Job Discussion Forums

[ha'anala]

Okay, I've been going through all the schools in Prague trying to figure out where my husband and I should get our cert, and I can't decide. I've found 4 schools that offer Trinity Certification:

Oxford House
Windsor-Passport TEFL
Prague Schools
Prague Language Center

I don't know how to choose between these without knowing anything but what is on their websites. They are all relatively close the same price ($1300-1550 usd) and they all seem fairly comparable in the descriptions of their programs. So how do I choose? I hate to just pick one....with my luck it would suck, and I would have missed out on one of the other schools that was great.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with any of the schools or know anyone that does?

Thanks!

[crispintp]

I am an ex-Prague Schools graduate.

The course is professionally run, and I think I speak for most of the students on my course when I say that we got quite a lot out of the experience. I would certainly recommend it, anyway.

Crispin.

[St Vitus]

I do have an SOS warning... Make damn sure your course is accredited by Trinity i.e. the certificate is internationally recognised and a visiting coordinator comes to the school to officially ratify the cert. Problem with many schools in Czech Rep., along with Barcelona et. al., is that the course is not an official Trinity cert. or CELTA and has been awarded by the school under the guise of Trinity or Cambridge. The term, "based on the Trinity TESOL course" may be used. As much as this may not be a problem for many crappy schools in Czech Rep., a quality school, particularly one accredited by the British Council, will only accept a teacher if s/he has the cert. awarded by Trinity or Cambridge and not the school in question.
When my last school underwent inspection for BC accreditation, all teachers without the recognized qualifications were told to resit the course at an official centre or lose their jobs. The main victims were those who had taken these cheap so called "Trinity" or "Cambridge" courses in Prague. It is essential you check with Trinity or Cambridge that the centre hoding the course is one they have accredited. Unoffial teacher training courses are ubiquitous in Czech Rep. and I would personally not waste my time or money doing them!

[dreadnought]

I think International House Prague run an accredited CELTA course.

[Andare]

International House Akcent (sp?) run fully accredited CELTA courses on the outskirts of Prague. There's also a company called ITC, one of whose course tutors I know reasonably well. Either will be more than sufficient for the Czech Republic.

[denise]

ITC isn't Trinity or CELTA. It is, however, fine for the CR, as Andare pointed out (and it is recognized internationally, too). I took their course, and I was quite satisfied with it.

d