TEFL vs CELTA vs TESOL

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Duma

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Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times before, but I've been trying to find the answer to this for a couple of hours now, and my brain feels like it's melting out of my ears. :)

Is there much difference between TEFL, CELTA and TESOL qualifications, both in the sense of "material taught" and "inherent employability"? I want to be sure that I'm not spending money on a useless course.

Thanks!
 

Tdol

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Yes, there is. They often talk about 'international reocgnition' when they mean within that company. Check it is not just an in-house course, which may well not get you recognition. Is it independently recognised? The CELTA is a course that is recognised- the RSA in Britain acredit it.
 

Jason

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CELTA is now an outdated form of TESOL teaching. It has no applicabiliy to Asia due to its failure to stick with PPP procedures that have been abondoned in favor of Task basd principles. CELTA is not accredited as it is a Franchise -it is promoted by the British Council - though these days the vast number of Teachers are switching away from CELTA which is really teachng wrong Principles. Professor Ellis (himself British) said yesterday in Tokyo that CELTA course had become irrelevant in Asia due to their failure to teach English within the culture. The International Accrediting Agency for TESOL has not recognized CELTA yet according t their site - many TBT TESOL coures have been inspected and passed. If you want to do a TESOL course that is recognized in Asia, check if they comply wth Task based curriculums.
 

Tdol

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1. What on earth does this mean:
due to its failure to stick with PPP procedures that have been abondoned in favor of Task basd principles
2. Who are they:
International Accrediting Agency for TESOL (Google results 1- this thread)
3. What does this mean:
CELTA is not accredited as it is a Franchise
(A little short on both facts and logic)
4. Did the person actually mention Asia in their post?

5. Also, shouldn't you declare your interest instead of pretending to be impartial: your email leads us to Untitled Document
 

celtagraduate

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CELTA vs TESOL

I have attended both TESOL and CELTA and of course CELTA is much better.

If you are contemplating to take up CELTA and don't know where to look for a very high quality yet very affordable school, please email me at usamalaysia at hotmail dot com.
 

ICAL_Pete

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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.
 

MASM

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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.


I completely agree. I had major difficulties with the CELTA because I had no experience. It's a very good course, although I also think that some of the methodology they use it's just not right, or probably didn't work for me...
 

elmariachi

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TEFL = teaching/teacher of English as a foriegn language. That means the learner does not plan to live in an English speaking country as a long term resident, i.e. as an immigrant. Rather they will use it to study or in their work or life, but generally in a non English speaking country.

TESOL = teach(ing) English to/for speakers of other languages. This includes EFL (see above) and ESL (English as a second language - this is for immigrants to English speaking countries)

Most teachers will work in the EFL industry. ESL is generally a domestic government or sub-government 'industry' as opposed to the EFL industry which has profit making schools/businesses the world over.

CELTA = Certificate in teaching English to speakers of other languages. This is an actual qualification (not a general industry acronym) that belongs to the University of Cambridge.

As to the comparison of qualifications it's reasonably simple. CELTA is recognised the world over as the basic requirement for EFL teachers (not for ESL). In some places it may not be prefered, but it is without question the most recognised qual. Many countries will have another qual, such as the CERT IV in TESOL in Australia. However, most employers will prefer the CELTA.

There are higher level quals, such as the DELTA (also Cambridge) and Masters degrees. These later tend to be more up to date in terms of methodology, however, they rarely do anything to help the prospective teacher perform or even survive in the classroom.

I'd suggest that those above who have suggested that CELTA isn't the way to go have either something to sell or an ego to protect.

To be totally transparent, I have been a teacher (EFL) for 12yrs, an employer (DOS), and a trainer - both CELTA, a 'TESOL' certificate, and CERT IV in TESOL. I also have a DELTA and a masters.

My advice? Do a CELTA. If you're not sure, call a range of schools in the countries you want to teach in and ask what they want.

Good luck.
 

mehdi.m

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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 :-(
 

Tdol

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It is possible to take the course and to work, though a lot does depend on where you want to work. In some places there is a clear preference for native speakers, and it is a requirement in others, but obviously there are non-natives speakers teaching all over the world.
 

Englishman91

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This response is quite concise and helpful. Thanks.

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.
 

bwkcaj_ca

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'CELTA is recognised the world over as the basic requirement for EFL teachers (not for ESL).'

And the 'basic requirement' for ESL teachers is . . .
 

Tdol

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'CELTA is recognised the world over as the basic requirement for EFL teachers (not for ESL).'

And the 'basic requirement' for ESL teachers is . . .

Where?
 

melanieralescu

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Hi there everyone,
So it seems that CELTA is the way to go... does anyone know of any CELTA courses in Bali? I did a Google search and found a Trinity College of London TESOL Certificate (can't seem to post the link here, but you should be able to find it through google as well...).
Does this sound like a good choice, or should I be strictly looking for a CELTA course? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. ;)
 

pickseh

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I did a 4 week CELTA course in the UK a few weeks ago. It was very hard work and intense but I loved it. I have no regrets whatsoever in doing it. The way I chose this course months ago was simply by looking at job vacancies over a period of weeks, to see what qualifications they were looking for. CELTA came up time and time again. I also feel that the practical teaching experience I gained on real life pupils was invaluable. It's just not the same as one of these cheaper distance learning/online TEFL courses. They're not as well recognised by employers around the world and I don't think they actually prepare you for the job itself as well either. You get what you pay for really, as with most things in life.

My advice: look at jobs and see what they are asking for. It's usually a TESOL/CELTA.
 

ckratz

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I had the same question when I found this thread through a google search. I'm confused though because I had looked at a company, TEFL Institute, through which I could take a 4 week course like that of a CELTA certification course. It seems like everyone here is regarding TEFL as an online course? Even if the TEFL course is an in-classroom format as opposed to online, would you still recommend CELTA instead? Also, I'm having a hard time finding the official site for Cambridge's CELTA course. If anyone can be of help I would very much appreciate it!
 

Publius Syrus

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I had the same question when I found this thread through a google search. I'm confused though because I had looked at a company, TEFL Institute, through which I could take a 4 week course like that of a CELTA certification course. It seems like everyone here is regarding TEFL as an online course? Even if the TEFL course is an in-classroom format as opposed to online, would you still recommend CELTA instead? Also, I'm having a hard time finding the official site for Cambridge's CELTA course. If anyone can be of help I would very much appreciate it!

Hello,

I am finding it also difficult to choose between the TESOL and the CELTA. However, after reading some forums and looking at the recognition, it does seem that the CELTA is more accredited, coming from the Cambridge University.

Craktz, here is the cambridge website, hope that'll do:
www dot cambridgeesol dot org slash exams slash teaching-awards slash celta dot htlm

I have found TESOL online and TEFL online, intensive courses abroad but are they regarded "as serious as" the Cambridge or Trinity Qualification?

Thanks for your advice!
 

Tdol

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Basically, no. TESOL and TEFL are acronyms and are thrown around as if they were standard or recognised qualifications. They are not. Anyone can print a certificate with those initials and say they are offering a TESOL. There are good providers and bad. A serious issue is whether they have teaching practice- the CELTA and Trinity at least provide a guarantee that they have been observed in a classroom with students, most online courses cannot do this.


Caveat emptor
 
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