Job Discussion Forums

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

I heard today that ET are planning to hold their own 4 week teacher training course starting in the new year.

They are planning to charge for it of course as well as offering accomodation in the new ''lojman.'' All successful graduates will be guaranteed jobs with ET.

It seems like a realistic move as it makes money for ET as well as feeding newbies into the classroom. Of course they won`t have the hassle and expense of satisfying Cambridge as well as getting teachers who are paying for the course and hence paying for the job. These newbies will be less likely to stray as they have only an ET cert.

What do you think about the new course?

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I cant comment on the course as i dont know the content. However many moons ago English Fast got permission from the Milli egitim to run their own courses. It was my first stab at teacher training- I'm sure I was awful. the fast interviewed about 60 applicants in London and brought 30 out for the course. Some of the people on that course are still here working in decent schools and universities, others i know have gone to other countries including the ME. the fast didnt charge though.

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

I can`t believe you taught on that course. I knew about the course when I was at the Fast. They had special permission from the Milli Eigtim so that graduates could get work permits. I worked with a Turkish teacher who took the course-Ian was director wasn`t he. Her nickname was Su but I cannot remember her real name.

Why did the Fast stop the course?

The Fast really were innovative-shame really.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

yeah Ian was the main tutor along with Charles
as far as i know only ITI and the BC

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

As i said earlier people with the fast went on to better jobs and other countries armed with the fast certificate

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

i agree Charles is great and a great teacher trainer.
Do I support it. How can I support or not support something i know nothing about

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

I didn`t say anything for or against Charles, just confirming who he was.

You do dmb have a reasonable idea what these ersatz certs are like. Don`t forget that when Fast did them they were new and now these certs are two a penny.

Could you name a few of these people who are doing great or PM me their names. Failing that give a little history of them.

Finally?

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

No i wont. Youll just have to believe me. send me your name. you dont like it do you.

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

Just have to believe how those EF certs led to jobs elsewhere.

You never said why they stopped the courses.

No need to pay 6 grand for a Masters then.

Would QAC/has QAC accept(ed) the English Fast course?

Shame that we will never know whether QAC would accept the E course.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

They only did it once. I have no idea why it was stopped probably because the following year they brought a new american general director and it went all TOEFL orientated. i'm sue you remember her. As for what teachers are where i only know what a few are doing and i wont mention names.

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

I bet ET will do it more than once. They will be looking for teacher trainers and no doubt you could get a part time gig there. Get in there dmb.

I hope the certificates will be better quality than the cheapos they give the students.

Alibeykoy under water again-oof ya it is the same every year. When are they going to get some drainage?

molly farquharson · Joined: 16 Jun 2004 Posts: 839 Location: istanbul

yes, ET has been thinking about offering a TEFL cert course. We don't have details yet so 31 as usual is off on a tangent because he doesn't know anything more than dedikodu. In fact, it is rather old news. We are working on another project and the TEFL cert one is on hold for now. As for the quality of it, my feeling is that it should offer what teachers need in order to start off in the classroom. From my research into other TEFL certs, they are pretty much standard, and even many of the ones that are not CELTA offer similar programs, basically, some theory and methodology with some practice teaching thrown in. I also saw some pretty weak programs as I was looking, and we do not want to emulate those. Even if we offered the CELTA 31 would still hate ET, so what the heck.

BTW, I got kicked off this forum once for "bickering" (he's been kicked off at least 3 times) and I prefer to stick around, so let 31 rant. He is wrong on many counts and I am tired of trying to correct his points. I admit the ones that are not the way we wd want them, but we could be perfect and 31 wd still hate us. His problem for all the world to see...

molly farquharson · Joined: 16 Jun 2004 Posts: 839 Location: istanbul

perhaps since the number poster is so qualified and such an expert he would like to set up the perfect certificate program and train all the teachers. that way you would be sure that the newbies (who are not all new actually) would be ready to teach.

my question to all is why is CELTA the acme of certificates? What about Trinity and some of the other name ones? This is a serious question.

As for the quality of certs, when prospective teachers sans cert apply I often suggest they get the cert and point them in the direction of ITI first, the BC, and then Vialingua. From our experience, most teachers with certs from various places do fine, with the exception of some online certs. They just do not work for absolutely new teachers, but they are probably ok for people who have already been teaching for a while.