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penny-lane
Joined: 31 Jan 2014
Posts: 9
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 Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 2:58 am Post subject: TESOL courses in Chiang Mai Thailand |
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| I am wanting to study a TESOL course in Chiang Mai Thailand. There are many options. It is overwhelming trying to pick one. They all vary in price and with course content. I understand that there is no official TESOL regulatory international board so the quality of the courses can vary. What's most important for me is to get a certificate that will be recognised in other countries. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated! |
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bansheebeat
Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:07 am Post subject: Re: TESOL courses in Chiang Mai Thailand |
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| penny-lane wrote: |
| I am wanting to study a TESOL course in Chiang Mai Thailand. There are many options. It is overwhelming trying to pick one. They all vary in price and with course content. I understand that there is no official TESOL regulatory international board so the quality of the courses can vary. What's most important for me is to get a certificate that will be recognised in other countries. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated! |
Most (if not all) people are going to recommend a CELTA. TrinityTESOL is also a good course. I too am looking at taking one of these two (both of which have locations in/around Chiang Mai).
http://www.trinitytesolthailand.com/
http://www.ihbangkok.com/page/37-international_house_bangkok_prestigious_english_school_in_bangkok_celta_th.html
http://www.eccthai.com/training/schedule.asp
Good luck! I hope to move be in CM taking a course within the next couple months. |
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penny-lane
Joined: 31 Jan 2014
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:42 am Post subject: |
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| So a Tesol course is not recognised? What are the benefits of doing the CELTA course? Why would I pick one over the other? |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 6:16 am Post subject: |
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| penny-lane wrote: |
| So a Tesol course is not recognised? |
TESOL stands for "teaching English to speakers of other languages". Any course in which you learn about teaching English to speakers of other languages is a TESOL course.
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| What are the benefits of doing the CELTA course? |
1) It's standardized -- no matter where you take it, it is (should be) of the same level of quality
2) It's recognized most widely around the world (but is not the only one that is recognized)
3) It includes teaching practice with real students (again, not the only one that does so)
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| Why would I pick one over the other? |
You mean why would you take the CELTA in one location over another? Choosing which geographic region you take it will give you experience with learners in that area, which would be appealing to potential employers in that area. If you are trying to choose between different course providers in the same location, choose based on cost, reviews of the course (maybe some instructors are nicer than others?), any any other services they provide (housing? assistance finding a job afterward?) |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 6:34 am Post subject: |
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| penny-lane wrote: |
| What are the benefits of doing the CELTA course? Why would I pick one over the other? |
Ditto rtm's comments. I suggest you check out the CELTA on Cambridgeenglish.org. |
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penny-lane
Joined: 31 Jan 2014
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 10:22 pm Post subject: |
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| So there's no point doing a TESOL course? I have read mixed reviews about the CELTA course. That it's out of date, not as relevant for Asia and only worth doing if you are planning on doing long term teaching. I.e do a TESOL course, see how you go, then do the CELTA course. Thoughts? |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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| This isn't rocket science. Look at the job ads for where you want to teach and see which entry-level, English language teaching qualification is mentioned the most. If a generic, cheapo TEFL cert seems to be what employers want, then go for it. But if CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL, or SIT TESOL, or even an equivalent TEFL cert (that entails supervised teaching practice with real students) is indicated, then you have a decision to make. Frankly, if you want to 1) be better prepared to walk into a classroom full of trusting students, and 2) make yourself marketable for the better-paying jobs, then get a CELTA or one of the other branded certs. |
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penny-lane
Joined: 31 Jan 2014
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Thankyou! |
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Xie Lin
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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| penny-lane wrote: |
So there's no point doing a TESOL course?
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I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion. A CELTA IS a TESOL (or TEFL) course. It is simply the name of one brand of course--the best known brand. That's all. Employers like it because it's a known quantity. With each of the the three brand name courses, certain things are known: 120 or more hours, at least 6 hours of supervised TP with real students, trainers who meet specific qualification and experience requirements, maximum class size of 12, minimum of 2 trainers per course, library and resource standards, curriculum, etc., etc. CELTA, Trinity, and SIT providers have to meet a long list of standards set by their umbrella school.
Employers know this, and so it's a no-brainer when they see a brand-name cert on an applicant's CV. Trainees can sign on to one of these courses with a reasonable degree of assurance, and without the many hours of research needed to ascertain whether the course meets basic standards. (Nonetheless, practice due diligence.)
None of this means that a small, independent provider can't offer a course that provides entry-level training as good as, or better than, a CELTA. They can, and they do. But they also offer substandard courses with incompetent, unqualified trainers, huge classes, inadequate TP, etc. etc. The prospective trainee needs to do a LOT of research to sort through generic courses if he wants to determine what is decent and what is substandard.
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penny-lane
Joined: 31 Jan 2014
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 12:20 am Post subject: |
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| Yes thankyou. I have come to that conclusion. There are four courses in particular that I am looking at. GreenTESL, UniTEFL, SeeTEFL, CMUTEFL (Chiang Mai university). All of them are recommended on ajarn and appear to offer everything that is required of a reputable course, course content, practice with students and ministry of education recognition. The hard part is finding genuine reviews of their courses to discern whether what they offer is legitimate. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 5:42 am Post subject: |
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| penny-lane wrote: |
| The hard part is finding genuine reviews of their courses to discern whether what they offer is legitimate. |
Which is why the CELTA, SIT TESOL, and Trinity CertTESOL are recommended---they're as legitimate as it gets.
I suggest you post your questions on the Thailand discussion forum since that seems to be the only country you're interested in. You're likely to get responses from others who have either taken those TEFL courses you mentioned or have knowledge of them. |
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penny-lane
Joined: 31 Jan 2014
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 6:03 am Post subject: |
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| Ok great, good idea. Thanks |
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seattlechaz
Joined: 13 Feb 2012
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 5:53 am Post subject: |
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Take 10 minutes to read: these may inform your thinking.
My opinion: I want the option to teach anywhere, so a globally recognized and validated credential was my first consideration; Cambridge CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL meet that requirement. Others ... not so much. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:22 am Post subject: |
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| seattlechaz wrote: |
| My opinion: I want the option to teach anywhere, so a globally recognized and validated credential was my first consideration; Cambridge CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL meet that requirement. Others ... not so much. |
Actually, a relevant MA would be a better credential for teaching anywhere. |
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bem1989
Joined: 24 Feb 2014
Posts: 5
Location: United States
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| Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 9:21 pm Post subject: Re: TESOL courses in Chiang Mai Thailand |
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IH appears to offer a resort vacation experience with the course. The price seems pretty high but everything is included. I might have to sign up for that course in August. |
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