Tefl, Tesl, Toefl........lostttttttt

[sum1]

I am currently looking into a career in Teaching English as a Foreign Language because i love English, but as there are so many courses which I don't know how it work ,I don't know which one I should go for.

Can anyone give me any advice on which course should I go for, courses that are reputable? are there any opportunities to do it online, I mean courses?

grateful

[I'm With Stupid]

CELTA or Trinity Certificate and nothing else. They're the most widely accepted courses in the world and are basically the bottom line in teaching English.

If you're only planning on working in a particular country, then you might be able to get by with a locally-run course that is widely accepted locally. But don't bother with any course that doesn't offer practical teaching experience with it, and don't accept anything with under 100-hours of study, because most employers won't. But to be honest, any less well known course worth the paper it's written on will cost about the same as a CELTA or Trinity certificate anyway.

[sum1]

Thank you so much, I'll think about it
grateful

[Tdol]

If you are looking at online courses, take great care and check the sites thoroughly, especially when they talk about their accreditation and recognition. Many have set up an accrediting body of their own, so they self-accredit. There are some reasonable courses online, but most are to be avoided. I think that I'm With Stupid's suggestions are the two best and most widely recognised courses. You can show a CELTA everywhere and they'll know it. The same cannot be said of many of the online courses. Also, courses with a teaching component will stand you in better stead for the initial shock at walking into the classroom than only doing coursework.

[sum1]

Originally Posted by Tdol

If you are looking at online courses, take great care and check the sites thoroughly, especially when they talk about their accreditation and recognition. Many have set up an accrediting body of their own, so they self-accredit. There are some reasonable courses online, but most are to be avoided. I think that I'm With Stupid's suggestions are the two best and most widely recognised courses. You can show a CELTA everywhere and they'll know it. The same cannot be said of many of the online courses. Also, courses with a teaching component will stand you in better stead for the initial shock at walking into the classroom than only doing coursework.

Hello Tdol,

Is The CELTA Available Online?
The CELTA is not available via any form of distance learning.


That's what I've found about the CELTA via distant learning.
( I can't afford it to go abroad, fees are very high)
I'll continue searching
grateful

[ICAL_Pete]

Online courses are a good option particularly if you have a limited budget.

As for which course to choose it really depends on how much time, money, and commitment you are prepared to invest. There are quite a few good courses both online and onsite to choose from. You could start by taking a look at TEFLWatch.org. This is a site where TESL/TEFL courses and course providers are independently reviewed and rated.

[Cian_SP]

Neither. If you are a native, you need nothing but your the ability to teach and a quick tongue to get work and very good money.

At the moment I make R$1,400 per week and I only work 3 days a week.

You just need to be great. Teaching is an art form, English Instruction is not.

The courses will teach you how to instruct.

[dmitch]

A year or a career?

If you want a gap year or to test the water then take i-to-i online with a job placement. I did this to make sure that I really wanted to be a teacher and got a good, well paying job in Seoul. Soon into the placement I discovered that being in the classroom really was where I wanted to be. I have just completed the CELTA and already see the benefits in regards to job opportunities.

The previous poster says that teaching is an art form and I totally agree but I also think that to get yourself noticed and to build a career then this entry level qualification is really worth the time and effort.

The EFL industry is getting stricter and the 'native' speaker qualification is simply not enough. Also if you want to grow as a teacher then you really should show that you too are interested in education and its processes.

Get your BA and your CELTA - its like getting tickets to go anywhere in the world....

Good luck!

Dave