Job Discussion Forums

[lady z]

namaste.

I am not sure if there are many people on the India forum, but
if you are out there I would appreciate your feedback.

I am planning to do a Tefl Certificate in India. Does anyone have
any firsthand knowledge or experience about the Celta offered by
British Council or the Tefl International certificate that is offered in
Kolkata?

Both programs seem to be identical in hours and supervised teaching
practice, but the British Council Celta is quite a bit more expensive.

If no one has experience of the certification courses in India, do any
of you out there have any experience or first hand knowledge of British Council or Telf International in general?

Thanks & warm regards,
Zenia

[lady z]

I was wrong. There is another difference aside from price: the Celta offered through British Council offers only 6 hours of teaching practice vs. the Tefl international certificate offers 10 hours.

[Cerebral]

Hi Zenia,

I am just about to go for the telephonic interview today (BC New Delhi is where I applied for CELTA) so I'll share with you how things went once I'm through. I am required to submit another pre-interview task before that though I submitted one earlier (21st of June). I did research a lot on this site (onlt this site - I didn't go for the others- time constraints) to find out about the standard and quality of education at BC and TEFL in India but there aren't (or probably I didn't come across) any posts...They wouln't even answer your queries...perhaps that's because of the repetitive nature of questions...But it makes me wonder about, well, a lot of things esp. the market value/ acceptance of a qualifications earned here even though they may be internationally recognised.

Anyways, if you are keen on ELT, research more. Somebody mentioned on the teacher training forum that if you are keen on travelling in Europe then you should consider CELTA and if you are keen on US then TESOL helps, generally speaking...


Wish me Luck and do let me know what you find out at you end...

Cerebral

[lady z]

Hi Cerebral,

Thanks for your reply; it's nice to know there are others out there.
Are you interested in teaching in w. Europe then? I don't think
you will have any problem with British Council as far as reputation
and international recognition goes.

I have decided to do the Tefl International certificate in Kolkata.
The program has only been operating for a year at this location.
However, after researching it and asking them lots of questions,
I feel satisfied. And it feels good to have finally made the decision
and registered for the course, (now if my PIO application is processed
in time with no more complications it will be even better!)

It seems that a four-week certificate, while quite valuable for someone such as myself with little experience, is not going to make or break someone as a teacher. That will come with time and experience, the desire to continue,
and perhaps further education.

hope your interview went well, and keep me posted on how
things are going.

All the best,

Zenia (aka Lady Z)

[Cerebral]

Hello Zenia,

My interview happened amidst a very hectic schedule. I could've done better. I was a bit anxious because I was pressed for time. Anyways, I got through but they said they could offer me a place in the Mumbai course starting November or in Feb course in 2007 in Delhi and not in the September course (Delhi).

I wonder what's the latest at your end...

Well, I do have a few apprehensions and a lot of questions..

My concerns are the following :-

1) What is the reputation of CELTA acquired from Bristish council India? I've read about so many other locations but somehow have never come across CELTA-India or TEFL-India for that matter.

2) Which 1 would be a better option? CELTA or TESOL. I would want to keep both the options open when it comes to travelling and teaching.

What were your questions that helped u opt for the Kolkata course? I asked the lady interviewer a couple of t hings but I wasn't very satisfied. One, BC would not offer placements as I had expected earlier. I wasn't very convinced even with this Sr Trainer's own spoken English. Having worked for British Telecom customers, my ears are sensitive enough differntiate between indigenous/ acquired Received Pronunciation. Maybe I am WRONG for it is too short a time to evaluate and judge a Sr Trainer....

I think the TEFL site seems to be more open and friendly and more 'into it' and am going to explore more on that this weekend. What have ur experiences been with them? Do they offer placements? And finally, do u plan u to stay in India to teach or wish to travel?

U c I dont want u to miss me too much on the course...

3) How are ELT people seen and treated by their Value Seekers- students and very importantly, recruiters/employers?

Duh, I've written so much ....any other good sites apart from ESL CAFE and ...let me know ....u've been to englishdroid.com?

Bye 4 now,

Cerebral

[lady z]

Hi Cerebral,

I can understand your apprehensions and questions. Have you come closer to any answers? It sounds like your interview went well despite being hectic. Are you going to take the Celta then?
I was planning to take the one in Mumbai In Nov before I completely changed my mind....

The questions I asked were ones I got from Ted Karma's Website (He is a regular poster on the forums whose posts and website I have found to be extremely helpful) in a section that deals with this very topic--how to choose a training course. You could do search to find it or let me know if you want the link.

As to your other questions about Celta and British Council---I believe they have the highest reputation out of these 4-week courses. You certainly wouldn't be limiting yourself by getting a Celta. It has the reputation of being the most highly regarded. On the other hand, I think there are other perfectly good lesser known or less reputable courses out there. What countries do you want to work in?

I can certainly let you know how the course goes in Kolkata, anyway.
India is my first choice for where to find work. After the course I will try, but I realize there are not so many opportunities. I'm going to give it a go anyway, and if it doesn't work out then I still have a plan B & C.

What about you? Did you decide on which course? Did you come up with answers to all those questions that I didn't manage to answer in my reply?

Good luck & warm regards,
Z

[stevemcm1]

Hi,

Generally the CELTA is highly regarded. I believe they're running it for the 3rd or 4th time in Delhi.

I used to work there and the students I met on the CELTA course were fairly happy with the content, but had a tough workload with late nights studying.

The biggest negative I heard was afterwards: one guy on an Indian passport is finding it hard to get work outside India, but lots of opportunities inside.

So are you planning to work in India?

[lady z]

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback about the Celta. In retrospect, it may have been better to do the Celta, but I have already registered for the other course and given a deposit. Hopefully it will be a good experience.

Yes, I plan to work in India after completing the course, if
it is possible.

Z

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