Job Discussion Forums

burngirl · Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Posts: 29

I am really close to signing for the TEFL training course with TEFL Prague (www.tefl-prague.com) and I wanted to ask those who are more experienced what I should perhaps be looking out for, before signing up. The deadline is tomorrow in order to save a couple of hundred dollars off of the fees, so it's a bit urgent!

I do know that the course is over 100 hours and includes more than 6 hours of teaching time. They are a member of the College of Teachers and are a Cambridge University Press Educational Partner. I'm not quite sure if these are important or not. I shall have to look into it.

But is there anything in particular that you can think of for me to ask before I register with them? I want to be cautious before I invest my time and money.

Thanks for any help that you can provide!

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

Are you planning on teaching in Prague? You could ask them which language schools, if any, they have contacts with, and how much help they give in terms of contacting schools, lining up interviews, etc. You might also ask if they will help you with your visa--at least extending it long enough for you to get a job. And accommodation--is that included?

If you're not planning on teaching in Prague, you could still ask them what sort of job placement assistance they offer in other locations. They may have contacts or at least names of schools in other places.

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rusmeister · Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 867 Location: Russia

And holy cow - what fees do they want YOU to pay??

That part sands scammish.

yaramaz · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 8:54 am Post subject:

Erm, don't people normally pay for their tefl courses? Mine certainly wasn't free.

Frizzie Lizzie · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 11:36 am Post subject:

I don't think burngirl was talking about the fee for the course. She mentioned something she was supposed to pay ON TOP of that, if she didn't sign up before today.

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

No, it's pretty common to give a bit of a discount to people who sign up relatively early. It make planning easier for the training centre, so it's common. I think burngirl just means to get in under the discount deadline.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

The College of Teachers? Is that really legit?

Shimmeringstar · Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Kagoshima, Japan

Cambridge is a good name to have for a cert. Are you going for a CELTA? If you want to see if the course is legit, you can search for it through the Cambridge site. I searched quickly, and I came up with AKCENT International House in Prague. That doesn't sound like yours... I didn't spend tons of time looking, though. http://www.cambridgeesol.org/

Good luck!

burngirl · Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Posts: 29

Thanks everyone! To clarify, I was talking about there being a discount to the course price, not any fees on top of that. The whole thing, inclusive of tax and course materials, job assistance, airport pickup and such is $1400 US. What I also liked about this place is that every day involves 3.5 hours of practice teaching and they also include teaching young learners and business english. It sounds like more of what I was hoping for than the CELTA ever did. And, just because someone asked, they do provide housing at what seems to be a reasonable cost. Also they help with visas.

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

Those 3.5 daily hours of practice teaching will likely be split up among a group, so you won't have all that time to practice. A good chunk of it will be you watching your fellow trainees giving their sample lessons and then critiquing them--also a useful experience, but just be aware that it won't always be you getting the practice.

d