Job Discussion Forums

[derfman12784]

I'm in the process of trying to decide whether to take an on-line or in-person TEFL certification. To keep things simple, we'll assume that either course is 120 hours with at least 6 hours of practicum.

I don't have any EFL teaching experience. I do have 20+ years coaching experience.

My goal is to get a Business English job in China.

My question is what is preferred/required by employers? On-Line or In-person?

I see some some ESL providers, WSE for example, that say you must do in-person if you do not have 2 years of ESL experience. What I don't want to do is get an on-line/blended Cert and then be told it's no good.

So, are there limitations to the on-line cert that one will not face if they do in-person cert?

[getbehindthemule]

Your considerable coaching experience can be used to cover that '2 years of teaching related experience' issue, so I wouldn't worry. Just do a generic online 120hr TEFL for visa purposes.

[happeningthang]

Employers may be satisfied, but the Foreign Experts Bureau will expect two years of direct experience. That's full time English teaching work - not just any teaching or training. They may accept being a subject teacher proper - but I think coaching (sports training) will be on the dubious end of that scale.

In leiu of that experience they then ask for a Education degree or at minimum a TEFL or similar and lately they've been insisting on 120 hour courses with in class practicums.

Our local bureau denied an application because the TEFL was purely online, and insisted on some sort of proof that another applicant's TESOL course included a practicum.

You'd be better prepared for the job if your course has the practicum and better off when your application is considered.

[nomad soul]

[getbehindthemule]

Things must have changed a lot since 4 years ago from reading happeningthang's post. But I'd imagine it still depends on the school/company you are being hired by and their guanxi either way.
It can vary from province to province but a Bachelors degree, 120hr TEFL plus 2 years relevant work experience (didnt have to be actual teaching) was enough for Shanghai 4 years ago in most cases. Maybe this has changed in the past year or two?

[jimpellow]

It is hard to give concrete advice as requirements are always in a state of flux.

There has been discussion that the move has been only to accepting those who have completed a 120 TEFL in class. I am sure that if true, jurisdictions still exist where an online certification will suffice. A certification completed in class will give you more options in other regions of the world where historically this requirement has been more stringent.

The same is true with the two years of "relevant" experience.

I focus mostly on Business English and never found a position in my five years in China where the teaching duties were solely devoted to it. Your best bets would be the language mills like Wall Street and Web which focus on adults. You will have to read reviews and decide if this type of environment is suited for you.

If you can "walk the walk" with teaching Business English, a sane center will schedule you for mostly these types of classes. Still, you will get the occasional beginner class, or in some of the Webs, a class of teens who in theory should not be there.

I would contact Wall Street. Their recruiters are very with it in terms of what the current requirements are in the various jurisdictions where their schools are located. What you are seeing from them is probably their standard requirement which does not fit the reality of everywhere they have centers. You could express interest in teaching with them and get some feedback as to where you stand. It is in the end your decision if you would actually like to work there.

[derfman12784]

Thanks for all of the replies.

I do have a BA.

I have contacted WSE and others and their responses have been that you need an on-line TESL if you do not have 2 years of "real" teaching experience.

I'm sure there are places that accept an on-line TESL but I want/need to be in Beijing for personal reasons.

I will be taking the CELTA in-person. Creates a few scheduling issues with the current job and a few other other things but in the long run I think it makes me a more viable candidate and puts me in a better position.

Again, thank to all for the feedback.

[jimpellow]

Hello,

Sounds like a good plan. When I read this yesterday, however, something about it made me uneasy, but I couldn't figure out why.

Today it came to me. In some jurisdictions a CELTA is not acceptable for an in-class certification. Why? To say it kindly, it seems that certain Chinese bureaucrats can't figure out that if it doesn't state TEFL/TESOL, it could still meet the requirement.

I think you are ok in Beijing, but I would confirm this.

[AbeCross]

[Foo_Fighters_Dave]

Get an in person certificate. CELTA is not overrated. It is valuable and recognized all over the world. Getting a bogus online TEFL degree is cheapens the ESL community.

Having a CELTA will open more doors abroad then a bogus online TEFL cert.

[ourownalone]

What if the CELTA is over-rated AND one of the best of around four accelerated means to go abroad? I think if you know next to nothing about applied linguistics, CELTA is a primer orientation, and if you know next to nothing about preparing for a classroom, CELTA is as much that can be squeezed into a month of classes with an observed practice. But if you do know more than next to nothing, the range of TEFL certificates out there is expedient, cheap. I guess the rub is in how poorly people judge their skills and ability + no experience in where they'll land...so a standard like the CELTA, and its equivalents... Arguing people should at least have that is what ya'll do on the Cafe and it makes a lot of sense, but it's not easy to prescribe anything for everybody.

This played out where I went to school in the US...anyone with post-graduate study in ESL was put off by England's standard completed in a calendar month. How was it "fair"? Will I have my work evaluated by anybody with a fraction of knowledge about it? Plus, there were arguments about the differences of degrees within ESL because it is no small industry anymore. The more education you have the better off you are, but filling positions isn't some perfect world. It's hard to rise above the fray of financial arguments out there and see the fundamentals of teaching. [/i]

[Tudor]