Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pangaea]

Any suggestions on where I can go to get a CELTA that will cost the least? I know the program fees will probably be close to the same anywhere, but there is also the cost of living. I've heard Vietnam is fairly cheap. Any other suggestions? Any suggestions on which program to use?

[Gnawbert]

My friends did one in Krakow, Poland about 2 years ago and loved it. Their criteria was similar to yours.

[fromtheuk]

I think the Budapest course is cheap. Please be aware, some people have failed this course, including some with masters degrees and PhDs.

Go on google and look for CELTA nightmares. I did that myself and I found a wonderful blog with almost a zillion comments on the CELTA.

Some people that failed said the course is quite cliquey. Some trainers have been accused of picking on people, being very subjective and overly harsh.

I read enough comments to put me off the course. I would suggest you do an MA in TESOL. I am seriously thinking about it.

[thrylos]

Though not necessarily the cheapest in terms of tuition, the CELTA at the British Council in Seoul was decent and friendly enough when I did it a few years ago. Especially if you live in Seoul, your living costs are down to zero (or no more than normal) and that makes doing it locally a good bargain.

Also, the IGSE (www.igse.ac.kr) offers one in Seoul, too. You can also do them part-time (over 3? 6?) months, if I remember correctly.

[cassimira]

According to various CELTA employees I have talked to, CELTA in Chiang Mai, Thailand, overall works out to be the cheapest option available. The reason for this is that accommodation and delicious Thai meals are both included, something you often have to pay extra for with other courses..... believe me, it can really help to be there on site too, with all the work you'll be doing! And if you are coming from Korea, you can get a flight there from Air Asia for only a few hundred bucks.

I actually did my CELTA there, and still think of it as one of the best times of my life. The current instructors are great, and the lakeside compound you are staying is is beautiful (and includes its own bar if you are so inclined, AND frequent beetle fights run by friendly locals across the road if you want to soak in some culture). Plus... you get to do it IN THAILAND.

[url] http://www.ihbangkok.com/page/37-international_house_bangkok_prestigious_english_school_in_bangkok_celta_th.html
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[Louis VI]

I did mine in New Zealand. It was very expensive but it was edutourism as I always wanted to go there.

Another teacher at my hagwon is going to do the CELTA in Thailand in May and it is very cheap. Airfare is relatively cheap to Bangkok from here, accommodation and food in LOS is absurdly cheap. There are CELTA sites in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and I think Phuket even.

Yeah, a guy did fail the course when I took it, or he was on his way to failing so he withdrew. He was an experienced public high school teacher with a decade of experience. But he couldn't do the CELTA method. CELTA is a tool, a specific skillset with very specific criteria to judge one's performance on. The blathering idiot thought teaching was all about teacher talking and students listening and seemed unwilling to practice the CELTA method, which involves minimum teacher talk time! The CELTA program teaches one how to plan lessons for group work, with the teacher more as facilitator, designing activities to engage the student in the lesson. It really is a wonderful method to master, tools for one's toolchest, some of which one will use often, some less often. But for the duration of the course one is expected to learn and demonstrate the CELTA method. It is stupid to try and argue against it. It's a tool. Learn how to use it then put it in your belt.

[mmstyle]

Loius (or anyone with experience, for that matter) can you please elaborate on the this "Celta method" is? I too have read some horror stories about this course, which is the only thing keeping me from doing it, really. Perhaps if I knew more about what it is you have to do, then I would know whether or not it is for me.

Thanks.

[Caffeinated]

I did mine in Phuket for beach and diving during my free time away from the course. I have no regrets about that decision, and the costs were quite reasonable compared to other sites.

[dharma bum]

I'm planning to attend one of the courses in Thailand later this year since it seems to be the cheapest option and Thailand is just a nice place to be. One thing I'm wondering, however, is whether employers care where you have gotten your certificate from or if they even ask. Basically, I'm worried that a Korean employer might look down upon a CELTA from Thailand as opposed to one from the British Council here in Seoul...

[Draz]

I did mine in Seoul figuring that the savings on flight + accommodations would make up for any difference in course fees. I had to pay for my apartment in Seoul anyway for that month.

They are worth the same no matter where you get them, part of the fee is so they can fly a guy in from Britain to do an evaluation and make sure the course is "To Standard".

[legrande]

[edwardcatflap]

[Louis VI]

[young_clinton]

Many TEFL schools provide a certificate with 9 credit hours towards a Master's degree.

[young_clinton]