Job Discussion Forums

[Karitos]

AMIDEAST has recently launched a Professional Certificate in English Language Teaching (PCELT). Direct knowledge may be limited since it is relatively recent, but I was wondering if anyone here has an informed opinion about the acceptability of this in KSA.

I.e., if it was inconvenient for me to do the CELTA in my location, but convenient to do the PCELT, would there be a significant downside in doing so? I would assume that CELTA is more widely recognized, but since PCELT is a 120-hr, in-class certification with supervised teaching practice, would it essentially be worth the same as CELTA?

Any thoughts appreciated.

[plumpy nut]

I wouldn't expect it to be accredited by anything recognizable in the West. Therefore in short I wouldn't spend my money on it or rely on it.

[Karitos]

[MuscatGary]

Why would SIT accredit a course that would then be in competition with their own TESOL Certificate? There's no mention of the AMIDEAST certificate on the SIT site for sure. Personally I think a CELTA would be safer in terms of job opportunities in the future, I'm a Brit and had never heard of SIT before so even if they have accredited it there's going be low brand recognition.

[nomad soul]

Why do you think it wouldn't be accepted?

But first, some things to consider:

- AMIDEAST has maintained a strong, consistent presence in the region for more than half a century and is currently involved in several Saudi English language projects.
- The PCELT is developed by AMIDEAST and World Learning/SIT Graduate Institute, a US accredited graduate school. (See http://graduate.sit.edu/sit-graduate-institute/sn/degree-and-certificate-programs/language-teacher-training/pcelt/ ).
- The PCELT meets employers' requirement of 120 hours of in-class instruction with supervised/assessed teaching practice.
- It's rare to see job ads for KSA stating a CELTA and only a CELTA is required, and even then, an equivalent TEFL cert is likely to still be accepted.
- SIT offers its own TESOL cert course of 130 hours with supervised teaching practice (with credits toward an MA in TESOL).
- World Learning has a long history and has provided teacher training to Peace Corps workers since the 1960s.

[veiledsentiments]

[nomad soul]

If employers worldwide accepted only the CELTA (and nothing else) because of its high recognition factor, many teachers wouldn't be working. A look at various job ads on this site indicates that's not the case; employers in KSA and elsewhere are flexible in terms of entry-level teaching qualifications. Branded and generic TEFL certs equivalent to the CELTA in course length and with a supervised teaching practice component are readily accepted.

[Karitos]

Thanks for all the thoughts. Neither CELTA nor PCELT have released dates for the next course offered in my location, so I'm not sure which I will do. But it sounds like PCELT may be a decent option since it technically meets the requirements, is backed by SIT, and is run by AMIDEAST. They supposedly will offer a 4-week option, a 10-week option, and a 16-week option, one of the latter two likely being best for me. The blended CELTA isn't offered in my location.

[coder]

delete

[Karitos]

[nomad soul]

A friend working for AMIDEAST HQ in Washington, D.C., asked me to post the following:

PCELT is a co-branded program through a partnership between AMIDEAST and World Learning/SIT Graduate Institute. There are two PCELT certificates: a Certificate of Completion, at the end of the course, and a Certificate of Achievement, upon final evaluation. Although the two certificates indicate both entities, issuance of the Certificate of Achievement is by World Learning/SIT Graduate Institute since they provide internationally-recognized certification.

[Karitos]

I've just heard back from the PCELT director. There is a PCELT course being held in Cairo in November/December of this year. They anticipate holding one in Amman in early/mid 2015, and in summer 2015 there will be courses in Morocco and Tunisia.

I think I've decided on the CELTA, since it is in my location in January.

[LPKSA]

[nomad soul]

[buravirgil]