Job Discussion Forums

froggirl · Joined: 17 Jul 2010 Posts: 1

hi, I'm going to graduate in december with a bachelor's in history and spanish, and i want to go to Chile when i graduate to teach english.

i know I want to be TEFL certified, but I'm having a hard time deciding on what level of class to take. 40-hr or 120-hr? does it matter?

So, if anyone has experience in south america, does the TEFL cert. matter much, and what class would you recommend? I do speak spanish, but have little teaching experience, so otherwise my resume is pretty average.

Also, can anyone recommend a company to take it from? Price and job placement assistance are of importance.

Thanks!

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

Simply put: yes it matters what you take. But it may not matter to employers.

Get the best one you can. That means 1. university b.ed length type of certificate. Or B.Ed itself with an ESL endorsement 2. single term university certificate 3. single month CELTA type of thing 4. the longest 'number of hours' certificate you can.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 12:36 pm Post subject:

Hi there-

Just a couple of quick thoughts- your "40 or 120" hour certificate question makes me think you're considering the certificates offered through "i to i."

Personally, I'd keep looking. i to i certs are generally not well thought of- in the markets I've worked in, anybody who will hire you with an i to i cert will hire you equally well without one. (Without any cert.)

I'd really recommend getting at least an onsite 4 week intensive kind of program, such as CELTA, Trinity, SIT, or something along those lines.

I was until recently involved in the SIT TESOL cert in Quito, Ecuador, so if Ecuador is of interest, feel free to drop me a line.

Best,
Justin

coledavis · Joined: 21 Jun 2003 Posts: 1838

I agree with Justin, but would recommend CELTA or Trinity TESOL for greatest flexibility over your career; most employers around the world favour these.