Korean Job Discussion Forums

[antgonz]

I am looking to get an online certification and was wondering which one is the best and if it will give me a significant pay raise. I looked at one that had a TESOL/TEFL certificate. Are these prestigious and will employers be "wowed" by them. I want one that will set me apart and get me more money.

[Bibbitybop]

Online certificates won't set you apart. Even the CELTA won't set you apart in the eyes of Koreans, but it will in other countries.

Some of my friends have used ITTT and been happy with the course.

[tob55]

You should check out the information on the Online Quickie TEFL about this at the following link:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=92110

The subject has been discussed in great detail there. I also sent you a PM with information regarding options you have available to you.

In general you are not going to get a lot of "wow" comments from people regarding online programs simply because the majority of programs claiming to be online are not actually online courses. They fall more into the category of email correspondence courses. With that said, there are complete online courses available that hold a high standard of excellence and they are legitimate. If you need any other advice, send me a PM

[Hotpants]

Short answer - non - seriously, online teaching certs for the 4-week CELTA/TEFL/TESOL course are worth sod all. If you're seriously thinking of becoming an English teacher, a full-time on-campus course IS the way to go. Even though they look costly, they pay themselves back quite quickly.

[tob55]

Hotpants is right, the best option is to have teacher training at a university. This guarantees that you have gone through a complete educational program requiring all of the foundational courses along with one or more semesters of student teaching in a classroom. I completed both my BA and M.Ed. in education, and I can tell you they are the best way to go. I have thoroughly enjoyed my 25 years of teaching in the classroom as a licensed educator, and continue to enjoy it to this day.

However, you may only want to do the teaching thing for a few years before heading full time into your chosen career. If that is the reason you are seeking training, then the CELTA/TESL/TEFL/TESOL option is a wise and practical choice. The courses are commonly focused specifically on the things you will need to know about working with language learners at various levels. They are considerably less expensive than the full university teacher training courses, and they can be completed in a short period of time.

Certainly no one will argue the benefit of taking a full blown teacher training course at university, but there are options for people who just want to have a quick course in the principles and practices of doing the work they are hired to do here in Korea and other foreign nations.

[fusionbarnone]

Do the online EFL-Law tesol offered by Pusan uni. It's only 120,000won and accredited.

[tob55]

It is my understanding that the online program originally sponsored by EFL-Law has been discontinued. You should send them an email to verify this, but the last I heard was that it cost them way too much money to continue doing the course for the price they were charging for all of the related course featues. BTW the total cost of the course was a bit more than the 120,000 KRW price you quoted. By the time students paid for the materials and credential packet it was more like 225,000 to 260,000 KRW in fees. They have moved to a weekend program similar to TEFL Int'l, but they are a charing a bit less than the TEFL Int'l course does and transportation to their program site as well as food and lodging costs are not covered in the overall expense of taking the course which obviously drives up the end price considerably. Just wanted to get out the FYI before people started jumping on the band wagon without having real information

[Young FRANKenstein]

[tob55]

Young FRANKenstein,

Thanks for the clarification. I knew that information, but neglected to state it correctly. I can understand why some of the providers have moved away from the online market if they are not prepared to make their programs effective in terms of learning methodology and how to maintain a high level of interaction with their courses. This is a common problem among the majority of providers who are moving out of the online training area. Additionally, a number of providers are finding it difficult to make the step towards fulfilling all of the legal requirements in order to be completely recognized within the countries they operate. (This was not the case with Asian EFL Journal - They were and are legally operating within Korea, so my comments are not directed at them or any other program for that matter...Just stating the facts)

[fusionbarnone]

http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/TESOL_Certificate.php

[email protected]

The certificate "used" to include(???) all materials for 120,000won. I personally asked the dude who organized this qualification in conjunction with Pusan uni in sept. 06 and he made no indication that changes would emerge. If he has decided to discontinue this service and head on over to his pad in the philippines, well that would be really sad.

[xCustomx]

[tob55]

The ITTT course has taken a hit because of the very things you mentioned about the tutorial support. I have known a number of people who also took the ITTT course and expressed great disappointment in what they received for the money they paid. Regarding the Asian EFL-Journal course, the owner decided to make a shift in direction with his business, and is doing quite well in his new chosen training program that is actually not focused entirely on EFL- ESL training.