Teacher Discussion Forums

I ran across a website for an advertisement for Oxford Seminars. They are based in Canada and they conduct 60 hr, TESOL workshops. They have several locations in Canada as well as NYC (Manhattan, Brookly, Queens). They operate Saturdays and Sundays. Has anyone heard of this company? I would appreciate any insight you have, whether its legitimate or not, whether you know someone who has taken the course or is taking it. I would prefer to receive info from people in NYC since that's where I'll be taking it. But anyone with knowledge regarding this company is much appreciated.
Thank you.

My impression of these companies that provide training to be an English teacher and are generally very short and very expensive, is that it is merely paying for a certificate that will allow you to work legally in some countries if you don't have at least a Bachelors. Most countries will let you work with a bachelors in ANYTHING and no TOEFL cert!

It's like this joke of a CPR class I took for a hazardous waste company I worked for once. A guy came in and lectured to our group (but mostly just cracked jokes and seemed to care very little about CPR/First Aid) and in a less than the time the course was suppose to take, we all had our CPR card. The company was legally meeting its requirements, so who cares? Right?

I would love to be wrong about these "schools." If anyone has an opinion or viewpoint that is contrary, I would love to hear it. My main problem with these places is that they charge a lot of money and don't really prepare the person for the realities of the classroom. I have spent 8 years studying and practicing teaching and I am barely starting to feel like I really know what I am doing.

My advice: do it if it is your ticket to teaching. But, don't let have unrealistic expectations of your preparedness. Teaching is work! And it takes time to learn how to do it right.

I'm currently taking the Oxford Seminars course. They are helping me reach my goal and they are doing it at a reasonable price. I agree there is much more to teaching then this course can offer, but it has supplied me with resources, strategies, and a network of people in a field (ESL) where I previously had none.
I have been teaching for two years so I already know what it's like to lead a classroom. If I did not have prior teaching experience I don't think I would leave this seminar with the confidence or the skills to become effective immediately in the classroom. However, those who do receive their TESL certificate from Oxford Seminars will have a good foundation to build upon and they can become great teachers if they are committed to using the skills they learned in the seminar.

Robert B