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differences in TESOL certifications

 
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moonshine



Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Posts: 60
PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:03 am    Post subject: differences in TESOL certifications Reply with quote
(1) can someone please clarify all the TESOL certifications that are out there?

I thought I had finally settled on one - at the TEFL insitute
see the link here:

http://www.teflinstitute.com/thailand2.php

now I'm reading the Trinity Tesol is the best one to have - I want one that's globally recognized, am not worried about the extra bucks just want to have one that's legit

btw I want to be able to use it back in the U.S. when I finally make my way back there.

should I just scrap all this and go for a Cambridge CELTA instead maybe?

(2) it sounded like the CELTA was more about lesson planning and yes, I'd like to avoid that if possible so was thinking the TESOL would be just fine. is there that much difference in the 2?

(3) it also sounds like most (all?) TESOL programs in foreign countries offer local language training 2 hours a day as part of their programs - any comments on this?

thanks!
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ls650



Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 3484
Location: British Columbia
PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 2:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
My observation is that most schools can be broken into three categories:
- they don't care: the school simply wants you to have a piece of paper claiming you've had some sort of training and certification. Often, this is more for immigration paperwork than any need of the school.
- they do care: the school actually bothers to check out your background. In cases like this it helps to have a certificate from a school that can be easily found on the internet. If you have a CELTA or a Trinity, the name recognition will help.
- the school will only accept a particular certificate, such as CELTA or Trinity.

In my humble experience, most language schools outside of Europe fall into the first two categories, while a lot of European schools do insist on category 3.

So take a look at where you want to teach, and investigate with the schools in that area. You could try emailing a few schools in that zone and ask them what they are looking for.
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ChrisV



Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 42
Location: Cambridge, UK
PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
ls650 wrote:
My observation is that most schools can be broken into three categories:
- they don't care: the school simply wants you to have a piece of paper claiming you've had some sort of training and certification. Often, this is more for immigration paperwork than any need of the school.
- they do care: the school actually bothers to check out your background. In cases like this it helps to have a certificate from a school that can be easily found on the internet. If you have a CELTA or a Trinity, the name recognition will help.
- the school will only accept a particular certificate, such as CELTA or Trinity.

In my humble experience, most language schools outside of Europe fall into the first two categories, while a lot of European schools do insist on category 3.


I think that's accurate, but Category 3 can be broken down a bit further:

Category 3a (9/10 of Category 3 schools): Insist that you have EITHER the Trinity Cert-TESOL or CELTA, but aren't fussy about which.

Category 3b (most of the remaining Category 3 schools): Insist that you have the CELTA. Don't accept Trinity, or at least not on equal terms with the CELTA.

Category 3c (a tiny number of schools): Insist that you have one particular certificate that isn't the CELTA. Usually it's either the Trinity Cert or a certificate that they have a financial interest in you having (e.g. they have an agreement with the TEFL-training body X that the school will only take teachers with certificate X, and in return TEFL-training body X will send fresh teachers to that school preferentially; alternatively, a few schools are subsidiaries or owners of their own TEFL-training organisation--though this relationship is rarely transparent).

All things considered, CELTA is the best bet in terms of universal acceptability and name recognition*. Generally speaking, it's also a very good course. It involves a lot of lesson planning, but is certainly not about lesson planning. I have a CELTA, a DELTA and an MA in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching, but I can honestly say that my teaching improved more with the CELTA than either of the other qualifications.

*However, I must note that I've only taught in Latin America, North America, the Middle East and Europe, so I can't vouch for how things work in Asia. I get the impression that the number of Category 3c schools is higher there than elsewhere.
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ETG



Joined: 28 Apr 2005
Posts: 67
PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:06 pm    Post subject: differences in TESOL certifications Reply with quote
Quote:
btw I want to be able to use it back in the U.S. when I finally make my way back there.


I think this is an important point to keep in mind, check with the requirements in the states where you would like to teach on your return to the US. It is important to keep an eye on what is going on periodically so that, on reentry, you are well placed to get a job rather than getting frustrated that your credentials are not acceptable to US employers.

I try to keep up with job ads to see what the requirements are so that when I am back in Canada I have what employers want, you can save valuable time by doing con-ed while you are on the road and getting certs your home country wants as you go along.
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