Job Discussion Forums

[tom davis]

I am considering getting an online tefl certificate. A director of a school here in hong kong said not all tefl certificates would be helpful in getting a job as they may not be properly accreditted. Does anyone know of an online tefl program which is properly accreditted?

[tom davis]

I just read about BridgeLinguatec. They are accredited by ACCET, Authorised Centre for Teaching Awards, I guess somehow associated with Cambridge University. Would this carry any weight?

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hi Tom:

Below is a repost from The Master Index + TEFL FAQ Thailand. It may provide you with some options for comparison. Not all Distance TEFL courses are equal; [i.e., some have an accreditation of some sort, some don't; some are only 60 hours, some are 120 hours; some offer an observed teaching practicum, some don't; and some carry a higher price tag and 'brand name recognition' (George Washington University, Trinity College, Cambridge, University of Southern Queensland, Penn State, St. Mary's College, Drexel University, etc) while the cheaper ones are often more or less unknown]



Q11.1: How about Distance TEFL courses? Do you personally recommend this approach?

A11.1: The general consensus of opinion is that doing an onsite course is better, if you have that option.

Online courses can be rewarding & worthwhile, but there are 3 questions to consider before signing up:

#1. accreditation :: In addition to the official DOE/MOE in each state or country, several newer organisations have sprung up recently which specialise in Distance Education. There's also a forum (DegreeInfo) dedicated to discussion of the subject.

#2. the lack of observed classroom training (note: some courses do offer an observed practicum!)

#3. the question of acceptance of online certificates by potential employers. Please be aware that some employers state clearly in their adverts that they do not recognize TEFL certificates earned online. Read 'some' employers; not all.





accreditation



in the USA




http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ (US Department of Education)

http://www.msche.org/ (Middle States Commission on Higher Education)

http://www.chea.org/ (CHEA / Council for Higher Education Accreditation)

http://www.detc.org/ (DETC / The Distance Education and Training Council)

http://www.ncate.org/ (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education)

http://www.wascweb.org/ (WASC / Western Association of Schools and Colleges)

http://www.accet.org/index2.cfm (ACCET / Accreditation Council for Continuing Education)

http://www.citaschools.org/ (Commission on International & Trans-Regional Accreditation)



in Canada




http://www.tesl.ca/ (The TESL Canada Federation Website / please refer to Standards)

http://www.accreditations.ca/ (Canadian Education and Training Accreditation Commission)

http://www.cicic.ca/postsec/indexe.stm (Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials)



in Australia




http://www.auqa.edu.au/ (AUQA / Australian Universities Quality Agency)

http://www.aqf.edu.au/register.htm (AQF / Australian Qualifications Framework)



in the UK




http://www.britishcouncil.org/accreditation.htm (British Council / Accreditation)

http://www.odlqc.org.uk/ (ODL QC / Open and Distance Learning Quality Council)

http://www.collegeofteachers.ac.uk/cpd/index.htm (The College of Teachers / UK)

http://www.actdec.org.uk/ (Accreditation Council for TESOL Distance Courses / UK)

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/index.shtml (DfES / Department for Education and Skills / UK)

http://www.qca.org.uk/index.html (QCA / Qualifications and Curriculum Authority / UK)

http://www.accac.org.uk/ (Qualifications, Curriculum & Assessment Authority / Wales)



general information & discussion


http://www.matesol.info/ (MATESOL / free graduate & MA TESOL Guide)

http://www.whichcourse.com/ (Comparative guide / choosing a TEFL course)

http://www.eslcafe.com/discussion/dz1/ (Dave's ESL Cafe / Teacher Training Forum)

http://www.degreeinfo.com/index.html (Degree info / Distance Learning Info & Forum)




distance TESOL & post-graduate TESOL studies


http://www.eddegree.com/ (George Washington University - USA / Distance MA in Education)

http://www.indiana.edu/~disted/index.html (Indiana University of Bloomington - USA / MA & Cert EFL)

http://www.une.edu.au/arts/LCL/index.shtml (University of New England - Australia / MA Applied Linguistics)

http://www.education.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduatestudents/ (University of Manchester / MEd & MA TESOL)

http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/current/opacsprog.html (U of Southern Queensland / MA TESOL & Appl. Ling)

http://www.uts.edu.au/study/courses.html (University of Technology - Sydney / Distance MA in Applied Linguistics)

http://www.athabascau.ca/cll/english.html (Athabasca University - Canada / BA English & MA Integrated Studies)

http://www.le.ac.uk/se/courses/tesol_home.html (University of Leicester / MA & PhD in Linguistics & TESOL)

http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/pg/edu/gcteso/ (Charles Sturt University - Australia / Grad Cert TESOL)

http://www.bangor.ac.uk/linguistics/ (University of Wales Bangor - Wales, UK / MA & PhD in Linguistics)

http://www.cie.ca./otherpro.htm (Canadian Institute of English - Canada / Distance BEd & MEd TESOL)

http://www.su.edu/sas/tesol/ (Shenandoah University - USA / Distance TESOL & MA TESOL programs)

http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/support/distance.htm (Macquarie Univ - Australia / MA Applied Linguistics)

http://study.massey.ac.nz/ (Massey University - New Zealand / a variety of Distance TESOL Degrees)

http://www.open.ac.uk/ (The Open University - UK / BA, MA TESOL, Cert, PGCE & Applied Linguistics)

http://www.aston.ac.uk/lss/english/index.jsp (Aston University - UK / Distance TESOL & MSc TESOL)

http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/study/masters/index.htm (Lancaster University - UK / Online MA in ELT)

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/languagestudies/ (University of Dundee - Scotland / Online MA in TMLA)

http://maxkade.miis.edu/call_online/index.html (Monterey Institute - USA / Online CALL certificate)

http://www.rdg.ac.uk/AcaDepts/cl/slals/pgcourse.htm (The University of Reading - UK / MA in ELT)

http://www.drexel.com/ (Drexel University / Online post-grad teaching degrees & TESL certificate)

http://www.cels.bham.ac.uk/prospectus/ODL/odlteflinfo.htm (University of Birmingham / MA TEFL)

http://www.gelber-kaiser.de/TESL/index.html (Int. Faith Theological Seminary / MA Applied Ling)

http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/ed/tesol/ (Sheffield Hallam University - UK / MA & PgDip TESOL)

http://www.teflinternational.com/m_ed_tesol.html (TEFL International / Distance MEd TESOL)

http://www.monash.edu.au/ (Monash University - Australia / Distance PGCE, Diploma & MEd)

http://www.smuc.ac.uk/lttu/actdec/index.html (St. Mary's College - UK / Distance Dipl TESOL)

http://www.swan.ac.uk/cals/ (University of Wales, Swansea / Online BA, MA & PhD in TEFL)

http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/index.html (University of London / Distance MA TESOL)

http://www.schooloftesl.com/ (School of TESL & Seattle University - USA / TESOL cert)

http://www.educ.utas.edu.au/users/tle/Tesol/ (University of Tasmania / MEd TESOL)

http://www.anaheim.edu/edu/index.shtml (Anaheim University / Online MS in TESOL)

http://www.uga.edu/academics/distance.html (The University of Georgia / Online MEd)

http://www.thedistancedelta.com/index.cfm (British Council & IH / The Distance DELTA)

http://www.bridgelinguatec.com/ (Bridge-Linguatec / CELTA, TEFL & Online certification)

http://www.intesolprague-teflcourses.com/index.htm (INTESOL Prague / Online & Hybrid)

http://www.teachenglish.co.uk/ (London Teacher Training College / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/pub/index.shtml (Penn State World Campus / Online MEd)

http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ALRG/ (University of Surrey - UK / MA TESOL & MSc ELT Management)

http://www.transworldschools.com/home.htm (TransWorld / Online CTESOL Cert & practicum)

http://www.englishtc.co.uk/ (The English Training Centre / 3 levels of Online TESOL certificate)

http://www.americanbritish.com/ (American British Teaching Group / Distance TEFL certification)

http://www.tesoltraining.co.uk/index.html (SGI / Trinity College Diploma or Certificate in TESOL)

http://www.intesolinternational.com/ (INTESOL / Online TESOL & Diploma in TESOL certification)

http://www.oxfordtefl.com/index.htm (Oxford TEFL / Trinity College Cert TESOL & Diploma TESOL)

http://www.ef-tefl-training.com/teacherinfo/training/online/default.asp (EF Diploma TEFL / NEW)

http://www.tesol-education.com/ (Harrow Institute of Linguistics / Online TESOL certification)

http://tesol1.net/ (William Brewster TESOL Institute / Onsite in Jakarta, Online & BA TESOL)

http://www.tesolplus.com/tesol_ol.php (ELS / Online TESOL cert with practicum in Adelaide)

http://www.english-international.com/ (English International / Distance TEFL certification)

http://www.thekennedyacademy.com/ (The Kennedy Academy / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.apu.edu/tesol/fieldbased/ (Azusa Pacific University / Field-Based MA TESOL)

http://www.bostontefl.com/index.htm (Worldwide Teachers / Online CTEFL & Cert TBE)

http://www.globaledcorp.com/index.html (GEC / hybrid TEFL & teach abroad programs)

http://www.innovative-english.com/ (Teachers Latin America / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.americantesol.com/ (American TESOL Institute / Online TESOL certification)

http://www.lambert.edu/eli/eli_e.html (Lambert University / Online TESOL certification)

http://www.apu.apus.edu/index.htm (American Public University / Online BA in English)

http://distance.wsu.edu/degrees/ESLDistance.asp (WSU / Distance ESL Endorsement)

http://www.olionline.com/ (Open Learning International / Online TEFL, YL & Dipl. TEFL)

http://www.netlanguages.com/ (Net Languages - Barcelona / Online ELT certification)

http://unitedtesol.com/english/default.asp (United TESOL / hybrid TESOL certification)

http://www.traininglinkonline.co.uk/ (Training Link Online - Online TESOL certification)

http://www.global-english.com/ (Global English / distance learning TEFL certification)

http://www.uclaextension.edu/ (UCLA Extension / offers a variety of online courses)

http://www.cui.edu/cui/cui_shell.aspx?id=2120 (Concordia University / Online MEd)

http://www.worldportesl.com/index.htm (Worldport ESL / Online TESL certification)

http://www.teflcenter.com/ (The TEFL Center / 120 hour Online TEFL certification)

http://www.onlinetefl.com/ (i-to-i Online TEFL / 'The Original Online TEFL Course')

http://www.onlinelearning.net/ (OnlineLearning.net / 'teacher education online')

http://www.excelsior.edu/ (Excelsior College / Distance BA or MA in Liberal Arts)

http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/ltc/efl/ (The University of York / Distance MA in TEYL)

http://www.norwoodenglish.com/ (Norwood English / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.ontesol.com/Welcome.asp (ONTESOL / Online TESOL certification)

http://www.winfieldcollege.com/ (Winfield College / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.teflireland.com/ot.shtml (TEFL Ireland / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.eurolinkcourses.co.uk/ (Eurolink / Distance TESOL certification)

http://www.tefl-uk.com/ (TEFL-UK / 40 & 60 hour Online TEFL certification)

http://globaltesol.com/ (Global TESOL College / Online TESOL certification)

http://www.canadian-englishcenter.com/ (CEC / Online TEFL certification)

http://www.tesol-direct.com/ (tesol-direct / Distance TESOL certification)

http://www.tefl-prague.com/teflonline_public.htm (Tefl Online Prague)

http://www.teachercertificate.com/ (CETC / Online TEFL certification)

http://teacher-training.net/ (ICAL Online TESL/TEFL certification)

http://teflpro.com/ (PSL TEFLpro / Distance TEFL certification)


~ the end !

[DKatz]

What do they mean by accredited? If a company judges you based on a course they feel in unaccredited and have not looked at what you have studied, I would give them a pass if I were you.

If you want my opinion on a distance course I would recommend English-International (english-international.com). It's more distance than online. It covers the SAME material as the Cambridge CELTA course and does include a teaching practicum. Your observation is done by Jeff Mohamed, a person with over 25 years in TEFL and is a CELTA trainer and assessor.

I don't know which school you talked with in HK (I'm in H.K.) but if you show them what you studied and give them some background information you should be O.K. Having said that, there are some that say they want CELTA. Your options are to show them what you have studied or give it a pass. So far I haven't had any problems.

Good luck and hope this helps.

[ChrisRose]

Does anyone have the link to a site posted here regarding the various "ahem" accrediation organisations?

Could have been Scotts.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hi ChrisRose:

Unfortunately, there is no 'single' accrediting organisation.

In addition to the local DOEs in their respective countries,

there are also several organizations specialising in Distance

Accreditation and a forum dedicated to the topic:


accreditation

http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ (US Department of Education / Accreditation)

http://www.msche.org/ (Middle States Commission on Higher Education / USA)

http://www.ncate.org/ (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education)

http://www.chea.org/ (CHEA / Council for Higher Education Accreditation // USA)

http://www.detc.org/ (DETC / The Distance Education and Training Council / USA)

http://www.odlqc.org.uk/ (ODL QC / Open and Distance Learning Quality Council)

http://www.wascweb.org/ (WASC / Western Association of Schools and Colleges)

http://www.collegeofteachers.ac.uk/cpd/index.htm (The College of Teachers / UK)

http://www.actdec.org.uk/ (Accreditation Council for TESOL Distance Courses / UK)

http://www.auqa.edu.au/ (AUQA / Australian Universities Quality Agency / Australia)

http://www.qca.org.uk/index.html (QCA / Qualifications and Curriculum Authority / UK)

http://www.accet.org/index2.cfm (ACCET / Accreditation Council for Continuing Ed / USA)

http://www.citaschools.org/ (Commission on International & Trans-Regional Accreditation)

http://www.tesl.ca/ (The TESL Canada Federation Website / please refer to 'Standards')


general information & discussion

http://www.matesol.info/ (MATESOL / free graduate & MA TESOL Guide)

http://www.whichcourse.com/ (comparative guide / choosing a TEFL course)

http://www.eslcafe.com/discussion/dz1/ (Dave's ESL Cafe / Teacher Training Forum)

http://www.degreeinfo.com/index.html (DegreeInfo / Distance Learning Info & Forum)


~

[DKatz]

...

[tom davis]

Thanks

[grahamb]

Kent, did you say a FEW? There are more than 80 on your list!
Anyone whom Kent invites round "for a few drinks" should cancel their appointments for the next week or so!

[tesol1]

We noticed we were not on the list. We are offering a comprehensive online course for $129.99 . Check us out at http://tesol1.net and see if we've got what you're looking for.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Dear tesol1:


You have been added to the list. Now gimme a big .



Dear grahamb:


Who's counting?

Speaking of "a few drinks", will that be my place or yours?

[grahamb]

Alas, Kent, my misspent youth is now part of the dark and distant past. Two beers is a big deal for me nowadays!

[tesol1]

[31]

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

I think Tom's initial confusion was probably a result of the following:

Bridge-Linguatec also offers the CELTA, which is indeed accredited by Cambridge.

Their online course is accredited by a Washington DC based group called ACCET,

which is not the same as (or even remotely related) to Cambridge.

Don't feel bad Tom; this isn't the first time somebody mixed up the 2.