Job Discussion Forums

Mari204 · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 3 Location: Miami, FL

Hi everyone!

I was wondering if anyone has had experience attending Bridge Linguatec... I am considering signing up for a TEFL course with them & wanted to know what you guys think about them.

Please help! I am planning to move to either Santiago or Buenos Aires... still debating & need info on TEFL.

Thanks! Smile

Mari.

MRosa · Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 14

Hi Mari,

I have been looking into TEFL courses since Sept of last year and after reading soooo many posts, I had a change of plans! Thought maybe I can do it, you know, teaching English without a certificate or any type of training ( Embarassed

), and guess what? Got on the plane, looked up language institutes on the internet, interviewed, got hired and taught. Was poorly paid , (8-10 pesos an hour) but what really got me was how I felt in class, it was sooo uncomfortable. You know, trying to swing it and knowing that my students could tell I had no idea of what I was talking about! And believe you me I had no idea of teaching, especially grammar and it showed. Maybe some of you guys have been lucky and are now teaching comfortably without having had any previous EFL training. Sadly, this wannabe EFL teacher was neither lucky nor great and after testing the waters of untrained teaching, I am doing a TEFL course, even only to give me that confidence I need. Although my first EFL teaching experience was a complete fiasco, I got the chance to see Buenos Aires and loved it. I visited the TEFL schools I'm now considering and Bridge is one of them. It's now a toss up between Bridge and EBC. Both seem just about the same. Bridge has a lot more schools but their Buenos Aires school is not accredited, although the Denver one is. EBC only has schools in Buenos Aires and Spain but both schools are accredited. As a whole they both came across as pretty professional TEFL courses.

Will my ex employers hire me back? After I get my certificates, I don't think I should accept 8-10 pesos an hour!

Maria Rosa

huffdaddy · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 1 Location: South Korea

sheena maclean · Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 7:02 pm Post subject:

All TEFL courses are designed for teaching adults English. They are not aimed at teaching English to children. And most of the time teachers who stay here and teach on a short term basis usually end up teaching adult business people anyway. If you want to get qualified to teach children English there are sepereate courses which teach a whole different range of skilled neeeded to teach children. Try the CETYL (Certificate of English Language teaching to young learns) if you are looking to teach children.

waterdance · Joined: 18 Sep 2005 Posts: 54

I don't think it makes much difference in Buenos Aires. The school is kind of good in helping you get some teaching time and networking when you get here. You don't really need one in B.A. If you have to do one, just do the cheapest one and then hit the streets.

boomonde · Joined: 16 Jan 2006 Posts: 14

No, you SHOULD get your cert and you should try a school called TEFLlocal, thier website is www.teflocal.com. It is Recoletas in BA.They opened about a year ago, are pretty inexpensive and they have a nice program with good resources. The teachers are freindly and they have a nice cultural immersion facet of the program. I did my program in Europe and I wish I had known about this one, as it costs less then mine by a third. I paid about 1500, and thiers is much cheaper, and, from what I heard, better. Definately get your cert, it makes you a much better teacher and it opens doors. You also should not go to Bridge if they only do 8 hours of teaching, this one starts you teaching on the second or third day throughout the three or four week course. good luck