I would like to teach ESL in China. How important is to get CELTA certified vs. other certifications?

Question

I would like to teach ESL in China in the next few months. There is a company called English First who will certify me through SIT. English First will also place me in a job. The SIT certification is 1,995.00 and CELTA is 2,495. Is is worth paying the extra money to get the CELTA cert. I do not plan on living overseas forever probably just a couple of years.

Answer 1

I'm a chinese boy in Beijing China. It's easy to find a job as a English Teacher in fact, but  I advise you to work in Beijing. More people can speak English the other areas of China, and the 2008 olypic will be hold in beijing, so welcome you here now, you can contact with some universitys in beijng using Internet,I can also provide you some help if you want, wish we can be friends,my Msn is "[e-mail]"

Answer 2

If you have a college degree, do not get the CELTA certification. The job they will place you in will not be good or good pay. It's easy to find a job on your own. (www.eslcafe.com, www.chinajob.com, www.anesl.com, etc.)

If you don't have a college degree, you probably will need some sort of certification, but their price is very high. You're better off spending the money on college. If you just want to get certified and go to China, you can take a course for closer to $500.

I'm a college graduate, and I found my first job in China in a matter of minutes using the internet.