Teacher Discussion Forums

terribly sorry that this post is out of place. i am new here and i looked around but couldnt see any branch particularly suitable for this question, so i just picked the one with the most people and the most frequently visited.

i would like to obtain a tefl qualification, but i work full time and i need flexibility. there are certificates available online, e.g. ICAL school (www.teacher-training.net). would you please be kind enough to advise me if this is valid and worth it. i am not sure if the low price is due to low costs in e-commerce or due to low standards. i need to start asap and i would greately appreciate your opinion.

i am aware that an online course would limp on the practical side. however, it is not of paramount importance to me as i am a creative and effective communicator, i usually find a personal approach with ease, i have travelled and stewed in different languages, i have come a long way to my own mustery of english via various teaching approaches, i have worked a lot as an instructor to groups of people and i do have experience of teaching english, although not in a classroom. I will certainly have a lot to learn but i am confident that i can handle the situation fairly easily when i come to it, what i need to know now is the most flexible way to get the qualification (i am pressed for time, so i have to do a few things simultaneously), and just how much less effective that way is compared to going on a standard 4-week full-time course. will employers still take me seriously if i obtained my certificate online?
thank you

alexey

Hi!

I assume there is no real Yes or No answer!
It depends on your future employer and also where you obtain your degree! ( Beware many expensive black sheep.....)

Best wishes
Siân

I think the best thing you could do, if you're working full time, is take a part time evening class. However if that's impossible then you should know that it's quite easy to obtain English-teaching positions in many countries without any qualifications at all, schools are so desperate for teachers. I wouldn't like to have done that myself though, let's face it - you're going to be thrown in at the deep end and the students are going to suffer as a result. So yes, it's possible to do it online, or you could skip a tefl qualification altogether and still find work, but if I were you I'd take the time to get properly trained.