There is still a predominant preference for the MA TESOL
qualification for teachers in the US, but that doesn't necessarily
make it the best qualification. The MA TESOL is still fairly
theoretical, and doesn't compare with the hands-on dynamism
of the Cambridge CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL or equivalent.
St Giles in San Francisco was the first school to propose
this in the States, and continue to operate there to this
day. Cactus TEFL also proposes courses in New York and Denver.
The courses are expensive, but less so than taking the
MA. The job opportunities in the States for teachers from
elsewhere in the world remain extremely limited, it being
very difficult to justify the appointment of a non-American
in a job which could be done by an American.
The Cambridge CELTA (in particular) is becoming more and
more accepted in the States, which is a good thing. For
US trained teachers heading out to teach English around
the world, Central & South America remain the easiest
countries to find work in. The European Union doesn't officially
accept American teachers, but if you manage to secure your
work visa with one school, you're pretty much guaranteed
work from the other schools in town too. Many US TEFL teachers
do manage to pick up work, paid cash in hand and unofficially,
but strangely we don't have many statistics on this!
