Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PaperTiger]

I heard through a recruiter that there was a TOESL course, 100 hours online for roughly $200 instead of the customary $800. Unfortunately I took a job that I had found on my own and so the recruiter suddenly lost all motivation to be helpful. Is any of the information reliable?

Point me in the right direction, eh?

[cubanlord]

I'd say do the free one. No one knows the difference when it comes to just a certificate.

[mrsquirrel]

Waste of time the online ones

You would be as well to just forge a certificate.

[spyro25]

i wouldnt say online courses are waste of time (currently on an MA TESOL by distance) but do check its accredited by a recognized body (CELTA, Trinity), and that it is around 100-120 hours (I think 120 is accepted by the public schools to fit into the next pay bracket unless i'm mistaken). Don't accept anything less than those two categories or you may well be throwing your money away like i did for a 40 hour online i-to-i TEFL cert.

[gsxr750r]

At this point, any verifiable 100+ hour certificate will do. Not the case elsewhere. If you only ever plan on teaching in Korea (for a year or two at most) never bother getting one. If you plan on teaching here, and/or elsewhere, go with a Celta or Trinity.

I had to laugh when the above poster said "make sure it's approved by Celta or Trinity." In other words -- take only one of their courses. Well, if you're going to put a lot of money into it (2,000,000 won plus) then that's probably good advice.

If you are from the USA or Canada, and perhaps England, my advice is not to bother (unless you plan on staying in a public school position, for example, which will raise your pay and help you recoup the costs). The Celta is geared toward teaching adults. It won't help you so much with kids (other than with lesson plans and some grammar, mostly). If you are from someplace such as South Africa, which is not recognized as a "top-of-the-list" type of English-speaking country here, a Celta or Trinity can really help.

I had a brochure for an online TEFL/TESL course, but it was not as many hours and only cost $100. Not worth the time and money, IMHO.

If you only plan on being in Korea for a year, and then going home -- you don't need ANY of these certificates. Save your money.

[braunshade]

Where can I buy or obtain one of these certicicates?

I just want one to 'see what it looks like'- I would also like it to have my name on it too.

I will pay $50.

[chachee99]