Job Discussion Forums

[chingao327]

I am looking into this sort of teaching approach at the moment. I was thinking of applying to teach english abroad right out of college, but I think there are more and better opportunities for me if I were to get my certification. I am in Nor Cal, and am wondering if there are good and reputable programs in this state that I can look into? Or is it better to look at programs internationally? That would be a fun choice, but if I can stay here and work, and part time earn my certification, that would be best for me. Any advice?

[denise]

If you know what country/region to would like to teach in, I'd recommend finding a course there. You'll get a head start on finding a place to live and a job (both of which your course can help you with), get to know the culture, etc. And I don't think it'd be much more expensive than taking one in the US--a full-time course, I mean. It'd be better financially to work while you took the course, I'd imagine.

Things to look for when deciding on a course: 100 or more hours of class time--some are 120, I think (again, this is based on a full-time, four-week intensive course) plus several hours of supervised practice teaching sessions in which you teach actual English learners, not just your classmates. Some schools in some countries will specifically ask for a CELTA (more commonly asked for in Europe), but many will just ask for a TEFL certificate. Again, if you know what country you'd like to go to, you could start looking at job ads to see what they ask for.

d

[Julieanne]

You should have a look at www.serioustefl.com on the same page shows their accreditation. A friend of mine took the course and said it was very flow and user friendly. Plus they have a placement service too.

[Symphany]

[smadrie]

Since you are already in Northern California you might want to consider the Berkeley Extension TESL Program. It is designed for people that work during the day. So, all the classes are either in the evenings or on the weekends.

Here's the site:
http://www.unex.berkeley.edu/cert/tesl.html

They have a relationship with a local college (St. Mary's) where you can transfer these credits and work toward a Masters if you would like.

Then again, since you are straight out of college you could also try one of those programs where you get your TESL in the same country where you plan to teach. I have seen posts for Vietnam and Korea like that. You go there for a few months where you attend classes then teach and when you are done you have a TESL.

[dvavrina]

Hello,

I am writing to very belatedly warn those looking at TEFL certificate ESL teacher training programs in the United States about International House�Portland, which I believe is now located in Lake Oswego, OR.

I completed the Cambridge ESOL Examinations CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) program there in Nov/Dec 2004, receiving an unusually high �Pass B� grade for the course. One of my class�s two teachers was great (Carlin Aguilera from Los Angeles); the other one was a poor teacher and very disrespectful to me (Bill Harris from the UK).

In addition, the �computer lab� that International House--Portland claimed to have was mostly not functional, so only a few of their computers actually worked. I was saved by the fact that I had my own labtop.

Also, the director of the school had a strange idiosyncrasy about not wanting to buy copy/printing paper. During the month-long, full-time training period, each CELTA training student had a maximum number of copies he/she could make. If you went over the maximum number, you had to pay the front desk person to get more copy-making capability from the copy machine, which tracked how many copies you made and deducted them from your total.

Even though my CELTA training fee was expensive enough, I ended up paying a lot of extra money for copies. I even had to by a hole-puncher because the school�s hole-puncher had to be put together after each time you used it and, apparently, they were too cheap to buy another one. Also, at one point, when a composition was due, the computers in the school�s computer lab wouldn�t print, so I had to run over to Kinko�s and spend a lot of money just to print out my writing assignment.

Again, I would definitely avoid International House�Portland (Lake Oswego) if you are considering a TEFL certificate training program.