Job Discussion Forums

Miopukka · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:51 pm Post subject: Global TESOL vs. Oxford Seminars

I live in London, Ontario, Canada and am about to enrol in a TESOL course.

Does anyone have any comments with respect to the above named institutions?

Global TESOL is $1,000. Included in their fee are two specialization courses.

Oxford Seminars is ~ $850 and does not include any specializations.

Thank you for your assistance.

Julie

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

Both are mills that flog worthless pieces of paper. Any job that would accept one of these pieces of paper would accept you without one. Save your money and don`t embarass yourself further.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

My point exactly. Why pay a thousand dollars for a piece of paper when all the employer asks you to do is show something that looks the part. MOD EDIT Don`t enrich some tefl mill. Or get a real one like a CELTA-you can do one for a thousand dollars in E Europe.

MOD EDIT

Chris_Crossley · Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:07 am Post subject: Genuine or fake?

MOD EDIT

Disclaimer: The author of this post assumes no liability or responsibility whatsoever for actions taken as a result of reading the first paragraph. So there.

applejuice39 · Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 4

I could offer some observations on Oxford Seminars, because I completed the certificate no long ago in Toronto. Whether this course is good for you really depends on what you are looking for. The course is brief and only scratches the surface of teaching English as a second language. It is great if you are looking to get a taste of what teaching would involve, and it will help you decide whether it is something you would want to further pursue.

What to expect:

Textbooks/other course material:
a) A thick training manual compiled by Oxford Seminars that includes ideas for games and exercises, directions on lesson planning, classroom management, and teaching the different language aspects. It's pretty comprehensive and IMO a pretty useful guide to bring with you.
b) How to teach English by Jeremy Harmer (covers teaching methods for all aspects of language learning)
c) Teaching English Overseas: A Job Guide for Americans & Canadians (An overview of job searching, the job market, legalities, dealing with a new culture, etc.) A good overview guide but you will have to do a lot more independent research to learn about your desired destination.
d) A package that includes some material to guide you in resume and cover letter writing.

The instructor:
I obviously cannot speak for all Oxford instructors but I was satisfied with mine. She is experienced and embodies what a good teacher should be like.

The course content:
Lots of material packed into 6 intensive days--Overview of how to teach grammar, vocabulary, speaking, reading, writing, pronunciation; how to cater to students of different levels and different types of learners; assessing students; lesson planning; classroom management; what to look for in contracts etc.

The practicum:
I am not certain if every instructor manages practicums in the same way. In my class, as homework, we prepared our own 60-minute lesson plan to be handed in to the instructor. In class, 6-7 classmates pretend to be ESL students and you "teach" them for 10-15 minutes. In other words, you teach a shortened version of that 60-minute plan. The instructor evaluates you on your lesson content, your pace, your projection, etc. and hands you a comment sheet at the end of class. Generally my classmates and I cited the following pros and cons:
Pros: Gives you an idea of just how much effort goes into planning a good lesson. Gives you a chance to develop your own creative lesson material and actually put whatever you learned into use. Forces you to face your shyness or nervousness.
Cons: Feels somewhat like a "acting" session. Pretty unrealistic as it is only 10-15 minutes and you know your "students" understand you perfectly well.

The certificate:
You'd have to really try to fail the course. If you have a very heavy accent or if you are clearly still learning English yourself, you will get a certificate that indicates "non-native speaker". This means that Oxford's job placement guarantee will not apply to you.

Conclusion:
This course only has time to give you a brief overview of teaching English. If you have no prior teaching experience you can certainly learn alot from it. You will make friends and have lots of fun. You will gain some confidence. Even for those without a certificate, getting a job abraod doesn't seem to be a problem--so having the certificate on your resume can't hurt. I'd say it's more for the sake of your own preparation if you are interested in teaching abroad. I believe in most cases this certificate is insufficient if you intend on teaching in North America.

My main complaint is that the "60 hours" marketed by Oxford is an inflated number. According to my calculations, actual class time is only about 44-48 hours. This is after you subtract lunch hours, and classes usually end at least a half hour early. For 9am-6pm classes, everyone is pretty exhausted by 5. The number is inflated to include homework time, but even so, the number is not more than 50-52.

applejuice39 · Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 4

And even though the Oxford course is cheaper than most others I think it's still quite pricey. A lot material like games and exercises you can get on websites like this one. It will make you more aware of what's involved in teaching, but don't count on it to make you a better teacher.

YearOfTheDog · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 1:38 pm Post subject:

I took the Global TESOL course last year. It is pointless. You don't really learn anything you couldn't already learn by just going to a school and watching the classes. I slept through my weekend "Training" they gave me my certificate and I moved to China.

Basically either one will get you in the door. But as for which one is better...It is like asking if Coke is better than Pepsi...You could go either way.

Sekhmet · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 329 Location: Alexandria, Egypt

In terms of TESOL certificate courses, it depends what you're looking for. If you have experience teaching EFL, then sure, go for Global or Oxford. If not, do yourself a favour and do a proper course!! What applejuice writes about the Oxford course is just scary!! That type of teaching practicum can NEVER prepare you for the experience of a real life class. Imagine taking a swimming course on dry land for two days, and then being handed a certificate for that? It's the same thing.

Peer teaching is SO far from the reality of TEFL, that it is basically a completely different idea. For one thing, your "students" understand everything you say, and for another (of a list of many) how can you guage the success of a class in which the students learn absolutely nothing!

Find a course with at least 6 hours of observed teaching (that is, in front of REAL students), and it will take you much further than one of these other courses.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

thedude72 · Joined: 30 Jul 2004 Posts: 39 Location: Canada

I just finished the Global TESOL course and I can honestly say it was worth it. Yes it was brief and was pretty much the same as the description offered for the Oxford Seminars course. But for someone having no teaching experience whatsoever like myself, it gave me the confidence to develop a decent lesson plan and understand what it feels like to stand in front of a class and teach.

I'm not saying it will make me a great teacher, that takes time. Whose to say the CELTA would make you a better teacher? I believe becoming a better teacher is all about you, not the kind of certificate you have. Just my two cents.

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

Agreed. TEFL is never going to get any respect if people can go into it with nothing/online crap/4 week course/weekend taster.

drteacher · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 17

I'm an ESL instructor who has taken the Oxford Seminars course and I take issue with some comments made within this thread. First of all, Oxford Seminars DOES offer specialization modules in Grammar, TOEFL preparation, Teaching Children, and Teaching Business English. Secondly, the certificate is hardly a "worthless piece of paper" because in every country I have worked, they have required ESL Certification and training and Oxford Seminars DOES prepare potential ESL teachers to teach overseas. To suggest making you own certificate is fraud and indicates what type of teacher an unfortunate institution would receive. CELTA costs thousands and offers extensive theory but is hardly practical and seems to only be required in the European Union.
60 hours, in my experience, is an accurate number for the amount of work that is involved in attaining Oxford Seminars certification because the course is run over three consecutive weekends between the hours of nine and six with an hour for lunch; 48 hours in class plus 2 hours of readings, research, and lesson planning preparation per night. I think what is important to remember here that a valid certificate can secure a better paying, more suitable position for a rookie ESL teacher overseas, and that the intensive, practical, introductory format that Oxford Seminars provided, enabled me to face that initial classroom with confidence and security.

thedude72 · Joined: 30 Jul 2004 Posts: 39 Location: Canada

Global TESOL offers those specializations as well. Like I said, having the certificate won't make you a great teacher. But it gives someone new to the world of teaching to ESL a good starting point on how to teach.

I feel I will be better prepared for my first teaching job then I would have without any sort of training at all. Now its up to me to make myself a great teacher!