Job Discussion Forums

ashleyzz · Joined: 19 Jul 2006 Posts: 9 Location: Los Angeles

Any one have advice on which program is better? I don't have a degree, do I have a chance getting a job with just a certificate? If I want to transfer which is more internationally recognized? Thank you.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Either certification will be fine. Both are internationally recognized. You can get entry-level positions with just a cert. If you want to make a career of ESL/EFL, you will need more qualifications.

Chris Westergaard · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 215 Location: Prague

Got to bumb Spiral on that one. to find out which is better is all a matter of the specific school where you are taking it. Each Trinity course is going to be different. The important thing is what the specifc course offers. Get a list of past graduates, get pictures of the school and housing, get the complete details of what the school offers in terms of student to teacher ration/class size/location/facilities/extras. Once you have this information, you can then start to make a decision on which school you want to go with.

Cheers,

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

I was essentially assuming that the OP meant the Trinity course offered in Prague. I am aware that that program has a quite decent rep. In terms of getting work in the city afterwards, either certification will be acceptable to most schools. Chris is right that the experience of a cert course can vary quite a lot - but that can vary even within a training center, as trainers move on and come aboard, and with specific course dynamics.

I actually attended a 30-day course in Prague back in 1997 with a total of 14 trainees- and only four of us passed the course. But it was a strange group, simply a fluke that we had a high percentage of people who weren't really serious about teaching for one reason or another.

Most good courses are quite intensive, offer some fairly extensive local orientation, have good contacts with schools, landlords, and other support systems, and respond professionally to queries, problems, and requests for assistance. Either of the courses under question in this post would fulfill all these requirements, I believe.

It's pretty hard to research details of how a course will work in advance. Every one is a bit different, even within a training centre.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Maybe I should point out that I am not affiliated with any of the training centres in the city. I can be objective.

I just have decent current contacts with language schools....and some years of ties to the city.

This makes me both a good advice-giver - and a bad one, in that I can't give specific current details on any particular course. I can only give general advice that is reliable in general. Every specific situation is different - as is every new query!