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Happy in China
Joined: 19 Oct 2004
Posts: 8
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 Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:04 am Post subject: Celta Course in Beijing |
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Where can I do a Celta Course Training( diploma/certicate)in China. Which schools(in what cities) offer this and how much does it cost?  |
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China Dim Drone
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 6:01 am Post subject: |
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The BC in HK offers the CELTA. It is a snip at $28,000 (HK) - they also offer the YL extension to the CELTA. As I understand it, outside of the BC, there are no other centres in China that offer - or that can offer such courses. You should as a starting point inquire with the BC in cities such as Beijing.
In order to be accepted on the DELTA you need a CELTA (or equivalent) and, I think, at least two years post-CELTA full-time experience. |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:26 am Post subject: |
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Last year there was an article about CELTA being offered at the SILC campus in Shanghai (Sydney Institue of Language and Commerce). This was in the summer and, to my knowledge, the only time the course was offered. That may have changed.
If you want a good deal, my advice is ECC in Bangkok. I did the course in Aug / 03. Trainers are very good, cost of living is cheap, students are very rewarding to teach, colleagues are encouraging to work with. The cost is $1400 US, so about 12,400 RMB.
That's half the price of Hong Kong! And it doesn't matter where you do the course, because Cambridge sends an assessor to accredit each course externally. In my opinion, don't spend twice as much money in Hong Kong when you can do it for less.
Steve |
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China Dim Drone
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 11:04 am Post subject: |
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Whilst it is true that all centres are externally assessed by the same quality police, Cambridge University too often has the same external examiners as, for example, the University of Essex. Are you thereby suggesting that one would be silly and/or ill-advised to complete a degree at the former? Are you suggesting that employers do not recognise the difference between the two institutions?
Ultimately of course, as in so many other areas of life, you get what you pay for. In addition, as my experience shows, the more you pay out initially, the more you will reap in the long term. If you ever want to work for the BC of course (assuming you are British), for example (and you could do worse), then a BC CELTA will certainly go a long way towards supporting your application (needless to say, immeasurably further than a non-BC qualification).
Did you receive training with interactive white boards and the like at this centre in Thailand? Did you receive multi-media training (filming of lessons, etc.)? Besides, there is a vast difference between the sheer reputation and standing of this outfit you mention and the British Council - especially the BC in HK! In addition, the CELTA course has a fixed, minimum set of requirements, but many centres (such as the BC) offer vastly more than the minimum, such as for example an introduction to teaching children and co-planning workshops. All in all, the CELTA offered at a typical BC centre will be vastly more encompassing and exceedingly more professional.
Having said that, the course is priced according to a HK index and so will be largely out of reach to those working outside of HK (or Japan or the Middle East). Although $28,000 HK is but a month's average salary in HK for a trainee teacher, it may well take people working in other states a year or so to save the necessary funds (also you would require enough hard cash to convince immigration that you can support yourself whilst on your study visa). Nevertheless, I would still recommend that you start to save up! |
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chengdude
Joined: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 294
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| Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Language Link in Beijing has offered the CELTA at least twice, maybe 3 times, but may have given up because of the logistics involved. Contact them to find out: (010) 65810426 or 65816874. |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Whilst it is true that all centres are externally assessed by the same quality police, Cambridge University too often has the same external examiners as, for example, the University of Essex. Are you thereby suggesting that one would be silly and/or ill-advised to complete a degree at the former? Are you suggesting that employers do not recognise the difference between the two institutions? |
The CELTA is administered and assessed by Cambridge only. While the course is offered at differing centres, the issuing institution is the same. In the end, everybody receives the same CELTA qualification because of this standardization. They will directly tell you the same thing here.
Suppose two teachers are looking for work in Hong Kong. Both take the CELTA, one in HK and the other outside. They are both equally employable because it's the same certificate, but the HK "graduate" would have the advantage of local knowledge and contacts, so he'd probably find a job faster.
| Quote: |
| Did you receive training with interactive white boards and the like at this centre in Thailand? Did you receive multi-media training (filming of lessons, etc.)? Besides, there is a vast difference between the sheer reputation and standing of this outfit you mention and the British Council - especially the BC in HK! In addition, the CELTA course has a fixed, minimum set of requirements, but many centres (such as the BC) offer vastly more than the minimum, such as for example an introduction to teaching children and co-planning workshops. All in all, the CELTA offered at a typical BC centre will be vastly more encompassing and exceedingly more professional. |
I'm sure the BC CELTAs have this advantage which is good. We didn't have IWBs or multi-media, which is something that will likely change in future. You've listed other advantages too.
But let me ask you this: If the BC CELTA is more professional and marketable at a higher cost, then why don't they offer it seperately under a different name and package? For example, they seperate the TESOL courses offered at the same branches which are half the time and cost as the regular CELTAs. But as far as I can tell, this distinction doesn't apply between the BC CELTA and the CELTA, after all they are the same piece of paper. Yes? No?
| Quote: |
| Although $28,000 HK is but a month's average salary in HK for a trainee teacher, it may well take people working in other states a year or so to save the necessary funds (also you would require enough hard cash to convince immigration that you can support yourself whilst on your study visa). |
Now this, for sure, is misinformation. If the BC CELTA you're talking about is the same certificate above, then the course can be taken in a month and you don't need a study visa to do it!!
As was the case in Thailand, you just enter the country visa-free and take the course or else do it on a tourist visa. This is something they said we should do. HK is similar in that most nationals can enter the territory without a visa for up to 30 days. Enough time to do the course, if you need more, just take a ferry to Macau and re-enter.
No need to get study visas. |
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China Dim Drone
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 12:03 am Post subject: |
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Do you live and work here in HK? I think it rather unlikely judging from your comments.
| strulle wrote: |
| If the BC CELTA you're talking about is the same certificate above, then the course can be taken in a month and you don't need a study visa to do it!! As was the case in Thailand, you just enter the country visa-free and take the course or else do it on a tourist visa. This is something they said we should do. HK is similar in that most nationals can enter the territory without a visa for up to 30 days. Enough time to do the course, if you need more, just take a ferry to Macau and re-enter. |
It seems to me that you have little if any experience of HK. No one can enter HK "visa-free". I hate to be the one to tell you this but HK is not Thailand. Full-time educational courses can not be done on a tourist visa - tourist visas are for tourists (as hinted at by the name). By the way, the institution concerned � the BC in HK - can not enrol you until they have seen the study visa (again, HK is not Thailand). As a former employee of the BC in HK, I can get that for you in writing if you like, 'Struelle'. Alternatively, I suggest you simply look at the immigration department's website. I would suggest you desist in spreading such misinformation - you have never lived or worked in HK and you most certainly have never completed any educational courses here. If you had, you would not be propagating such nonsense. |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 4:01 am Post subject: |
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Take your overpriced CELTA and stuff it, I've got the same piece of paper for much less.
Steve |
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Happy in China
Joined: 19 Oct 2004
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 4:18 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks everyone for your information. But I still have more questions I want to ask about this Celta stuff........? |
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Echo
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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I did the CELTA at the BC in HK a few years ago, and I did need a tourist visa.
Excellent training there by the way. |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 9:05 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
I did the CELTA at the BC in HK a few years ago, and I did need a tourist visa.
Excellent training there by the way. |
I have no doubt and I apologize for my earlier one-liner above. I had spent the whole day fending off obnoxious touts in Jakarta, so my patience was extremely thin. Also, never post on an empty stomach The other poster (China Dim Drone) made good points about course content and training being worth the high cost, so that must be acknowledged.
As for the visa issue, correct me if I'm wrong on it, but just passed through Hong Kong about a month ago, and this is what is stamped on my passport:
| HK Immigration wrote: |
| VISITOR - Permitted to remain for ninety days from date of entry as shown below - 3 OCT 2004 IMMIGRATION 2712 |
I only filled out a simple form and showed my passport, no visa. There is a list of countries that are exempt from visas, definitely Canadians and other Commonwealth members. Most likely the US as well, but that should be double-checked.
I'm not sure how the accomodation issue works out, does BC provide it or do you have to rent your own? In either case, must you register with the police like in China or Indonesia? It is doubtful, so in theory you just go in and stamp your passport for 90 days and take the course.
What do you think?
Steve |
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Joachim
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Posts: 311
Location: Brighton, UK
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 10:52 am Post subject: |
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| I did my CELTA at the British Council in Hong Kong on a tourist visa. |
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China Dim Drone
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 11:07 am Post subject: |
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| struelle wrote: |
| Take your overpriced CELTA and stuff it, I've got the same piece of paper for much less. |
Thank you for proving that your earlier long-winded posts were just that - wind. I think your true intellect is reflected more accurately in the above post. By the way, countless employers and students do indeed recognise a somewhat vast difference between (what you term as) 'the same piece of paper'.
Thank you also for admitting that your putative wealth of knowledge of HK actually only stems from your having "passed through", once, it would appear. In short, you hardly qualify as the authority you claimed to be earlier, then. The stamp in your passport (the one you yourself quote) is your visa. Due to your nationality, you - like many others - can present yourself at one of HK borders and receive an instant visa; not all nationalities can.
Do you really think the BC provides accommodation? Is that a serious question? Perhaps no one has told you but land in HK is really quite very scarce (hence the high rents and land prices). How could they? Why should they? Adults take the course and adults are more than able to arrange their own, are they not?
You really do not like being wrong now, do you? Since you got this crummy piece of paper that represents nothing other than a bog-standard entry-level qualification, you have changed considerably. It is only a CELTA and you are only a CELTA-holder. My advice to you would to climb down from your (most recent) hobbyhorse.
You ask whether people "register with the police like in China or Indonesia". No, you do not. You then commit a non sequitur when you state that therefore "you just go in and stamp your passport for 90 days and take the course". The problem here is that, as the poster before you confirmed, you do need a study visa to study in HK, and so you can not just go in and do the course. Why is that so beyond your comprehension? Do you need us to draw you a picture? I have experienced this a lot. People like you spend too long on the Mainland and begin to assume that everywhere works the same � that you can get around everything and anything by simply ignoring laws and regulations (and, often, common sense). I have not only studied at the BC in HK but I have also been employed there (whereas you by your very own admission have only ever 'passed through') and, as I stated in my post above, you must present this visa upon enrolment at the BC! No visa, no course. The VC in HK do not wish to be party to breaches of immigration laws. |
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once again
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 815
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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I think it is true that you can not do the CELTA at the BC in HK anymore. The website only seems to cover the CELTYL and the CELTYL extension to the CELTA, but no CELTA. I may be wrong, but I am sure someone will point it out if I am!!
This is from the website:
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The course fee is $25,000. No fee is required on application. Fees are only payable once a place is offered after interview.
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So I am not sure where the previously quoted figures come from. |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 1:31 pm Post subject: |
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China Din Drone,
Sorry if I offended you. If you will, I suggest we call this conversation to a close and move on with our lives.
Steve |
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