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Would you choose CELTA, Trinity, or SIT for your TESOL cert?

 
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esl_prof



Joined: 30 Nov 2013
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 4:10 am    Post subject: Would you choose CELTA, Trinity, or SIT for your TESOL cert? Reply with quote
spiral78 wrote:
CELTA. Because it's the one that requires no explanation; almost every reputable employer almost everywhere will recognize this one as the standard for entry level gigs.


Following up on Spiral's answer to this question over on the China forums, would an SIT TESOL Certificate be of any use for finding entry-level TEFL work in Europe or is the CELTA so ubiquitous that even a "brand name" cert like SIT would be considered second tier?

If I were to choose or recommend a certificate program today, I would go with the SIT TESOL certificate because I like SIT's distinctive pedagogical approach to teaching ESL. That being said, it would be helpful to know if having an SIT certificate would put one at a disadvantage compared to job seekers with a CELTA in the European market.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 7:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Probably not. The issue is that the applicant for a job would have to make very clear in his/her cover letter and CV that the course is equivalent to a CELTA on the chance that a potential employer is not familiar with SIT.

There are lots of generic courses over here with lower recognition factors than SIT, and most employers do accept them - it's just a matter of making sure they are clear what you've got.

Online/short courses are basically useless here.
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esl_prof



Joined: 30 Nov 2013
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
spiral78 wrote:
Probably not. The issue is that the applicant for a job would have to make very clear in his/her cover letter and CV that the course is equivalent to a CELTA on the chance that a potential employer is not familiar with SIT.

There are lots of generic courses over here with lower recognition factors than SIT, and most employers do accept them - it's just a matter of making sure they are clear what you've got.

Online/short courses are basically useless here.


Thanks for the clarification, Spiral!
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barabbas



Joined: 22 Aug 2009
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 11:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Would you buy Pepsi if given the choice?
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Dedicated



Joined: 18 May 2007
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 8:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The SIT TESOL cert is US based and is 130 hours with 6 hours of observed teaching.

SIT is explicitly based on John Dewey's Experiential Learning theories. It does not offer special interest sessions that CELTA does, such as CALL, Business or Young Learners.

It is a Pass-Fail course with no grades. If you fail you are given a Letter of Learning rather than a certificate.

Make your choice.....
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currentaffairs



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
CELTA or Trinity TESOL are still the ones to go for when all is said and done. Both are well recognised and accredited. Often, people will go for location and price when doing one of the above...
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
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PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2015 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
currentaffairs wrote:
CELTA or Trinity TESOL are still the ones to go for when all is said and done. Both are well recognised and accredited.

FYI: SIT TESOL is through the School for International Training (SIT) Graduate Institute, which is a US-accredited graduate education institution that offers master's degrees and graduate certificates. SIT has been around for 50 years---initially, most of its students were Peace Corps volunteers returning from abroad. For a list of SIT Graduate Institute's programs, see http://graduate.sit.edu/sit-graduate-institute/sn/degree-and-certificate-programs/
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Xie Lin



Joined: 21 Oct 2011
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PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2015 7:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:

SIT has been around for 50 years---initially, most of its students were Peace Corps volunteers returning from abroad.


And before that they developed the program that trained the Peace Corps volunteers before they left for their assignments abroad. Or at least SIT's parent organization at the time, The Experiment in International Living, did--founding the School for International Training a few years later.

.
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currentaffairs



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
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PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2015 8:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
nomad soul wrote:
currentaffairs wrote:
CELTA or Trinity TESOL are still the ones to go for when all is said and done. Both are well recognised and accredited.

FYI: SIT TESOL is through the School for International Training (SIT) Graduate Institute, which is a US-accredited graduate education institution that offers master's degrees and graduate certificates. SIT has been around for 50 years---initially, most of its students were Peace Corps volunteers returning from abroad. For a list of SIT Graduate Institute's programs, see http://graduate.sit.edu/sit-graduate-institute/sn/degree-and-certificate-programs/


As you mentioned on another thread, it really is horses for courses. SIT is not well known in Europe although it looks respectable. The OP is asking about working in Europe so CELTA or the Trinity certTESOL is the way to go if he/she has the chance..
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nomad soul



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PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2015 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
currentaffairs wrote:
As you mentioned on another thread, it really is horses for courses. SIT is not well known in Europe although it looks respectable. The OP is asking about working in Europe so CELTA or the Trinity certTESOL is the way to go if he/she has the chance..

I was simply giving more info about SIT since you and other readers may not be aware that SIT Graduate Institute is fully accredited per the US Dept. of Education.

But sure, doing a CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL in country is the best option unless the job seeker already possesses a SIT TESOL, or in my case, completed a degree that included a practical component. That said, ditto Spiral's comment that applicants just need to be clear about their qualifications on their CVs.
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Gamajorba



Joined: 03 May 2015
Posts: 357
PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2015 5:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
currentaffairs wrote:
CELTA or Trinity TESOL are still the ones to go for when all is said and done. Both are well recognised and accredited. Oft