Qualified Maths Teacher - What training do I need to teach English?

Discussion about courses, qualifications etc

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kevh_uk
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Joined: 11 Jun 2015, 06:38
Status: Teacher

Qualified Maths Teacher - What training do I need to teach English?

Unread post by kevh_uk »

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and I apologise if this has been asked and answered before but I had a quick query.

I am a qualified high school Mathematics teacher. I completed a PGCE in the UK around seven years ago. I then taught for three years. I have been working in a different field since but have been thinking for a long time about going abroad and teaching English as a foreign language, most probably in South America.

It was always my understanding that I would need to get a TEFL qualification and has always been recommended to me to do the Cambridge CELTA course as it is most international recognised. It has recently come to my attention that the vast majority of the course is actually teacher training which I have already done a lot of. I'm wondering if there is another recommended course particularly catered to professional, qualified teachers that wish to focus solely on English grammar etc.

What is it that employers will be looking for when I apply for jobs? Will my qualified teacher status be enough or should I still be looking at studying further? I don't want to be under qualified but at the same time I don't want to invest in a CELTA, or other TEFL course if I don't need to.

Thank you so much in advance.

Cheers

Kev
Briona
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Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Qualified Maths Teacher - What training do I need to teach English?

Unread post by Briona »

Hi there,

If you were still teaching now, I think your PGCE would be enough to land you a job. That said, teaching content through the students' own language is very different from teaching English through English to students whose first language is not English. Therefore, I'd recommend taking a TEFL course.

As you have already realised, the most widely-recognised and accepted courses are the Cambridge CELTA and the Trinity CertTESOL. Although more expensive than online TEFL courses, they will give you up-to-date teaching practice with real students, which is something than an increasing number of employers look for.

If you want to brush up on your grammar, I'd recommend taking Cambridge's Grammar for Teachers course (http://www.cambridgeenglishteacher.org/ ... ails/18606), which I believe is free.

Hope that helps, and if you have any other questions please ask.

Briona
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
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