If I wanted to become an TEFL teacher, what cert. programs are good,and am i required to have a BS or BA?

Question

If I wanted to become an TEFL teacher, what cert. programs are good,and am i required to have a BS or BA?

Answer 1

Well, if you're willing to move to Korea, Thailand, China, Taiwan or Japan, you could have either a BA or a BS in anything you want.  

I currently teach 1 hour outside of Seoul, Korea.  I work at a private, after-school ESL academy.  The business can be a headache (especially since I think of myself as a teacher, not a business person....but it is a business), but the class sizes are small, the hours are in the afternoon/evening, vacation is only 2 weeks a year though.  

I get $2,000/month, free (tiny) apartment, free round trip plane ticket with 1 year contract, and $2,000 end of year bonus.  I'm staying a 2nd year and will be making $2,300/month this time around with $2,300 end of year bonus.

By the way, my major was Media Communications.  And, my husband, who works at the same place, majored in French with a minor in biology.  You just have to be from USA, Canada, England, Australia, etc.

Answer 2

Depending on the area where you are, there are several TEFL/TESL programs.

The one I'd recommend because of its validity and recognition worldwide would be CELTA.

Some companies accept instructors with no degrees but a valid TEFL certificate or diploma.

But, if you want a better position, a degree is a must.

One of my fellow trainees was just a high school graduate and she got a teaching job in China.

Moneywise, she did okay.

But others who had a degree, did very well.