Job Discussion Forums

[Justin Trullinger]

Sounds like a pretty solid course option, Santi. Frankly a lot more solid that a lot of four week intensives.

I do think that some elements of language teaching, such as language analysis and linguistics, are appropriate for distance study.

I have to say, though- I'm not comfortable with the blended learning and distance TEFL courses I've looked into.

Not because they're distance, but because particularly those without university affiliation seem to be rather careless about who's doing the teaching.

Also, when we talk about "blended learning" TEFL certs, we are almost invariably talking about "practice teaching onsite/everything else distance" kinds of certs. And I guess I don't agree that distance is an appropriate way to teach everything.

I can't see teaching phonetics, phonology, or teaching pronunciation at distance, for example.

Also, I think that having most of the cert done at distance robs participants of another important part of training, which I call "loop input." This means that, as a teacher trainer, I'm constantly modeling classroom techniques which are applicable to their own future classes. At distance, I just don't see how you could do this.


So- for those of you involved in or who have taken blended learning courses, I've got a few questions:

Who "taught" the distance elements? How regular and supportive was your correspondence with this person and how well did you feel it worked?

Who "taught" the onsite (practice teaching) portion? Who observed it? How was it? Especially, how did you feel about it all being together, rather than spread out over a few weeks?



Best,
Justin

[robin8989]

Sticking with CELTA, SIT, or Trinity, I also have seen these 6 month programs. Am interested. They state that these are for people who live and work in the area/country where they are offered. Is it possible as an American to go and live in one of these places and do the 6 month course? Is there a Visa problem esp in Europe? I saw a CELTA 6 month program in Spain. And Justin says there is a longer SIT program where he is.
I have also seen 5 week courses. Does anyone have knowlege of any of these?
Should this question be posted elsewhere?

thanks
Robin

[spiral78]

Yes, I think you would have a visa problem in Europe. I don't think they would recognise a TEFL course as an actual student visa-worthy thing, unless it's sponsored by a bricks-and-mortar university, not just delivered in a room rented from a uni (a dodge sometimes used by shady courses in North America to add credibility).

[robin8989]

There is a Cambridge Celta program in Barcelona for 4 months...Anybody know anything? The EU visa thing. Can it be resolved by traveling about and going in and out of the country? Is it just too risky?
Does the visa problem extend to Latin America?

Robin

[spiral78]

Google schengen zone. The 90 day limit includes the entire zone, and you have to LEAVE for 90 days. Border runs don't work any more.

I think it's crappy, but it's been the law since Jan this year.

[spiral78]

No visa problem in L.A., I think....others are expert in the region.

[Justin Trullinger]

Just to clarify- there's not a 6 month course currently available in Ecuador. (I'd love to, but it doesn't seem to excite market demand.) The courses I've been involved in extensively have been on other sites and other circumstances.

Not sure about whether a student would be available to a TESOL participant in Europe. Border runs certainly wouldn't work, but looking into it...many TESOL courses are locally recognised educational organisations with international accreditation.

When I did my Trinity Cert in Barcelona I seem to remember that some peeps were on student visas...but it's been quite a while ago.

Comment on "shady" courses that rent space in universities- Renting space for a TESOL course is pretty common practice worldwide. THe center where I work in Ecuador is one of the few I've worked for that is fortunate enough to own it's own premises. And if you're going to rent for a course like this, a uni makes a lot of sense- they tend to have good classroom spaces, and often are helpful in filling practice teaching classes. Being in a university space doesn't guarantee course quality, obviously, but it doesn't mean a course is shady, either.

The SIT TESOL course I did in Chicago in June was on the premises of DePaul University. Lovely facilities, and a good place to be. But it's still the SIT TESOL course, accepted for post-grad credit by lots of universities...not too shady, imo.

It is true that a lot of courses try to make more of the "relationship" with the host university than it really is- watch out for these.

Best,
Justin

[Justin Trullinger]

Oh- and the bit I missed.

Robin- visas tend to be a problem for US citizens throughout Europe. In Latin America, each country is different, but there's generally no problem. Investigate your country of choice before arrival so that you can get any papers you need in order, but it's not hard to do, and in some places not necessary to do much of anything beforehand.


Best,
Justin

[mozzar]

[santi84]

[Justin Trullinger]

Hi, and thanks Santi.

THat sounds like a great program. 1000 of experience isn't exactly a LOT, but somehow I imagine with the MA TESOL requirement, most have more.

In terms of costs, how does the kind of program you're describing compare to the other kinds of courses getting mentioned here?

To give a ballpark: I work on the SIT TESOL Certificate course- as a four week intensive, depending on where you do it, tuition would range from $1500 to $2500 approximately, plus living etc.

CELTA and the other well-known certs seem to have a similar range.

Question for all: How much was YOUR TESOL cert- and was it worth it?


Best,
Justin

[spiral78]

Just to clarify, I don't think all courses that rent rooms at a uni are 'shady.' Sorry if I implied that!

I made the point because I am aware that some of the weekend courses DO commonly make more of the connection in their adverts than it's worth, and have seen several newbs fall for thinking that the short courses were more reputable than they are due to the connection. There's an instance of this on a current thread about getting financial aid for a TEFL course, for example.



On the Schengen regs,
spiral78 wrote:

I think it's crappy, but it's been the law since Jan this year.

mozzar: I think it's fantastic in a 'more jobs for Brits' type of way. Hopefully it'll help increase the wages too


I actually think that anyone who can find a paying job that will support him/her in a given country (implying an employer who wants that person enough to offer a contract) should technically be allowed to take the job. In a perfect world.
However.....it's not perfect yet:)

As for increasing wages...well, not yet, anyway. Those hot destination countries like Spain and Italy...my guess is that they will always attract more UK teachers than they strictly 'need,' and therefore wages will stay as low as they can get away with.

Honestly, the newbie level job market seems to have reached saturation point in Prague/Czech Rep in general as well. Maybe as the economies improve, we'll see a rise in wages. From my personal experience, though, for example, I can say that wages in Prague are essentially the same today as they were 10-12 years ago. That's a scary realisation, from a newbie perspective!

Sorry, Justin, nit-picking and off-topic again. I'll try to restrain myself better...

[Justin Trullinger]

Thinking of costs for TEFL/TESOL/CELTA type training. My Trinity Cert cost six hundred and some pounds, ten or so years ago.

How has this changed on the European market?


Best,
Justin

[spiral78]

I did a quick conversion of 600 pounds into euro and usd.
The results make it appear that costs have risen approximately 15-20% since then.

However, currency fluctuations may account for some of the differences - 600 pounds is just about 650 euro today, and 950-odd USD. My cert a little more than 10 years ago cost just at 1,000 USD. Meaning that costs may not have risen much. -

I think the VERY approximate cost of a cert today would be 1,000 - 1,200 usd in many parts of Europe.

Probably relatively stable. As have been wages - newbs in Prague today make just about the same salary I made more than 10 years ago. Costs have risen, however....

[santi84]