ESL Jobs Forum

[aekraul]

I have been told that, if one has a masters degree, that it is pretty easy to get a job teaching ESL. I would love to go to New York and live for a little while and teach english to cover some bills. Does anyone have any advice? I met one gal who said not to even bother getting certified because most schools want to train you their way. Is this true? I have taught before - I taught while I was in graduate school, and I loved it. I just got back from traveling in Mexico and Central America, taking Spanish along the way. Does any of this background help?

Thanks!

[alinguist]

A master's degree in linguistics, applied linguistics or a M.ed. in second language acquistion are the main degree types that will get you a good job teaching ESL in north America. If you don't have any of these degrees but you have a bachelor's with a TESL certificate, you can teach in private language schools or for the government language programs. North American ESL teachers usually have to be certified by a professional association to be able to teach. This just ensures that you have met all the standards they adhere to.

Good luck! If you have any more questions be free to ask!
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I'm a linguist, not a polyglot!

[CizinkaNaZemi]

From an aspiring linguist to "alinguist":
I'm returning to the States after nearly four years of TEFL in Central Europe and would like to start an M.A. in the fall. The application dates are fast approaching and I already have my eye on a school in Atlanta, but do you have any advice about the best programs in North America for ESL teaching that also provide a strong theoretical background in linguistics?
I'm fluent in Czech (enough for written translation, but not simultaneous interpreting), on the way in Serbian and French, and see the need for Spanish, so I'd like to have the option of studying languages as well as linguistics.
By now I can lay out the English system of reported speech or explain unreal conditionals or improve a struggling student's perfect tenses (all major problems for Slavic speakers) in a flash, but as yet I have little knowledge of the academic community for Applied Linguistics or my viability as a master's program applicant. (An addendum on whether an American can and should look to Canada would be great, too.)
Many thanks in advance!
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"... And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth."