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gypsyfish
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 5:57 am Post subject: |
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First one at Lado International College in Washington, DC.
Second one was the CELTA at Yonsei. It's now taught at the British Council.
The CELTA cuts more ice internationally and was great, with a lot of practical teaching information and practice. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 9:05 pm Post subject: Re: TESL/TEFL Certificate: Where did you get yours? Reviews |
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| Gollum wrote: |
Where did you get your TESL or TEFL certification? Did you do it online or with a teaching component? How well has it been accepted around the world and/or in Korea?
I am planning to take a course during my summer vacation (mid July to mid August) and am really searching for something worthwhile.
I am shying away from the "strictly online" courses out of fear that they might not be accepted, or may not be in the future. Anyone have any feelings pro or con about that?
I'm looking for any and all discussion on the subject, and of course, recommendations.
Thanks. |
International House in BUDAPEST, HUNGARY. Got it in 1998.. cost me $800 for the 4-week course.. and housing there was quite cheap at that time - less than $200 for the mouth for a nicely located apartment near the Danube River.
As for being accepted around the world.. of course it is.. but most of my teaching has been South America and Korea (neither of which it matters). I believe it only matters in Europe, Indonesia and Turkey (as far as I know).
If I were in your shoes and looking to take it somewhere.. I'd head to Thailand (closest and cheapest). |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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| JacktheCat wrote: |
| If only SIT wasn't located in the boonies of Vermont. |
Brattleboro, Vermont.
I've been there twice.. its a really beautiful town in the mountains.. lots of skiing and just picturesque place. I hate quaint small towns.. but this town really impressed me. Plus its close enough to Massachusetts to get on the freeway over to Boston (if you needed that).
I've been to Brattleboro twice looking into other MA programs. The campus is just outside of town.. the community is really laid-back.. lots of students from the SIT program and its a very international program with all its various other MA degrees.
The only problem is the last I checked, 9-months of tuition into any of these programs was well above $20,000+.. and then you gotta buy housing and everything else. Not bad compared to other university situations in the U.S.. but still. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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I did mine in The Language Centre of Ireland. Kildare St. Dublin. 2 weeks intensive. 90 hours. Very good tutors. Hard work actually but I learned a lot.
It cost 260 punts. I've no idea what that tranlates to in won or dollars. Maybe 200 pounds..... |
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dodgybarnet
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Location: Directly above the centre of the earth. On a kickboard.
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| Posted: Sat May 21, 2005 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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Anyone know what qualification one actually needs though?
One day I'd to work in Canadaland teaching adults (i.e. exactly what I do here but without being, well, here).
At the moment all I have is a degree, a 20-hour TEFL, and a Dodgy Barnet. Personally, I feel teaching adults is much more about being a good Stand Up Comedian and decent conversationalist rather than anything else.
Any ideas? |
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Atkinson
Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Location: Land of the Golden Twist-tie
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 12:06 am Post subject: |
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I got my Trinity CertTESOL at Coventry House in Toronto. $2,200 Canadian and worth it. Excellent course, and a bloody lot of work. My first teaching job (in Canada), they said, "You have a Trinity Certificate? You go to the top of the pay scale ($19/hour) plus 10%."
| dodgybarnet wrote: |
Anyone know what qualification one actually needs though?
One day I'd to work in Canadaland teaching adults (i.e. exactly what I do here but without being, well, here). |
You need a TESL certifiacte. Also useful are decent job interview skills and a network of people telling you which schools are desperate.
| dodgybarnet wrote: |
At the moment all I have is a degree, a 20-hour TEFL, and a Dodgy Barnet. Personally, I feel teaching adults is much more about being a good Stand Up Comedian and decent conversationalist rather than anything else.
Any ideas? |
Teaching kids you can get away with being a comedian, and the kids will still love you, and will tell their parents so. Adults are much pickier, since it's their own money they're giving you. They'll appreciate your humour, for sure, but will complain or quit if they're not learning anything, or if there's no direction. (You may be confusing ESL teaching with "Conversation courses.")
There are lots of valuable things you learn in a proper TEFL course. Some of these skills you might already have. Ask yourself:Can I teach unknown material with five minutes notice?
Can I spin a disaster lesson into a good one on-the-fly?
Can I take a crappy boring book my boss tells me I have to work from, and still make the class engaging?
For a year?
If my materials fail (CD player can't read your burned CD, photocopier out of toner, bean bag is leaking kernels of corn), can I adapt?
If my boss asks for complete lesson plans in advance, can I produce them?
Can I teach classes with mixed language backgrounds (i.e. different specific problems)?
Can I cope with mixed levels?
Can I run a successful lesson without saying a word myself?
These are things adults will notice and appreciate. These are things you learn in a good TEFL course. Personally, I also gained a hell of a lot of confidence in my course. The most valuable aspect for me was the teaching practicum. Can't get that online.
YMMV |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 12:16 am Post subject: |
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| Atkinson wrote: |
I got my Trinity CertTESOL at Coventry House in Toronto. $2,200 Canadian and worth it. Excellent course, and a bloody lot of work. My first teaching job (in Canada), they said, "You have a Trinity Certificate? You go to the top of the pay scale ($19/hour) plus 10%."
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Man, now I understand why so many teachers come to Korea over staying in Canada.... that's in Canadian dollars? Yikes! Not much opportunity in those pay rates! |
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SuperHero
Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 3:04 am Post subject: |
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| Derrek wrote: |
| Atkinson wrote: |
I got my Trinity CertTESOL at Coventry House in Toronto. $2,200 Canadian and worth it. Excellent course, and a bloody lot of work. My first teaching job (in Canada), they said, "You have a Trinity Certificate? You go to the top of the pay scale ($19/hour) plus 10%."
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Man, now I understand why so many teachers come to Korea over staying in Canada.... that's in Canadian dollars? Yikes! Not much opportunity in those pay rates! |
What keeps you here? The opportunity to bitch and complain about everything? |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 3:20 am Post subject: |
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| SuperHero wrote: |
| Derrek wrote: |
| Atkinson wrote: |
I got my Trinity CertTESOL at Coventry House in Toronto. $2,200 Canadian and worth it. Excellent course, and a bloody lot of work. My first teaching job (in Canada), they said, "You have a Trinity Certificate? You go to the top of the pay scale ($19/hour) plus 10%."
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Man, now I understand why so many teachers come to Korea over staying in Canada.... that's in Canadian dollars? Yikes! Not much opportunity in those pay rates! |
What keeps you here? The opportunity to *beep* and complain about everything? |
Wow, you're so desperate to try to redeem yourself in your posts, you're tripping over yourself and trying to make a stink about anything I say.
You'll have to fill me in on how talking about low pay rates for teachers in Canada equates to me complaining about Korea?
Read it again... are you too blind to see that I was stating that I understood why people would come to teach here, because the pay is better? 
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Atkinson
Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Location: Land of the Golden Twist-tie
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| Posted: Mon May 23, 2005 2:37 am Post subject: |
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| Derrek wrote: |
| Atkinson wrote: |
I got my Trinity CertTESOL at Coventry House in Toronto. $2,200 Canadian and worth it. Excellent course, and a bloody lot of work. My first teaching job (in Canada), they said, "You have a Trinity Certificate? You go to the top of the pay scale ($19/hour) plus 10%."
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Man, now I understand why so many teachers come to Korea over staying in Canada.... that's in Canadian dollars? Yikes! Not much opportunity in those pay rates! |
I should clarify that that's top of the entry-level pay scale. Are the entry-level rates still that much better in the States? |
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JacktheCat
Joined: 08 May 2004
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| Posted: Mon May 23, 2005 3:16 am Post subject: |
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| Atkinson wrote: |
I should clarify that that's top of the entry-level pay scale. Are the entry-level rates still that much better in the States?
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No.
The last time I looked, the going rate for an ESL teacher in the private sector in Boston, MA was $12-15 US Dollars an hour (factoring in office work and lesson planning). And the schools won't even look at someone who doesn't have at least a Master's and 10 years experience. Note, the McDonalds down the street is offerring $8 an hour, HS diploma optional.
Meanwhile, I make 25k won for a 45 min extra class at my high school here in Korea. Which factors out to almost 35 US Dollars an hour at today's exchange rate. (and tax free to boot)
And people ask me why I have no interest in ever going back to America. |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon May 23, 2005 6:52 am Post subject: |
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| Atkinson wrote: |
| Derrek wrote: |
| Atkinson wrote: |
I got my Trinity CertTESOL at Coventry House in Toronto. $2,200 Canadian and worth it. Excellent course, and a bloody lot of work. My first teaching job (in Canada), they said, "You have a Trinity Certificate? You go to the top of the pay scale ($19/hour) plus 10%."
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Man, now I understand why so many teachers come to Korea over staying in Canada.... that's in Canadian dollars? Yikes! Not much opportunity in those pay rates! |
I should clarify that that's top of the entry-level pay scale. Are the entry-level rates still that much better in the States? |
Did I mention or make a comparison between pay in the USA and Canada? |
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Atkinson
Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Location: Land of the Golden Twist-tie
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| Posted: Tue May 24, 2005 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Derrek wrote: |
Did I mention or make a comparison between pay in the USA and Canada? |
No. It was a bold and prejudiced assumption on my part that anybody uninformed about wages in Canada and making a comparison was comparing it with the States. What comparison were you making? |
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Gollum
Joined: 04 Sep 2003
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue May 24, 2005 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Atkinson wrote: |
| Derrek wrote: |
Did I mention or make a comparison between pay in the USA and Canada? |
No. It was a bold and prejudiced assumption on my part that anybody uninformed about wages in Canada and making a comparison was comparing it with the States. What comparison were you making? |
Read the post. It was a comparison between Canada and Korea.
All you need to do is read. |
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Atkinson
Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Location: Land of the Golden Twist-tie
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| Posted: Wed May 25, 2005 12:26 am Post subject: |
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| Gollum wrote: |
| Atkinson wrote: |
| Derrek wrote: |
Did I mention or make a comparison between pay in the USA and Canada? |
No. It was a bold and prejudiced assumption on my part that anybody uninformed about wages in Canada and making a comparison was comparing it with the States. What comparison were you making? |
Read the post. It was a comparison between Canada and Korea.
All you need to do is read. |
Oh, right. Actually, it didn't occur to me that there was anyone who was unaware that the money is better in Korea than in Canada.  |
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