Job Discussion Forums

[chris-tee]

This is my first post, so I apologise in advance if anything I say sounds horribly ignorant.

I'm currently living in Australia, and doing a lot of research before I start looking at teaching roles overseas. Unfortunately, I don't have a degree, but i'm still optimistic about my chances as I have a great passion for teaching and really feel that I could bring something to a classroom.

I've been looking at TEFL/TESOL courses I could study to improve my chances, and i've narrowed it down to these two. At this stage, studying in a classroom isn't really an option as I can't afford the time away from work, so it'll have to be online.

1. i-to-i TEFL Diploma (through onlinetefl.com), 60 hours. Opportunity to do a weekend course which would give me valuable face-to-face experience.
Cost = $530(AU)

2. Global TESOL "Professional Diploma", 600 hours. Purely online, but there are lots of "specialisation" courses which give me exposure to different aspects of teaching: teaching adult, teaching children, teaching grammar etc.
Cost $3000(AU)

I wonder which of these courses would be considered more valuable/widely recognised in the eyes of an employer. I'm leaning more towards option 2, as it would take me the better part of a year to complete, and is less "general" than the i-to-i course. I feel as if I owe my students some kind of study-commitment time, rather than an el cheapo piece of paper which has my name on it, but no experience whatsoever.

Also, is it true most employers don't recognise the difference between a Diploma and a Certificate?

[Cdaniels]

Neither. Neither will help, only classes 120+ hours and a teaching practicum, where you actually meet with students under supervision, will be recognized by employers. There are places where employers see little difference between a diploma and a certificate, but often the governments do, and you will not get a visa to work without a degree in many countries.
You have an excellent attitude, though! Keep up the research, you're asking the right questions!

[chris-tee]

The Global TESOL diploma has a specialisation I can take on a Teaching Practicum. Also, it runs for 600 hours (almost a year)... would it still be worthless to take that one?

Thanks for the feedback though.

[PAULH]

[Glenski]

[chris-tee]

I know what you mean, Glenski. I recently contacted them to ask about what kind of support they offered in finding graduates a job, as their ad states. I had the website up in front of me while I asked them this, and the girl I spoke to pretty much based her answers on exactly what was written online.

She said they acted as a "middleman recruitment agency", but that there was no support whatsoever once (if) you were placed in a role. The best they could do for their "guarantee" was to give you a contact name/number...

[PAULH]

[Gregor]

[erinyes]

I have a Global TESOL College Cetificate, and I really think that the class was great! Motivating, helpful. They gave me lots of advice.

It's true that they don't find you jobs. But they give you lots of advice as to HOW to go about it. And some pretty good motivation too.

I know that if you do the course online you are welcome to take the classes any time as a kind of refresher. EG. do the course, then between quitting you job and getting on the plane do the classes and the practicum.

Some people have recomended Celta. Some places around the world will recognise that one over the others, but if your looking to come to China then many schools (even some good schools) will be cluless as to the difference.

At this stage, TESOL wont help you with getting a work visa. But it will help you get the jobs.

[Justin Trullinger]

$3000 Australian? Isn't that like $1500 US? 1300 Euros? Almost a thousand pounds? For an online course? Sounds really steep.

A certificate, as Gregor pointed out, is an entry level qualification. But for it to work as an entry level qualification, somebody is going to have to believe in it, and give you the kind of job that you couldn't get without a certificate. Most employers I've dealt with are extremely skeptical about online only courses. And about anything to do with i to i. So I don't see where either of the options you're looking at is going to get you where you want to go.

But I agree with a previous poster- your attitude sounds like the right one. (Wanting to do the best qualification, not the fastest or cheapest. Feeling that you owe something to your potential students.) So get a face to face qualification. It shouldn't be too hard to find one for what you're considering spending on the global course.

And good luck!

Justin

[blsfp]

I think my own experience with Global TESOL College here in Canada where their home office is located may be of some use. In November of 2003 I took their course, this course cost me $1000. I answered an ad on one of their posters, "Guaranteed: Job, Airfare and Accommodation, No Age Limit, No Degree or Experience Necessary" . Their course lasted 5 days, and was more like 60 hours instead of 120 which they advertise, and no student failed it. At the end of the 5 days I got a piece of paper saying, "Advanced TESOL certificate" and another piece of paper saying, "International TESOL Teacher License" and a list of overseas addresses, I was expected to go out and look for a job myself. When I tried applying for overseas teaching jobs I found out there were some schools and countries I could not go to to teach English because I did not have a University degree, during the first day of the course I asked my instructor if not having a University degree would prevent me from getting jobs overseas and he said it would not. I found out that the only schools willing to hire someone without a University degree were villages in China (not my first choice for going overseas) where I would only make $500 a month and they did not pay airfare at least not upfront, they would only reimburse airfare after I had completed a year of teaching (I was not told this during the course either). In my research I found out several other things about Global TESOL College that I found to be disturbing, on page 4 of their brochure they mention that my "International TESOL Teacher License" is issued by TESOL Licensing Standards International (TLSI) and is recognized worldwide, I have yet to find any evidence outside of Global TESOL College's advertising that such an organization exists. My "Advanced TESOL certificate" says "Certified by the Government of Canada" I asked my instructor what that meant and he said it meant that Global TESOL College is recognized by the Government of Canada as a private vocational school, yet when I asked the department of education here in my home province of Manitoba and the province of Alberta, where their head office is located they told me that Global TESOL College is not a private vocational school that only the provinces can grant that status not the federal government because education is a provincial responsibility. I went to the instructor who I paid my $1000 to and pointed out their advertising was misleading, his explanation was that overseas countries had only just recently changed their rules about hiring foreign teachers. I then asked my instructor for my money back and he said since I actually got job offers I was not entitled to a refund, I then pointed out the other discrepencies I had found and my instructor got very angry and accused me of spreading lies and kicked me out of his office. I then went to small claims court to try and get my money back and won, they appealed and I won again, this was back in March of 2005 and Global TESOL College have yet to pay the judgement. My message to you is buyer beware.

[Gordon]

Thanks blsfp. Youlearned a hard lesson and one which many should listen to. Anyone who is serious about teaching overseas should get a CELTA or Trinity certificate. They are the only ones which are recognized internationally and they are externally moderated (they don't govern themselves). They cost $2500-3000 CDN, but better than a wasted thousand bucks.