Every year, many people move to the UK, or other English-speaking countries, in search of a myriad of things. It may be for a working holiday, to settle down, to continue their education, to change careers or move up in a current one, or perhaps even to find a safer place to call home.
Something that most of these people have in common is their need to learn English.
If your desire is to stay on home shores and teach English, there are more than enough eager students for you to hammer out an extremely successful and fulfilling career as an TEFL educator.
However, if your desire is to go overseas to do your CELTA qualification, and eventually teach there, look no further than here to find out what awaits you. We'll start with the obvious, finding a training centre!
Where do I go?
If you were in almost any other profession and wished to move abroad for training, you would probably look at job offers first, and then build an idea of where you might like to end up. As much as you might want to experience living in the Russian borderlands, or the sun-kissed streets of Palermo, there needs to be decent prospects before you get there.
But you are not in another profession, you are a TEFL teacher. What does that mean? It means that you can spin the globe, stick your finger out, and look to the internet to find the nearest recognised training centre, or search through our catalogue of IH centres to find the one most suitable for you.
International House has 160 schools in more than 50 countries. Far more than an impressive statistic, it means that you could go almost anywhere to learn the art of EFL teaching, and then work as an English teacher, so why stay at home?
Russian borderlands, here I come.
Who will I meet?
Another statistic coming at you – over 15,000 people complete a CELTA course each year, in all corners of the globe!
The better question is: “Who won't I meet?”
A huge percentage of CELTA trainees did not start life with English as their first language and are from all walks of life, meaning that there are some truly fantastic things to be learned from your fellow trainees, not only from the course itself.
The people on your CELTA course could teach you a great deal about the world you're about to enter, and help you acclimatise to a life spent with people from other cultures.
You'll also get the opportunity to share your own life experiences, as well as tell them about your culture and background.
How will doing the CELTA abroad help me professionally?
When looking to hire new teachers, an employer will comb your carefully prepared CV. They will look at your qualifications, and your experience in general. But they will also be interested in the kind of person they are offering a job to.
You, having taken the course overseas, might well be a more attractive hire than others for many reasons. You have shown initiative in adapting to a new culture, you have a demonstrable desire to move abroad and you are experienced in working with people from a different social and cultural heritage
All these qualities are extremely valuable to a potential employer. They show you to be a driven, and hard-working individual.
What personal benefits would I gain from doing my CELTA abroad?
Where to start!
Apart from the character-building advantages mentioned above, there are many things about doing your course abroad that are advantageous on a personal level.
First, you will experience the romanticism and adventure people usually read about in books. That sounds like an exaggeration, but until you have experienced the feeling of walking through some departure gates, on the other side of which you know absolutely nobody, you can't know how triumphant you'll feel.
Second, and on a less story-book level, you'll find out first-hand what it's like to learn another language. But it's only a month, I hear you say! However, even a short time in a foreign country is enough to give you not only the desire, but also the ear, for a second language if that's what you want.
Third, you'll meet a far wider cross section of what the world has to offer. CELTA brings together trainees from hundreds of countries, and this makes your learning experience all the richer.
I plan to teach in the UK, why do my CELTA abroad?
A month is certainly enough time for you to become more culturally aware. While it may not seem important, you'll be teaching learners from all over the world, and an ability to connect with them and understand different cultures and backgrounds is extremely important.
The month that you are studying the CELTA is also a month of self-discovery, and there is no better way of seeing what you're made of than taking such a giant leap of faith.
Perhaps you're not sure where you would like to teach once qualified. The idea of moving somewhere else is daunting, and there's a lot to think about.
Think of your CELTA as a chance to dip your toe in the water and find out if you like it in a controlled environment.
It may be that you decide to teach closer to home, and lots of job opportunities await you there if you do. But you won't be asking yourself, “What if?”
As you can see, there are innumerable benefits to doing your CELTA course abroad. Lingering doubts and questions are to be expected and we are eager to address all of them. If this is you, or if you have already taken your CELTA abroad, we would love to hear about your experience; get in touch!
