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Is it absolutely necessary to have CELTA, SIT or Trinity?
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Captain_Fil



Joined: 06 Jan 2011
Posts: 604
Location: California - the land of fruits and nuts

PostPosted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:42 pm    Post subject: Is it absolutely necessary to have CELTA, SIT or Trinity? Reply with quote

I've heard that CELTA, SIT and Trinity are the top three ESL certifications. Having any of these would open opportunities throughout the world.

But each is rather pricey.

Are there any good online courses accepted worldwide (or almost worldwide)?

If so, what are the best?
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 10:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Where exactly do you want to work? Some countries don't even require certs. Also, what type of teaching job are you shooting for?
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tttompatz



Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines

PostPosted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

^^^ What he said.

IF you have a DEGREE and a CELTA (or other recognized cert - not an on-line one) then the door is open to ALL of the Americas from Mexico down to the southern tip of Argentina/Chile.

You can also add ALL of Asia to your list.

If you do NOT have a degree then you can erase about 1/2 of Asia from your map (Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, (Japan with a few exceptions), China (again with a few exceptions).

Doing a TESOL on-line is about the same as printing one off yourself or buying a degree from one of those "on-line" paper mills. Most reputable employers won't consider them (China and Korea being the exception).

.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also, neither CELTA, SIT, or Trinity will get a non-EU member citizen into Western Europe. Passport also makes a difference in terms of where the opportunities are.
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Captain_Fil



Joined: 06 Jan 2011
Posts: 604
Location: California - the land of fruits and nuts

PostPosted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 7:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glenski wrote:
Where exactly do you want to work? Some countries don't even require certs. Also, what type of teaching job are you shooting for?


As a total newbie, I'm still in the process of planning my ESL career.

Right now, I would like to teach anywhere. The world is full of exciting places to teach.

As to what type of teaching job -- any good teaching job I can get!

Thanks for your help.

Smile
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Captain_Fil



Joined: 06 Jan 2011
Posts: 604
Location: California - the land of fruits and nuts

PostPosted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 7:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

tttompatz wrote:
^^^ What he said.

IF you have a DEGREE and a CELTA (or other recognized cert - not an on-line one) then the door is open to ALL of the Americas from Mexico down to the southern tip of Argentina/Chile.

You can also add ALL of Asia to your list.

If you do NOT have a degree then you can erase about 1/2 of Asia from your map (Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, (Japan with a few exceptions), China (again with a few exceptions).

Doing a TESOL on-line is about the same as printing one off yourself or buying a degree from one of those "on-line" paper mills. Most reputable employers won't consider them (China and Korea being the exception).

.


What about a DEGREE and an online TESOL certificate? How many doors will that open for me?

I do have a BA degree, in Liberal Studies, from San Francisco State University. Maybe my useless degree is useful, after all.

Thanks for the helpful info.

Smile
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tttompatz



Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines

PostPosted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Captain_Fil wrote:
tttompatz wrote:
^^^ What he said.

IF you have a DEGREE and a CELTA (or other recognized cert - not an on-line one) then the door is open to ALL of the Americas from Mexico down to the southern tip of Argentina/Chile.

You can also add ALL of Asia to your list.

If you do NOT have a degree then you can erase about 1/2 of Asia from your map (Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, (Japan with a few exceptions), China (again with a few exceptions).

Doing a TESOL on-line is about the same as printing one off yourself or buying a degree from one of those "on-line" paper mills. Most reputable employers won't consider them (China and Korea being the exception).

.


What about a DEGREE and an online TESOL certificate? How many doors will that open for me?

I do have a BA degree, in Liberal Studies, from San Francisco State University. Maybe my useless degree is useful, after all.

Thanks for the helpful info.

Smile


Your degree will get you the work visa in all of the Americas from Mexico south and ALL of Asia.

On on-line cert won't do anything for you (other than maybe get you a $100 per month boost in places like Korea).

A recognized cert will open even more doors and get you a pay boost in places like Thailand, Korea, China (and a few others as well).

IN most (but not all) places a recognized cert or teacher qualification is an employer requirement for the better paying jobs but not a requirement for most entry level positions if you have your degree.

Bottom line = unless you are going specifically to Korea, save your money and DON'T do an on-line cert.

IF you want more information about Korea you will have to go over to the Korean forums (separate registration required to post there but anyone can lurk/browse the forums).

.
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 2:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Captain_Fil wrote:
Glenski wrote:
Where exactly do you want to work? Some countries don't even require certs. Also, what type of teaching job are you shooting for?


As a total newbie, I'm still in the process of planning my ESL career.
It seems that you are not alone in one thing -- being very eager to get out in the TEFL world. My advice is to hold in the reins and plan things carefully. Things are not going to change in a year or so.

Quote:
Right now, I would like to teach anywhere. The world is full of exciting places to teach.

As to what type of teaching job -- any good teaching job I can get!
It's this type of statements that pretty much show you have not done much market research. You just want to jump in the saddle and hit the trail. Pause for a while. Do some research. Heck, you haven't even indicated whether you know what type of jobs there are. I spent 6 months surfing the net and studying for my certificate before I applied for my first opportunity.

As I seem to have been asking so many recently, what's your hurry? Your degree is generic. Expect nothing except a commonplace entry level job somewhere, depending on when their hiring periods are.
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Prof.Gringo



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!

PostPosted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glenski wrote:
Captain_Fil wrote:
Glenski wrote:
Where exactly do you want to work? Some countries don't even require certs. Also, what type of teaching job are you shooting for?


As a total newbie, I'm still in the process of planning my ESL career.
It seems that you are not alone in one thing -- being very eager to get out in the TEFL world. My advice is to hold in the reins and plan things carefully. Things are not going to change in a year or so.

Quote:
Right now, I would like to teach anywhere. The world is full of exciting places to teach.

As to what type of teaching job -- any good teaching job I can get!
It's this type of statements that pretty much show you have not done much market research. You just want to jump in the saddle and hit the trail. Pause for a while. Do some research. Heck, you haven't even indicated whether you know what type of jobs there are. I spent 6 months surfing the net and studying for my certificate before I applied for my first opportunity.

As I seem to have been asking so many recently, what's your hurry? Your degree is generic. Expect nothing except a commonplace entry level job somewhere, depending on when their hiring periods are.


Very well said.

Better to take time to do research and see what's out there. If the OP can't afford a CELTA, wait a year, work a job in the US and then go get a CELTA. In the meantime, do your homework and see what places you would want to live/work.

Many people answer some ad, fly off to a place (without doing any research) and then go home broke, angry, and blame it all on the school/country in which they made the choice to go but FAILED to research!
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Captain_Fil



Joined: 06 Jan 2011
Posts: 604
Location: California - the land of fruits and nuts

PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Prof.Gringo wrote:

Better to take time to do research and see what's out there. If the OP can't afford a CELTA, wait a year, work a job in the US and then go get a CELTA. In the meantime, do your homework and see what places you would want to live/work.

Many people answer some ad, fly off to a place (without doing any research) and then go home broke, angry, and blame it all on the school/country in which they made the choice to go but FAILED to research!


Thanks for the advice. I will do my best to heed your wise words.

But really? There is no such thing as a good online TESOL accredited course? I've heard that some do offer hours of classroom instruction on weekends (such as i-to-i).

Smile
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Justin Trullinger



Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit

PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 8:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
But really? There is no such thing as a good online TESOL accredited course?


Seems odd, but yeah. I'm a big advocate of distance education in general, but have not yet come across a distance TESOL certificate course that meets the standards set by the onsite courses.

If you find one you think might fit the bill, post a link and we'll check it out.

What I know of i to i (post a link to new info if this is dated) shows a few problems:

What is the trainer to trainee ratio? In their weekend sessions, will you be in a group of 5? Or of 50? It matters.

How are their trainers trained? They seem oddly vague about this.

Do you do practice teaching? Teaching WHO? Real students? If not, then practice teaching is pretty useless. (When last I knew, they used peer teaching- not the real thing at all. This is one of the big issues.)

Their hour totals are highly suspect. They offer courses of 20 hours, 60 hours, 120 hours, or whatever. People who have completed said courses report that the real time commitment is MUCH less than the "course length." So in this case, the 120 hour course isn't equivalent to an onsite 120 hour course, cause it probably isn't really 120 hours long.

All the best,
Justin
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 2:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's not just what WE (as experienced teachers) think of online courses. It's more about what employers think of online courses. If they don't include supervised teaching practice with real students, they are considered substandard by reputable employers in many regions.
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Captain_Fil



Joined: 06 Jan 2011
Posts: 604
Location: California - the land of fruits and nuts

PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 2:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Justin Trullinger wrote:
Quote:
But really? There is no such thing as a good online TESOL accredited course?


What I know of i-to-i (post a link to new info if this is dated) shows a few problems:

What is the trainer to trainee ratio? In their weekend sessions, will you be in a group of 5? Or of 50? It matters.

How are their trainers trained? They seem oddly vague about this.

Do you do practice teaching? Teaching WHO? Real students? If not, then practice teaching is pretty useless. (When last I knew, they used peer teaching- not the real thing at all. This is one of the big issues.)

Their hour totals are highly suspect. They offer courses of 20 hours, 60 hours, 120 hours, or whatever. People who have completed said courses report that the real time commitment is MUCH less than the "course length." So in this case, the 120 hour course isn't equivalent to an onsite 120 hour course, cause it probably isn't really 120 hours long.

All the best,
Justin


Thanks for the valuable insight. You've saved me time and money.

Being on this forum has really opened my eyes to the world of ESL (or TEFL, or TESOL - whatever!).

I am a thousand times grateful for becoming a registered member at ESL Cafe.

I used to spend endless hours, on other forums, discussing fun but trivial things like the latest movie or television episode (Caprica, Lost, Smallville, Vampire Diaries, Battlestar Galactica, Tron Legacy, Green Lantern, Green Hornet, etc.).

I'm glad I've moved away from all the fluff forums and got into the useful ones. Truly, the internet can help waste your time or it can help achieve your goals.


Very Happy


Last edited by Captain_Fil on Sun Jan 16, 2011 7:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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TeresaLopez



Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 601
Location: Mexico City

PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 3:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Captain_Fil wrote:


But really? There is no such thing as a good online TESOL accredited course? I've heard that some do offer hours of classroom instruction on weekends (such as i-to-i).

Smile


I think for some people an online certificate can be worthwhile. For example, if you already have experience teaching, it can help you with the in�s and out�s of ESL teaching. But if you have no related experience, you are better off (both for yourself and for your students) getting a certificate with clasroom practice. Though as a former classroom teacher who had to de a semester of classroom observation and another semester of student teaching, the 6 hours that most programs offer seems rather paltry to me.
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Captain_Fil



Joined: 06 Jan 2011
Posts: 604
Location: California - the land of fruits and nuts

PostPosted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TeresaLopez wrote:
Captain_Fil wrote:


But really? There is no such thing as a good online TESOL accredited course? I've heard that some do offer hours of classroom instruction on weekends (such as i-to-i).

Smile


I think for some people an online certificate can be worthwhile. For example, if you already have experience teaching, it can help you with the in�s and out�s of ESL teaching. But if you have no related experience, you are better off (both for yourself and for your students) getting a certificate with clasroom practice. Though as a former classroom teacher who had to de a semester of classroom observation and another semester of student teaching, the 6 hours that most programs offer seems rather paltry to me.


You're right.

I guess I'll have to save up my money. And then go study CELTA, SIT or Trinity for better opportunities. (Unless, of course, there really is a good online TESOL accredited course out there.)

Thanks.

Smile
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