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CELTA Mexico vs. TEFL C.R. Similar cost, is CELTA better?

 
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fimac



Joined: 27 Mar 2008
Posts: 16
PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 6:37 am    Post subject: CELTA Mexico vs. TEFL C.R. Similar cost, is CELTA better? Reply with quote
Hello everyone,

I have been considering doing a TEFL/CELTA course for a long time now. I am overseas at the moment and (providing I have the money) am thinking of FINALLY applying somewhere for October.

I had originally planned to do the CELTA in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, however having traveled in Costa Rica for a month and a half and made some friends, I am now considering the TEFL course in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica.

My question is, how much more of an advantage would I have (if any) doing the CELTA vs a straight TESOL cert? There is only about $150 difference between the two courses, and from what I understand the CELTA is probably more highly respected.

I am also having trouble finding feedback from both schools. Is the Manuel Antonio course worth $1690USD? Have people found jobs alright? If anyone has done either of the courses, feedback and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Fi
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jacobfrank



Joined: 30 Aug 2009
Posts: 17
Location: Wenzhou, China
PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:33 am    Post subject: CELTA vs. TEFL Reply with quote
Generally speaking having a CELTA is an advantage over just a TEFL cert. There are a number of language institutes/schools that won't hire someone with a TEFL (reason being that there is no accepted standard of what makes up a TEFL certificate program) but will with a CELTA. You may want to research some of the places you'd want to teach and look into what they require.
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Chancellor



Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:20 pm    Post subject: Re: CELTA Mexico vs. TEFL C.R. Similar cost, is CELTA better Reply with quote
fimac wrote:
Hello everyone,

I have been considering doing a TEFL/CELTA course for a long time now. I am overseas at the moment and (providing I have the money) am thinking of FINALLY applying somewhere for October.

I had originally planned to do the CELTA in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, however having traveled in Costa Rica for a month and a half and made some friends, I am now considering the TEFL course in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica.

My question is, how much more of an advantage would I have (if any) doing the CELTA vs a straight TESOL cert? There is only about $150 difference between the two courses, and from what I understand the CELTA is probably more highly respected.

I am also having trouble finding feedback from both schools. Is the Manuel Antonio course worth $1690USD? Have people found jobs alright? If anyone has done either of the courses, feedback and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Fi
Think brand name vs. generic. There are some people who will insist that the brand name is automatically superior, though the only reason brand names become brand names is they've had time to become more familiar to people. However, not all courses are identical - even if they claim to meet the minimum industry standard of 100-120 course hours followed by at least six hours of supervised teaching practice with real ESL students. Check out who accredits a particular course (and whether the accrediting agency is even qualified to accredit courses). Many TEFL course providers will say they're "accredited" by so-and-so. First check with "so-and-so" to see if the course provider is "accredited" by them and then check to see what process "so-and-so" goes through to accredit a course. Sometimes a course provider claims to be accredited but really all they did was pay for membership in a certain organization. Check out the course content, i.e. what is covered in a particular course and how extensively (e.g. the course I took was divided into three parts: phonology, grammar and methodology; and then there was 10 hours each of observing real ESL teachers and supervised teaching practice with real ESL students).

What it all comes down to is this: whether you do a CELTA, Trinity, SIT (the brand names) or one of the generics, you're still doing an entry-level certification course for teaching English to adults. Don't expect to get a job in, say, a university in the United States teaching English to speakers of other languages with such a qualification. If you have a four-year degree (you'll need one to teach in some countries) and want to do TEFL as a career, consider getting either a graduate certificate in TEFL or a master's degree in TESOL or applied linguistics.
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Atlan Training



Joined: 02 Apr 2009
Posts: 76
Location: Spain
PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 3:18 pm    Post subject: CELTA vs generic cert in Latin America Reply with quote
Hi fimac

I am the director of the Southern Cross CELTA center in Ecuador.

There is no question that the CELTA is immeasurably better than a generic certification for employability. With a CELTA, you will be considered for employment anywhere. My center, for example, does not even review applications from teachers without a CELTA, and I know of many other centers with similar policies. You're only smart options are Cambridge CELTA, Trinity TESOL, or SIT TESOL, and among them, CELTA is by far the most widely recognized globally.

The center in Costa Rica has a good reputation. The one in Playa del Carmen does not. The price difference is worth it.

But if you are considering paying $1700 for Costa Rica, why not come to Ecuador and do your CELTA in an ecoresort on the beach?? It's only $2000 and includes accommodation and three meals a day for five weeks!

Good luck!
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