Job Discussion Forums

sarahbeara_413 · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 4

Hi everyone, this is my first post to this website so if I do something wrong I apologize in advance.
I'm 24 years old and set to graduate this weekend and have been thinking about either teaching abroad or applying for the peace corps. I've done my research on both and think it would be beneficial for me to teach abroad to gain that experience so i'll have something to bring to the table when I eventually apply for the peace corps. I'm still in the idea stage of all of this, so any advice you have to offer will be appreciated. My first question is if any of you have heard of or gone through Oxford Seminars to get your TEFL certificate? There's a program here in San Jose, CA that has a course every Saturday and Sunday for 3 weekends and it's $995. Does anyone have any feedback, good or bad about this program?

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

The standard newbie certification course is 100+ hours on site, and including at least 6 hours of practice teaching with real students (not peer trainees). The practice teaching component is considered the key by reputable employers in most regions.

I don't think the course you refer to does this...

Why not consider taking a course in the country where you want to start teaching?
Training in-country offers you a great chance to get your feet wet in the country/culture while you still have a support system � they usually arrange for your housing during the course, airport pickup, and local orientation. Your practice teaching students will really be representative of those you�ll be working with when you start. You can be sure that your certification will be recognized by local employers, and a training centre can give you invaluable contacts and advice regarding reputable local employers.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 1:02 pm Post subject:

Second that- another good way to think of a good course is that, done intensively, it would take about 4 weeks, intensive Mon-Fri. Whether you do it intensively or extensively depends on you and the center- makes no difference. But if you're thinking that a course of 6 days (3 weekends, Sat and Sun) is going to be equivalent to a course of 20 days, it isn't.

Best,
justin

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

I think that intensive courses are much better than weekend ones.

sarahbeara_413 · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 4

Thanks for your replies. I will definitely think twice about Oxford Seminars now and do some more research about other programs. I understand that the intensive course would probably be a much better option but since I work fulltime I am unable to do that right now. I'm just trying to figure out what is the most financially feasible thing for me to do right now, and what fits best with my schedule.

MO39 · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 10:08 pm Post subject: Re: Oxford seminars

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 6:09 pm Post subject:

mandalayroad · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 115

I think it also depends on whether you want to teach ESL/EFL for a year as an overseas jaunt or make it a long-term career. If the latter then Oxford Seminars is not for you. If it's the former then it's fine. The more intense courses will cost you a lot of money for something you will potentially only do for a year or two. I taught at Oxford Seminars before and the materials and coursework will give you decent preparation for teaching overseas. The job placement guarantee is silly, I wouldn't put much stock in it. And like any class you take, it will depend on a lot on your instructor. My students said on their evaluations that the best thing about the course was me, and that's why they learned a lot and were satisfied. OA runs information sessions for many of its classes so why not go to one of those and get a feel for the instructor? That will give you the best idea of whether the course will be worth your time and money.

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

Just to be really clear, a course that is less than 120 hours on site and that doesn't include the supervised teaching practice is NOT ACCEPTED BY ALL POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS.

In some regions, IT IS ACCEPTED.

So, it's NOT necessarily 'fine if you just want to teach ESL/EFL for a year as an overseas jaunt,' in that it won't get you in the door in many parts of the world.

This is heavily dependent on where you want to go.

sarahbeara_413 · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 4

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

I don't know Oxford's specific 'guarantee,' but I do know that some other courses require you to do something impossible to get your money back
like 'submit 30 letters from school directors stating that they will not consider you for the position.' If you're not going to be considered, then few directors are going to bother to write a letter telling you so. They just delete your email.

Why not consider taking a course in the country where you want to start teaching? There are lots of common-sense reasons to take this option.

Training in-country offers you a great chance to get your feet wet in the country/culture
while you still have a support system � they usually arrange for your housing during the course, airport pickup, and local orientation. Your practice teaching students will really be representative of those you�ll be working with when you start. You can be sure that your certification will be recognized by local employers, and a training centre can give you invaluable contacts and advice regarding reputable local employers.

sarahbeara_413 · Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 4

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

Good. If you want to ask about specific locations, there will certainly be some regular here who can give you some advice relevant to the region where you want to go.

mandalayroad · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 115

The jobs that require 120 hour certificates are usually the same ones that want you to have previous teaching experience and/or an advanced degree, which you also probably don't have. Therefore it will be of negligible value to spend $3000 for a course that will in all likelihood not make you much more employable than a $1000 certificate. Unless you're going to be in this for more than a couple years, I'd recommend against spending so much money for your certificate. At the end of the day the best way to become a better teacher is to teach, and teach often, while also being open to feedback from students and colleagues.

The job placement service is "silly" because you could do the same thing on your own by cruising the jobs page at Dave's and other sites. The guarantee is like most corporate guarantees in that you would have to jump through so many hoops to claim it that it is in-effect impossible to do so. Of course they can find you a job in Korea, and if you turn that down, then that's your problem, you don't get your money back. In essence, they don't guarantee you a job in a specific country, only a job someplace.

If you plan to stay in one country for your overseas jaunt then I guess you could do the certificate in that country, but how transferable will that certificate be to other countries? Also you'll need to take time getting the certificate in that country after you get there, rather than jumping into teaching and making money to support yourself. You'll be stalled rather than hitting the ground running when you arrive. I would recommend getting the certificate before you go so that its portable in case you decide to bail to another country and so you already have the credential factor completed before you go.

Your mileage may vary...

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

The jobs that require 120 hour certificates are usually the same ones that want you to have previous teaching experience and/or an advanced degree, which you also probably don't have. Therefore it will be of negligible value to spend $3000 for a course that will in all likelihood not make you much more employable than a $1000 certificate

This is not true everywhere.

The standard in Europe and much of Latin America is a 120 hour cert, and in some cases, a 4-year degree in anything. That is the standard newbie level.

If you search the 'Poland' forum, for example, you'll find a thread (from a while back now) where a guy with an Oxford cert was job-searching. He did ultimately find something, but the cert was not well-regarded by most potential employers.