Job Discussion Forums

773 · Joined: 29 May 2005 Posts: 213

Hi all,

My husband and I will be spending a year in Brisbane while we do our Masters in Applied Linguistics this year, and my husband is interested in doing his CELTA while we are there.

Any recommendations on the cheapest /best place in Brisbane to do the course?

Thanks! Very Happy

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Hi,

As far as I know there are only two places in Brisbane to do the CELTA. One is at the University of Queensland and the other is the Australian TESOL Training Centre (ATTC), which is a part of the Australian College of English. Word from about 3 years ago is that the University of Queensland is a bit stuffy/uptight, but that the ATTC one is a bit more relaxed (as far as you can be on the CELTA! Laughing

). You can also study part time at ATTC, which is a plus for some people.

Good luck,
Lozwich.

773 · Joined: 29 May 2005 Posts: 213

Thanks Lozwich, much appreciated! Very Happy

angrysoba · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 446 Location: Kansai, Japan

This is a good link. According to this there are three places.

http://cambridgeesol-centres.org/centres/teaching/index.do

bomzis1 · Joined: 26 Feb 2005 Posts: 29

I'd also recommend the Tesol certificate course run by QUT. It used to be associated with Trinity college. When I did my cert. a fair few years ago the UQ course was massively oversubscribed so get in early and really do your research to answer the questions they get you to answer as part of your application to the programme.

sojourner · Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 11:55 am Post subject:

773,

If your husband is unable to find a place in a CELTA course, he might want to consider enrolling in the Trinity College TESOL Certificate course being offered by the East Coast College of English, Ann St, Brisbane.

I'm a CELTA graduate, myself, but I've heard that the Trinity College course is pretty much on par with CELTA; thus, it is widely recognised. Possibly the only difference, so I've heard, is that the TC course touches on the teaching of children, as well as 1-on-1 teaching, a bit more than what CELTA does.

Peter

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

sojourner · Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 2:57 pm Post subject:

Lozwich,

Thanks for the update re East Coast/Aust College of Education. It would be a pity if the Trinity College programme is ever phased out - there's nothing like a bit of competition for keeping CELTA on its toes !

Anyway, in light of the OP's other posts, it's debatable whether it would be really worthwhile for her husband to do a CELTA course; considering that he has already had several years of EFL teaching experience, and will eventually have a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics. Should he feel that that degree is far too theory-oriented, in light of his teaching experience, rather than do a CELTA he might want to consider doing a DELTA, instead. However, I'm not sure whether one needs to have completed a CELTA before being admitted to a DELTA course .

Peter

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Peter,

I agree with you regarding the CELTA + Applied Linguistics issue. However, I do think that the CELTA gives a lot more teaching practice, where the Applied Linguistics gives an insight into the theories behind that practice. But, I reckon a few years EFL experience is just as good as the CELTA as long as it was at a school that practices the methods taught on the course. I don't want to get into an argument about different methods, but if his experience was at somewhere like Berlitz, for example, a CELTA might be a good thing to do. On my CELTA there was someone who had taught at Nova in Japan for a long tiime, and she said the CELTA really brought a lot to her teaching practice that she'd never learned at Nova.

You can't do the DELTA without a prior teaching qualification, which for a lot of people is the CELTA. (http://www.cambridgeesol.org/teaching/delta.htm). I know there are some Master's around that have the DELTA as part of their syllabus, thereby killing two birds with one stone. I think they're all in the UK though.

Have a good day,
Lozwich.

sojourner · Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 4:24 pm Post subject:

Lozwich,

That was a v.quick response !

In some M.Appl.Ling. programmes, one is often allowed to do units being offered by other faculties - thus, one could, possibly, include some practical teaching units, in TESOL, in his/her programme (See my recent post to the General Discussion Forum re online M.Appl.Ling. programmes). In such a case, one could argue whether it would be really worthwhile doing a CELTA. But it would depend on which TESOL units one enrols in - the term "TESOL" covers a wide range of activities, from curriculum planning, to language testing, to actual classroom teaching. Thus, depending on which units a person enrols in, undergoing CELTA training, to compliment one's Master's programme, might be a v.good idea.

You are quite right in saying that something like CELTA could help compliment one's teaching experience, especially if that experience had occured in a McEnglish-type situation. But even if one had taught in a much more substantial situation, he/she could learn a lot from something like CELTA. When I did my own CELTA training, back in 2001, there were a couple of people who had been teaching for several years in China - after the course, they said that they had learnt a lot (eg about teaching verb tenses, pronunciation exercises, use of realia, etc).

Every now and then, on Dave's, there are discussions as to the best sorts of training/further education that ESL/EFL teachers should consider if they intend to stay on in the game for the long haul. Usually, people will debate the merits of Masters degrees in Applied Linguistics vs TESOL, or uni degrees vs DELTA. On a couple of occasions, some people have enquired as to whether it would be more worthwhile to undergo a proper teaching programme (eg PGCE, Grad.Dip.Ed, B.Ed), rather than to enrol in a DELTA or a Master's programme in Appl.Ling./ TESOL. In a proper teaching course, apart from the possibility of doing a "major" in TESOL, one will also get a grounding in general learning and teaching theory, as well as being inculcated with the philosophy of education. I feel that teaching involves more than just knowing about one's teaching subject, being able to plan a lesson, managing a class, etc. I'm afraid that far too many ESL/EFL teachers, nowadays, are "technicians" rather than true professionals.

Also, to be considered for the most lucrative jobs (eg in international schools, HK's NET scheme, etc), preference is usually given to those who possess proper teaching qualifications, rather than those who hold Masters' degrees in Appl. Ling. or TESOL.

Thanks for the link re DELTA.To be eligible, inter alia, one needs to "be a graduate and/or have an initial teaching qualification". Thus, the OP's husband, because of his graduate status - and his extensive teaching experience - should be eligible to enrol in a DELTA course.

Peter