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Mexicobound
Joined: 09 Apr 2009
Posts: 120
Location: In Texas but ready to roam again
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 Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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| BenE wrote: |
Julianne what is the world of TEFL course sales like?
I looked at what you have posted and it seems like you have quite a history of posting for some small websites probably run from the same location offering small time courses for new 'TEFL seeking' people.
I will jump straight to some questions:
Can you tell me if a course with seriousTEFL is comparable or better than the three main courses I mentioned beforehand (CELTA, Trinity TESOL and SIT) and why?
How does an online cert sucessfully teach the techniques required to teach in a class? How does it also substitute the the more practical approach of a student actually teaching a class?
I am eager to hear your reply. |
Edited. Sorry.
Last edited by Mexicobound on Sun May 17, 2009 8:01 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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Mexicobound - you missed the point. BenE isn't asking genuine questions  |
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Mexicobound
Joined: 09 Apr 2009
Posts: 120
Location: In Texas but ready to roam again
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| Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
| Mexicobound - you missed the point. BenE isn't asking genuine questions |
Opps. I was just surfing for posts to respond to in order to hit 100 for my avatar.
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BenE
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 321
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 2:30 am Post subject: |
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What?
Was someone taking my posts seriously?
Of course I am considering throwing away my experience and CELTA and getting an online TEFL. They sound so tempting. And they guarantee you a job at the end. CELTA doesn't offer you that. Plus it's longer and harder. They cover everything you need online and with a short weekend course.
Damn it makes life sound so easy.
p.s. I missed the post before it was edited. Anyone care to give me an idea of the highlights. |
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MrMrLuckyKhan
Joined: 08 Feb 2008
Posts: 282
Location: Kingdom of Cambodia
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 2:36 am Post subject: |
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| Mexicobound wrote: |
| spiral78 wrote: |
| Mexicobound - you missed the point. BenE isn't asking genuine questions |
Opps. I was just surfing for posts to respond to in order to hit 100 for my avatar.
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well, u made it, congratulations!!!!!  |
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MrMrLuckyKhan
Joined: 08 Feb 2008
Posts: 282
Location: Kingdom of Cambodia
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 2:39 am Post subject: |
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| BenE wrote: |
p.s. I missed the post before it was edited. Anyone care to give me an idea of the highlights. |
Oh, it was pretty brutal!!! I think he even dragged your mum into it!!
I joke I joke, I kid I kid!! I didn't read it either  |
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Mexicobound
Joined: 09 Apr 2009
Posts: 120
Location: In Texas but ready to roam again
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:25 am Post subject: |
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| BenE wrote: |
What?
Was someone taking my posts seriously?
Of course I am considering throwing away my experience and CELTA and getting an online TEFL. They sound so tempting. And they guarantee you a job at the end. CELTA doesn't offer you that. Plus it's longer and harder. They cover everything you need online and with a short weekend course.
Damn it makes life sound so easy.
p.s. I missed the post before it was edited. Anyone care to give me an idea of the highlights. |
There wasn't much to my response. I thought you were asking general questions so I made some general response.
Actually, I was trying to hit 100 posts to see if my avatar panel showed up, it did.
Please forgive me for using your post for my own selfish reasons, it won't happen again.
I see the humor now, good stuff. |
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Mexicobound
Joined: 09 Apr 2009
Posts: 120
Location: In Texas but ready to roam again
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:27 am Post subject: |
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| MrMrLuckyKhan wrote: |
| Mexicobound wrote: |
| spiral78 wrote: |
| Mexicobound - you missed the point. BenE isn't asking genuine questions |
Opps. I was just surfing for posts to respond to in order to hit 100 for my avatar.
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well, u made it, congratulations!!!!! |
Thanks, MrMrLuckyKhan. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 5:57 am Post subject: |
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BenE, he just suggested that you could easily find the answers to the questions you put to Julieanne yourself with a bit of basic research. Nothing to call in the mods on 
I'm glad you've got your avatar, M.b! |
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Mexicobound
Joined: 09 Apr 2009
Posts: 120
Location: In Texas but ready to roam again
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| Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
I'm glad you've got your avatar, M.b! |
Thank you Spiral.
The little things that make me happy. |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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Had a glance at the SeriousTEFL website again to see what they're up to.
Still looks pretty dodgy to me.
A poster here said:
If you follow the link given, it takes you to the page where the FAQ "Is this course recognised?" is asked. THey still have the IATEFL logo up, which is odd as IATEFL are very clear that they don't recognise TEFL courses. (It's on their website, but to be sure, I wrote and asked.) It also still has a link to the NAFSA website, in the place where the NAFSA logo used to be. (NAFSA doesn't recognise courses either, and doesnt' even have institutional memberships. BUt using the link here seems to me to be about as misleading as using the logo- it implies NAFSA recognition of the course. )
THere are also a series of logos below this, but they're tiny, and hard to read on my monitor. If you click on them, you go to the SeriousTeachers homepage.
How strange.
In the dodgy world of online EFL training, I have to say that the conscious pattern of seemingly willfully misleading tactics of this crowd stand out as unusually dodgy.
Best,
Justin |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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Following up- the tiny logos on the SeriousTEFL webpage are kind of weird. Why link back to their own home page?
But, they are:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's travel advice service. This is clearly not an accrediting body.
"Investors in People." THis is some sort of an organisation that certifies something or other about the way businesses invest in people. Nothing to do with EFL.
"Year Out Group." Again, these guys are not an accrediting body. THey're a gap year programs website. But even fishier is the fact that I can't find SeriousTEFL on their website.
"ODLQC." THe Online and Distance LEarning Qualification Council . THese guys, at least, are what they're presented as. They DO accredit distance learning programs. But the only distance learning TEFL cert course I find on their website is i to i.
SO. SeriousTEFL appears to be running their advertising in ways that could be seriously misleading.
Best,
Justin |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 12:18 am Post subject: Still a bit grouchy... |
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Okay- I'm hoping this is the last time I resurect this thread- but in case any newbs find it, via the search feature, I wanted to make sure that the "end" (so far) of the story went up here.
When I made my previous post, SeriousTEFL had a series of logos, where another poster had linked, saying they were recognised by several agencies.
Some were too small to read, but I expanded the pics, and posted the names I was able to read here. I also wrote to these organisations.
Most haven't responded yet. The one that did, said that they did not, and had never, had a member called SeriousTEFL or seriousteachers, or similar.
All logos have now disappeared from the website.
Seriously suspicious.
Justin |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 4:51 am Post subject: |
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Great work, Justin.
I actually expect that this thread will slowly slip out of sight now - but the next time (whether it's tomorrow or three months from now) there's an inquiry into Serious TEFL, we can find and bump it.
Of course, there's always the possibility that they'll clean up the act entirely and the course will be totally reputable the next time someone asks.
But once a misleading pattern's been established I'm afraid I think total rehabilitation's unlikely...they'll probably be just as dodgy in future, I guess. |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 5:54 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Spiral-
I'm dropping out of looking into online TEFL courses for a while, as it was beginning to take up a lot of time. But I hope this thread survives for any further noobs who are interested in SeriousTEFL.
I guess most online distance short easy cheap courses are pretty similar. But...
I have to say that by apparently knowingly misusing the logos of other organisations to imply greater status and recognition than they have, these guys have hit a new low. Truly fraudulent, as far as I'm concerned.
There may be some who say "All the online courses do it." I don't know that, but lying is lying no matter who does it.
There may be those who say "Maybe it was just a mistake." Well, how the heck can you THINK you're a member of "Investors in People" if you aren't?
The fact that the logos disappeared tells me all I need to know. It was a con.
Best,
Justin |
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