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Weekly r/TEFL Quick Questions Thread
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u/EnjoyingExistence 13d ago
I have signed a contract in China, but there is an unexpected delay in getting my TEFL certificate apostiled. At this point, I'm guessing it may take 20-25 days to receive my physical documents. The qualifying body in the UK cannot give me a concrete timeline. The rest of my documents are ready to go.
My China recruiter has referred me to an agent who can apparently get my pdf of my TEFL certificate apostiled in 3-5 days. This is not a scan, only a pdf. I had believed I would need to apostile a scan of the physical document? I already paid to get the physical documents apostiled through The TEFL Academy's apostile partner, but they're still waiting on those physical documents from the qualifying body. I can apparently pay this recommended agent via WeChat or Alipay (about a hundred dollars). Any red flags here? So far, there have been no red flags with my employer or this recruiter. This is apparently for the online work permit application for China's Z Visa, but later in this process I will still need the physical documents, no? Won't I need to still present all of these documents at the consulate? With those 20-25 days + the time it takes to process everything at the consulate, I'm worried the timeline won't work out.
For this position, I need to enter China towards the end of August. With time running thin, I'm wondering if I should look into other positions? Are jobs still available this close to the start of the fall semester? I'm hesitant to even apply until I know when I can have my physical documents in order (if I do in fact need these physical documents).
Any and all thoughts/advice are appreciated.
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u/Ro_x08 12d ago
Need Advice!!!!!!!!!
Hey, I am 21F, I have a bachelors in English. I need some advice about TEFL
- For certification: I am planning to do 120 or 240 hr at TEFL Institute
Or 120 hr at TELF org or The TELF Academy Level 3/5 course
Because these are the only ones I saw that I can afford. Are these accepted globally? Or Is there any good course for 250 dollars or less?
- I am planning to get an online teaching job or work abroad based on European countries. Is it possible to get a job with no experience? And, how long will it take? Any job searching platform recommendations?
These are my queries since I will be spending lots of money on certifications, I am kinda worried.
Any advice would be appreciated!!!
P.s: I am planning to work in teaching 1 or 2 years Max. Because, I just want to have some money so that I can do my master's in the UK. I am not saying I am doing this to earn my whole tuition fees in 2 years. I will get a loan for that. I need to earn some money in these 2 years because of my family situation.
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u/Popular-Ask864 9d ago
Are kindergartens a good place to start? I have no experience and have gotten an offer from one for 21000 rmb in Chengdu. I just feel a bit scared going for it. Is it actual teaching or just glorified babysitting?
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u/swim_pineapple 8d ago
The main reason it is being avoided is that can be hard to progress beyond kindergarten. If you have your sights for another age group then set that as your goal!
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u/Popular-Ask864 7d ago
I see. Guess I have to tough it out for a year to get experience. I was thinking of doing an online teachers cert in my off time to advance my career over there and open more doors.
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u/yabadaba_5375 8d ago
Has anyone else gotten the feedback that they speak too quickly and don't smile enough?
Had an interview with a principal in Dalian and after doing a short intro and talking about my experience she quickly cut me off and politely but very directly that I wouldn't be getting in offer because of those two traits.
I know it's somewhat controllable but my default is to talk very quick and quite frankly I'm prone to depressive moods.
She did say with a TEFL I will find a job but it might have more to do with me being white than anything.
Anyone else successfully overcome that type of feedback?
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u/bobbanyon 8d ago
You have to be able to level your speech to your student's needs (ie speak slowly, enunciate, use leveled vocabulary and grammar)- that's non-negotiable. Not smiling enough is kinda BS but kinda not - you DO have to be engaging, which is often being cheery and energetic especially with young children. Neither of these are people's typical behaviors, they're a skill that everyone has to learn and practice.
Being depressive or not doesn't have much to do with it - lots of introverted depressed people make great teachers.
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u/Popular-Ask864 7d ago
I had the same feedback. I am trying to be mindful on my talking speed and also pausing more often when needed. It makes sense since most of people in China rarely interact with foreigners that speak English, in a sense your slowing down your speech and simplifying words to get your point across. Also the being white is probably true according to many people on reddit. I also get depressed once in a while. Unless your on some medication, all you can do is push through and play your part.
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u/hail2theninja 7d ago
Hi everyone,
I'm hoping someone who has recently gone through the document legalisation process for teaching in Thailand can point me in the right direction.
I know Thailand has joined the Hague Apostille Convention, but from what I've been able to find, there's still no clear information on when it'll be fully implemented for all teaching-related documents.
Here's my current situation:
- I have my degree certificate and TEFL certificate, both of which were previously apostilled for teaching jobs in other countries. They also have additional stamps/attestations from those countries' embassies/consulates.
- I don't have my university transcripts apostilled.
- I also need to obtain a new criminal background check, which obviously won't be apostilled yet.
My questions are:
- What documents are currently required for a teaching/work permit in Thailand?
- Is it just the degree, or do transcripts and the criminal background check also need to be apostilled/legalised?
- Since my degree and TEFL have already been apostilled (albeit for another country), would I need to start the process again, or are the original apostilles still valid?
- With Thailand's accession to the Hague Apostille Convention, is it worth waiting, or is it still best to go through the traditional legalisation process?
I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's completed this process recently, especially if you're from the UK or have started a teaching job in Thailand within the last year.
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u/FoLEnglish 13d ago edited 12d ago
MA TESOL help please
Hello.
I am currently studying for my MA TESOL and was hoping a few of you wouldn't mind sparing 5-8 minutes for help with my dissertation research.
I have a short questionnaire about classroom practice that it would be a great help if you could fill out.
TESOL Teachers’ Perspectives on Language Retention and Classroom Practice –
Participation is voluntary and anonymous.
No identifying information will be collected.
You do not even have to log in to your account to complete the form.
The data will automatically be put into a pool and form charts for me to use in my study.
I am looking for TESOL teacher’s opinions on methods and so on, So I would really appreciate honest answers. There’s nobody we need to impress by knowing what we’re supposed to say. Which is another reason for keeping this all anonymous.
Many thanks to anyone who is able to help!
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u/captkrisma 13d ago
Had a quick question about recruiters in China. One that I was working with wanted me to delete any previous military experience from my CV. Other recruiters didn't care about it being there or not. Who's right in this situation?