Job Discussion Forums

[stillnosheep]

drteacher.

You have made 8 posts and everyone that I have so far seen has been in praise of Oxford Seminars. I'm sure that your trainers were very good. Fact is that CELTA/Trinity is the only 'short-course' (4 weeks or less) EFL qualification recognised throughout the world and has far more 'brand-awareness' than any other qualification.

You may not be an Oxford Seminars recruiter but you sure come across like an Oxford Seminars employee.

[drteacher]

stillnosheep:

The reason for my defence of Oxford Seminars courses is twofold. First, it has helped me aquire several great positions throughout the world teaching ESL, and second, debating misinformation regarding the merits of longer, more expensive courses, as opposed to shorter, more practical courses.
I would just like prospective ESL teachers to know that CELTA, and other courses of the same ilk, are not the only alternatives to obtain ESL training. Other effective alternatives exist. I am just an example that intensive teacher training courses provide dynamic, qualified, and successful ESL instructors. Initially, I was trained by Oxford Seminars, but I do not work for them, I merely defend their training because what many posters on this forum claim regarding intensive, shorter courses is that I am not a qualified instructor. That is simply untrue, and I will continue to defend my abilities and put my teaching methods up against any CELTA (or alternative) graduates.

[Chris_Crossley]

[tw]

Beware of Oxford Seminars job placement service for its graduates! You are better off finding a job yourself. I activated my job placement service in May and the so-called coordinator never took the initiative to contact me other than to confirm that she had received my activation and later, the documents needed to process my case. I was told a recruiter had been working on my behalf to find me a job but I never heard from this recruiter, or any others that the coordinator later told me she had given my documents to. When I e-mailed her, she told me that because (1) I was not a university degree holder and (2) because of my Chinese background the recruiter was having a difficult time finding positions for me. She also used this excuse that because I had "insisted" on working in Dalian it made things more difficult. That was of course a lie because I had only said that my preferance was Dalian, but never did I say Dalian ONLY. As for the no-degree and Chinese-face problems, I received plenty of job offers from my own job search and even had to turn down a few contracts before deciding on well-paying job in a northeastern Chinese university.

The Oxford Seminars course is useful for anyone without any teaching experience. To me it was just spending some money to buy a piece of paper in order to increase my marketability.

[pollitatica]

First, I personally feel that 4 week courses are extremely beneficial. It provides a solid background and covers basic teaching principals that are essential to teaching overseas. Perfect for someone who wants to teach abroad for a few years (or more even), or someone who just isn't sure if teaching is right for them.

However, I do think that if someone wants to make a career out of teaching, it is much MORE beneficial to get more university teacher training. Some people study 3-4+ years to become a teacher. I think that for someone who went through the extensive BA/Masters in education process(es) probably would have some pretty strong opinions about the ineffectiveness of a 4 week course.

That does not mean that they are worthless and don't teach you anything. A lot of things can also be self taught. A lot more things are only learned through experience. I think it is vitally important for anyone who is teaching (having taken a 4 week course or not) have books and other resources ready to help them answer questions and explain more difficult concepts. I sure have never had even a college professor who could answer every question I had.


Just trying to put it all in a bit of context and make some peace. (I'm not trying to cause any more arguements!)

[emt08]

Hi, I noticed that this discussion about Oxford Seminars took place two to three years ago, and there are several comments about Oxford's teacher placement program being unreliable. I'm a bit new to this field, so I was wondering now, in 2008, does anyone know if Oxford Seminars has improved at all? I'm considering signing up for Oxford's class in August 2008, but after looking at these posts, I'm a bit on the fence now. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be realy grateful. Thank you!

[spiral78]

'Placement' schemes are not effective in general. It usually just means that the school will give you contact information for schools that are hiring. No one is really going to line up a contract for you. The money-back guarantees are really usually a scam as you have to do some impossible task to get your money, such as submit 30 letters from directors saying that they won't hire you because you have an Oxford cert (no director is going to take the time to write you a letter explaining why you won't be hired - they just chuck your resume in the bin and go on with their busy lives).

The standard newbie cert is still 120 hours on site, including supervised teaching practice on real students. This is considered the key element.

However, it depends really on where you want to teach. Places where there is a shortage of teachers may hire you with a lesser cert (some Asian countries). If you will tell us where you want to go, people can give you more direct advice.

[Miyazaki]

OP,

Don't get discouraged!

you've received some good (and not so good) suggestions here on this thread and I would like to add...Even though you have a master's degree in lit, you can't do enough professional development.

you are already head and shoulders above 80 - 90% of TEFL'ers on Asia and would be extremely competitive for univ. positions in Seoul and Japan with the CELTA or Oxford TEFL courses.

You're on the right track!

all the best

[Canehdian]

emtO8, I took the Oxford Seminars course last May. It was an INTENSIVE whirl wind. We had a great instructor with passion, excellent qualifications, and recent experience--which I think can be a major variable course-to-course. I learned a ton and gained confidence.

They gave us three useful texts included in the fees, one each about English teaching pedagogy; ESL games, activities, sample lessons; and a guide to the ESL job market with some contacts for every country. They addressed all the major concerns you might have as a new teacher, but due to time restraints you could only possibly have time to hit key points. Helps if your teacher is concise! You have to do assignments, lots of discussions and a few presentations. At the end you create and present one lesson for your peers. This is its biggest drawback, since you don't actually get any experience teaching real ESL students AT ALL, which other programs offer. Truly, so many positions want experience, not just certification. I recommend atleast doing some ESL volunteering with a local organization, if you go this route.

Finally, their job placement pledge: a job in 6 monthes or money back. Well...I've been done for a year and am still in Canada so... Okay, to be fair, they did provide contact info. for a number of hiring organisations (some too close to deadlines to possibly apply for), and even applied on my behalf after I provided a cover-letter and resume. (Initially, they also work with you on developing a professional resume and cover-letter.) However, I was promised their major Japanese contact would be in touch, and to this day--not a word!! Also, many organisations were big companies that I came across in my independant searching, anyway. However, they did connect me with a job that I'm happy with, in the end. Mainly, if you don't know where to begin, then their job resources are helpful. However, I can't speak for those without degrees. Some posters have mentioned they took the course and AFTERWARDS were told they should have a degree if they want a job .

On the whole, I got a lot out of their course (although by nature, it has limitations), but I advise to not expect miracles with their job placement.

[Chancellor]

[MissCreoula]

I took the Oxford Seminars course in 2006 & to be honest looking back I would've been better off taking the CELTA or TRINTY. This certificate is enough if your looking to teach in the Asia market. And to be fair I did get a job in Portugal. That being said, it took me 3 months to find a job (while I was living there & with no income) & most employers "laughed" at the Oxford Seminars certificate, I'm serious. It is not recognized at all in Portugal & from my understanding the rest of Europe as being reputable. I stayed a total of 6 months in Portugal (3 months working less than 15 hours a week) & came back to Canada for obvious financial reasons. I am no longer teaching English (but miss it) as I am working as a Flight Attendant. However, in the future I would like to take the CELTA course & teach E.S.L in Canada on my days off.

My point being is;
invest in the CELTA or a TESOL recognized certificate

[spiral78]

Short courses like Oxford are recognized in some regions- generally in places where it's hard to get teachers.

Europe is a different world - there are plenty of well-qualified teachers around and 90% have more than a short course behind them. You simply can't compete well here with a certification that doesn't include teaching practice on real students, with feedback from experienced trainers. Yes, CELTA is the name brand, but a generic cert with at least 120 hours on-site and the teaching practice will also get you in the door.

[naturegirl321]

Basically, it comes down to this. One mmoth courses are great for getting your feet wet and for those who want to teach a bit and then go back to the "real" world. But if you want to move up in the TEFL world, you'll need more qualifications and experience. And also, the one month course usually concentrate on teaching English grammar and how to teach it to students.

[KaiFeng]

I taught a few classes with Oxford and would share the following:

- They are great compilations of resources and opportunities to practice.
- I wish I had had something like this back in 1980 when I started ESL.
- Participants get to ask zillions of questions about getting started in the business.
- Pieces of paper make a difference. One reason I got my first ESL gig, ages ago, was that I had a copy of my college transcript showing an MA, while no one else had thought to bring one. Obviously I'm not equating the two; I am simply emphasizing the value of pieces of paper.
- Oxford screens their trainers well, and you have quality in front of the classroom. At least when I'm teaching!
- The course definitely helped everyone in mine feel informed and confident as they made their ways abroad.

I'd still be teaching with them, but I discovered steady community college ESL gigs paid better on a per-annual basis, and involved muuuuch less work (like carting around four boxes of books to distribute the first day. Oy!).

Haven't worked with others, but I do think that Oxford gives real value.