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Recommendation for CELTA/TEFL schools in Vietnam

 
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Jam T



Joined: 30 Sep 2012
Posts: 4
Location: Barcelona, Spain

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 7:31 pm    Post subject: Recommendation for CELTA/TEFL schools in Vietnam Reply with quote

I have been doing some research on ESL courses and cannot seem to find any good full time courses in the smaller cities (Danang, Hai Phong, etc.) If anyone can recommend a course in one of the smaller cities I would be grateful.

In HCMC and Hanoi there are several that seem good. I would also welcome any feedback on the following schools:

1. ILA - HCMC (I have read the thread for ILA, but it mostly talks about teaching there, not the courses).

2. Apollo - Hanoi and HCMC. CELTA. They seem very helpful and organised.

3. TITC (The International TEFL Corporation) - HCMC. They responded to my application very quickly and offered contacts for accommodation.

4. Via Lingua - HCMC. They offer a TEFL of 130hours + 10 hours of teaching which seems the most extensive training of all the courses I have seen. However, they are the most expensive: 1750 USD! But perhaps it is worth it?

5. Language Link - Hanoi. CELTA. Their advantage is they only require a 300USD deposit. Disadvantage is that the website doesn't mention anything about help with accommodation or visas. This leads me to think that they may be less organised/helpful.

6. TEFL International - HCMC. TEFL. The website doesn't look very professional. They offer the exact same prices as TITC (number 3 above) so it is possible that they are the same entity, or related.

7. Cactus - CELTA in Hanoi, TEFL in Cambodia+HCMC. Cactus seems to act like the agent for schools worldwide. Cactus itself seems organised, but as they don't give you the names of the actual schools, it is hard to know what one will be able to expect on arrival. The fact that the TEFL starts with 9 days in Cambodia seems a bit odd...

I am leaning toward the a CELTA as I have read on the forum that it is a bit more intensive and slightly more accepted worldwide than the TEFL. Correct me if I am wrong!

I would like to thank in advance anyone who replies to this post.

Jam
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biliana



Joined: 19 Aug 2012
Posts: 53
Location: Vietnam

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd find out from each the procedure for notarisation.

Which country holds their company registration.

I would choose the easiest and most convenient for the procedure.

They're all short term money making scams. For all you would learn it's just not worth the hassle you may encounter trying to have the document notarised.
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kurtz



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan

PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 12:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

CELTA is the short course to have. They allow just about anyone to pass, but the better entry level jobs require it.

Do you intend working in Vietnam after the course? If yes, that should sway who you do the course with and where. Check out their contracts if you can, look for hourly rates/minimum paid hours/holidays/end of contract bonuses/room for career development.

The course should be standardized so it shouldn't really matter who you do it with. The CELTA trainers come and go too so it's a bit of a lottery if you get nice ones or those on a month long power trip who just love making people go through as much pain as possible. I heard from someone that their trainers said they have to cry at some stage or they're not working hard enough. It might be BS but having 12 adults totally relying on you for 4 weeks goes to some people's heads.

ILA/Apollo/LLV all should at least give you some guidance on where to stay. If you come on a tourist visa, the HR departments in those schools will extend your visa.
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mark_in_saigon



Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 837

PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are two monster threads you have not read that go over most of this. If you read those, they should give you a bunch of info. Not the sticky that is easy to find. Do a search for TEFL I and they will pop up in your results. They especially discusses the attitudes of the providers, along with the quality of the courses. My very down and dirty analysis: use ILA if you want a CELTA and to get a job there after completion and don't mind the pressure and possible rudeness. Likely the best training, other than the rudeness. Use Apollo if you want a CELTA and a more courteous experience. Use TEFL I if you want a TESOL you can acquire just by showing up and are willing to accept what that implies with the delivery of the program. There is also one provider that does it for about $600 that is a fake cert, they do have classes, but they are bs, the parent organization is not associated with the program and it is essentially a scam, however the cert is accepted here in VN.
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biliana



Joined: 19 Aug 2012
Posts: 53
Location: Vietnam

PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 11:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No notarisation and the cert is worthless.

Check it out first. They're all the same.
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mark_in_saigon



Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 837

PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
No notarisation and the cert is worthless.

Check it out first. They're all the same.


Sorry, could you be a bit more detailed? Are you saying that notarization is not necessary and all certs are worthless? Or are you saying that if the cert is not notarized it is then worthless?

I guess we can assume you are saying that they are the certs?

I am not sure everyone will agree with your opinions, but it would be nice if you were a bit more clear on what these opinions are.
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biliana



Joined: 19 Aug 2012
Posts: 53
Location: Vietnam

PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 12:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nicely done:

Quote:
Sorry, could you be a bit more detailed? Are you saying that notarization is not necessary and all certs are worthless? Or are you saying that if the cert is not notarized it is then worthless?


I'll leave you to work that out.
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Kornan DeKobb



Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 242

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

mark_in_saigon wrote:
My very down and dirty analysis: use ILA if you want a CELTA and to get a job there after completion and don't mind the pressure and possible rudeness.

Come on, Mark, that's BS and you know it. There is no guarantee you will get a job with ILA if you do your CELTA there. Their idea fo "support" after the course is to give you a sheet with some recruiters' names.

Avoid ILA. My suggestion for CELTA: Apollo in Haiphong.
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mark_in_saigon



Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 837

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would not go so far as to say it is bs. I recall one poster said the majority of her class got hired by ILA after doing the ILA CELTA. Maybe I should have said - if you have a great desire to work at ILA, taking the CELTA there will give you an advantage. Either way, about the same meaning, and I hope most of the people understood what I meant, if not, they do now. I am not at all a fan of ILA's CELTA, if you read about what happened with me when I was seeking a provider, you will see that their attitude convinced me not to use them. Still, I do try to be fair and honest, and I think the quality of their program is better than most (any?) of the others (at least in HCMC), and then the possibility of getting hired with them upon completion could be a big factor for a lot of younger, less experienced people who want a job with a stable employer. Plus, the fact that the student completed their program (compared to going with a less respected provider of certificates) has to help his general employability as well. But yeah, for my PERSONAL money, if I were to do it again, I would use Apollo because of the issue of attitudes.
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Jam T



Joined: 30 Sep 2012
Posts: 4
Location: Barcelona, Spain

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you so much to all who have replied. Your time and efforts are very much appreciated!

Mark-in-Saigon: I apologise profusely for not doing my homework and searching all posts thoroughly. I did search for CELTA, found the monster thread you speak about, but did not scroll down far enough to read the comments re: ILA and Apollo. It must be quite frustrating for you as you put a lot of effort into your replies only to have some silly newbie (like me) ask the same question!

Biliana: Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. I searched the threads on notarisation (note: to find them you have to search with the US spelling: notarization) and found a whole world of pain awaits for me regarding authenticating my transcripts. Well, better to know it now, than later! As far as notarising the CELTA cert, one school told me that they were unaware of any procedure, and that I should take it to my Embassy for notarisation. Do you think that is true? Do I understand you correctly that depending on the country of registration of the company depends on which embassy I have to go to to get it notarised?

Kornan - Are you saying that Apollo in Hanoi is better than Apollo in HCMC?

Kurtz - thanks for your post, as always, you provide useful information.

My instincts and research agree with all that you have said. CELTA is the way to go. If I go to Hanoi, then Apollo. If HCMC I have to decide between ILA and Apollo...key question is if the possible risk of rudeness is worth the slightly added benefit ILA can bring...or if I prefer kindness Smile

After all is said and done, I know the certificate will not make me a good teacher. Only desire, hard work, practice and experience can do that! Luckily I have a lot of hair, so if I end up pulling some of it out, it won't matter so much! Wink.

Thanks again and I look forward to possibly being able to help here on the forum in the future!

Cheers!
J
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mark_in_saigon



Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 837

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 4:03 pm    Post subject: just a side note Reply with quote

On the CELTA thing, you may find ILA has it offered more often than Apollo, so if you DO have a preference in who you use, you may also want to look closely at when each provider has it on their schedule, which may force you to choose ILA regardless (or go for the lower rung TEFL I).
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