Job Discussion Forums

HLJHLJ · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 1218 Location: Ecuador

It's an extension course, not an initial training course. You would need an initial training qualification first.

tellersquill · Joined: 08 Apr 2016 Posts: 94

I've taken a part in class and part online TEFL.

I couldn't afford the CELTA plus living costs in the end. I shopped around online and I couldn't find anything below a £1,400 so it was out of my price range.

The good news is that after a year or so of working (I'm currently a student) I will be able to afford to the CELTA or I may just jump straight to a PGCE.

bj80 · Joined: 31 Mar 2017 Posts: 63

There were some other good answers here, but here is some insight I can add:

1. I was glad I did my CELTA. Some advised against it because they knew me (and 98% of others) would not want to teach ESL long-term; but, I think it's a great minimum standard of skills-based competency needed.

Of all the certificates, even faster and cheaper ones, CELTA is the best. It certifies competency with quality control. As you can guess, quality control is something lacking in most of the ESL world.

2. If you want to finance, and are a UK citizen, people speak about the Advanced Learner Loan: https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan/overview

I have no direct experience with it; so, I cannot tell. But, it might be worth something to save your cash money for more urgent matters.

3. If you chose to stay in the UK for the CELTA, try ISE Brighton. I know the teacher there is excellent.

fluffytwo · Joined: 24 Sep 2016 Posts: 139

Hod · Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 1613 Location: Home

Like one of those corn farms in deepest Iowa*, we're all ears.

Name an alternative to CELTA, please. Preferably with brevity.

*Like every responsible poster, I always quantify my words. I wouldn't, for example, advise someone to go teach in country X if I'd hardly or never been. Likewise, I've never been to Iowa.

fluffytwo · Joined: 24 Sep 2016 Posts: 139

Trinity, and SIT TESOL, though I suspect all these certs are a bit much of a muchness ultimately. Monkey see, monkey do, bananas all round, collective whoop.

getbehindthemule · Joined: 15 Oct 2015 Posts: 712 Location: Shanghai

OP,
If your plan is to get licensed and work at an international school in the future, why bother with the CELTA especially if money is a big concern (which it obviously is). Do your generic online TEFL course and go and enjoy yourself, gaining experience in the process. Then come back and knuckle down. I think many go with the intention of doing this though and never go through with it. It's probably a better idea to stay and get licensed first if this is an option?
For China anyway, the cert is only required for visa purposes (min 120hrs). I used i-to-i and I did actually find it useful with regard to thinking about various teaching strategies, classroom management, etc.
No matter what type of cert you have, it's irrelevant to how good/bad of a teacher you will be. I wish you luck in your adventure!

SinaloaParcero · Joined: 09 Jun 2017 Posts: 25

Get the CELTA if money is not an issue and you plan to teach ESL for atleast 2 years.

Edit, just realized you plan to work in International Schools.

I take my previous advice back. Just get a 50 dollar 120 hr online TEFL (EnjoyTEFL is the one I did) and go to Vietnam for a year or two. Most jobs will still be open to you.

simon44 · Joined: 15 Mar 2013 Posts: 118

My advice maybe differs from what has been suggested in this forum.

You don't have a lot of money to play with, but you still need some relevant qualifications to help you land a teaching job in VN. You hope to teach in an international school in the future, so I assume that you prefer teaching young students, as opposed to university or adult students.

In VN, you can land a teaching job very easily, but to increase your chances of landing a well-paid position, I'd try to maximise the relevant qualifications that you can offer to potential employers.

My advice would be to take a TEFL course, and then also obtain some online CPD (Continuing Professional Development) certificates in pedagogy or teaching young learners. These are relatively cheap.

For example, you can study the Jolly Phonics training course http://jollyphonics.cpdcollege.com/ or a course in Early Childhood Education.

There are also a number of short courses offered by ACT https://www.asiancollegeofteachers.com/

Posters may scoff at these short course certificates and say that they are not worth the paper they are printed on. I'd respectfully disagree, having studied these courses myself. Not only did they give me a solid grounding in the subject of the course, they certainly helped me to land a good teaching job in Asia with a higher salary than other teachers who only had a TEFL to offer.