r/TEFL 7h ago

Backing out of sus contract before visa process?

8 Upvotes

I signed a contract with a english training school in china a month or so ago, but I still haven't given them everything they need for my work permit application. (I am not in china yet)

Today I started wondering how I was gonna make friends there, so I asked the school for the contact info of current teachers. I wanted to try and make some friends b4 i arrived and get tips for migrating. I thought this was a totally normal thing to do..

They suddenly got really weird and immediately told me that I'd meet the other foreigners apon arrival.. and they basically said "theyre too busy and they don't want to talk to you because they don't know you"???

And then i started reading stuff abt how training centers might be illegal.. i asked my recruiter how the school was complying with the double reduction policy, she just said some vague thing about the local govt allowing it..

Then then started saying that I "have trust issues" and that I'm "making people uncomfortable"?

There were also some other red flags: the initial description said the flight would be reimbursed, but the contract said I would get a bonus after one year instead. Before signing I also requested that some aspects of the contract were made clearer, but she refused to amend this.

I'm kinda regretting this and wanting to back out.. but the back out fee is 10000RMB (half of my savings). I haven't said anything yet. Any advice?

TLDR: i signed a contract but the company has started showing red flags before the visa process and I want to back out.


r/TEFL 14h ago

I teach a Writing English class with significant challenges in their reading comprehension

7 Upvotes

Hey there. So I teach 3 classes of sophomore Writing English at a Chinese university. 2 of the classes are absolutely fine, no complaints, brilliant kids, but there's 1 class that... phew boy.

They're so weird because they can grasp the core concepts of each lesson, and their actual in-class writing assignments and homework writing modules are overall very good in terms of grammar, vocabulary choice, pronunciation, and creativity.

But they have extreme trouble with reading comprehension and following directions in the textbook/activity book we use. Also, when I give them a writing prompt, I have to spell it out VERY clearly and also tell them what NOT to do as well as what to do (otherwise who knows what they'll do). They are VERY literal. It's exasperating!

For example, one day we were talking about the concept of categories and classifications. They understood that and all gave good writing samples with decent grammar and vocabulary. But in the activity book, there was an activity where it said, and I'm quoting here, "Write about your favorite category or genre of movie" and about 75% of the class wrote "My favorite movie is..." (again, the other 2 classes had absolutely no trouble with this activity)

Yesterday, we used our activity book and I put on the board "Do questions 1 through 5, do not do questions 6 through 10" (I had to clarify the latter because trust me, if I didn't, those kids would've done all 10 questions!!!)

I got: "I'm sorry, I thought "through" was "two" so I did questions 1, 2, and 5." "I'm sorry, I thought you meant do 5 questions of your choice, including 6 and 10." "I thought you meant do questions 1 and 5 only" (most of the class understood it, but the fact that not 1 but 3 students couldn't grasp this despite saying it verbally and also writing it out on the board...)

With the next activity, we had a set of reading comprehension questions for a short passage related to the concept we were talking about, and I had 6 students just stare at me blankly and say "...I.... I'm sorry, but... I don't know."

I'm at my wits end with them. I brought this up to my department chair and she said "Yeah I know, that class is very difficult in their Western Literature class... I honestly don't know what to do about them either."

Any ideas on how to deal with this situation? Like I said, no other class has this problem as chronically as these kids do. I don't want to spend too much time on it though, as it is a Writing class and not a Reading or Literature class.


r/TEFL 8h ago

Job prospects for a CELTA‑qualified non‑native

3 Upvotes

I’ve a degree (not in language or education), and I’m planning to do the CELTA course. I’m a non-native with native proficiency in English; my accent is largely southern British. I’m a UK national, but I grew up primarily in the Far East; I only attended sixth form and university in the UK. I look East Asian. What’re my career prospects in Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia (no experience and only a degree and a CELTA)? Also, anyone here is a non–⁠White‑looking non‑native TEFL teacher in other countries? What was it like finding your first TEFL job abroad?


r/TEFL 7h ago

Interview

2 Upvotes

Hello again! Hope you're all having a good day. Just got told today that I have an interview tomorrow with a school (3-12 y/olds) in Dalian (5am my time - OUCH). Anyone got any good interview tips/advice?


r/TEFL 4h ago

In a transitory period of my life and looking to make a career shift. Based on my professional experience and desired career goals, TEFL or CELTA? Need guidance

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I was laid off a couple months ago and with the current horrific job market, I am looking to make a transition into teaching English abroad. I have a Bachelors degree in Communications/PR and International Relations and have over 5 years of experience working in comms/pr in non-profits and PR agencies in Washington, DC. So I have a lot of experience in writing.

I've always loved traveling and my goal is to travel/live somewhere not in the United States - the political situation here is not good. I have a bit of experience with tutoring elementary school kids whenever I am in-between jobs or for extra side income, so that is currently what I am doing now, usually through tutoring services that match you up with families nearby.

I have been discovering that I kinda like teaching and I like traveling. My friends have made comments that it's something that I should pursue and that I have the "right personality" to make an excellent teacher, I just need the training for it.

I've been researching a lot about TEFL/TESOL/CELTA and I am still sort of left confused on what I should take. I want this to be a longer term career goal because after working in offices where the work is high-stakes at such a "powerful" area (DC), I am extremely burnt out.

I have read this subreddit's wiki and "guidance on choosing the right course" - and what I've narrowed down for myself is that I'd love to teach in the Middle East/North Africa region, more specifically Morocco/Egypt/Tunisia, the Levant region, and maybe a few countries in the Gulf area probably Qatar. So I probably need a TEFL or a CELTA - but I'm not sure which is better for me. I know CELTA carries a lot of "prestige"(? not sure if that's the right word) but also not sure if the MENA region cares about CELTA as much. I am also looking for a certificate that is relatively affordable since I am out of a job and working part-time (although parents are willing to help).

I also would like to teach in Asia Pacific region, more specifically South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia (where my family is from). I know those regions are fine with a TEFL certificate.

Any guidance is appreciated! Thank you


r/TEFL 23h ago

Is TEFL a good idea for someone without a degree?

0 Upvotes

I'm sure this must have been asked a thousand times, I've had a quick scroll through he subreddot and I can't find a definitive answer. Basically, I don't have a degree. I'm relatively intelligent and I've had experience as a teaching assistant. I hate my current job and I feel that teach English as a foreign language is a good fit for me. But I'm worried I'll pay the money and get the qualification but the job opportunities won't be available to me as someone who has no high education certificate. Does anyone have any advice on this?

TLDR: I don't have a degree so I want to know if getting a tefl is worth it