Job Discussion Forums

[Buddhabelly]

I'd like to ask those certificate-carrying teachers whether a great deal of importance is given by employers to the name and location of the school that granted you all your CELTA or other teaching certificate.
I'm looking to start a CELTA course in a couple of months and wonder if I should go for a program given by a university in an English-speaking land (U.S, Canada and so on), or do one of the courses in a cheaper, exotic location like Costa Rica or Thailand.
I'm just worried that I will get less job offers if I go for the latter instead of the former.
Regards
Buddhabelly

[Gordon]

I don't think the location matters too much for a CELTA since it is externally moderated and all should be equal. Before taking the course, ask some tough questions regarding the experience of the tutors. Personally, I wouldn't take a course from a tutor if this was their first course.

[FGT]

If it's the Cambridge CELTA (currently administered by ESOL, previously RSA) it shouldn't matter where you do it because, as Gordon says, it's externally moderated so standards are maintained. Further to what he says, I think, in some ways, a site that's doing it for the first time may, in some respects, be better because they will be pulling out all the stops to be recognised.
Where I work, we've recruited teachers with CELTA from both UK and local courses. No discrimination.
Some schools only accept teachers with A or B pass. That's probably more important than where.

[Aramas]

I'm curious regarding any advantages that might be associated with a CELTA from a recognised western uni as opposed to 'Chang's Engrish'R'Us' in Outer Mongolia. My guess is that doing it at a uni may have some advantage if contemplating teaching at a uni. Then again, perhaps not.

Anyway, you can do both. RMIT (a well regarded Australian uni) offers the CELTA course at their Saigon campus for $1500 USD, and I'm sure there must be others. The RMIT site claims that a masters is the minimum requirement for a teaching position there, with PhD's preferred, so perhaps the qualifications of the teachers are good even if their teaching skills are nothing to get excited about (and I have no reason to assume that to be the case).

[matthews_world]

CELTA in Seoul, Korea has cirriculum based on teaching Korean students. Cost - 2,000,000 won. (1160 won/$ as of 04/18/04)

[Sianage]

I did mine at International House, which was brilliant and has a reputation for quality.

I would go for the one which looks like the best course and covers the aspects you may struggle with - eg language analysis if you've not done Linguistics before. The reputation may not make any difference once you get overseas but that was the best spent money and month of my life, and I still use my notes!

Good luck - and enjoy!

[nicdoering]

I did a CELTA course in February at RMIT in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - I'd recommend it without hesitation. I also applied to Elite in Bangkok but they cancelled two courses and the second time that happened they only told me because I emailed them and asked them after weeks of silence. At RMIT, just 5 weeks before the course began, it took 7 days from my initial email to acceptance. That impressed me. The two tutors (one for each group of 6 trainees) were an inspiration, the course was fantastic, and the campus and facilities were excellent too.

Nic

[Aramas]

That's very encouraging. I want to do the RMIT course but I can't make it in May and the next one isn't until November.

[khmerhit]

Location, location, location.

[lozwich]

One thing to think about with the location is the amount of external support you will be able to get while you are on the course, because its really tiring! One plus of doing it at home, or close to friends is that they can cook, clean, and provide a shoulder for you should you need it. I know that if my friends hadn't come along and dragged me out from time to time to relax, or just to ingest a little food, I'd be teaching English in the local loony bin!

Good luck!
Lozwich.