English Language Discussion Forums

mdhunnoo · #1 03-Sep-2009, 17:32

Dear teachers,
Will you please advise which course is better between these two and why?
Secondly,i have a profound desire to study Teaching English as a Foreign language.
pls advise with relevant suggestions.

warm rgds
Mahendra

ICAL_Pete · #2 04-Sep-2009, 10:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdhunnoo

Will you please advise which course is better between these two and why?

CELTA is an intensive course which is extremely good. In my opinion it is not for beginners and you will get more out of the course with at least 2 years experience teaching.

Take an entry level TEFL course first to learn the basics and then get some experience.

**Tdol** · #3 04-Sep-2009, 22:06

TESOL is not a particular recognised qualification- many different places offer courses called that, so check the provider carefully.

mdhunnoo · #4 05-Sep-2009, 18:49

I am not a beginner.I did the CAMBRIDGE HIGHER SCOOL CERTIFICATE and was very successful.
Now, shall i opt for CELTA or TESOL/TEFL.

Pls advise asap.

My second question is about TKT(teaching knowledge test) is it similar to CELTA or TEFL/TESOL?

I don t want to go in the wrong direction.
Pls help and it is very urgent.
Thks for all ur helps.

mdhunnoo · #5 05-Sep-2009, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by ICAL_Pete

CELTA is an intensive course which is extremely good. In my opinion it is not for beginners and you will get more out of the course with at least 2 years experience teaching.

Take an entry level TEFL course first to learn the basics and then get some experience.

Hi,
am not a beginner.I did the CAMBRIDGE HIGHER SCOOL CERTIFICATE and was very successful.
Now, shall i opt for CELTA or TESOL/TEFL.

Pls advise asap.

My second question is about TKT(teaching knowledge test) is it similar to CELTA or TEFL/TESOL?

I don t want to go in the wrong direction.
Pls help and it is very urgent.
Thks for all ur helps.

**Tdol** · #6 05-Sep-2009, 20:31

Again, TESOL and TEFL are simply acronyms that were in use and are now being used by course providers. They do not mean any particular course or qualification. Some sites do talk about the TESOL as if it were a qualification like CELTA, but it is used for all sorts of in-house courses and suchlike, so it would depend entirely on which course using that term you were interested in.

ICAL_Pete · #7 06-Sep-2009, 12:27

It is my understanding (and I may be wrong) that the CAMBRIDGE HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE is NOT a teaching qualification. When I talked about being a beginner it was not in knowing English but in teaching it.

If you have no previous teaching qualifications then stay away from CELTA in my opinion.

I'm With Stupid · #8 06-Sep-2009, 13:27

I know a few people who did the CELTA at university and thought it was brilliant. They'd never taught a day in their life before doing it and now all have good jobs.

If you want to go for the option of getting some experience first, then apply to companies that will do their own in-house training so you're not wasting money on a course when you don't know how useful it'll be. Most of the big companies will train you up if they have a job for you, so you're not just thrown in front of a class without having a clue. Obviously it'll be in their own teaching methods, but it'll give you to confidence to know what you're doing when you're stood in front of a class, and then you can go from there. The big companies get a lot of stick, but they do offer some sort of structure and method for an inexperienced teacher.

mdhunnoo · #9 06-Sep-2009, 23:26

Hello everybody,
thanks for all of ur comments.
Yet, am not satisfied with any.
There are diversified opinions on the question that i raised in the forum.I am a bit plunged into a deep confusion state.Ok i assume that am a beginner that is why am inclining towards the CELTA course inorder to receive a crash course in developing language skills, teaching, learning,writing and reading skills.
Now, can anybody advise to me whether i would be acceptable as a student with my academic qualification.

On the otherhand, i have been explained by colleagues that this course is designed as an initial training course for teachers with little or no previous teaching experience.

Now is there anybody who can comment on the above explanation and bring some innovations into my mind.

Thanking you in advance
Mdhunnoo

dricha17 · #10 07-Sep-2009, 16:30

CELTA is an accredited body of educators - this means that they are real people (check out CELTA - Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults). This is going to be a rather expensive course and it's usually directed toward people whose first language is English. TESOL is merely an acronym for "Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages", much like TESL or TEFL. There's not much difference between them. "TESOL" is not a internationally accredited body. It's just a field of study and work. You can be a TESOL teacher who studied at CELTA, but you can't be a CELTA teacher who studied at TESOL.

As far as what you think is the best for you, I would not be so presumptuous as to try to give you an honest answer to this question. There are so many variables involved that it would be impossible to assess without at least a 30 minute interview and overall evaluation.

Now, having said that, I would imagine that your best bet would be to carefully research different TEFL / TESL / TESOL school and ask around carefully to find the right one for you. Try to find out if that school even accepts speakers of English as a second language. Some don't even want to be bothered.

Good luck to you.

Don