By the way, hello to everyone!
Gabriela
TEFL useful or not?
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Gabriela1982
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:59 pm
TEFL useful or not?
My name is Gabriela Im new in this forum. I'm studying to become an english teacher. I have always wanted to know if i wanted to teach abroad, would it be useful to take the TEFL course? I've seen that a lot of people take the course, but does that assure you to get a job rather than having a degree in teaching? Well, I would like to hear some answers..
By the way, hello to everyone!
Gabriela
By the way, hello to everyone!
Gabriela
Hi Gabriela
There are certainly advantages to having a TEFL qualification. You'll find that the majority of employers nowadys require a qualification of some kind. It won't assure you a job, but it will certainly help!
The two most internationally recognised qualifications are the Cambridge CELTA and Trinity Cert TESOL. Both these are 120 hour, classroom based courses which include some observed teaching as part of the assessment. There are also several other good quality courses of equivalent length and content, as well as some good quality shorter and online courses. Generally speaking though, the shorter and less classroom based your course, the more limited your employment options will be. (Have a look at the jobs advertised on this site and others and you will see that many require a CELTA, Trinity cert TESOL or equivalent).
You also need to think about where you want to teach, and for how long. CELTA and Trinity courses can be quite a financial investment if you are only thinking about teaching for a year, in a country which accepts teachers with a shorter qualification. From your post though, it sounds like you might be thinking of English teaching as more of a long term career?
Quite apart from improving job prospects, a TEFL qualification can give you the confidence you need to step into the classroom for the first time!
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Keith
http://www.eslbase.com/
There are certainly advantages to having a TEFL qualification. You'll find that the majority of employers nowadys require a qualification of some kind. It won't assure you a job, but it will certainly help!
The two most internationally recognised qualifications are the Cambridge CELTA and Trinity Cert TESOL. Both these are 120 hour, classroom based courses which include some observed teaching as part of the assessment. There are also several other good quality courses of equivalent length and content, as well as some good quality shorter and online courses. Generally speaking though, the shorter and less classroom based your course, the more limited your employment options will be. (Have a look at the jobs advertised on this site and others and you will see that many require a CELTA, Trinity cert TESOL or equivalent).
You also need to think about where you want to teach, and for how long. CELTA and Trinity courses can be quite a financial investment if you are only thinking about teaching for a year, in a country which accepts teachers with a shorter qualification. From your post though, it sounds like you might be thinking of English teaching as more of a long term career?
Quite apart from improving job prospects, a TEFL qualification can give you the confidence you need to step into the classroom for the first time!
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Keith
http://www.eslbase.com/
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darrenmichael143
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Nov 18, 2006 11:14 pm
- Location: Vancouver