Job Discussion Forums

[brainmonster]

So I was thinking about taking a TEFL course before I left the country- but apparently many places offer TEFL courses abroad. Which is the more standard method of obtaining TEFL training? Taking a TEFL course abroad recommended?

I was thinking about this because it would give me some time in an academic environment, to meet people and also have some fun while i'm taking the course and not have to work. Also my job will let me work remotely for at least a couple of months once I leaves the states so I would have a source of income.

For example, I was thinking about going to japan, taking TEFL training, and then looking for a job with the hopes of getting a better on in a location that I want. Or France,where TEFL training is obligatory.

[Stephen Jones]

[DNK]

Good luck doing anything other than the course for the entire time. "Fun" and "not work" aren't words I would use to describe the experience (maybe some fun, but it's fairly demanding fun). I really don't think I would have wanted to do mine in another country (I did it in the States), for the simple fact that the course itself was stressful and demanding enough. For me, the overseas courses were alluring because they'd let me see another country, but if you're going to be living and working there anyway, why bother with the additional expense and strain?

I also wouldn't call it "academic", as it didn't compare really to anything I have experienced in the academic world. It wasn't 'sit in a classroom and get lectured to for a few hours, go home and do homework, maybe have a discussion session at some point'. If the course you take was close to mine (SIT), then don't expect that at all. There's work to do, there's lesson planning, there's constant adaptation and processing. They'll cram more into you in a few weeks than you'd probably get in a full semester of college, just that you're expected to start practicing it all in the first week.


And I wouldn't say it's completely unnecessary in Japan, because I've seen plenty of ads requiring either a certificate or a certain amount of experience (1,000 hours, one year, etc), and others where it's preferred but not required. How it actually affects employers' decisions, however, I don't know. I'll let a veteran answer that, since I'm not actually there yet (so take this with a grain of salt).

[spiral78]

Ok. I'll try, for what it's worth. I can speak for Europe in general, and I will urge you to take an in-country course wherever you decide to go, including Asia.

First, as has been pointed out already, a good quality TEFL cert course is not fun, nor carried out in an academic atmosphere. It's tough, intensive, and hands-on. You'll lose sleep.

Second, there are some very strong reasons to take the course in the country where you want to start teaching. This approach gives you a chance to at least get your feet wet in a new place while also providing some measure of support system (in that most decent course providers do something in terms of housing and local orientation). The students you will be practice teaching will be representative of the students you will actually be working with when you start. Your certification should certainly be recognized by local employers. You can make contacts who can help you when you need to find housing, sort out the best job possibilities, and deal with other essentials.

Third, if you are from North America and hold no additional citizenship from an EU member country, you can't work legally in France in any case, regardless of your qualifications. Try for Japan, if you're equally interested.

[wildchild]

what if I said, "don't do it in-country!"

Once they have you there, you're stuck. if it's bad quality, too bad, you're already there, once you figure out that it's not worth it, too bad, you're already there. Besides, if you do it in-country, everyone will know that you're a newbie.

What if I say, "do it where you are, get some experience and then go, your resume will look nicer for it."

[spiral78]

Ok, so pay for a course in-country, start it, and find out it's bad quality. Think you're likely to easily get your money back?

And a newbie is a newbie no matter where he/she gets certified. There's no hiding it.

[Justin Trullinger]

By all means, share your views, wildchild. But I'm a little confused. If you did it in your home country, and found out that the quality was bad, then what? Once you've paid, you're still kind of stuck. (Unless you've very rich- which I don't think is standard in EFL)

Do your homework beforehand, and find out about your course. No matter where you do it.


Best,
Justin

[tedkarma]

I think the mix of people in the classroom is one of the advantages of taking a TEFL counse in the country where you want to teach.

As a former teacher trainer I usually had classrooms with almost as many nationalities as students (teacher-trainees) in them. I'm not sure if it is a characteristic of Thailand, but we had every country of native speaker, lots of Europeans, some Asias, and the occasional S. American and African on the course.

That's not going to happen in a classroom in the States.

Another difference is that most of the teacher-trainees will already have some experience teaching in country - and some will have experience teaching in several countries. They - and your trainer will have lots of experience in country and they will know the dodgy employers from the desirable ones.

The first time I left teacher training I wrote a couple pages on how to select a TEFL school - how to tell if a school is going to meet YOUR needs and some questions to ask to find out if it is a decent school. The pages were written based on my experience INSIDE a TEFL school and observing the industry around me.

Take a look at "How to Select a TEFL School" for a little bit of help. It's at:

http://phuketdelight.com/TEFL.htm

[DNK]

It's not always the case that you won't get a good mix in the States, though. I took one in Chicago with about 15 different women (not sure why no men showed up), and there were maybe 10 nationalities present among them. The class was mixed, the trainer was not American, and even the trainees weren't all born in the US.

So it can happen that in the US you get a good mix, too.

[TheLongWayHome]

I don't think it matters as long as you get some kind of recognised certificate out of it.

As long as you don't end up with something that says, 'Big Ben TEFL Cert.' on it, you'll do ok.

[natsume]

[tedkarma]

My guess is that UC Berkeley's TEFL program is not your standard TEFL program!

[wildchild]