Job Discussion Forums

[megerie]

Greetings
I am looking into Cultural Extremes' offer to let me pay US$1,990 to get a TESOL Certificate and work for 4 months, getting paid about US$1500 and I have a few questions:

Has anyone had experience with Cultural Extremes?
What is the consensus on the TESOL vs CELTA certification?
Are they equal?
Does it matter to an employer who issues (school) the cert in the end?
Just what is the difference between TESOL vs CELTA certification and which one would be more accepted in Asia and Central & South America?

I have a book on TEFL, but it can be somewhat vague on this information and does not make any strong recommendations.

TIA for any responses and help

[mapraopenrai]

Are they offering to pay you $1500 a month, or $1500 for 4 months? Because $1500 US dollars a month in Thailand is a fairly high salary.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

^ It's definitely not $1,500 per month.



The Cultural Extremes TEFL cert is provided by TEFL International,

which is a major sponsor of Dave's and generally well known

within the countries where they offer certificate courses.


The CELTA is highly regarded and better known internationally

for one main reason: Cambridge moderation & accreditation


If you're planning to teach English in a variety of countries

more or less as a full-time career, I'd go with the CELTA.


If this is more of a one-time adventure, I see nothing wrong

with doing the Cultural Extremes / TEFL International cert.










Thailand teaching and travel resources available here :::: The Master Index Thailand ::::

[isanity]

Cultural Extremes is a front organisation for TEFL International, but if you go straight to the horse's mouth you get a better deal: http://www.teflintl.com/thai_special_project.htm . 3000 dollars, certificate, work for four months but pay nothing (except a comedy '$200 non-refundable deposit' ). The downside is that the work is teaching in hardcore rural schools where the students are more interested in buffalo than in English.

If you're at all likely to want to work outside Thailand, I'd still go for the CELTA.

[poof]

I'm always dubious of places where I have to pay to work there. Why doesn't the organization just say: 'Get your cert. for $400' ?

If you're happy at the idea of working in really out of the way towns in a hot climate with limited resources, you may be okay. Can't speak personally about that point, but I would like to say that there is no difference between the TESOL and CELTA as far as entering the job market in Asia. Either will do. TESOL is the slightly newer certificate with more emphasis on the practical rather than the theory. It was established in the US as a counter to the British spun teaching certificate. I took TESOL and have had NO problems being accepted positions with it. I took TESOL because it's often cheaper (owing to it being a less established/newer teaching certificate).

[isanity]

[kenkannif]

Yeah all certs from a basic generic TEFL/TESL to CELTA/Trinity etc. are TESOL qualifcations.

[tedkarma]

[kenkannif]

A shortage of teachers in Thailand currently and people are paying to get a job??? Hmmm!! Ponder ponder, head scratch, head scratch!

[Bruce]

Cultural Extremes is run by a young woman who is one of our grads and wanted to help rural, poor schools. If you are in this for the money, go elsewhere. If you want to help schools that normally cannot afford a native English speaker, it is a good deal.

[tedkarma]

Why not offer a discount for your course then? To help the rural poor?

[Bruce]

If you knew anything about TEFL International you would know the answer to your own question.

We are a non-profit organization.

We run thousands of hours of free training every month and support worthy causes around the globe but we do not trumpet these efforts.

But we do have to remain in business.

We DO offer absolutely FREE TESOL training to anyone who is working as a pure volunteer.

We always wish we could do more, but we all have our limits.

[design]

[kenkannif]

^ You know that...LoL!