TEFL vs CELTA vs TESOL

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goldenorange

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Hi,yes I too faced the same dilema,TEFL TESOL or CELTA. It is definately the CELTA course that is the most recognised. I am going to start the course in September which also includes PTLLs(Preparation to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector) This is an initial generic teaching qualification,which enables you to teach in the Adult Education and Further Education sector. Useful for me because I am here in England and would like a year of experience at least,before I go abroad to teach.
 

teacherEU

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The CELTA is better than the Trinity TESOL. Oxford TEFL, which is authorized to teach the Trinity course, falsely claims that both courses are "essentially the same and both are equally recognized."

This is not true! Although the British Council recognizes both, employers have come to realize that the CELTA better prepares the students to teach in real life scenarios while the Trinity Course at Oxford TEFL is done but eccentric artists that waste students time with nonrealistic methodologies such as teaching adults as if they were 5 year olds!

I took the Trinity with Oxford TEFl and it was a waste of both time and money. The CELTA is run by professionals that respect the students and give them more value for their money. Oxford TEFL's Trinity TESOl is more like an assembly line of students being rushed in and out.
 

itoi

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Hey there,

I was in the same boat when I started finding out about teaching English abroad. In terms of distinguishing between TEFL and CELTA courses, the CELTA is a top end TEFL certificate and is perhaps the most widely regarded. It is, however, a very intensive course and it's best to have a couple of years’ teaching experience under your belt before taking it.

What most people tend to do is obtain a TEFL certificate, teach for a while and then, if they decide they want to advance higher up the chain they take a CELTA.

Ultimately, the money you spend on either will be worth it if you are planning on teaching abroad; depending on whether or not you go with a reputable provider who offers accredited certificates.

If you want to find out more on TEFL certificates and which might be best for you try taking a look at TEFL Uncovered: How to Teach Your Way Abroad with TEFL which you can find by searching google.

Hope this helps!
 

Randis

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Hello,

I just had a couple questions regarding TEFL vs CELTA vs TESOL and was hoping I could find some help on here. I am moving to Jakarta in a couple months and am wanting to teach english once I move there. I would like to get the TEFL online certificate, but am wondering if employers will accept this. I am a native english speaker with a business degree from an accredited university in Canada. I don't have the time to do the in-class course for CELTA or TEFL, but am able to do TEFL online and do some volunteer teaching in the city that I live. Does anybody know if this will be adequate to secure a job once I arrive in Jakarta?

Thanks for your help!
 

DRThomas

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There are TESOL courses and there are TESOL courses. Some TESOL courses are available by mail, over the Internet, etc. I invite readers to look over the requirements for a TESOL certificate at the University of California - Riverside. It takes about a year to complete if the student is attending full time. It is my understanding that a full-time CELTA course can be completed in five weeks. One year versus five weeks.



Degree Offered: Certificate in TESOL.
Length of Program: 4 quarters. Students mat be full-time or part-time and may begin their study in the fall, winter, spring or summer semester.

Program Requirements: 25 quarter units. Competence in a language other than English is not required. 50 hours of practice teaching is required. Neither a comprehensive examination nor a thesis is required.
Courses Offered: (*required) *History and Survey of TESOL Methodologies; *Lesson Planning for the ESL Classroom; *Introduction to Linguistics; *Language Development and Acquisition; *Grammar Methodologies for ESL/EFL Teachers A and B; *Methods and Techniques for Teaching ESL: Student Teaching; Core Courses (each class 2 units, 8 total units of core courses required): TESOL Reading Methodologies, TESOL Writing Methodologies, TESOL Vocabulary Methodologies, TESOL Conversation Methodologies, TESOL Listening Methodologies, TESOL Pronunciation Methodologies, Teaching American Idioms in the ESL/EFL Classroom, elective units, various courses for a total of 3 units. (Prerequisites may be passed by exam: *Orientation to TESOL; *Standard English Usage; *Fundamentals of Writing).
 

MattDring

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Re: TEFL vs CELTA vs TESOLhttp://www.usingenglish.com/forum/images/editor/smilie.gif

I have a question which hasn not been asked regarding this type of courses...

If you are not an english speaker yourself (for instance I am french), is it still possible to take the course?

Websites say yes, but I wonder of what value it might be regarding to job seeking after taking the couse...

does anyone has heard of a non-native succeeding in taking the course and finding a job???

Or should I just give up :-(


I have just recently returned from Korea teaching English for a year in a private school [hagwon]. I taught with a French man who was also teaching English.

I don't know how much work he did teaching before he worked with me. Maybe he taught a tiny bit. He wasn't the best teacher and was always drinking and smoking. I think he only taught about 3-4 times at my hagwon, over the space of a few months. He was broght in from time to time, along with his on/off girlfriend at the time.

My point is there is work out there definitely in the private sector in Korea, probably China and other places too. Not sure if he had a TESOL/other qualification or not. In the hagwon I worked at they seemed desperate for anyone who could speak some English.

I'd say there is work for you, maybe even without a TESOL/CELTA etc.

I am still doing an online TESOL, (accredited by The College of Teachers), the company comes up the top when doing a 'TESOL' web search; i.e. I just had a degree, and other non-English language related uni qualifications when I went to teach in S Korea.

I don't advocate his intoxicated,lazy approach to teaching by the way, although, I had a couple of days over the year where I was clearly worse for wear.
 

5jj

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To all intents and purposes TEFL = TESOL in terms of qualifications. A basic first job will usually require a degree and a TEFL certificate.

The CELTA is, in my opinion, a top end TEFL certificate. It is perhaps the most widely regarded. It is, however, a very intensive course and I believe it's best to have a couple of years experience before taking it.

What a lot of people do is take a simple TEFL certificate, teach for a while and then, if they decide they want to advance to DoS positions or higher up the chain they take a CELTA.

ICAL_Pete, you have made this claim before on other threads and it is simply not true.

It might be useful to know that Cambridge state clearly on their website at Cambridge ESOL: Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) : CELTA is an initial qualification for people with little or no previous teaching experience...

Your claim that CELTA is a top end certificate is not supported by the people who run CELTA.

Incidentally, when I was last involved with Cambridge and Trinity, both stated in their syllabi that recognition by trainees that the certificate level was only an initial qualification was a course requirement
 

Spamghod

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I've been teaching ESL in Asia (mostly Korea) since 1995. For the last 5 years, I have been teaching in 2 public schools in the EPIK Program. I have a Masters Degree in Online Curriculum Design, but there is no use for it at all in Korea. To tell the truth, I'm very burnt out teaching spoiled, rude Korean kids and want to retool and move out of Asia. I'd like to get into blended/online teaching and possibly teacher training. I plan on doing the DELTA or DipTESOL, but decided that I also needed a far more basic class to bone up first.

I haven't been on the student side of the classroom in a long time and haven't studied things like grammar in far longer. I looked at the ONTESOL, the CELTA and the CertTESOL and decided that the CertTESOL was a better choice. I start the C-TESOL in January after the school year ends. I may possibly stay in Korea and do either the DELTA or DipTESOL online or possibly bite the bullet and do the intense 3 month course. I'm not sure which at this time, I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on the DELTA vs DipTESOL?
 

Tdol

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Trinity courses are well-regarded and seen as equally good, but are they as widely known and recognised as instantly by employers? Depending on where you're planniung to go, there may not be any difference, but the DELTA gets mentioned in more job adverts than the DipTESOL- you see adverts mentioning just the DELTA or the DipTESOL, but how many do you see that just say DipTESOL?
 
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