Recommended Online TEFL programs

casicassie · #1 (**permalink**) 07-Jun-2006, 18:36

Hello,
I am sure this has been asked a hundred times, but I am thoroughly confused about all the online programs out there. I understand that some of them probably aren't good. But I am moving to Mexico in a few months and I would love to get certified online to teach there. I have been in contact with several agencies that place TESOL/TEFL teachers in Mexico. They told me that an online certificate would be sufficient especially since I just want to teach pre-school, kindergarten, or first grade English classes. So does anyone recommend any online programs? I am very interested in these two:
http://www.intesolinternational.com/index.shtml
http://www.global-english.com/index.html
Any other recommendations would be great, but the course has to be at least 100 hours or more. Per the agencies request of their English teachers.
Thanks!
-Cassie

**Tdol** · #2 (**permalink**) 08-Jun-2006, 03:53

Do you have to do it online? If you are planning just to use the cert for travel and to stay there for a while, then fine, but if you might want to continue, then I would recommend getting a certified course that has international recognition and includes teaching practice. The problem with these online courses is that they are largely unregulated and many use dubious recognition, so the course might not be much use in the long-term. Of the two, INTESOL looks as if it has better accreditation (multiple and including the College of Teachers). Before choosing any online course, I would recomment looking very carefully at accreditation, and would go as far as to do a Whois search on them- you will find that some accrediting boards share the same address as the online provider, which means they should be avoided as they are recognising their own certificates, which almost certainly means that no one else will.

jessychitra · #3 (**permalink**) 08-Jun-2006, 06:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdol

Before choosing any online course, I would recomment looking very carefully at accreditation, and would go as far as to do a Whois search on them- you will find that some accrediting boards share the same address as the online provider, which means they should be avoided as they are recognising their own certificates, which almost certainly means that no one else will.

Hi tdol:
The information you gave is interesting. Can you explain in detail and with a example? This would help somebody who is interested in any online course.
Thanks in advance!
Jessy

casicassie · #4 (**permalink**) 08-Jun-2006, 13:15

If you go to the INTESOL website and click on the college of teachers link at the bottom it takes you to a whole new website. If that makes any difference.
http://www.collegeofteachers.ac.uk/
I guess I don't have to take it online, but it's really the best option for me right now.We are traveling a lot, and with moving and everything it's easier for me to do it at my own pace.
Like I said in my original post I specifically asked about these courses when I talked with the agencies that place TESOL teachers in Mexico. Each told me it should be fine. Since I just want to teach pre-school or maybe kindergarten. For those grades just being a native English speaker will get you a job. I don't plan to go on to teach university. I just want to have something that I can fall back on if need be.

**Tdol** · #5 (**permalink**) 09-Jun-2006, 04:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by jessychitra

Hi tdol:
The information you gave is interesting. Can you explain in detail and with a example? This would help somebody who is interested in any online course.
Thanks in advance!
Jessy

OK
http://www.teflcorp.com/ol-home.htm They claim their course is 'TITC is the ONLY online course provider externally moderated and accredited by IATQuO (International Accreditation of TESOL Qualifying Organizations).' There's a reason for this, according to one site (http://blogs.free-esl.com/blogs/blog.asp?fEntry=239), which is that is is a questionable accreditation.
If you look at the accreditation site:
http://www.iatquo.org/
You will see that it doesn't look very solid- one person is named as director, the same person who guarantees the impartiality:
Who is accountable for the impartiality of IATQuO moderation? Dr Alan Moller, the Academic Director.
He is assisted by an academic advisory panel. http://www.iatquo.org/FAQ.shtml

There are other signs that this is not a paritcularly big or professional operation- the copyright is out of date (2005), which doesn't bode well for a serious online accreditation body, the contact email again points to the same person. In other words, it looks very like one person handing out accreditation, which is meaningless interntaionally and ESL is a very international job. That is why I recommend caution with online courses.
If you do a Whois search (http://www.whois.net/- this will show you where a site is registered and give details that are public including addresses, etc), you get registration details, and the domain is registered again under the same person's name, which would be very unusual for something that claims to be an accrediting body, which would more logically be registered under a company name not an individual name. All this raises my suspicions about the quality of the accreditation, while the College of Teachers has been around for over a century.

**Tdol** · #6 (**permalink**) 09-Jun-2006, 04:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by casicassie

Each told me it should be fine. Since I just want to teach pre-school or maybe kindergarten. For those grades just being a native English speaker will get you a job. I don't plan to go on to teach university. I just want to have something that I can fall back on if need be.

In that case, given that they are both acceptable, then look at things like prices and dates that are more convenient. Enjoy Mexico.

jessychitra · #7 (**permalink**) 09-Jun-2006, 08:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdol

If you do a Whois search (http://www.whois.net/- this will show you where a site is registered and give details that are public including addresses, etc), you get registration details, and the domain is registered again under the same person's name, which would be very unusual for something that claims to be an accrediting body, which would more logically be registered under a company name not an individual name. All this raises my suspicions about the quality of the accreditation, while the College of Teachers has been around for over a century.

Thanks Tdol

Cheers,
Jessy

casicassie · #8 (**permalink**) 09-Jun-2006, 14:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdol

OK
All this raises my suspicions about the quality of the accreditation, while the College of Teachers has been around for over a century.

Did you mean that the College of Teachers raises suspicions for you? Or the other accrediting agency?
Thanks for all the advice, and I do understand what you are saying about the accreditation. As with anything online you just have to be really careful, and check EVERYTHING about it. It seems that the College of Teachers is one of the better online accrediting agencies. As more than one program is accredited by them.