders will diss it. I have an MSC and language degree etc but it was honestly thought and I feel if I hadn’t had years of experience already teaching in Japan I might not have passed it. P
It opened a lot of doors for me, as even tho in the west (at least in my country) it’s seem as a silly irrelevant certificate, it is actually given its due in places like Japan. Also considering it’s not really expensive, theres no reason NOT to get one, other than… You might not be able to pass it!!!
*tough*
Sorry, I’m on the train rn in Tokyo so ignore the typos
*Cue ppl jumping on the thread saying ‘see only thickos think it’s worthwhile, look at ya spelling’
Actually I tell a lie , it was valued back in the UK now, I remember that shortly after passing it, I was scouted and received an offer for a job at a public school. It is regarded as an official teaching certificate in the UK, equivalent to a 2 year diploma. The only difference is that without the PGCE, you receive a lower wage and are lower down in preference. But in terms of being taken seriously as a teaching qualification, very much so worldwide. I ended up accepting the job in Japan and so I didn’t end up using it to teach at public schools in the UK.
So ye, universally, the only nay sayers are those who might need it but can’t get it. Cause with it costing so little to apply for the test, literally where is the risk…?
It’s better than not having it. I got one because I saw a trend of the better paying ALT jobs starting to require a TEFL cert at minimum to apply. Was it the main reason I got a much better job than before? No. Did the certificate course help me in the classroom? No. Did it contribute to making my resume look more attractive? Yes.
It’s another check in a box that will put you ahead of a similar candidate who lacks one.
My advice on TEFL is that it isn’t a ‘qualification’ as such. However, it’s good for networking and getting your feet wet while waiting for your job to start.
In my case I’d just received my masters in teaching (around about October) and was working as an Aussie teacher but knew that I wanted to teach English overseas as a bit of a ‘growing up’ experience (starting in ~Feb the next year). I had a lot of time to kill while waiting for job offers so paid for Japanese lessons (from a nearby international student) and did a TEFL.
During the TEFL I basically went to a conference room at a YHA (backpackers hotel) where I met a heap of backpackers wanting to teach English, did some (largely) practical activities with them over 2-3 days and got my (worthless) piece of paper at the end. One of the most useful sessions was at the end when the person delivering the course showed us a few job boards and shared some stories about getting jobs / working overseas (I think she’d been in Korea).
When I arrived in Japan I ran into a few people who had done the same TEFL (small world!) It wasn’t as if I gained a professional advantage by doing the TEFL but it cost ~$200 and gave me a nice intro to the English teaching scene. IMO they’re worth doing if you’ve got nothing better to do…