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EFLtrainer
Joined: 04 May 2005
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 Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 1:11 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="ajuma"]
| Gollum wrote: |
Your reasons for doing the on-line cheap course are totally understandable in the Korean context. I guess it boils down to "What do you want from the course and how much are you willing to pay?"
I REALLY wanted to improve my teaching skills, so I did the on-site CELTA course. If I just wanted the piece of paper, I would have gone the on-line route. THIS IS NOT A CRITICIZM, JUST AN OBSERVATION! |
Yup. |
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hari seldon
Joined: 05 Dec 2004
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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| What (if anything) distinguishes the CELTA certificate course from the SIT certificate course or the Trinity certificate course: quality or marketing? |
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ThePoet
Joined: 15 May 2004
Location: No longer in Korea - just lurking here
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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And if we're looking at cost-effectiveness, here is another TEFL site that is advertised on Dave's already and is a good program (I took it already and liked it) called ICAL: http://www.teacher-training.net
It is 5 units (each at 20 hours) and includes lesson planning. On the course site there is a great resource called the ICAL Companion. And, if we are talking price...this one for the summer is only $235.00 and regular price is $265.00
Just an alternative to think about.
Poet |
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Gollum
Joined: 04 Sep 2003
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 3:24 pm Post subject: |
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| ajuma wrote: |
| Gollum wrote: |
If you want to run away to podunk hometown in Canada, teach terrorists in England, or teach korean kids at some nook in NZ, then yes, the CELTA will help you more than having a simple online TEFL/TESL/TESOL certification. |
Well, if you want to teach in Europe, you'd better have the "real thing". They're pretty serious about it there.
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Hahhaahaha.. I got it.
But if you want to teach in the USA, you'd better have "the real thing."
That being an actual teaching degree plus certification.
People there will laugh you out of the room if you show up for a job with merely a 1 month CELTA. (By the way, the only defense people seem to have for this is to say the US Education system is a failure, citing skewed stats or picking some inner-city school and laughing at it, while completely ignoring the fact that the largest number of top 10 universities are in the USA).
Just out of curiousity, can you get a FT teaching job at a public school in Canada with merely a BA in anything plus a CELTA?
I have zero interest in teaching in Europe whatsoever. I'm not in the EU, either -- something of a requirement, I hear, these days.
As for your calling my certificate "a piece of paper," then you're right. But it's a piece of paper that is accepted by the education gov't here. Your degree is merely a piece of paper that cost 5 times as much and is accepted here, and in a few other places I don't care to teach.
So what.
It's like people who spend a lot of money on an SUV making fun of people who buy a Tico. Both get you where you want to go. One just does it for a whole lot less money. In the USA, and maybe Europe, I can't drive my Tico. It's not accepted. But I don't have any interest in driving my Tico there. |
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EFLtrainer
Joined: 04 May 2005
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:17 am Post subject: |
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| Gollum wrote: |
As for your calling my certificate "a piece of paper," then you're right. But it's a piece of paper that is accepted by the education gov't here. Your degree is merely a piece of paper that cost 5 times as much and is accepted here, and in a few other places I don't care to teach.
So what.
It's like people who spend a lot of money on an SUV making fun of people who buy a Tico. Both get you where you want to go. One just does it for a whole lot less money. In the USA, and maybe Europe, I can't drive my Tico. It's not accepted. But I don't have any interest in driving my Tico there. |
Actually, I think the real concern is that you, and most others teaching EFL, really aren't as interested in being better teachers as much as they are interested in just meeting requirements.
Some of us wish there were a larger percentage of people who actually want to teach and aren't simply using EFL as an easy way to travel or pay bills. A bit Pollyanna, but what can I say? I consider myself a teacher.
Again, I understand your reasons and reasoning and don't mean to diminish them. Just wish things were different. (But, then, I could say the same about a lot of things.) When even many of the course providers don't seem to care about the product, just getting paid...
EFLtrainer
www.geocities.com/killiankob/index.html |
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butter808fly
Joined: 09 May 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting to read all this discussion.
Well ESL trainer, youve convinced me that this course is okay (even though you probably intended the opposite.. hehe) Good to hear that The Tefl Corporation is the same as TEFL international - the course Id like to take in Thailand - but starting my contract to soon to go there.
http://www.teflcorp.com/ol-prices.htm
For 1 person the cost is = 295
For 2 people the cost is = 445
I will take this course, but if someone signs up with me we can both save about 70 bucks. If someone is interested, let me know by PM! Thanx. |
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Gollum
Joined: 04 Sep 2003
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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| EFLtrainer wrote: |
| Gollum wrote: |
As for your calling my certificate "a piece of paper," then you're right. But it's a piece of paper that is accepted by the education gov't here. Your degree is merely a piece of paper that cost 5 times as much and is accepted here, and in a few other places I don't care to teach.
So what.
It's like people who spend a lot of money on an SUV making fun of people who buy a Tico. Both get you where you want to go. One just does it for a whole lot less money. In the USA, and maybe Europe, I can't drive my Tico. It's not accepted. But I don't have any interest in driving my Tico there. |
Actually, I think the real concern is that you, and most others teaching EFL, really aren't as interested in being better teachers as much as they are interested in just meeting requirements.
Some of us wish there were a larger percentage of people who actually want to teach and aren't simply using EFL as an easy way to travel or pay bills. A bit Pollyanna, but what can I say? I consider myself a teacher.
Again, I understand your reasons and reasoning and don't mean to diminish them. Just wish things were different. (But, then, I could say the same about a lot of things.) When even many of the course providers don't seem to care about the product, just getting paid...
EFLtrainer
www.geocities.com/killiankob/index.html |
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for studying to become a better teacher. Your comments have been VERY useful to me. I may well take the CELTA in the future. Sadly, it just doesn't fit into my schedule for now, and costs way too much when I add in the airfare. I checked and the British Embassy said that they won't be offering it in Korea until Spring of 2006, or perhaps even summer. Too bad.
And I'm definately not going to take the TEFL International course, which now costs a whopping 3.4 million won to take here in Korea! Ouch! When you can get a CELTA for 1.5, why bother? |
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EFLtrainer
Joined: 04 May 2005
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| Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 10:56 am Post subject: |
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| butter808fly wrote: |
Interesting to read all this discussion.
Well ESL trainer, youve convinced me that this course is okay (even though you probably intended the opposite.. hehe) Good to hear that The Tefl Corporation is the same as TEFL international - the course Id like to take in Thailand - but starting my contract to soon to go there.
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Well, that IS interesting! My intent is to inform, BTW. I wouldn't be supportive of any online course, not just TEFL Intl`s. The PELT hopefully has been reworked, but as late as the end of April that wasn`t the case. We were being asked at that time to present it as it had been.
The "program" at TEFL International I can be supportive of. It is not nearly as rigorous as the CELTA (judging by feedback and convrsations from people that are familiar with both and from general comment found online in various places.) and the trainers/owners are often too worried about how trainees "feel" rather than what they learn. It is very difficult to take an intensive course and be "comfortable" for most people. Satisfied, challenged, yes. Comfortable? Then the course probably isn't challenging enough. So, you get what you pay for.
That all said, again, the program developed by Dave Hopkins is good. I think it should be more demanding and include some writing assignments beyond simple self-assessment, i.e., some essay work and a few other things, but... Dave is very experienced and the course sort of splits the middle between the CELTA and the really useless programs.
The problem with TEFL Intl is that it is very unpredictable as to whether the trainers you get actually have any training or experience because of the way the company is run. Also, the program is not the same from site to site, and particularly there seem to be some real differences between the half of the company run by the guy in Phuket and that run primarily by Bruce in Ban Phe. In other words, I couldn't tell you exactly what your cert means you learned from any given TEFL Intl site. And I was a trainer!
For consistency, I'd either ask for the resumes of the trainers at the site you are going to, or go to a more established company. But, hey, I haven't worked there since April... perhaps the entire company has changed in that time.
EFLtrainer
www.geocities.com/killiankob/index.html |
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aristotle84
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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does anyone know what the certificate ends up stating after u complete the whole program? for instance, does it list how many hours have been completed and what grade u received on your cert?
and also, i might be interested in teaching in europe...how would the online TEFL certification hold up in those EU countries?
for $295 it seems like an affordable way to learn the basics of teaching english. |
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