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Dan The Chainsawman · Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 302 Location: Yinchuan

I am pondering a future move to China sometime next year, and I want to know if the Online TEFL cert holds any water.

I know here in Korea it gets a dubious reception, but is that the same for China?

Would I be better off not bothering and keeping the 300 bucks for something else and just depending on my BA degree and Korean teaching experience?

saint57 · Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:22 pm Post subject:

China.Pete · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 547

The need for a TEFL certificate, like any other form of teacher training, does not seem to have caught on in China. That is not to say that schools have not heard of it; they may even like the idea that you have one - in the same sense that they like the fact that you have a B.Ed. or an M.A. But don't expect most of them to really appreciate your resulting knowledge or progressive teaching style!

From a personal perspective, I believe the benefits of having a TEFL Certicate in China are two-fold. Like a boy scout, it's always good to be prepared for whatever teaching situations you may find yourself in. In addition, it's always possible that schools in China may take a more progressive turn and start to require them (that's not a prediction; merely a trend I have observed in other countries).

Archer College in Vancouver, BC offers an online version of their on-site TEFL certificate course for C$645. I've found it to be comprehensive and practical, with a top-notch teacher. It's course book (Scrivener) is co-published in China, while each of the five modules is available as a PDF email attachment. You can read more about it at http://www.winfieldcollege.com/tefl/tesl_distance.html if you're so inclined.

Dan The Chainsawman · Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 302 Location: Yinchuan

Ok I see...

I think I will invest the money into something useful and not bother with the TEFL cert at this juncture. I can always do it later.

yamahuh · Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Posts: 1033 Location: Karaoke Hell

I was always under the impression that you need a TEFL certificate to teach in Korea...

I took a very comprehensive 200 hour online course back in Canada but I really can't say that it has helped much with teaching oral English. However, if I complete a practicum of observed teaching at some point in the future I can get certified to teach ESL in Canada, so I guess that's useful.