Job Discussion Forums

[misterbrownpants]

hi there just a quick question
why is it that everyone says that global tesol is such a horrible program?
what do they do/don't do? that needs to be done?

thanks

[spiral78]

Depends on where you want to go, but any certification that does not offer REAL teaching practice with feedback from actual teacher trainers on REAL students (not peer teachers) is considered substandard in many parts of the world.

GLOBAL's in-class course component is primarily about 'how to find a job' not 'how to teach, and now, let's try it.'

Global's not the only one... this is why totally on-line courses aren't accepted in many places, either. Teaching is a hands-on kind of profession and without actual experience doing it, you're just not ready, regardless of your knowledge of theory. An on-site training program gives you both the hands-on practice and the feedback you need to make sense of what you're doing. The feedback's very important - even experienced teachers can easily get so caught up in the moment-to-moment complexities of a classroom that they can't see the forest for the trees - hence in-service courses, peer teaching, and other tools used to evaluate even experienced teachers in the classroom

I've got 10 years and an MA in the field, but I still need/want others to observe and give feedback on what I'm doing now and then. Newbies really need this, regardless of their backgrounds.

Also, note that nearly all regular classroom teachers do an in-service stint before they actually graduate with teaching degrees. The feedback is really just necessary.

[naturegirl321]

I'd be wary of them just because they're got so many schools going. Looks like they're in it for the money.

[spiral78]

I had an hour with the owner a few years back. You're right - though that doesn't necessarily meant that he doesn't feel the program's actually useful. THe paper part of the course (at that time - I don't know now) did a decent job of presenting a range of current approaches and methods.

It's just not financially feasible for GLOBAL to do the thing on-site and offer actual students. I think they also have usually just one 'trainer' who is employed on a commission basis - one woman I knew of who headed up one of their locations had just a basic cert + one year's experience in Japan herself. Absolutely not qualified to observe even newbies. Not to say that some good on-site courses don't sometimes hire people with similar quals, but those are NOT the trainers who are running the thing, they're assistants.

[FuzzX]

GT rules... take the inclass course. I've done both Global TESOL and CELTA... Tesol is 10 times the better program and prepares you for the practical side of ESL.