TEFL certificate

gmm567 · Post by **gmm567** » March 23rd, 2009, 3:52 am

Does this certificate mean that you can speak and read english? To teach english don't you have to know another language too, or do they hire people who are competant only in english?

How can you teach english in the Philipines if you don't know tagalog too?

Jackal · Post by **Jackal** » March 23rd, 2009, 11:43 am

Having a TEFL (or CELTA or TESOL) certificate means that you successfully completed a 100-hour or so course in which you were taught the basics of teaching English to foreigners.

Most countries hire native speakers of English to teach their intermediate and advanced students who already know a good deal of English so you don't need to know their language. Of course, knowing their language can help you explain things to them, but it can also make them lazy if they realize that they can speak their native language instead of English with you.

gmm567 · Post by **gmm567** » March 23rd, 2009, 12:34 pm

really, so you can teach in many places without being fluent in the countries' langauge. All tefl does is prove that you have competant grasp of English and English grammar.

Amazing.

So how much does this pay in the Philipines?

Mr S · Post by **Mr S** » March 23rd, 2009, 3:35 pm

You get paid shit in the Philippines because you have to compete with the local population who generally already has a grasp of the English language and companies can hire locals to low ball salaries. You have to have serious education credentials to find a decent teaching job in the Philippines. You could be a trainer for a call center, but they don't pay much more either. Average pay for a foreigner per month in Philippines is between $600-800 a month, not good unless you have your own savings to supplement your income. You're better off working in a non-English speaking country if you want to teach English and make enough money to live or even save a bit.

I'm only able to stay in Philippines through some create financial juggling, if I hadn't been going to school and getting loans to supplement my income here, I wouldn't be here. I just got a new job as an IELTS examiner which pays well, but it took me 5 years to get it!

Anyways if your looking to have fun with woman, you can go to pretty much any other 2nd or 3rd world country and have more fun than you ever would in the states. Just stay away from 1st world countries as the woman act the same as American woman pretty much, just to different degree levels.

Also you're better off pursuing a CELTA degree over a TEFL as it holds more weight in academia and can open more doors to you down the road if you decide to stay in education than a TEFL would. It all comes down to accreditation and many TEFL courses are dubious about that. If I could do it all again I would have gotten a CELTA instead of a TEFL.

gmm567 · Post by **gmm567** » March 23rd, 2009, 9:55 pm

yes S but $600-$800 is a god send with the right cost of living.

You spend $25 on an apartment. You have another hooker 3 times a week every month for
$225. So tell us more of the cost structure of living there. What is you're purchasing power at
$600-$800?

What does it cost you....for food, for utilities, for entertainment, for clothes,for transportation. What does the
$600-800 buy! That's what matters... the f***ing purchasing power. What does that purchase.

Mr S · Post by **Mr S** » March 24th, 2009, 8:08 am

Not much, you need an income over $1000 to be able to have spending money to fool around on a weekly basis. Because generally if you don't want to live in a shit hole you're going to have to spend at least $250 on rent, most likely more. Also you have to pay for utilities which will generally cost you around $50 and up, depending on your water and electricity habits. If you decide to use AC double that amount to at least $100 or more. You will have to consider your own eating habits as well. Quality food is not cheap here as most of it is imported. If you cook and eat at home you will probably spend well over $100 a month, this does not include eating out from time to time. Eating out at medium cost restaurants will cost you around $3, obviously higher end places could double or triple. You will need to factor in transportation costs as well. If you only want to use taxi's to get around you will be paying on average $3 and up, depending on where you go. If you learn how to use the bus/train/jeep's then you can save money, but there is a learning curve to them which usually takes a few months to get used to, as the public transport here is confusing at first for newbies. You will also have various other expenses which could relate to health, body and beauty and depending on ones sanitary habits, that could vary on costs. Also clothes and other monthly living expenses need to be taken into account. So basically you're already spending around $600 or more to get by per month, WITHOUT saving much!

Now you can maybe start thinking about entertainment. Going out in Manila can vary depending on one's interests and nightlife knowledge levels. I would say an average night out can vary from $20 to well over $100 depending on ones spending habits and luck. Thus, as you can see, having an income of only $600-800 sucks and impedes ones ability to really enjoy themselves on a regular basis. You could budget oneself to have one big spending night one or two nights a month possibly if you're careful with your discretionary income, but generally most people I know cannot be disciplined enough to do that and end up going out in spurts throughout the week and month and end up spending most of their left over salary that way. So this is why you need to make around $1000 as you can use the extra money for fun and leisure.

Basically Philippines can be a fun place to be, IF YOU HAVE MONEY TO SPEND! If you're living month to month and just getting by, it sucks just as much as being in the states. So this is why if you don't have any kind of higher level teaching credentials to make 40,000 pesos or more a month take home, you're life in the Philippines is going to suck after you have used up any savings you may have had in your bank account.

If you want to mess around with girls and make a decent amount of money to actually have fun you're better off working in Thailand, China, Laos or Vietnam. You will make better money and there will always be English teaching positions for native English speakers with little competition from the local populace. OR you could work in South Korea and save up all your income over your year contract then take a long break touring SE Asia on your savings for 6 months or more living it up in Philippines or Thailand, that's another route people often do.

But Philippines isn't ideal for long unless you have money...

Post by **Winston** » March 24th, 2009, 10:20 am

Well if you live in Angeles City or outside Manila, it's cheaper. I have a nice place with two bedrooms, hot shower and internet for $125 a month. There are cheap places you can eat but most of the food sucks, so you only stick with a few regular places that you like. The rest depends on how often you go out or barfine girls.

BTW, I noticed that when you teach English overseas, they use a system called Phonics or Phonetics or something. It's a system that teaches non-English speakers to pronounce words and syllables correctly. But it's not something we are taught in English class in American public schools, since it's unnecessary as babies here learn English from birth. But for some reason, foreigners assume that we all know it. lol

gmm567 · Post by **gmm567** » March 24th, 2009, 12:22 pm

Oh i thought you meant 250 Philipine for your rent, S. So yes $1,000 seems to be what you need in manila.

You should look into getting your own contracts for teaching. That might pay better. My family has friends in Russia who started an english school--they have over 300 students. Something like that may be a good route.

If you get paid 600-800 a month, then what is the mark up on that service? What do the students pay?

Post by **Winston** » March 24th, 2009, 12:25 pm

gmm567 wrote:Oh i thought you meant 250 Philipine for your rent, S. So yes $1,000 seems to be what you need in manila.

You should look into getting your own contracts for teaching. That might pay better. My family has friends in Russia who started an english school--they have over 300 students. Something like that may be a good route.

If you get paid 600-800 a month, then what is the mark up on that service? What do the students pay?

W: Mr S said you need at least $250 for a decent sized place, but he was referring to the Manila area. I live in Angeles City.

Jackal · Post by **Jackal** » March 24th, 2009, 1:14 pm

gmm567 wrote:really, so you can teach in many places without being fluent in the countries' langauge. All tefl does is prove that you have competant grasp of English and English grammar.

Amazing.

Well, I'd say a TEFL certificate proves that you've can put together a few decent lessons on your own and presented them successfully. Some people are shy and don't like to be in front of a classroom of students and have trouble for this reason. A TEFL course is really more about confidence and presentation than it is about hardcore grammar. It might sound wussy, but most of these courses are actually a lot of work. So you'll slave away for 100 hours or so to do things the way your instructors want them done even though there really might be better ways to do them. It's a lot of busywork and organization.

Although it was generally annoying, I learned a few useful things from my TEFL course which I continue to use. A lot of their methods I did discard, however.

JamesSa · Post by **JamesSa** » March 25th, 2009, 1:06 pm

I agree with Mr. S in pursuing a CELTA degree over a TEFL.

When I get back from Brazil (or Dominican Republic) at the end of June, I'm going to be taking a 3-week CELTA course at St. John's in New York.

Would love to teach anywhere - ANYWHERE - as long as I can escape this debilitating oppression I'm experiencing in the US!

adam917 · Post by **adam917** » March 25th, 2009, 5:27 pm

WWu777 wrote:Well if you live in Angeles City or outside Manila, it's cheaper. I have a nice place with two bedrooms, hot shower and internet for $125 a month. There are cheap places you can eat but most of the food sucks, so you only stick with a few regular places that you like. The rest depends on how often you go out or barfine girls.

BTW, I noticed that when you teach English overseas, they use a system called Phonics or Phonetics or something. It's a system that teaches non-English speakers to pronounce words and syllables correctly. But it's not something we are taught in English class in American public schools, since it's unnecessary as babies here learn English from birth. But for some reason, foreigners assume that we all know it. lol

Actually, I was taught phonics when in grades 3 to 5 or so. We even used a programme called Hooked On Phonics for it.