Moving to Australia... need to get CELTA

[Reaperjim]

I am going to be moving to Australia with my family later this year, and would like to take a CELTA qualification with me so that I can work there as an ESL teacher. I am trying to find a convenient avenue of attaining the CELTA qualification within a year, in conjunction with my current job. This could be online, but most jobs require 100 hours of actual "contact" study, so I imagine that I would have to do the course in Taiwan. Does anyone have any advice on how I could do this?

Also, I need some experience preparing Cambridge English Exams. My wife has done the testing before, but not writing exams. Naturally, I will use her old contacts, but would appreciate any advice from these forums.

[tomthorne]

Why don't you just do one as soon as you get back to Australia? Full time they only take a month.

However, be aware that some posts require post-CELTA teaching experience and people can be a bit sniffy about any teaching experience acquired pre-CELTA. Something else to think about.

It's a shame buttercup doesn't post anymore. She's a real expert on the Cambridge tests. Actually, she's a bit of an expert on loads of stuff. One of the schools I work for at the moment prepares kids for the Starters, Movers and Flyers. I'm not allowed to teach them, though, because I'm only there for my beautiful native English speaking voice and first class monkey impressions. I only do the speaking fluency stuff, a proper Taiwanese grammar expert does the serious teaching.

A lot of the chain schools copy the Cambridge tests and then sell them as their own, so if you are looking for exam preparation experience on your cv it's probably best to avoid the chains because you'll end up with experience in a test nobody has ever heard of like StyleJet or something.

For the adults, a lot of schools around Taipei Main Station are always on the lookout for IELTS teachers. See if you can blag your way in there. Once you get the opportunity to teach it you'll pick it up really quickly.

EDIT: my reading comprehension is shite. You are looking for advice in preparing the exams. Sorry, no idea about how to do that. I guess you'll have to contact publishers like OUP.

[tsukinodeynatsu]

I used to work in an English school in Australia, it's pretty hard to get a job without experience. As in VERY hard.

Unless you wanna work at Shafston in QLD.....

Where are you moving to? What's your experience like? Check out Australian TAFEs online and see their courses, because some employers are 'funny' if you don't have an Australian qualification (as in, plumbers who've been in the trade 20 years need to go back to school after they emigrate).

Why on earth would you want to go to Australia, btw? Yes, the weather's nice, but the rest of it sucks. Apart from Perth. Perth is lovely.

Everything is at least twice as expensive as the UK (apart from housing, that's around even).

[Reaperjim]

I used to work in an English school in Australia, it's pretty hard to get a job without experience. As in VERY hard.

Unless you wanna work at Shafston in QLD.....

Where are you moving to? What's your experience like? Check out Australian TAFEs online and see their courses, because some employers are 'funny' if you don't have an Australian qualification (as in, plumbers who've been in the trade 20 years need to go back to school after they emigrate).

Why on earth would you want to go to Australia, btw? Yes, the weather's nice, but the rest of it sucks. Apart from Perth. Perth is lovely.

Everything is at least twice as expensive as the UK (apart from housing, that's around even).

I have seven years of TEFL experience in Taiwan, teaching up to senior high school age and some adults, privately. I started at Hess, moved on to a well run Columbia school and finally a brilliant Giraffe franchise in Danshui. I have loved working there, but have to go to Aussie as my wife's father is sick. Her mother lives in Brisbane, and we will stay with her. My wife is an Aussie, and so is our son. I am looking at doing CELTA or TESOL Cert IV at a school called ATTC. The courses for each choice start just after I arrive in Australia, and are round about AUS2700.

As it happens, I love Australia. I think the UK is a shit hole. I am tired of Taiwan, but I still love the people. I know Aussie is expensive, but my wife and I are not socially demanding in that we stay at home most of the time and don't drink. We just go out for meals every now and then. So, I am not worried about Aussie...

[tsukinodeynatsu]

I lived in Brisbane for 8 years It's a great place, but I hate it. I do not like the society at ALL, and the education system is unfair and pretty crap.

But that's a whole different topic....

I used to work at ELICOS at Southbank TAFE. It's a good center and the teachers are well paid (government contract employees).

ESL in Brisbane is divided up as thus:

The ELICOS centers at TAFEs (Southbank has one, I think Northern and Metro do too... run a quick google for Brisbane TAFEs and click on 'international students')

The ESL units in schools:

Some schools have ESL units for their own students (i.e. refugees, recent immigrants) to help them catch up before joining full time classes. These teachers are actual teachers from the school rather than just specialists in ESL education.

Sunnybank State High and Mitchelton State High (1 south, 1 north) both have specialised ESL 'centers' (i.e. one classroom) for international students going in to high school. The idea is that international students go to these places for 6 months to a year before going on to their respective high schools. Last I checked it didn't really work and the principal at Sunnybank State High (which was, incidentally, my school) rigged the system to get additional funding and pissed off a whole lot of people (because they then changed the system so you couldn't tamper with it - nobody knew it was my principal either, I let it slip when I went to Mitchie for work a year or so later). I think there might be more than just the two centers now. These are taught by outside contract employees (so ESL professionals like you).

The above are ALL government positions - meaning that if you get a full-time job with them, you're set for life. EVERYBODY wants a government job. They are quite good, actually. The TAFEs are understaffed and underfunded (all apart from the marketing and sales departments), and the teachers are usually casual rather than full-time employees (this means you are paid by the hour, but usually has some allowances for sick/holiday pay etc.). As it's a casual position the salary is higher than salaried employees but the job is less stable (though usually you go from being casual to full-time over time). Two years ago it was around $60/hour, but I don't think they were paid for prep time.

OK, onto the private places.......

There are smaller English centers all through the city: Viva, ABC, Australian House (I think that's what it's called??). Viva and ABC have been around for yonks, decent reps - I went in to Viva once to ask about foreign language classes and the staff and students seemed genuinely happy to be there. These are privately run so easier to get a job at, your experience should get you a job no problem.

Shafston is a HUGE English/Nursing/'Whatever International Students are paying for at the moment' specialist school at Kangaroo Point. It's 'chabuduo'ism at its best. Students nickname what they speak 'Shafston English' and I believe their Nursing programme was either closed down or investigated a few years ago. I heard it's fairly easy to get a job there but the boss is kinda touchy.

This was two years ago though, it may have improved by then.

International House is a private school in the city that has been blacklisted by pretty much everyone who ever worked there. One of my ELICOS teachers told me extremely vehemently to stay away from it and never be tempted to accept a job there. Apparently they will try to work you over at every turn.

That's pretty much the Brisbane ESL scene, as of around September 2009! This is all of my memory and I haven't had to recall any of this info for a year, so forgive me if any details are lacking. I still have one friend very much involved in the international student scene in Brisbane, so if you have any more questions about the atmospheres at any of these places I can find out for you (I'll ask her if there's anywhere she's heard to avoid in the meantime).

On the side:

If you're going to use the bus/train/ferry, you NEED to get one of the 'smartcards'. Basically people weren't using them so they doubled the price of paper tickets, it's prohibitively expensive if you don't have one.

If you drive into the city, park at the casino, then put $20 in a electronic roulette machine, sit there for five minutes and then press the button to get it back. You get free parking with a receipt for $20 or more.

[pqkdzrwt]

Serious question here, can I ask what makes you think Australia is better than the UK and Taiwan? That logic is seemingly beyond my comprehension.

[Reaperjim]

Serious question here, can I ask what makes you think Australia is better than the UK and Taiwan? That logic is seemingly beyond my comprehension.

Love the people, love the place. I have spent quite a bit of time there over the last few years. Even my family love it.

[tsukinodeynatsu]

Serious question here, can I ask what makes you think Australia is better than the UK and Taiwan? That logic is seemingly beyond my comprehension.

Love the people, love the place. I have spent quite a bit of time there over the last few years. Even my family love it.

Each to his own!!! I know there are people who can't abide the UK, and plenty of Taiwanese people who really can't understand how I can possibly enjoy Taiwan.

I must say, I think Australia might be a lot better if your dating pool wasn't primarily Australian men. The guys I knew all seemed to have this ongoing contest on who could get away with doing the least for their girlfriend, because laziness was manly. Not for me anymore...

[Reaperjim]

Serious question here, can I ask what makes you think Australia is better than the UK and Taiwan? That logic is seemingly beyond my comprehension.

Love the people, love the place. I have spent quite a bit of time there over the last few years. Even my family love it.

Each to his own!!! I know there are people who can't abide the UK, and plenty of Taiwanese people who really can't understand how I can possibly enjoy Taiwan.

I must say, I think Australia might be a lot better if your dating pool wasn't primarily Australian men. The guys I knew all seemed to have this ongoing contest on who could get away with doing the least for their girlfriend, because laziness was manly. Not for me anymore...

Happily married. All I want other than a job is to be able to take care of my wife and little boy, and relax on weekends

[Alessandro]

I used to work in an English school in Australia, it's pretty hard to get a job without experience. As in VERY hard.

Unless you wanna work at Shafston in QLD.....

Where are you moving to? What's your experience like? Check out Australian TAFEs online and see their courses, because some employers are 'funny' if you don't have an Australian qualification (as in, plumbers who've been in the trade 20 years need to go back to school after they emigrate).

Why on earth would you want to go to Australia, btw? Yes, the weather's nice, but the rest of it sucks. Apart from Perth. Perth is lovely.

Everything is at least twice as expensive as the UK (apart from housing, that's around even).

I am from Perth, it's true Perth is lovely. Australia doesn't suck, anyone who says otherwise is jealous.