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Madame J
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
Posts: 239
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
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 Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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| ShanghaiSurprise wrote: |
What is the fail rate during a CELTA class?
I know someone that did a CELTA class in Korea recently and he told me that 2 students didn't pass out of a class with a total of 10 in it.
Are the people that fail just not showing up?
I'm a bit worried about the aspect of failing the CELTA which is basically subjective (from what I understand).
How hard is it to pass the CELTA? |
That's what I've been wanting to know too! The idea of me shelling out for a flight, a month's worth of accommodation and the vast cost of the course itself only to return home a month later telling everyone I'd failed is unbearable. Makes me consider simply paying to do some voluntary work instead. |
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SnoopBot
Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 740
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:38 am Post subject: |
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| Madame J wrote: |
| ShanghaiSurprise wrote: |
What is the fail rate during a CELTA class?
I know someone that did a CELTA class in Korea recently and he told me that 2 students didn't pass out of a class with a total of 10 in it.
Are the people that fail just not showing up?
I'm a bit worried about the aspect of failing the CELTA which is basically subjective (from what I understand).
How hard is it to pass the CELTA? |
That's what I've been wanting to know too! The idea of me shelling out for a flight, a month's worth of accommodation and the vast cost of the course itself only to return home a month later telling everyone I'd failed is unbearable. Makes me consider simply paying to do some voluntary work instead. |
The failure rates should not be very high. If you have a degree already you should be able to handle the work load. These classes are condensed with a large amount of work needed because of the short time and the large amount of material that needs to be covered.
if the drop out rates are very high it might be due to the fact that the student body either didn't do the required work or are not College material in the first place.
Many will attend these courses, party, goof-around, and are no-shows for the course. Hence they fail.
If you are serious, and really want to learn you should NOT fail this course. You must insure though that the course offered is via a legit source. (Fly-by-night outfits taught by unqualified people might have high failure rates)
Failure rates shouldn't be very high for an EFL cert. |
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englishgibson
Joined: 09 Mar 2005
Posts: 4345
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| Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:40 am Post subject: |
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sorry for my negativity again, but any credentials in this country may not be well justified...i mean look at what we're expected to do in classrooms
cheers and beers to all the credentials that we keep in our closets |
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Madame J
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
Posts: 239
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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Ah, that's good to know. I don't actually have a degree  , but I took a weekend TEFL course a couple of years ago and despite finding the intensity intimidating at first, ended up absolutely loving it and finding it inspirational. I hope this will stand me in good stead. |
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angelfire
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 29
Location: United States
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 5:08 pm Post subject: DELTA |
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Hi everyone. I am new to the board. I have been searching for a good DELTA program in Asia. Does Asia offer any of the modules (1-4) or are they distance? Any replies about these programs or experiences with these programs would be welcome (I already have a CELTA and a university degree). Thanks.
angelfire |
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Hansen
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 737
Location: central China
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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Some CELTA training centers offer a TESOL to those who do not meet the CELTA criteria. Those who fear failure might want to check with the training center you plan to attend.
Some type of TESOL/TEFL can be useful in certain job settings. For instance, some provinces allow those without a bachelor's degree, who do have a TESOL/TEFL, to legally teach at the high school level. Again, check your local listings for relevance to your situation. |
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OuterBanks13
Joined: 18 May 2009
Posts: 33
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| Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Stay away from any firm offering to provide you with a TEFL certificate if you teach with them. Low paying crappolla and unreliable employers from what I've seen. |
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angelfire
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 29
Location: United States
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| Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:16 pm Post subject: DELTA |
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| I've been accepted at a school in Beijing. I've heard WILDLY differing opinions on DELTA in Asia, but a school in Chang Mai, Thailand sounds promising - does anyone know about this school? |
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Eyrick3
Joined: 29 Mar 2008
Posts: 161
Location: Beijing, China
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| Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:45 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Stay away from any firm offering to provide you with a TEFL certificate if you teach with them. Low paying crappolla and unreliable employers from what I've seen. |
There are many unaccredited organizations out there doing so. One that comes right to mind is DELTER or something along those lines (not to be confused with the CELTA/DELTA group).
On the other hand, I did my TESOL Diploma with a group of out Harbin, Will-Excel TESOL, who worked on a similar model with their sponsor schools. We actually had the option of paying to get the diploma right away, but for those who weren't eager, or were able to get job placement before beginning the program, there wasn't any rush for the physical qualification. It's a nice alternative to paying 1500+ cash up front.
I was making 5000 RMB/month after bonuses for 22 hours a week. Not bad considering the other perks we got (health coverage, nice accommodation, visas, food, etc.)
The training with their program was invaluable. It really prepared me for the classroom. They're also accredited by the provincial education bureau. At our graduation an official from the bureau attended and stamped our diplomas.
In general, as many posters above have said, do your research and ask for references. The group in Beijing, if I'm not mistaken, used to be TEFL International, but is now doing their own thing. If this is the case, they won't have accreditation. |
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Renegade_o_Funk
Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Posts: 125
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| Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:48 am Post subject: |
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Why do you feel you need a DELTA when you have a CELTA & a Degree ? If You do have a CELTA & a BA, I doubt there are any teachers in Asia that could teach you to teach English better than you are already able to. Return to your home country & pursue a DELTA if you are that serious about one.
You may as well photo shop your name onto a DELTA certificate if you are going to obtain it in China. |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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Wowsers, talk about an old thread. It was exactly 6 years since I did my CELTA, and well, I'm now in Bangkok again having gone full circle.
As for the usefulness of CELTA in China, don't even bother. Nobody in China heard of it then after I got the piece of paper, and not much has changed now.
The failure rate of the course is about 10%, and that's pretty much due to stastitics. That is to say, on average, 1 or 2 people will drop from the group. The trainers are as objective as they can possibly be, and those who fail simply don't meet the course requirements. Those who are in danger of failing are given ample notice and specific requirements of what needs to be done in order to pass. I happened to be one of those people. Not a fun experience, but I worked my tail off in the last week of the course getting my lessons up to standard.
If a course has, say, x students fail on average, it doesn't mean the trainers are out to fail x number of people. Correlation need not impy causation. But similar to any class you teach, after you do it enough times, you can almost predict how many will fail. Then again, there are surprises. One year I taught a course where everyone passed, then next year I had almost a 25% fail rate.
I didn't really need the CELTA for my teaching experience right after that, but the general skills were invaluable for later teaching. I basically switched to a math / physcs HS teacher, but the training for that back home was brutal. The 'boot camp' approach of CELTA gave me the survival skills needed to tackle a year-long program which was even more intense and brutal.
Steve |
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sharpe88
Joined: 21 Oct 2008
Posts: 226
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| Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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Erm, not quite unless the BA was in Linguistics or Education. The CELTA is just an initial qualification. I doubt most grads are really that familiar with the intricacies of grammar and phonetics after just one month. They will still be a *lot* more familiar with the basics than someone totally untrained, of course
| Renegade_o_Funk wrote: |
If You do have a CELTA & a BA, I doubt there are any teachers in Asia that could teach you to teach English better than you are already able to.
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cblack76
Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 26
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| Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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Renegade_o_Funk wrote:
If You do have a CELTA & a BA, I doubt there are any teachers in Asia that could teach you to teach English better than you are already able to. |
So, essentially anyone right out of a CELTA course without any experience aside from teaching practice would be a better TESOL instructor than someone with five years of experience + other credentials?
Not sure I agree with this one. Experience is key, as is the support to help you develop.
There are two types of people regarding education, those who want the education, and those who want the qualification. Those who want the qualification will never become great teachers because they're only out for the piece of paper. Those who want the education, training and experience, however, will be the ones who actually contribute to the betterment of society and help their students learn.
It would be nice if more teachers coming here to China took course for the education as opposed to the qualification. |
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Renegade_o_Funk
Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Posts: 125
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| Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:54 am Post subject: |
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| cblack76 wrote: |
| Quote: |
Renegade_o_Funk wrote:
If You do have a CELTA & a BA, I doubt there are any teachers in Asia that could teach you to teach English better than you are already able to. |
So, essentially anyone right out of a CELTA course without any experience aside from teaching practice would be a better TESOL instructor than someone with five years of experience + other credentials?
Not sure I agree with this one. Experience is key, as is the support to help you develop.
There are two types of people regarding education, those who want the education, and those who want the qualification. Those who want the qualification will never become great teachers because they're only out for the piece of paper. Those who want the education, training and experience, however, will be the ones who actually contribute to the betterment of society and help their students learn.
It would be nice if more teachers coming here to China took course for the education as opposed to the qualification. |
I just thought I would comment on qualified teachers in China - that is an entirely different subject that has been debated in-depth.  Can China attract qualified western teachers , with 3-5k rmb offers   That might pay the qualified teachers student loan payment's each month, said teacher would still need to pay rent , eat, enjoy life.. |
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