Unemployment figures have fluctuated very little this year despite political assurances that the recession has ended and that we’re on our way out of the doldrums. The beginning of the end may be here in marginal economic terms but we have yet to see the level of job creation and sustainability needed in Ireland. With this in mind, JOE explores the area of retraining and in particular, the opportunity to teach English as a foreign language at home and abroad.
At the end of June the unemployment rate was at 13.4 per cent, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). There hasn’t been any indication that prosperity might be dawning on the jobs front.
You may hold a degree in Astrophysics, be a qualified journalist or have 20 years experience in the construction industry, yet you still cannot find employment in a country that has had its bubble burst for quite some time now.
Teaching English abroad as a foreign language used to hold appeal for world-travel enthusiasts who had either decided to take a year or two out after university to have ‘an experience’ in some far flung destination or of those who had a nice nest-egg built up in their mid-to-late twenties and wanted to venture further afield.
According to the CSO, 91,646 people under the age of 25 were unemployed in June. Now the situation has turned from a novelty idea of heading to Hong Kong or Saudi Arabia to teach children the alphabet and live the good life to a desperate attempt to get retrained and find a job as fast as possible.
Under the illusion
Some of you are probably thinking, “Hang on a minute. What good is it to pay for a private teaching course and have to leave home to work? What do I do when I want to come home?â€
Well, that would be a very good question because not all the companies and institutions which provide courses to teach English as a foreign language can only be used abroad. Many people are under the illusion that TEFL courses only provide a qualification for teaching outside of Ireland. This is not the case.
The University of Cambridge CELTA TEFL course is the most recognised initial teacher training course in the world and the International House Dublin CELTA course is the only CELTA course in Ireland which is also accredited by ACELS (the Irish Department of Education Advisory Council for English Language Schools). This means you can teach English in Ireland, provided you also have a third level degree in your pocket.
A full-time course lasts for four weeks, Monday to Friday (full days), you must be at least 18 years old and it will set you back €1,610. A part-time course lasts for 12 weeks, three evenings a week (about three hours each evening), and costs €1,695. But are there cheaper alternatives?
Marketing manager for International House Dublin, Aoife Govern, explains: “There are two things to look for with TEFL courses. The first thing is to make sure it is recognised by the Irish Department of Education and secondly, the course they choose should have teaching practice included in the course hours. There’s an external body that assesses and inspects every course that we run. You’re paying for the Cambridge course and the guaranteed qualification.
“In every country it’s now becoming more and more competitive for jobs. Quality schools are looking to recruit qualified people, it’s not enough to just be a native speaker and go into a school and wing it. A lot of people are going to Asian countries and they are looking for native speakers who are highly qualified,†Aoife added.
Short-term solution
If you’re serious about getting a recognised qualification and the opportunity to teach English on home soil, it’s clear that avoiding the amazing discount deals which are regularly bandied about in online adverts is a must. A week-end or online course will provide you with a certificate and the possibility a short-term solution to employment, but with a growing number of applicants for teaching jobs abroad it’s advised to hold as many aces as possible.
TEFL course provider i-to-i Ireland offer weekend and online courses and after completion they will provide you with job contacts. TEFL Ireland’s course provider is accredited by the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council (ODLQC). According to Rosie Plummer of TEFL Ireland, the job market is wide open to anyone with a TEFL qualification regardless of accreditation.
“If you’re looking at going to the hot destinations like Spain then you’d be as well to get as much training as possible. In Asian countries if you have TEFL training and you’re a native English speaker there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to get a job.
“At the minute we’re advertising for jobs in Georgia, the Czech Republic and Ecuador through recruiters. We only work with a handful of recruiters worldwide that are reputable and that have huge amounts of job availability,†Rosie added.
So, the recommendation is: before you jump two feet first into a TEFL course, stand back and think about your reasons for doing it. Where do you want it to bring you? Is it the dawning of a new career for you or is it just a stop-gap? Or, perhaps you’re buying the economic advice of the politicians and are happy to wait for the good times to return. You might be on your own then.
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