Hi Wayne!
First off, the question should be are you a Brit or an American? Not that it matters that much, but in the long run, it\\\'s much easier if you are part of the EC. If you are, and considering your background in BUSINESS, I\\\'d say you do not necessarily need a certificate. Business English is so valued that (and such a rare knowledge in teachers) that I\\\'d guess some director would gobble you up.
HOWEVER, if you need an extra bit of confidence when it comes to interviewing (Yes, I\\\'m certified!) then by all means, find a smaller, less committed course. i-to-i TEFL is good, less expensive way to test the waters of tefl training, and they do offer job ASSISTANCE.
If you want a course with job PLACEMENT though, you\\\'ll be paying a bit more (around 1000-3000 euros). You\\\'ll also find yourself in a MUCH BETTER hiring position.
So...the answer to your question, then, is no. You don\\\'t NEED a certificate, although it helps boost confidence and experience(I never had one and I had at least 7 job offers in one month). I strongly believe your business education will be your highest selling point.
And as far as family is concerned, right now there are many people on the boards here, wondering the same. Perhaps you could post a comment on someone else\\\'s thread about your questions and get a group together.
The only pitfalls I ever encountered with my children when I was living in Spain, were my own cultural biases. At the time, I had a two-year-old and another on the way and I kept searching for American-style things for him to do and to take part in. BIG MISTAKE. WHatever your prejudices, leave them at home. Your children might complain the first month about feeling strange or wanting to \\\"go home!\\\" But children are SO MUCH MORE ADAPTABLE than adults! If you keep that in mind, you won\\\'t feel sorry for their lack of \\\"home-grown\\\" entertainment and niceties, and thus, be able adapt much better yourself.
Second time around, I took my son to puppet shows and to meet other children at parks around Madrid etc. and was more family oriented with my Spanish in-laws. Things worked out better.
I hope this helps!
Tracy
