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Advice on Online TEFL course
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valentina.forno



Joined: 31 Jul 2017
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:07 am    Post subject: Advice on Online TEFL course Reply with quote

Hello all, I'm looking into getting a TEFL (or similar) online certification. Anyone can recommend a good course /organization? I've seen the International Tefl Academy that seems good and has great reviews but I would like to know if anyone can recommend a good online course from previous experience. Thank you!
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

None to recommend. Just be sure that online TEFL certs are acceptable and competitive for the country and jobs you're targeting.
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sparks



Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 632

PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 9:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's like asking "Which parachute full of holes should I take to jump out of this plane?" The correct answer is none, wait till you find a parachute that works (a real course)
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 10:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Advice on Online TEFL course Reply with quote

valentina.forno wrote:
Hello all, I'm looking into getting a TEFL (or similar) online certification. Anyone can recommend a good course /organization? I've seen the International Tefl Academy that seems good and has great reviews but I would like to know if anyone can recommend a good online course from previous experience. Thank you!


As you will have gathered from earlier answers, online courses aren't widely respected in general. There are a few places that accept them. Where do you think you want to teach?
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valentina.forno



Joined: 31 Jul 2017
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 7:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My preference would South East Asia and online teaching. I want to have the freedom to move around so online teaching seems a good option. If not online, can you recommend a good course on site? Thank you.
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reblair79



Joined: 15 Jan 2016
Posts: 103

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 7:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think you will know yourself from what you have read here and from everywhere else online that all roads for newbies read to CELTA. That and any BA will give you the freedom you require. An online TEFL wont.
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valentina.forno



Joined: 31 Jul 2017
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Actually I've noticed that much more emphasis is put into being a NATIVE english speaker other than having a CELTA certificate. If you look at the majority of ads they ask for native speakers and tefl/tesol certification (of any kind). I do have a BA, just need a legit certification. Also, I was born and raised in Italy but I have an Australian passport (I studied there for 2 years as well after my graduation). Do you think I can use it and present myself as Australian? I feel it would be like "cheating" but it would give me many more opportunities...
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

valentina.forno wrote:
Also, I was born and raised in Italy but I have an Australian passport (I studied there for 2 years as well after my graduation). Do you think I can use it and present myself as Australian? I feel it would be like "cheating" but it would give me many more opportunities...

No one here can answer that question; we don't know what your English sounds like. Is your BA from an Italian or Australian university? If the latter, that might help.

Regardless, get a CELTA if you want to make TESOL your career.
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valentina.forno



Joined: 31 Jul 2017
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 12:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello Nomad Soul, of course you don't know how my english sound like, but I can assure you it is almost mother tongue. I've learned to speak it (read and write I could already) in USA: I lived there for 1 year during high school as an exchange student, and when I was living in Australia 4 years later people used to tell me that I had an American accent (non an Italian accent). My BA is from an Italian University though, and if you're not native 90% of the times you don't even access the selection process, regardless of how well you know/speak english. If you say I need CELTA and not any other legit TEFL certification I do believe you as you've been working in this field and you definitely know better than me. What I don't get is just that I never see it as a requirement on any job listing. They always ask about a CELTA/TEFL/TESOL certification, meaning they will accept either one...
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GHL



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 34

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got a CELTA and I really don't think it helped get a better job (read: a better salary). Thankfully I did the CELTA in the UK so the government paid for it, but no way would I shell out £1500 of my own money to do it, since it's not worth it.

Over in South East Asia, they don't really care about CELTA. Unless you want to work for the British Council, an online cert isn't going to hold you back.

If later you decide to stay in this field, get an MA TESOL/Applied linguistics or a PGCE/state teaching licence. Those are the quals that will actually boost your salary. CELTA doesn't get you off the entry level with all the other monkeys, you'll still be earning the same salary as them.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 12:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GHL wrote:
I got a CELTA and I really don't think it helped get a better job (read: a better salary). Thankfully I did the CELTA in the UK so the government paid for it, but no way would I shell out £1500 of my own money to do it, since it's not worth it.

Over in South East Asia, they don't really care about CELTA. Unless you want to work for the British Council, an online cert isn't going to hold you back.

If later you decide to stay in this field, get an MA TESOL/Applied linguistics or a PGCE/state teaching licence. Those are the quals that will actually boost your salary. CELTA doesn't get you off the entry level with all the other monkeys, you'll still be earning the same salary as them.


This may be true in South East Asia, but it's not generally true worldwide, I assure you.

If the OP wants to go to SEA, this is useful advice. Other regions, not necessarily.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 12:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

valentina.forno wrote:
If you're not native 90% of the times you don't even access the selection process, regardless of how well you know/speak english. If you say I need CELTA and not any other legit TEFL certification I do believe you as you've been working in this field and you definitely know better than me. What I don't get is just that I never see it as a requirement on any job listing. They always ask about a CELTA/TEFL/TESOL certification, meaning they will accept either one...

I don't know what job ads you're looking at and for which areas. But if you're set on getting an online or generic TEFL cert, then pick any one of them if you feel it would meet the requirements.
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valentina.forno



Joined: 31 Jul 2017
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 12:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="GHL"] CELTA doesn't get you off the entry level with all the other monkeys, you'll still be earning the same salary as them.[/quote]

This exactly what I thought. Especially because, just looking at the job listings on this website, no one seem to require a CELTA certificate specifically.
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valentina.forno



Joined: 31 Jul 2017
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 12:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="nomad soul"]
I don't know what job ads you're looking at and for which areas. But if you're set on getting an online or generic TEFL cert, then pick any one of them if you feel it would meet the requirements.[/quote]

I looked at the ads on this website, International Job Board. There are ads from everywhere and no one asks for a CELTA specifically. This seems weird if, infact, a CELTA is better than anything else.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 12:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I suggest you post on the forums of those countries you're interested in for specifics.

BTW, to get quotes to work properly, go to your profile and make sure BBCode is on/enabled under both 'Profile info' and 'Preferences'
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