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senor boogie woogie
Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Posts: 676 Location: Beautiful Hangzhou China
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Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 4:53 pm Post subject: CELTA, TEFL, TESOL certification in China? |
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Hola!
I have decided that it is time for me to get certified to teach English here. I have seen some good courses in Thailand, but I don't wish to go all the way there (except to travel and have fun of course).
Is there a program in Shanghai? I seemed to have read awhile back that there was.
OK, I am confused, which is the best certificate to get, the CELTA, TEFL, TESOL, DELTA, or Trinity? I would like to get the CELTA because it sounds cool. The DELTA is what you get after the CELTA. The DELTA sounds manly and powerful, "I have a DELTA, bring on the brats! I'll have them reading Shakespeare before the week is out!!" Of course, "Trinity" sounds Godlike, and I could be a real geek and exclaim "I am Neo, and I have done Trinity, and did her well."
OK, so I am making fun of all this. What I really desire is to do a good, intensive program which will teach me how to do this job well and effectively. I am getting tired of China and want to go somewhere else, either Thailand or Japan. So which one of these programs should I aim for? Where do I take the course?
SENOR*
*Believe it or not, I am sober tonight. |
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AKA
Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 184 Location: China
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Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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I think Shanghai Uni. offers CELTA. wOZ may be able to tell you more.
If you've got a first degree though, consider a post grad. TESOL by distance ed. through one of your home-country's accredited universities. You can study part time, and in my case it gives me a greater choice of teaching options when I return home. |
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Susie
Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 390 Location: PRC
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 2:07 am Post subject: |
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Two websites for you to browse, both places are in China, both offer Certificate in Teaching courses.
www.boland-china.com - Jiangsu - RMB12,300 approx. - overpriced/not recognised everywhere, no external examiners/auditors, insurance promised but not given nor reimbursements made
www.polyu.edu.hk/cpbe Hong Kong
www.edservices.org.hk - Hong Kong HKD22,000 4 weeks full-time
www.teflinternational.com - zhuhai
I can't comment on which type of course (CELTA, TRINITY, etc.) is worth getting, but I will say that these courses are not cheap.
To invest in your own self-development is a good and worthy pursuit, however, after making the investment, it is assumed that you would want to make money from that investment, and my own view (for what it is worth) is that to try to do that in China would be a slow and painful process - but you did say, (in a manner of speaking if I understood you correctly), that you are going to move on.
Last edited by Susie on Wed Mar 31, 2004 11:56 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Susie
Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 390 Location: PRC
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 6:07 am Post subject: |
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Forgot to mention, for the Boland School course when you mention www.teach-in-china.net you get a discount! |
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wOZfromOZ
Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Posts: 272 Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 9:06 am Post subject: Qualifications |
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Senor
How's the missus old pal?
Again, I cant emphasise too much the importance of getting qualifications if you want to teach in the Middle Kingdom ..........everybody says - "oh go to China if you're not qualified" ----------- what a load of BS - more than anywhere else in the world - you need to be qualified here if you want to play your song mate!!!
Do the 'celta' - Come to Shanghai Uni and you'll probably see me doing a demo lesson!!! - no joke - that's what they had me doing over the Summer break - got paid a fortune for it too!
It'll set you back about 8000Y - you'll be in a small class and the course is tough........... but it's got "ESL street cred."
They do these courses when there's time ie. Summer break
SO...........maybe you'll have to wait until next February!!
wOZfromOZ |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 2372 Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 12:34 pm Post subject: Re: CELTA, TEFL, TESOL certification in China? |
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You say,
Quote: |
I have seen some good courses in Thailand, but I don't wish to go all the way there (except to travel and have fun of course). |
And later you say,
Quote: |
I am getting tired of China and want to go somewhere else, either Thailand or Japan |
So what's it going to be? If you're considering Thailand, check out http://www.eccthai.com. They churn out CELTA courses month after month. By far the most convenient place to do it, and the price is cheap *relative* to other centres ($1400US). I don't know how the trainers manage to keep their sanity doing 10+ courses a year, but you'll find a course to match your schedule. Bangkok is a pleasant place to do the course. CELTA is intensive and demanding as everybody says, so don't expect to have a Thai holiday. But if you manage your time right, you can still enjoy the odd trip around the city on evenings and weekends, sample the food, go out with colleagues, etc.
Apparently you can do the CELTA in Shanghai, thanks Woz! I had no idea this was possible. Then again, the Cambridge assessor guy who came to our centre hinted at it. In his speech, "it doesn't matter whether you do the course in Bangkok, Hanoi, Shanghai, or the other side of the world, you can teach globally with this course". I meant to ask him, "Wait a second, did you say Shanghai?" But I figured he was just naming cities off the top of his head, because my earlier research turned up nothing in Shanghai. Now it looks like there really is a program. I'll be damned
From experience I recommend the CELTA. The program is structured, intensive, and professionally challenging. You learn and apply an incredible amount in 4 weeks. There are big downsides, though, especially if you have previous teaching experience. I found the trainers weren't too impressed with mine, besides the fact that they were reluctant to offer help on lesson plans and make themselves available. If you're thick-skinned and take criticism to your advantage, however, this course will be excellent. The points the tutors make are extremely helpful, if delivered quite directly.
As for teaching in China, I'm beginning to feel the same as you, that I want to move on. The qualification is very helpful for the job, and I feel it was a good investment. As long as students benefit from quality teaching, that's the key. But there's some serious culture shock going on at the moment - after 2 years in China, I can't as easily accept things I once tolerated.
Steve |
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senor boogie woogie
Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Posts: 676 Location: Beautiful Hangzhou China
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 5:57 pm Post subject: Screw Ecc-Thai. |
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Hola!
Well, I guess I wont do ECC-Thai. The program does not include accomodation, they require a deposit a month before hand and they require a "pre-interview task". So I have to be interviewed to do this course, pay 1500 USD and find a place to stay in a country that I have never been before.
What's this "pre" s--t?
CELTA its self sounds like a pain too. I don't want to sit in a room all day being "intensed and stressed out" just to get a piece of paper. I heard that you can just buy a copy of the CELTA on the streets of Bangkok for a few dollars. I would rather do this, save the 1500 bucks, and kick it in Phuket while the "honest" foreigners sit in a white box all day.
SENOR |
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Minhang Oz
Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 610 Location: Shanghai,ex Guilin
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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Disappointing response Senor.
You want to get qualified, but only if there's no money or effort involved. |
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wOZfromOZ
Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Posts: 272 Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2003 1:58 am Post subject: |
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Senor
I totally agree with MOZ. You're comments are symptomatic of the cancer that needs to be excised from ESL teaching in China. Please dont justify the proliferation of dishonest school/college/uni administrators by delving into that realm yourself! Maybe you were a bit 'cheesed off' when you wrote your post. I hope so!
Anything or any plave worth working for already will demand competance and qualifications and in the future it will be get more and more ......
......................................dare I use the word ........PROFESSIONAL!
wOZfromOZ |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 2372 Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2003 2:36 am Post subject: Re: Screw Ecc-Thai. |
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Quote: |
Well, I guess I wont do ECC-Thai. The program does not include accomodation, they require a deposit a month before hand and they require a "pre-interview task". So I have to be interviewed to do this course, pay 1500 USD and find a place to stay in a country that I have never been before.
What's this "pre" s--t? |
It's a linguistic task you do that's divided into several parts - vocab, grammar, sentence stress, word stess. The idea is to see what linguistic competency you already have in English. Also, you write a couple short essays outlining your teaching approach and why you want to do the CELTA.
The pre-task is a ton of work, but if done well, you don't need the interview. It took me two full days to finish the task. Last summer when things were really slow at my previous job, I was assigned 'consultation duty' to assess English level, and only 3 students showed up all day. Lots of free time, so I did the pre-task then.
ECC doesn't provide accomodation, it's a drag, but there is a soi (alley) about 10 minutes walk from the school where you can rent guesthouses by the month. The prices are cheap and they give you a discount, it works out to less than $300 for the month.
It is incredibly easy to get around Thailand and figure the place out. The cost of living is also cheap. Most staff speak English and see indepenent travelers everyday. If you can handle China, Thailand will be a breeze.
Steve |
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roywebcafe
Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 259
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 11:20 am Post subject: CELTA for experienced teachers? |
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I suppose if Senor like me has alot of experience and has done other courses in the tefl/esol world and studied material on teaching then doing the course would be a formality? But an expensive one!
It says CELTA is for people with little or no expereinece. I have over three years experience with an online tefl which i find many employers don�t accept. So should i do the Celta? The DELTA looks very expensive? I understand the DELTA is in 4 mods now. Would one mod justify me saying i have DELTA on my CV/REsume to get a good job?? If not i find Senors idea tempting.
Minhang Oz wrote: |
Disappointing response Senor.
You want to get qualified, but only if there's no money or effort involved. |
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SnoopBot
Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 740 Location: USA
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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A question for all.
Has anyone actually benefited from having some type of TESOL cert here in China?
I applaud those teachers that want to be more professional and feel they will benefit in this quest.. so don't get me wrong here. I would like to know if getting these certs actually allow the cert holder to advance in the Chinese ESL market.
I know having a Master's degree in TESOL with TESOL certification will equal 300-RMB more a month and with a PhD 500-RMB.
I'm curious if these certifications will actually help a teacher advance their career here in China. 90% of the FLTC's do not know what a Celta is. |
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samhouston
Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 418 Location: LA
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 3:04 pm Post subject: |
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I'd like to know this as well. Especially which online cert would benefit me. I'm not looking for a salary increase from it, but just something to go along with teaching experience to help in the hiring process. |
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Adeem
Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Posts: 163 Location: Where da teachin' is
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 3:44 pm Post subject: |
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We are coming into the last week of Shanghai CELTA fun right now - I extend a future invite for all of you to come and join the party.
It is a funny beast. Despite many of us having years of experience previous to this course, one still feels like one is starting from scratch and trying to figure out how to teach in the communicative way. It certainly has some good points and some interesting stuff to learn, and the most pleasaing aspect is the fact that you are doing teaching practice every other day, and watching other teachers going at it for the rest. This grading of everything you do and the giving of pointers on how to do it better is certainly valuable.
As for a return on the BIG investment to do the CELTA, about 200 kuai a month (and I think I was already getting that already).
One for the future. |
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ShanghaiSurprise
Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 47 Location: Korea...soon China
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 4:46 pm Post subject: |
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What is the fail rate during a CELTA class?
I know someone that did a CELTA class in Korea recently and he told me that 2 students didn't pass out of a class with a total of 10 in it.
Are the people that fail just not showing up?
I'm a bit worried about the aspect of failing the CELTA which is basically subjective (from what I understand).
How hard is it to pass the CELTA? |
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