Is it worth getting a TEFL qualification?

[Drifting-Cloud]

Hi, first post on this forum. I'm moving to Turku with my (finnish) fiance this autumn so I need some advice.
I'm thinking of teaching English in Finland as a secondary income source. I also currently work as a freelance copy editor and intend to keep doing this in Finland. But is it worth paying for a TEFL qualification or is just being a native English speaker enough? I have excellent English language skills and a Creative Writing degree. I'm trying to save money for my move right now so I need to know if it's worth getting the qualification before I fork over the money for it.
Any advice you could give would be very appreciated!

[GermanInHelsinki]

It is of course a waste of money to pay for a TEFL qualification - any English teaching jobs in Finland require a relevant university degree, and everyone will prefer a Finn with a Master's degree over a native speaker without a relevant university degree.

[MagicJ]

That's !"#¤%. ^^

A Tefl/Celta might help get you through the door of a language company for an interview, but your degree should suffice.

I don't anything about the Turku market for teaching but a former forum member there used to find it difficult getting regular work from the biggest company (AACGlobal) and those jobs he got he often needed to drive to.

[rinso]

Finns love papers and degrees.
Being a native speaker is not enough to get an employer interested. But if you need TEFL depends on the value of your creative writing degree. If it's a university degree, forget about TEFL, but if it is from an obscure private institute, you'll really need TEFL.

[Drifting-Cloud]

My degree is a BA. Will that suffice?

[macora]

Finns love papers and degrees.
Being a native speaker is not enough to get an employer interested. But if you need TEFL depends on the value of your creative writing degree. If it's a university degree, forget about TEFL, but if it is from an obscure private institute, you'll really need TEFL.

Any US university enough here? Is the difference in quality in those known here at all? Question is not out of the blue, actually, since a friend of mine considers moving and does have creative writing degree from a US university.

[Rosamunda]

If you don't have a teaching qualification you might find it give your potential employer a good excuse to pay you less.

If you do want a TEFL qualification then it is worth going for an MA in TEFL or the Delta. Online certificate courses aren't worth much. The place where I work would NOT hire anyone without some kind of teaching qualification but I know that is not necessarily the case everywhere.

If you're lucky, you will find a school that is willing to give you a few hours and depending on the feedback they get from the clients they will either give you more hours, or not. That's how it seems to work.

Language schools like to have some teachers with Master's degrees because it gives them a better chance of winning public sector bids for SLAs.

Another possibility, is to enrol on a Vocational Teaching programme in a UAS here in Finland. That way you will get a Finnish diploma which is a bonus for getting teaching posts in schools, colleges and universities. There are several of these programmes (eg Haaga Helia, HAMK etc) and they usually last for about 18mths, are worth 60 study credits and are free.

[Drifting-Cloud]

Yes, I have been thinking about just copy editing full time and maybe teaching a writing seminar as a second income. I think most English speakers just assume that teaching English is the best way to find work abroad.