hi everyone!

i am 30-year old professional advertising copywriter based in manila, philippines who is seriously considering about making a career change to teaching english.

i've done quite a bit of research and i am now confused about what to do.

i was initially set on doing an on-site TEFL course in either bangkok or china. but the considerable financial investment has made me have second thoughts about it, especially since i've received feedback from other forums that a TEFL certificate isn't even necessary, especially not in china where demand is sooo high and there are soooo few teachers. is this true? and if so, how do these non-certified teachers fare versus the certified ones? what kind of schools recruit non-certified teachers and are they reputable ones? i guess to put it simply - will having a TEFL-certificate make it a LOT easier for you to find employment? and will you get paid differently depending on whether you have a TEFL diploma or not?

if a newbie like me does decide to take a TEFL course, is an on-site course REALLY better than an on-line (distance-learning) one? coz online courses are WAY cheaper than on-site ones obviously. what's the advantage of one over the other anyway? and are distance-courses even advisable or is that just another waste of money?

finally, given that i have a college degree (bachelor of science, major in psychology), am a native speaker of english BUT look totally asian (brown-malay race), how bad is the racism that i am gonna most likely face once i start the job hunt, with or without a TEFL certificate?

thanks so much for any help, advice, info or tips guys.

advanced merry christmas and happy new year to all!

ting
manila, philippines