Tag: Certification

Start Teaching English in Japan

Alexander R. Ford Leave a comment

 Teaching

Moving to Japan at the start of the decade, was the spark that changed everything in my life.

Teaching English as a second language is often not seen as a career path worth taking. However, no one can deny that it is a skill. The beauty about skills is the fact that you can use them to get paid. Especially if you are willing to hone them. A honed skill will always lead to professional and financial satisfaction.

Starting out

When you are an amateur( at anything) you must practice in order to gain mastery . You will also need an environment conducive to learning in order to improve your skills. For this reason, no place is better to teach English than Japan.

Japan has the third largest economy in the world. Therefore their professionals must learn to speak the language of business( English). Japan is also one of the world’s most traveled destination. Therefore it is an advantage if citizens learn the most popular language on earth.

Simply put the demand for English is great in Japan.

Your options

There are several ways to start teaching English in Japan but your best bet will be to start at an eikaiwa ( conversation school) or as an ALT in a public school.

Both groups are constantly recruiting. Therefore it is possible to be recruited from your home country.

But before we go any further, please note some differences between the two.

Differences:

  • Pay
  • Work Schedule
  • Time off/vacation
  • Facilities
  • Extra obligations

For more  information please watch the following video:

If you still need more information, click here.

Be proactive

You will never teach English in Japan unless you start the process ( ask questions, do your research, wait and ask even more questions). You can teach English in Japan; you can become a skilled professional.

However, if you want to become a professional you must practice. Luckily, you can do this at your own pace with ITTT.

Why worry about jobs when you have options. Start doing your research today and start your new life within months.

 

 

What Wikipedia can’t tell you about TEFL/TESOL Certification

Alexander R. Ford Leave a comment

Scams

Although I  sometimes have reservations about using the internet. I will be the first to admit that the internet is the most helpful tool I have ever used –most addictive too. But we must remain aware of the fact that the internet can be a very shady place to do business.

For this reason, I know many persons have reservations about doing a teaching certificate online. However, there are several precautions that you can take to protect yourself.

According to tesol.org, an organization that has been around for 50 years, there are several ways to make sure that your program is legitimate.

These are some:

  • Investigate the institution. They suggest that you should search for the institution’s online history. Look for what others have said about the school online ( In chats and on forums).
  • They also suggest that you should ask for references. You should reach out to graduates from the school that you have the interest to join. If the school offers job placements, you should certainly contact people who have graduated to check if this is true.
  • You should also be cautious as well about “money-back” guarantees for job placements. Even though it might be appealing to sign up. make sure that you check their reputation first. also look into their method of repayment (length of guarantee) before signing up.
  • Last but not least check the validity of your certificate. Ensure that the certificate qualifies you for jobs. Research the validity of their claims. It is easy to do is check. Go to the TEFL/TESOL job sites and ask questions about the various certificates.

In addition to the advice given by tesol.org, you can also watch Alex Stevenson in the following video. He explains the ins and outs of certificates.

A Safe Certificate

As an alumnus of ITTT international, I can assure you that it is possible to get jobs overseas (especially in Asia) after you complete your certificate. However, you do not have to take my word. You can start your investigation about ITTT at the gooverseas.com, an independent website that verifies the legitimacy of TEFL/TESOL programs.

So even though I believe the internet can be a shady place where you can be scammed, I can assure you that there are ways to be careful on the net and I do hope that the tips above will help you with your TEFL/TESOL search.