Job Discussion Forums

catisfly · Joined: 04 Sep 2006 Posts: 2

is there really a difference?? in my city in canada they are offering the latter one...but i cant find a TEFL course offering. just wondering if i will end up limiting myself from jobs if i take a 'second class' course by mistake.

also, they have 'specialization courses' ex grammer or buisness english. are those actually marketable to employers?? its about an extra 200$ to the price...and i dont want to get ripped off.

thanks for your help!!

freudling1000 · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 50

I have a good place for you to get a TEFL certificate for a good price. PM me and I will give you more info. I get credit if I refer people to the organization. Just so you know, I did a certificate with them this year and am happy.

poof · Joined: 23 May 2005 Posts: 161

Whether you have a TEFL or a TESOL really doesn't matter. But, some employers are against people who have done the course online or by distance without observed teaching practice.

In short, the TESOL is the American inspired version of the British born TEFL which had been believed to be too theoretical.

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

Catisfly, if you mean the GLOBAL TESOL course, it doesn't include supervised teaching practice.

Minimum entry-level qualifications for teaching at good schools (particularly true in Europe) is a 100+ hour on-site course that MUST include at least 6 hours of supervised teaching practice. Good employers will not settle for less - and they don't have to. There are lots of teachers looking for work with more than this minimum - and if you have even less, you're just out of the competition.

A good option, if you are able to do it, is to take a 30-day, on-site course in the region where you hope to start teaching. This allows you to get your feet wet in the country before you have to set off on your own. A good training centre will be able to provide you with useful contacts in the area, and can usually help to some extent with everything from housing, to finding a good job, to daily life. Courses are not usually more expensive abroad than they are in Canada.