Job Discussion Forums

[elianamy]

From the research I've done so far on TEFL and CELTA certifications, the general consensus is either get a CELTA certification or don't get one at all. I am primarily interested in living and teaching Business English in Argentina. I will be bringing my own video equipment and making my own videos to assist in class teaching (another story), in order to further my experience in video production which is my field now.

I really want to become certified in a four-week intensive course in Argentina, so I can build job connections while attending the course. However, from all the research I've looked at, a CELTA course is not offered in Argentina. I've been looking at the EBC course in Buenos Aires, and so far it seems good and reputable. What kind of reputation does EBC have?

Or should I only look to gain certification in CELTA and THEN move to Argentina? My only concern there is I won't have the advantage of job connections, and I feel it will be a bumpier path.
Any help would be great!

Amy

[Phil_b]

To be honest, CELTA doesn't seem to be that well known here.... I think schools are most interested in your experience - and that you're a native. Argentine teachers are all far more qualified than what you get from a CELTA - that's not to say that it won't help you... but think about it from the point of how it will help you teach, not how it will help you get a job....

Everyone whose done EBC seems to love it... and it seems to help - PM one of them to see.

[elianamy]

Hey thanks! It sounds like it has a great reputation, and is great at finding people work. Which is why I'm so interested in this course, it sounds perfect to me.

It's just I read some posts from certain people who were extremely negative about anything that wasn't CELTA, they made this program sound worthless which it most certainly doesn't seem to be to me.

[Ray in BsAs]

I did the EBC course and it was a good one and they do work a lot to help you find a job, in Argentina , in Europe , mainly Spain and also in Asia. One thing you will find as well is the professional but warm way the company is run. The teaching staff was very experienced, supportive and they really knew EFL from different cultural points of view. They have quite an international staff and student body as well. We had a good mix of nationalities in our class, American, English, Australian, European. So it was quite interesting. We were in a small class and on the last day, Friday, we were already getting phone calls for interviews. I was told this happens in their other school in Spain as well.

The question about CELTA and accredited courses, EBC is accredited by a UK accrediting body called College of Teachers. When I was looking into Argentina, I looked into these certificates and there was one but the CELTA course they offered was in Denver, although they were also in Buenos Aires. The local program wasn�t a CELTA and as Phil said maybe because CELTA isn�t well known here. Of course it is always good to be in an accredited TEFL program. If you do decide on Buenos Aires, its a great city.

[Phil_b]

CELTA is big news in Europe - When I did mine in Lisbon last summer there were Portuguese English teachers taking it as well, it's rated highly there.

Qualifications like that don't really exist inside Argentina - Argentines tend to study the 5-year [/i]profesorado de ingles degree and it seems to be pretty in depth.

There are good certificate courses apart from the CELTA/Trinty certificates
- EBC seems to be one. But there are also (at least in the UK) some very dubious courses....

To sum it up - do the EBC, you'll be fine......