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chuck m
Tesol or Tefl training recommendations please!
Hello, I'm an American looking to become certified in a Tesol or Tefl program this coming year and I would really love to hear from others who have obtained these certifications and whether they would recommend the training they received.

My initial impression is that there seems to be a lot of very inexpensive programs that grant certifications after a very short period of training. I can't see that the quality of this training could be too good, but maybe I'm wrong. On the other hand, I've looked into mainstream, state colleges who offer such certification on-line, but then I'm told that they are not the ones really doing the teaching, but instead the training is carried out by an outfit called Coursera who apparently offer all sorts of college classes online. Unfortunately Coursera ratings are less than admirable. To take such training thru Coursera would cost a few hundred dollars while taking the same courses thru a recognized state university would cost about $9000, but then you would have certification from a major U.S. college.

Anyways, please let me know where you received your certification and whether you would recommend it to others.

Thanks.

Opmerkingen · 5

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It might also be worthwhile looking into CELTA programs. I think they are in someway associated with Cambridge and fairly reputable. From what I've seen they are not as long and expensive (about a month and a couple thousand dollars) as a certificate or master's program you'd get from a university in the states, but they are better then most tefol/tesl programs in the focus they put on actual teaching practicums. Some abroad programs offer you a position after completion (supposing you did well, I guess). They probably have a few programs available here as well.

Edit: I'd like to add that I have no actual experience with this myself so take all that with a grain of salt. It's simply something I'm also considering right now.
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Which training you choose, depends on your goal. If you only wish to teach English in language schools in the US or abroad, a TEFL course is generally fine. If you wish to teach in public schools in the US, a Masters in TESOL is required along with state certification. A TEFL course serves no purpose for public schools in the US requiring state certification.
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I had an excellent experience taking classes in a physical room with a professor and students. Classes were once a week which allowed a reasonable time for reading and doing class projects.

Also, those students who had previously done volunteer work with refugees or immigrants were "readier" for the course work.
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Thank you all for your comments.

Chris, I would agree that an actual physical classroom might be best, I just don't know if it is possible.

Peachey and Michael, I had not given any thought about CELTA, but having read about it this morning, it looks good. I'm going to delve into it further later today.

I'm a retired teacher so I'm thinking I can handle the actual classroom expectations.

For the curious, Tesol certification, consists of four classes to be completed over 14 months.

Mary, my preference is to obtain something that will allow me to teach both within and outside of the USA.

As many of you know, there is a significant teacher shortage in certain areas of America. Arizona, I've read, has a "warm body" law which basically says that so long as you are able to fog a mirror and can somehow relate your life/work experience to teaching, it is possible to obtain at least a temporary license in this state. Oklahoma does something similar. The shortage extends far beyond these two examples.

Again, thanks for your contributions.
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I started teaching English with only some online certification - if you choose this option, make sure the certificate is accredited, as some online "courses" exist just as a placement service. I mean, your certificate only has value through the site where you took the course, and that site also has a deal with schools to provide them with "trained" teachers. Accreditation means you can find your own work once you've done the course.

Naturally, you also need some classroom experience, so you might need to find that yourself by tutoring.

I took the CELTA course years later, so I could teach English in my own country. I could have done the course in Australia, but I did a bit of research and realised I could fly to, stay in, and complete the course in a nearby country for much less! The CELTA courses are standardised and audited by Cambridge, so you should be getting the same level of training quality regardless of which country you're in.

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