Job Discussion Forums

[thirdeyeopen]

I plan on teaching soon but I wanted to know which certification is the best, as in every country would take me.

TEFL, TESL, TESOL, CELTA? From what I've heard so far, people have been saying CELTA.

If so, what programs are the best?

Someone told me that in-country is better than online.

[spiral78]

CELTA is the name brand. SIT and Trinity also are well-known. No, online certs are not recognised everywhere, because they do not include supervised teaching practice with real students - considered the key by reputable employers in many places.

In-country certification has some advantages: training centres are a good help in getting settled in a country - they usually arrange for things like airport pickup, local orientation, and housing during the course. Your practice teaching students will be really representative of those you'll work with when you start, and your fellow trainees can become your first social network. The centre will also be able to put you in touch with reputable local employers.

Where are you from? If UK, all of the EU is open to you. If you are from somewhere else, you'll be limited to the 'new' EU member countries, like the Czech Rep, Poland, and etc. Western Europe is pretty much closed to newbie teachers who are not from the EU, regardless of what certification you have.

[thirdeyeopen]

Thanks for being so helpful. You were the one who actually brought the importance of certification to me in my Spain post.

I just researched a few of the CELTA programs in Italy and Spain, but the cost is extremely high! And accommodations aren't included...

Would I be less certified if I did the CELTA program somewhere else, such as in Latin America?

Are SIT and Trinity = CELTA? What do you mean by "brand-name"?

[spiral78]

http://www.accredited-tefl-courses.com/courses/teachingreqs.htm

There are a lot of generic TEFL/TESL courses out there. Not all meet the international standards. The three I mentioned do, along with generics which

1. are 100+ hours on site
2. include supervised teaching practice with real students
3. have qualified trainers

There are some generics that meet the standard in Prague, for example. And other places, of course!!

A CELTA is a CELTA, regardless of where you take it. So long as it's a CELTA (or other course that meets the standards).

Do keep in mind that your passport is also an issue....
to work legally in Western Europe, you need certification and a passport from an EU member country.
To work legally in the 'new' EU member countries (Central Europe) you need certification and a bit of luck to find an employer that will jump through the legal hoops to get you a work permit.

[naturegirl321]

I think CELTA is probably the most recognised. That and SIT and Trinity. Usually job adverts say CELTA or equivilant.

If you want to teach in Europe, go for the CELTA.

[mtrenkova]

Many small private schools in Europe would hire just any English native speaker. I had a friend from US hired by a private English school in Fribourg (Switzerland) who has never done anything else than modeling (the School was named Wall Street Institute of English). If you go for that kind of school any teaching qualification may do.

[naturegirl321]

[spiral78]

[mtrenkova]

Yes, my friend did have a working visa and NO qualification whatsoever. And the town is anything but remote - it is County center (Canton Fribourg), the school was in downtown. Fribourg is some 50 miles away from Bern and a little more from Lausanne. It takes about 30 min train travel to get to Bern and about 1h to Lausanne, if I recall correctly. Some school won't accept such "teachers" but many do, though not always full time - you may have to work part time or as a freelancer.

As for her situation - she was married to an American citizen, engineer in aircraft industry - nothing to do with teaching English as a foreign language. Maybe I should mention the fact, that she was not working out of necessity, but because she got bored of housewife life...