# Need CELTA?



## amilandsmann

I am absolutely new to the idea of teaching (business) English as a foreign language and would appreciate any knowledgeable guidance.
- I have received no certification or training at this point but have "life" and work 
experience in journalism, advertising, real estate
- I speak native German (but have lived most of life in USA)
- I believe I would love teaching English to adults
- I need advice as to which company to go to for CELTA instruction (I hear there are some scams out there) Can someone put me on the right track? Thanks!


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## Hessi

Hi Amilandsmann, 

my wife and I moved back to Germany recently. She is Canadian, I am German.
She went did the TESLit in TO and with Oxford Seminars. She said it was really good and that she learned some good stuff. 
However, they got a numerous amount of branches are located pretty much in any big city. maybe just google them.
IS the qualification you refer to the same that I am talking about(TESL)?

Anyways, good luck and I hope I could provide some useful information for you.
Cheers


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## Bevdeforges

In the US there are a couple different types of certification - TEFL and TESOL among others. To avoid the scams, you may want to check with your state university. Many universities offer valid certificates in teaching English as a foreign language.
Cheers,
Bev


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## hannah851

God - there are so many CELTA providers out there it's a bit tricky to pin point the good ones - I'd google TEFL course review and take a look there - should sort out the wheat from the chaff! With any provider I'd also ask to speak to their course graduates so you can get their opinion on things.


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## amilandsmann

*Wondering about job odds*

Thanks, Hessi. Yes, I just learned myself that CELTA refers to teaching ESL to adults, so it's similar to the TESL designation. I am also wondering if there is a good source of information out there regarding the odds of even finding good jobs in this field - especially someone older like myself. (I am a native German who has lived 50 years in America) My wife and I think we would love moving permanently to Germany, for various reasons, but I am concerned about the difficulties involved. I believe my native knowledge of German language and culture would be a big + in teaching business English in some company or free lance, but wonder if my age could be a problem for me. 

Thanks again, and all the best!



Hessi said:


> Hi Amilandsmann,
> 
> my wife and I moved back to Germany recently. She is Canadian, I am German.
> She went did the TESLit in TO and with Oxford Seminars. She said it was really good and that she learned some good stuff.
> However, they got a numerous amount of branches are located pretty much in any big city. maybe just google them.
> IS the qualification you refer to the same that I am talking about(TESL)?
> 
> Anyways, good luck and I hope I could provide some useful information for you.
> Cheers


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## amilandsmann

Bevdeforges said:


> In the US there are a couple different types of certification - TEFL and TESOL among others. To avoid the scams, you may want to check with your state university. Many universities offer valid certificates in teaching English as a foreign language.
> Cheers,
> Bev


Thank you so much, I had not thought about that.


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## amilandsmann

hannah851 said:


> God - there are so many CELTA providers out there it's a bit tricky to pin point the good ones - I'd google TEFL course review and take a look there - should sort out the wheat from the chaff! With any provider I'd also ask to speak to their course graduates so you can get their opinion on things.


Thanks a bunch!


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## Hessi

I don't think ur age should be a concern at all. actually, my company just hired a n older person for a business english course (too bad my wife is not here yet, otherwise i would have suggested her of course; she arrives at the end of the month)

no worries! I am glad I could help!

oh, and maybe just ask google about language schools and maybe the city you want to move to. there are plenty! I believe you could even teach at university, but don't take my word for it.

now, i got a question. why do you wanna move to Germany? i'm just curious 
have you been here for vacation? i would think so, but there are some cultural differences and maybe some things might appear inconvenient to you (like not being able to shop on Sundays; that really go tme after living in OZ and Canada).
Cheers


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## amilandsmann

Hessi said:


> I don't think ur age should be a concern at all. actually, my company just hired a n older person for a business english course (too bad my wife is not here yet, otherwise i would have suggested her of course; she arrives at the end of the month)
> 
> no worries! I am glad I could help!
> 
> oh, and maybe just ask google about language schools and maybe the city you want to move to. there are plenty! I believe you could even teach at university, but don't take my word for it.
> 
> now, i got a question. why do you wanna move to Germany? i'm just curious
> have you been here for vacation? i would think so, but there are some cultural differences and maybe some things might appear inconvenient to you (like not being able to shop on Sundays; that really go tme after living in OZ and Canada).
> Cheers


----

Yeah, I'm sure there are a number of things that might take a little adjustment.

Why are we exploring moving to Germany? Well .... how much time do you have? 
But seriously, there are several reasons. We had great hopes that Obama would be able to turn the country around from the disastrous Bush years, beginning with health care, but it looks like "the opposition" is gaining the upper hand through outright lies and deception. On several fronts. I realize that you may not have any inkling of just how dysfunctional the U.S. healthcare system is - and how corrupt the insurance companies, their lobbyists, and their cronies in Congress are. But, you can trust me when I say that for self-employed people here it is truly horrendous. (My wife's insurance - which covers only a few basics, no drugs, no doctor visits, and has huge deductibles and copayments - went from a monthly premium of $188 last year to $508 this year.)

Don't get me started on where Wall Street has taken this country - and the world.

To sum it up, we are just disgusted about all of this and some other things. And, even though we have a beautiful home on a lake that some people would probably kill for, we are surrounded by 80% ignorant, narrow-minded, self-centered people who would more likely jump into fire than to ever take a vacation in Europe. Emigrate to Europe? -- if they knew what we're thinking they would consider us mad.

Oh well, I don't want to rant and rave. To get back to the gist of your question, I
know that the grass is not necessarily greener elsewhere. I also know, having lived in Germany as a child, and visited a couple times since, that there might be some "issues" that would be tough to deal with. We are probably a bit dreamy-
eyed, and we are certainly not going to jump into this. But we are reaching out and testing the waters, and will probably make a short trip to Germany within the
next few months.

Thanks again for your responses. I'm sure you're looking forward to your wife's arrival. Take care!


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## Hessi

Hey Amilandsmann,

thanks for your open comment on why you are considering to expatriate. Obviously I don't have the insight you have about the US and waht's going wrong, but it sounds pretty harsh.

Myself, I am considering going back to OZ in a few years, after gaining some work experience here (I graduated from uni recently and just started my first job). We loved it there; I actually met my wife there. 

If you should have further questions, just shoot. I'll try to answer them asap!

Have a good one and lots of fun exploring the opportunities.
If was gonna expatiate to Europe, I would choose Germany over any country for numerous reasons.
So, good choice!
;-)


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