Will foreign schools hire me if I am only signed up for a CELTA course?

Hello again!

I am trying to pick the best date to sign up for my CELTA course. I am open to teaching in several locations but am leaning to China, Taiwan, or South Korea. Although I realize most of these places hire year round, I believe the peak hiring seasons are a few months before each semester starts, so that would be around February/March in most of these places.

However, processing all of the paperwork can take up to 4 months, I've heard. I was going to take my CELTA course at the end of November (2013) or in January.

Do you think I can begin trying to find/apply to jobs before the course so I can begin to get my visa and everything? Will this put me at a disadvantage, since I won't actually have gone through the CELTA at the time I apply? Do you think taking the CELTA in November or January, and then applying to jobs abroad will give me enough time?

Let me know what you think!

Lori

I don't see what you have to lose- a teaching qualification is not mandatory in South Korea, for instance. (ESL Korea ? Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS))

I recommend Taiwan (relaxed) and South Korea (intense) rather than China (chaotic).

Hi Lori,Personally, I'd encourage you to start putting out feelers as soon as possible to gather information and make inquiries. Many language training schools hire non-stop year round. You can apply any time, and there's nothing wrong with applying (or at least making inquiries) before you've completed your certification. You're right that visa processing can take up to 4 months, depending on the country. Solid training schools will be planning for this; when they hire, they know they're hiring for months and months in advance. Keep in mind as well that there are additional rules and regulations in China and Korea (varying between cities/regions) which might be helpful to learn about sooner rather than later. (For example, in one city in China you need 2 yrs post-grad experience, a BA, a teaching certification, and a clear criminal record. A previous post mentioned that S. Korea doesn't require even a teaching certification.) Often the easiest way to learn which countries and areas would suit you best is to speak with recruiters about possibilities.I've had no experience in public schools; perhaps the application timeline expectations are different. - Nikki