Chapter 3: Examining Courses, Qualifications and Jobs 43
provider is another city and you need to commute or stay over for a week of
teaching practice. In addition, the reading list includes some essential books,
so get yourself a library card or be ready to cough up. You can probably
recoup your money within 18 months as your salary increases.Schools often need diploma qualified teachers to meet their quotas and raise
their prestige. So, before you get out your cheque book, speak to your direc-
tor of studies about funding for your diploma course. You may have to sign
a special contract agreeing to stay at the school for a specific period of time
after you pass, but you can save yourself hundreds of pounds if your employer
pays some or all the costs.Another point to keep in mind is that the reading lists for diploma courses
are rather long and expensive. Who really wants to keep all those books after
the course is finished anyway? So ask the school to buy them and then they
can keep them in the teachers’ room for the next diploma candidate who
comes along.Staying in for in-house training
Schools that have their own unique methodology often offer in-house training
in their method. These programmes offer several advantages:✓ You know that the training course exists because there’s a need for
teachers. So, providing that you impress the trainers, you usually have a
job waiting for you.
✓ The school probably has its own materials and course books so you
don’t have to use too much imagination to come up with lesson plans.
It’s all done for you.
✓ Schools like these are also more likely to take a chance on someone who
has no formal qualifications; ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’ as
they say.
✓ Some of these schools are also part of an international chain so you can
transfer from one place to another using internally advertised vacancies
and contacts.
It’s not all good news though. Some people find schools with a strict method-
ology a bit stifling to their creativity. Teachers sometimes get bored and want
to move away from the prescribed material, which may not be allowed.Professional development programmes are one of the hallmarks of respon-
sible, caring TEFL employers. So there should be opportunities to improve
while on the job. Hopefully the director of studies has a budget for seminars
and conferences for teachers and even if money is tight, it’s usually possible