choose esl/celta/tefl/whatever related to teaching in Taiwan
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bvpiggelen
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- Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2005 6:35 pm
- Location: The Netherlands
choose esl/celta/tefl/whatever related to teaching in Taiwan
As a newbie, wanting to teach in Taiwan or China, I would like to know which type of English course to take, I hardly know the diferences between ESL, TEFL and others. Favour American English. Anyone know what course and reputable institution to pick ? Thanks in advance, Bob
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moonchild7903
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 2:25 pm
ESL stands for English as a Second Language
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (interchangeable with TEFL)
CELTA stands for Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults.
ESL and EFL is the field of English language teaching that we teachers want to be qualified in. TEFL/TESOL and CELTA are the qualifications/certificates we can earn. It is said that TESOL/TEFL certs is more flexible than CELTA because the latter concerns only teaching adults (I'm not sure if it's true though because I have friends with a CELTA who are teaching kids with much success).
When looking for a school, consider their application process. Do they just accept anyone for the course? Or do they give pre-course tasks and proper interviews? If they don't chances are, it's just a certificate mill and you won't really get much off your tuition. Check also if the institution is moderated by a moderating body such as Trinity to make sure the school is following a standard.
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (interchangeable with TEFL)
CELTA stands for Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults.
ESL and EFL is the field of English language teaching that we teachers want to be qualified in. TEFL/TESOL and CELTA are the qualifications/certificates we can earn. It is said that TESOL/TEFL certs is more flexible than CELTA because the latter concerns only teaching adults (I'm not sure if it's true though because I have friends with a CELTA who are teaching kids with much success).
When looking for a school, consider their application process. Do they just accept anyone for the course? Or do they give pre-course tasks and proper interviews? If they don't chances are, it's just a certificate mill and you won't really get much off your tuition. Check also if the institution is moderated by a moderating body such as Trinity to make sure the school is following a standard.
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bvpiggelen
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2005 6:35 pm
- Location: The Netherlands
Dear Moonlight
Thanks for your clear answer. I will check with Trinity on the quality of various schools. Still, I 'd like to know if there are qualifications that are focussed on AmEn since these are most widely accepted in Asia (I heard) but I guess Trinity can tell me that. Thanks again, Bob
In general, ESL means english as a SECOND language, while EFL means english as a FOREIGN language. Usually, they are interchangable. However, they are different in that an ESL class in America is very different from a French class in America. The ESL class in America would probably most resemble a French class in Franch. Basically, there's a big difference between a second language and a foreign language.
As far as certification goes, the training programs for TEFL/TESL are indeed identical as the previous poster said.
CELTA is different from TESL/TEFL in that they teach you a different style of pedagogy. In TESL/TEFL (and most educator programs) you learn PPP, or Presentation-Practice-Production styles of teaching. CELTA uses Test-Teach-Test. In general, TTT only works well for testing programs. Traditional communicative or grammar translation type classes are better suited to the PPP approach. I have recently seen a CELTA cert holder bomb in a grammar translation class.
Regarding which cert is best for you, it depends on your qualifications. In general, a degree in education will prepare you for any country and you won't need to get anything else. If you have a master's degree, that's great too. A master's degree in ESL and your future is nearly assured.
Regarding american english, it's the "popular" dialect atm. There's really no special training you can get. However, in my experience, native British English speakers are highly valued as well, especially for Cambridge test prep programs.
As far as certification goes, the training programs for TEFL/TESL are indeed identical as the previous poster said.
CELTA is different from TESL/TEFL in that they teach you a different style of pedagogy. In TESL/TEFL (and most educator programs) you learn PPP, or Presentation-Practice-Production styles of teaching. CELTA uses Test-Teach-Test. In general, TTT only works well for testing programs. Traditional communicative or grammar translation type classes are better suited to the PPP approach. I have recently seen a CELTA cert holder bomb in a grammar translation class.
Regarding which cert is best for you, it depends on your qualifications. In general, a degree in education will prepare you for any country and you won't need to get anything else. If you have a master's degree, that's great too. A master's degree in ESL and your future is nearly assured.
Regarding american english, it's the "popular" dialect atm. There's really no special training you can get. However, in my experience, native British English speakers are highly valued as well, especially for Cambridge test prep programs.