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TG12345
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 41
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 Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:49 pm Post subject: Is TEFL and TESOL the same? |
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I hear the 2 terms being used in the same context. Are they the same, or worthy of each other?
Is it true that TESOL will actually help you find a job? Their site says that if u apply to 30 places and each one turns you down, you get your $$ back and a recruiter that it only happened like 3 times in the last few years. She said they coach you for interviews and resumes and will actually call some schools to bat for you if necessary. What is TEFL like?
Is that true? Does anyone have experience with TESOL?
Thanks.
Take care,
Tomasz Glowacki |
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mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 378
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:59 pm Post subject: Re: Is TEFL and TESOL the same? |
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| If you're referring to the Trinity College certification then it's a good choice. |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:27 pm Post subject: |
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TESOL means Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
TEFL means Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
Both acronyms are used in this field to refer to approximately the same thing, but neither is a brand name, or a particular accreditation. Both are frequently used by good organisations, and bad.
Which TESOL or TEFL are you referring to/comparing to each other. There are good and bad apples with both acronyms.
Based on your "job guarantee" info, I wonder if it's Global TESOL?
Best,
Justin |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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I am betting the OP is referring to Global TESOL, which is an expensive course, primarily NOT on site, and without a teaching practicuum.
Their advertising system is great, and lots of Canadians and North Americans fall into this. The primary focus is not 'how to teach' but 'how to get a job overseas.'
TG, a good basic course is optimally taken in the country where you want to start teaching.
A good basic course is 100+ hours ON SITE, includes at least 6 hours of practice teaching with feedback from experienced teacher trainers. This teaching should be with REAL STUDENTS, not peer teachers.
This is what most decent language schools are looking for when they hire. With a certification that does not include practice teaching, you will be at a disadvantage in most places. |
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eslstudies
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
Posts: 1061
Location: East of Aden
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Justin Trullinger wrote: |
TESOL means Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
TEFL means Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
Both acronyms are used in this field to refer to approximately the same thing, but neither is a brand name, or a particular accreditation. |
Exactly. There are post-graduate awards in TESOL offered by many universities. Hundred hour courses offered to all comers are not in the same league. |
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TG12345
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:55 pm Post subject: |
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Hi everyone,
Thank you for replying. I was referring to Global TESOL. Right now I don't know if I can afford to take a higher level TESOL course. I do have experience already student teaching, TAing and volunteering with EAL students. I was thinking of getting Global TESOL for the purpose of being able to find a job easier. I'm sorry if I sound arrogant, I do have a lot of experience already with EAL students although of course there is much more to learn. The person running the course has taught in Japan for several years and has experience in a classroom setting although we won't be practicing with real students. I will take an ESL course next yr in University and have requested to be placed in an EAL classroom for my last yr of student teaching.
Regards,
Tomasz |
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tedkarma
Joined: 17 May 2004
Posts: 1598
Location: The World is my Oyster
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:33 pm Post subject: Re: Is TEFL and TESOL the same? |
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| TG12345 wrote: |
| Is it true that TESOL will actually help you find a job? Their site says that if u apply to 30 places and each one turns you down, you get your $$ back and a recruiter that it only happened like 3 times in the last few years. |
The problem with that type policy is that they usually ask for some documentation - AND as the most commom rejection from a potential employer is no response at all - usually these guarantees are quite meaningless.
It's not hard to get a TEFL job - don't let a "guarantee" sell you on one program over another - it's just a marketing gimmick. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:07 am Post subject: |
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| Global's course is relatively expensive - you can probably do a real on-site course for the same money - or even less. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:22 am Post subject: |
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| TG12345 wrote: |
| The person running the course has taught in Japan for several years and has experience in a classroom setting although we won't be practicing with real students. |
Careful. A possible translation of this is:
| Quote: |
| The person running the course worked at an eikaiwa (sales orientated English conversation school) using the chain's colour by numbers method of teaching for a few years after finishing a degree in a totally unrelated area and has zero in the way of credentials related to linguistics or teaching English. |
The professors in university programmes have doctorate degrees in Applied Linguistics and years of experience teaching, or else they would not have landed the job.
As others have mentioned, TESOL and TEFL are not good or bad in themselves. They are accronyms used by training instituions and companies as descriptions. The less reputable companies use advertising that leads people to believe that all TESOL training is the same and that they offer the same thing in less time, but it's just not true. If I get a degree in the Art History, then I take a bunch of courses in Art and study theories about culture and art. If I go to a gallery one day and take a look at a few paintings without even knowing why those particular paintings are in the gallery or what makes them art or what in them I'm supposed to be looking for/ at , but someone hands me a sheet of paper on the way out labeled 'diploma in art appreciation/ history" , then that's not the same thing. It doesn't matter that they can truthfully tell me that the actual sheet of paper that a degree is printed on is called a 'diploma' and that the sheet of paper they've just handed me is labeled 'diploma'. They aren't the same thing. This is what some of the private TESOL providers are doing.
If it takes a year to learn how to teach French after you are already fluent in it, it takes a year to teach English literature after you already have a degree in English literature, it takes a year to learn how to work in publishing in editing, marketing etc, it takes a year to become a PR practitioner, it takes a year to become a copywriter, it takes two years to become a journalist (all of which are college or university programmes in Ontario that require a university degree or occasionally a three year college diploma), then why should it take a weekend to learn to teach English? It shouldn't, and if private companies offered weekend programmes that lead to a 'certificate' in other career areas like this,
| Quote: |
| Learn to be a JOURNALIST in 65 hours!!!! No experience or education necessary! Act now! Journalists- AS SEEN ON TV!!!!- are FAMOUS and RICH!!! Call today!! ONLY $2500 !!!!!! DON'T DELAY!! Prices go UP next week! |
nobody would believe them. Other than gullibility and trusting advertising (which often steers the reader away from actually teaching to concentrate on going to exotic locations as if it were an ad for a travel agency and not a teacher training program), and course providers who say things like "I really wish we could get you in contact with former course takers who could tell you how awesome we are, but they all got jobs and so are out of the country! I'm afraid it's impossible to talk to people who have taken our course." when asked how successful their program is, I'm not sure why people believe it of teaching English. |
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ilaria
Joined: 26 Jan 2007
Posts: 88
Location: Sicily
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:58 am Post subject: |
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TG12345 wrote:
| Quote: |
| I was thinking of getting Global TESOL for the purpose of being able to find a job easier. |
TG, sorry if this sounds harsh, but I do the hiring for my school, and when I see the words 'Global TESOL' or 'Oxford Seminars' on a CV, that CV is very lucky if it escapes the bin. |
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TG12345
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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| ilaria wrote: |
TG12345 wrote:
| Quote: |
| I was thinking of getting Global TESOL for the purpose of being able to find a job easier. |
TG, sorry if this sounds harsh, but I do the hiring for my school, and when I see the words 'Global TESOL' or 'Oxford Seminars' on a CV, that CV is very lucky if it escapes the bin. |
Hi ilaria,
No need to apologize, I'm not offended. I appreciate you taking the time to share your advice on this topic, condidering the source is someone who hires teachers.
What if on my CV (is that like a cover letter or resume?) it says I also have an Education degree and several years experience working with EAL learners as a student teacher, volunteer tutor, and Teaching Assistant? I wouldn't be going for the job with only my Global TESOL, but with these other credentials. As an employer could I ask if that would be more likely to get considered?
Thank you for your time and advice.
Tomasz Glowacki |
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TG12345
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
| Global's course is relatively expensive - you can probably do a real on-site course for the same money - or even less. |
Hi spiral78,
Which course would that be with? Can I ask you how this works? Do you choose a country you want to teach in and then once you are there you take the course? Are the on-site courses offered in all countries? Also what are the chances of getting hired once you complete the course? And how do you look for a job if you don't speak much of the local language? And if you don't get hired, then you have to pay for the return ticket back and not to sound rude, aren't you back to square one? Do most people get hired from their local country or a country where they take the course?
I would like to teach English in a developing country. I would like to teach in a private school and when I am not teaching to get the oppurtunity to do some volunteering with a humanitarian group. Some countries that I would like to get a job in would be El Salvador (spent 2 weeks there last summer), countries in the horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, maybe in Somalia...?), Palestinian territories, Kurdistan, the Cauacasus republics. I know this may sound dumb and most people would want to avoid some of these places and I understand that, but I hope to be able to do that nevertheless. It is where I hope my career leads me. It probably sounds very different from what people here are used to but just being honest.
Do you know in which countries the on-site courses are offered?
Thanks
Tomasz
Last edited by TG12345 on Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:17 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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TG12345
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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Hi GambateBingBangBOOM,
Thanks for the warning. I was wondering though, would an Ed degree with a TESOL look OK on a resume? I already have a lot of experience with EAL learners and will get a lot more next year if I get placed in an EAL classroom for my 5th year (something I requested).
Tomasz |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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On-site courses are not necessarily offered in all of the countries that you mention!
Yes, many (I think the majority) of newbies chooses a course in the country where he/she wants to start teaching. Arrangements are made with the course providers, who usually help with housing arrangements for the period of the course. You essentially spend your first month in the country taking the course. This is useful because it gives you opportunities to get your feet wet in that country while you have a support system. Your practice teaching students will be representative of the ones you'll really start out with, and you'll have chances to make contacts that can be useful when you start looking for housing and employment after the course.
Further, local employers will be familiar with your certification.
Directors and staff of English language schools generally speak English, so looking for jobs is not so difficult in terms of local language.
Unless you're going ot Korea, almost everyone pays for his/her own round trip airfare to wherever you're going.
If you don't get hired......I promise you that your GLOBAL connection isn't going to hand you a contract on a silver platter. This is the real world - you will always be ultimately responsible for getting your CV out in the job market.
I am assuming that you've already committed yourself to the GLOBAL course, from your recent posts.
Most people (outside of Asia) go to the country where they want to work and get hired there.
Developing countries probably do not offer lots of on-site courses - or private language schools. Citizens of such countries generally can't pay enough for English lessons to create much of a market for private language schools. You'll need to do your own research on this point. There is an Africa forum on Dave's - maybe you'll find more relevant info there. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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Specifically, on-site courses are offered throughout Europe and South America. I think there are on-site courses in many Asian countries as well, but I am not Asia - savvy. There are many posters on the forum who can answer that specifically.
A short list of countries where I personally know of good on-site training programs would include Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain, Greece, and Mexico. None of which appears on your list. |
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