ESL Certification, also known as English as a Second Language Certification.
When I was layed off from my Telecom job in Dallas Texas. One of the options that I investigated was teaching English overseas. There was the lure of travel to foreign lands and the escape the tumultuous job market. Yes, it was a form of escapism. I looked at teaching in Hong Kong and China and I investigated schools. I stumbled through new terms and acronyms and certification requirements. What was all this new stuff?
Some of the terminology included ESL certification, EFL teaching, TOEFL, CELTA, TEFL, Online training.
All of this stuff aroused the skeptic in me, especially all of the online programs spewing the ease of online ESL certification with minimal effort.
When I lost my Telecom job, I was dating a woman and chose to stay in the USA. We soon were married and since she is Vietnamese, the thought of teaching never quite went away. The idea took a couple of years to simmer. We traveled to Vietnam and other locations and investigated teaching opportunities.
I was lucky enough to get introduced to a College principle in Ho Chi Minh City who gave me guidance and direction. He helped me to gain entrance into teaching ESOL without wasting any time or money.
Since my friend and mentor, the principle, had received his CELTA Certification years before. I, too, then chose the same path and set a goal to get my CELTA Certification.
Why do we need these ESL Certifications to teach English? The simple answer is governments require it. Students have in the past paid dearly for low quality English Teachers. Mostly known here in Vietnam as Back packers. English native speaker passing through town traveling and looking to make a few extra dollars before they move onto their next adventure. Some of these backpacker teachers may have been quite good. But with any group you will have those trying to abuse the system. Being a native English speaker is not enough anymore. Which is a good thing! Speaking english, playing a guitar and games with students doesn’t cut the mustard. Students and the government demand more!
Just a warning, not all certifications are equal. If you don’t have a certification or a low quality certification, you will not be able to find work at quality schools. Low quality schools may hire you, but the pay will be substandard and the conditions could be substandard too. In many cases a substandard school may refuse to pay you and you will have little no recourse.
My advice is get a decent ESL Certification.
