Seriously considering an ESL career but I've got some doubts. Can someone please advise?

Question

Many schools seem to favour teachers / instructors from English speaking countries, like the UK and the US, with a Native level of English proficiency. Even though I am not from a country where the native language is English, I personally speak it as a first language and I have been speaking English since birth. Would I be considered a Native speaker? Would having a CELTA certificate carry any merits to help me in this area?

Also, I do not have a degree. Instead, I have a Diploma in Sound Engineering and I've spent 5 years working as a sound engineer. Would I still have a harder time finding a job teaching English than Degree holders?

Answer 1

If you are thinking of ESL as a serious career move, you should probably get a certification..If it is something you're just trying to do for a little while then you should be okay with out it.

Also, a lot depends on where you want to teach..If you're teaching at a school in Japan or Korea they usually want someone from an English speaking country.

I taught ESL in Japan for over a year a there were many people there from non-English speaking countries who taught English privately. This can be very lucrative and you can earn more money than you'd earn working for a school.

I also knew people who taught their own native languages (other than English) and didn't have a degree.

So you need to narrow down where you want to go and start researching schools there. See if you're able to go there for a little while and feel the place out. You may be able to get a tourtist or student visa and get private students if you can't get hired by a school.