Is TEFL/TESOL certification worth it? If a TEFL course is worth it or not for you I don't know. There are definitely reasons why getting some training and taking a course is a great idea, but in this article I will be playing the role of devil's advocate and sharing a little of my experience.
This article was inspired from a couple of things:
- The B.S. I see some TEFL course providers tell to get you to buy. And...
- I spent a $1000 on a course, went abroad, started teaching and realized I wasted my money.
Know that you can teach English abroad without certification and if you're thinking of teaching English in Asia and taking a TEFL or TESOL course, you should be able to separate the facts from the fiction.
Know these facts about TEFL/TESOL/CELTA courses:
- They are usually not a legal requirement to teach English in Eastern Asia and other places
- They are usually just a preference
- There are other preferences
- Experience and education degrees are more valuable
- They do not replace degrees
- They can't guarantee a better job
- They can't guarantee more money
- It probably won't prepare you to do your job
- Conclusion - What to think about
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1. They are not a legal requirement to teach English in many places
Have you been told that you need to be TEFL/TESOL certified to teach in Northeast Asia? Well, that's lie number one and the person who told you that is probably working for a TEFL/TESOL certification provider, a sponsored blogger or they are just misinformed.
Let's take for example Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan. Have you thought about teaching in any of these places? Well you should know that the basic requirement for teaching English in these places is:
- Be a native English speaker
- Hold a university degree in any discipline
I'd say in Taiwan, Korea and Japan that the schools that require one are less than 5% of the total job pool. So what about the 95%? Well the 95% or let's just say the majority doesn't care and is just looking for the basic qualifications.
"Wait! I thought you said the requirement to teach in Northeast Asia was a degree and...?"
Yes, that's right it's a legal requirement. Without it the school cannot process your visa in order for you to stay and work in the country.
"But you just said that some schools require TEFL or TESOL certificates?"
Yes, that's right, but they are not a legal requirement. An individual school can set its own requirements and those may be different from the national requirements. But know that these requirements are basically just a preference.
TEFL requirements are more commonly seen in China than the other countries. Different provinces can have slightly different requirements. In most situations a degree and native English speaking is required to get a Z visa.
2. They are just a preference
Some schools may prefer TESOL/TEFL/CELTA qualifications. However, it's just a preference and by the way if you encounter this you should still apply. Know that come time to process your paperwork for your visa for your new full time job that your TEFL/TESOL certificate will be left on some desk or in some folder (probably yours) because it is not essential.
3. There are other preferences
You should know that there are other employer preferences as well. And that while some schools may prefer TEFL/TESOL certification, that preference usually takes a backseat to the preferences and biases below.
Like for example:
- Likability - aside from the basic qualifications this is the single most important factor that determines who gets the job, pretty much anywhere
- Age - they would prefer that you are young
- Sex - some schools prefer females over males and a fewer percentage vice versa
- Looks - they prefer that they find you attractive
- Nationality - many will prefer US citizens or Canadians over other native English speakers
- Race - many prefer Caucasians
For example, let's take a hypothetical situation. Amy is Canadian. She's 25 years old. She's tall thin and attractive and she has a degree in Biology. Jed is 35 years old. He's not especially attractive and he has a CELTA certificate and a year of teaching experience.
Jed's more qualified (from our standpoint), but who will get the job? Of course it depends on the school and situation, but unfortunately in many cases Amy will get the job. Many employers just care about how things appear. And it's not just them it's the culture. And western culture is not that different.
4. TEFL certificates do not replace degrees
Well, one might help you to get a job in China - if you don't have a degree, but they are not going to replace a degree and help you to find a job legally teaching in Taiwan, Korea or Japan.
5. Education degrees and experience are more valuable
Know that most schools value experience teaching (especially in their country) and education degrees more than TEFL/TESOL certificates.
For example in Taiwan, to teach in a public school you will need to be a certified teacher in your home country. Just a degree in any discipline won't cut it. A TEFL/TESOL certificate won't help. A degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate won't suffice. Here you need to be a certified teacher to teach English in a public school. This is also the case for teaching in many international schools and in UAE.
As soon as you start looking for a job you will see that almost all schools prefer experienced teachers.
If you don't have your degree yet you might like to read more on advice for becoming an ESL teacher.
6. They can't guarantee a better job
Have you been told that being TESOL/TEFL certified will help you to get a better or more prestigious job? Well, that's probably lie number two. Know that the most prestigious schools (e.g. international schools and some universities) will require higher qualifications and experience.
A reputable CELTA course might help you here, although there's more competition for these kinds of jobs. Competition that has years of teaching experience and/or that may have a background in teaching. A background in teaching means that they probably studied education and that they are likely a certified teacher in their home country.
In all honestly for these schools with or without a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA and no experience, you could get lucky, but you probably won't stand a chance. But don't worry because they are less than 10% of the job pool.
But will a TEFL course help you to get a job? Here's a hypothetical situation. Let's say you and the next guy have nearly identical qualifications for the job. You are both 29 years old, have a degree in a unrelated field and are not especially attractive. And let's say you have a TEFL certificate then you'll probably get the job.
Check this link out and "The Best Answer". Here's someone who took a CELTA course and taught in Korea. If you didn't know, CELTA courses are considered one of the best when it comes to English language teaching qualifications. Basically he says that he felt that it only made him "slightly" more marketable and that "you" might be paid only "very slightly" more.
7. They can't guarantee more money or a higher salary
Have you been told that you will make a higher salary if you are TESOL/TEFL certified? Possibly, but that's probably lie number three. You're probably not going to make more money just because you have a TEFL certificate. There are exceptions to the rule, like for example EPIK in Korea, but many schools won't care about your certificate or offer you any more money because of it.
I have worked in a total of at least 20 (documented) private and public schools as either a full-time, part-time, temporary, or substitute teacher in China, Korea and Taiwan. I have also applied to an estimated 200+ positions and interviewed at about 40 schools. And only one of those distinctly offered me more money because of my certification.
So it's not a guarantee, but I guess you could use it as a negotiating point. Experience is usually the best point for negotiation.
Read more about money and TEFL/TESOL certification.
8. It probably won't prepare you to do your job
Are there any other reasons why you might want to take a TEFL course?
Well, of course, you should want to take one for the teacher training since you're likely going to be thrown into a classroom and told to teach. It depends, but English language schools abroad don't typically offer much training.
The in-class course I took was just a general one size supposedly fits all course with a lot of jargon, theory, and grammar study that I never used.
When you are standing in front of 15 Chinese kids aged 6 to 13 with a really short attention span, being able to explain the difference between a past participle and the past tense won't help.
You need practical tools. If you want a streamlined approach built specifically for the Asian job market—where you actually learn how to run your class like a boss, crush classroom management issues, and avoid scams—you might want to look into targeted training rather than a generic check the box course.
"I have recently just completed the TEKA course and it was absolutely fantastic over the last 18 months I’ve done two other ESL courses but they had absolutely nothing on TEKA A lot of ESL courses are very bogus and they just involve you reading text and watching the odd video and you can complete them in about a week TEKA is the complete opposite it teaches you everything via video and answering questions and you are assessed to understand your comprehension I would recommend TEKA to anyone, especially if you’re wanting to teach in Asia.' - Anton P.
Conclusion - What to think about
Match the course to your actual students...
If you plan on teaching kids which is a huge part of the job market in East Asia you need practical tools. You need to know how to organize your students, teach AND deal with classroom management problems like: screaming kids, out of control kids, kids that don't listen to you, kids that talk too much, and students that will only speak Korean, Japanese, or whatever their native language is.
Don't overspend, underspend or fall for scams...
If you are on the fence then I wouldn't spend much (like a $1000 or more). You can always take another more intensive course like CELTA in the future if you decide this is something you want to do long term.
On the other hand you might not want to waste your money on an "underpriced" course such as those that you find on Groupon. You also don't want to fall for marketing jargon like a "Level 5" course or that 168 hour course vs. the 160 hour one.
You've got to research the company, know who's behind it because some scammers have gone to great lengths to create a fake brand with fake names, fake awards, fake accreditation and fake reviews.
Shift your focus from merely getting a job to surviving year 1...
Getting a job is just the beginning. Your first few months to over a year can be really tough. Besides teaching being a totally new occupation, figure being in a totally different home, a language barrier, different cultural norms and you've got an overwhelming experience.
If you want a streamlined, action-based approach designed specifically to help you handle difficult students, run your class like a boss, and avoid horror stories, check out these practical courses.