Job Discussion Forums

[Melteaches]

It is my impression that a certificate in TEFL is just that, a piece of paper that basically says, 'I'm serious, I've done some training'. Are there really any differences between the online companies? And just to keep the debate going, I am a non EU planning on Barcelona.

[Moore]

If you�re going to bother with what you quite rightly call "a piece of paper", then you should seriously think about going for an accredited TELF qualification, such as a CELTA.
This will open up good standard jobs in many more countries to you after Barcelona, such as South Korea, Japan, Thailand, China etc. Well worth the extra money in my opinion as it will get you better quality, better paid jobs in the medium term.
I�m really not sure about the value of an online qualification, as schools value teaching experience most, and that�s what you get in a "real" course.

[JimRoss]

I agree with Moore. You should get an accredited certificate.

Just to clarify, I'm Jim Ross and I work for EBC TEFL Training. No good to melteaches as we are in Madrid.

We have had people take our course that have previously taken on-line courses because they found them to be lacking and not as attractive to potential employers as a 4 week course.

The main advantage of a 4 week course is that you get several hours of tutor observed teaching practice with feed-back. Teaching is something you need to experience first hand, not vicariously through multi-media or on-line course material. Evidence of having done practice teaching is what most respectable language schools expect from a job applicant.

There are other advantages as well such as being able to interact with your course peers and tutors.

Jim Ross,
EBC, Madrid