Job Discussion Forums

[alexthelegance]

what exactly does this mean? im looking at taking a course in Buenos aires and at a school called EBC. they claim the have a been "accredited" by "the college of Teachers" and warn against going to any school that doesnt have such a reference. is this exaggerated? what should i look for in a school if i wish to teach internationally?

thanks for your time
(it is appreciated)

alex

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

As a rule, I would put my faith in official accreditation by

a government DOE (Dept/Ministry of Education) first

when evaluating 'the worth' of the accreditation.


Additional accreditation by private entities and/or

'pay for membership' organizations - is fine and dandy,

but means less in my book, since the relationship between

the school and the accrediting agency is often unclear,

and may be strictly monetary in nature.


i.e., join our organization, fill out forms X,Y and Z,

submit 3 glossy photos of a teacher wearing a tie,

pay such and such a membership fee every year ...

and voila; instant accreditation can be yours !


In terms of TESOL certificate courses, be aware that

many of them have no accreditation whatsoever.


The College of Teachers endorsement is,

therefore, a positive factor, imho.


Cambridge ESOL and Trinity College London are

probably the two best known and respected

non-government accrediting bodies

within the TESOL field.


Here's a list of accrediting organizations

arranged by country for you to browse:


in the USA




http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ (US Department of Education)

http://www.msche.org/ (Middle States Commission on Higher Education)

http://www.chea.org/ (CHEA / Council for Higher Education Accreditation)

http://www.ncate.org/ (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education)

http://www.wascweb.org/ (WASC / Western Association of Schools and Colleges)

http://www.accet.org/index2.cfm (ACCET / Accreditation Council for Continuing Education)

http://www.citaschools.org/ (Commission on International & Trans-Regional Accreditation)



in Canada




http://www.tesl.ca/ (The TESL Canada Federation Website / please refer to Standards)

http://www.accreditations.ca/ (Canadian Education and Training Accreditation Commission)

http://www.cicic.ca/postsec/indexe.stm (Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials)



in Australia




http://www.auqa.edu.au/ (AUQA / Australian Universities Quality Agency)

http://www.aqf.edu.au/register.htm (AQF / Australian Qualifications Framework)



in the UK




http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/ (Ofsted Homepage)

http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/ (Trinity College London)

http://www.cambridgeesol.org/index.htm (Cambridge ESOL)

http://www.britishcouncil.org/accreditation.htm (British Council)

http://www.collegeofteachers.ac.uk/index.htm (The College of Teachers)

http://www.odlqc.org.uk/ (ODL QC / Open and Distance Learning Quality Council)

http://www.actdec.org.uk/ (Accreditation Council for TESOL Distance Courses / UK)

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/index.shtml (DfES / Department for Education and Skills / UK)

http://www.qca.org.uk/index.html (QCA / Qualifications and Curriculum Authority / UK)

http://www.accac.org.uk/ (Qualifications, Curriculum & Assessment Authority / Wales)

[merlin]

It's really easy to set up a nonprofit organization that "accredits" one's own school/program. Government accreditation is a good place to start but there are often little loopholes in certain countries that degree mills can exploit. California comes immediately to mind, as well as many developing countries.

When a school says they are "accredited" you automatic response should be "by who?" Then you ask for a list of all the schools they accredit and if you don't see any big names on that list it should make you wonder how respectable the accreditation is.

This is where critical reading is an invaluable skill and what isn't said is usually more important than what is said.

[Justin Trullinger]

And who is the "College of Teachers?" Merlin is right on, in that the question of who else they accredit is essential. But on the surface, the organisation sounds pretty generic and non-descript.

Of course, that doesn't mean anything, one way or another, about the training you're receiving. There are several threads around here about how to evaluate a TEFL cert, so I won't repeat myself.

The process to receive government accreditation in South America is one I'm fairly familiar with. And in many cases, it has no connection to education. Not that government accredited courses are necessarily bad. Quite the contrary, as one who goes through all the red tape will probably also go through a lot of other things in order to present good courses. But, accreditation is NOT a guarantee.

Regards,
Justin

[Mark Loyd]

TEFL is so crooked, most of these so called accrediters could hide behind a corkscrew.

[Justin Trullinger]

Thanks Mark! I am definitely going to try out that idiom on my class tonight.

[alexthelegance]

I checked out "The College of Teachers" website, and read there little history, checked out their list of "accredited agencies", EBC school in buenos aires is not even listed! (although the EBC school in Spain was). So in short, i dont really know what to think. their seems to be some good chatter on this site about the school, but i want to be skeptical because i want to find the best course in the city. i dont see why i should settle when i have a little time to research it.

any input would be great

you guys have already been very helpful

cheers

alex

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hi Alex


I think if I were in your shoes, I'd do the CELTA.


If you scroll down to the bottom of the page of the link below

and then click on Contact your chosen centre directly

you'll find 5 CELTA courses offered in Buenos Aires.


Then you can cruise down to the Argentina Forum & ask

people for their advice & input on which centre is best.


If you're going to spend the money ...

you might as well get 'the real thing'.


In terms of accreditation, here's the scoop:

"CELTA is accepted throughout the world by organisations which employ English Language teachers.
The Cambridge CELTA has been accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) at
level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework."


http://www.cambridgeesol.org/teaching/celta.htm (Cambridge CELTA)

http://www.qca.org.uk/index.html (QCA UK Homepage)

[alexthelegance]

actually the centers in Argentina only provide examinations, there are no Celta centers for training teachers there. im still in contact with BEC, who appear enthusiastic and "on the ball", i may just have to settle.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

^ You are absolutely right. My mistake on the search.


I've looked at the EBC webpage, and to be honest,

it looks fine: http://www.ebc-tefl-course.com/


If one branch is accredited by The Teachers College,

I'd assume it applies to the other branch as well.


Ask them,

and good luck!

[alexthelegance]

I did ask them, and apparently the Madrid school is the school that speaks for the rest. Others have put some confidence in me that EBC is legit, i just put my deposit down, or tried to, there fax machine is a little hairy.....
anyway thanks for the advice