Job Discussion Forums

[kattate]

Hi everyone

I'm planning on heading to Vietnam to obtain my TESOL qualification and then teach. I have a BA and post-grad cert under my belt and some basic tutoring experience.

I've been Googling to find a course to undertake when I get to Vietnam, but am unsure of which college is reputable.

Did you study the TESOL (or equivalent) in Vietnam? If so, where did you study and what did you find useful about it?

Thanks so much

[The Fat Rabbit]

I haven't heard anything about taking a TESOL course in Vietnam. I've only heard some things about CELTA courses.

I found this:
http://www.learn4good.com/tefl/tesol_training_certificate_courses_jobs_vietnam.htm

I've heard the CELTA program at ILA in Saigon is quite good. That's what I heard from a few people. As for Apollo, I plan on taking the CELTA course there this year sometime. I'm choosing Apollo over ILA because Apollo is affiliated with IH and the CELTA training course is apparently internationally monitored.

I studied the online TEFL course from TITC a long time ago. The in-classroom course probably uses the same curriculum as the online course. My opinion was positive. I found the material to be quite helpful, I learned a lot.

That's all I know, sorry if it's not helpful.

[inky]

Rabbit, ALL CELTA courses in Vietnam are monitored by the Cambridge, they have an assessor visit during each course. Apollo doesn't offer any advantage over other schools.

[The Fat Rabbit]

i'm aware of that. My point is that ILA (as far as I know) only exists in Vietnam and possibly China? Apollo is affiliated with IH which is worldwide, however I know this might not make a difference at all. Both schools offer the same course for the same price, therefore there needs to be something to help choose one school over the other. They both run courses all year around the same times, so it's just a matter of deciding which school to study at.

What if the british council school in vietnam offered a CELTA course? Would you like to study it there or at ILA/Apollo. Again, you can argue there's no difference, but how would you make up your mind? Coin toss?

[inky]

The decision would really come down to the physical environment of the school, which of course can't be checked very easily from outside Vietnam. It is important to have access to a quiet study/prep area, to resources, and to a photocopier. Yes, they are supposed to provide that, but it can be done on the cheap or in a supportive way. Beyond that, the location of the school relative to places to stay/eat would be a consideration.

No employer is going to be impressed specifically by the fact that you did your CELTA at Apollo (although I've never heard of any complaints from people having done it there, it's just that there's no big difference).