Who provides good TESL training?

Question

My husband and I are thinking about going overseas in the next year or two, and I would like to see if I can get certified in teaching English as a second language, to expand my employment options.

There are so many different organizations claiming to offer the best TESL training, and they all claim accreditation (but from different orgs), that it's difficult to know which is legit, useful, and respected.

I do not have a teaching certificate, nor do I have a lot of time. The university-based TESOL programs all seem to require 3 semesters and in-classroom practicums, which won't work for me, even though I know they will give the best training. I am currently employed full time and raising my son, so this is going to have to be a weekend-and-evening type thing.

Do you have any recommendations? What accreditation should I look for? Other criteria?

Thanks.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

In general you'll need a degree (although there are still possibilities if you do not have this) and a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate to get a visa and work. 

The TEFL certificate can be taken either in-house or online at your own pace which is a much cheaper option. You need to look at the reputation the school has; for example, simply do a Google search and read the forums to understand if a school is good or not.

And regarding accreditation, remember that despite what some schools try to tell you, there is NO independent, international accreditation! And very often you'll see that supposedly "independent" organisations were set up as fronts by the schools to accredit themselves! Unfortunately it's very messy.

However, there are good training schools out there. Take a look at the comments left by former students at http://teflcoursereview.com and you can see some independent reviews.

? · Answer

Trinity CertTESOL, CELTA, and TESL Canada are the most popular courses out there as they include a real teaching practice module. They are intensive and may cost up to $2,000. Some universities and private institutes offer the theoretical component of the TESL Canada course online.  You can also take a 100-hour online TESOL/TEFL course for less than $400 to get the credentials for an entry-level job.

itoiTEFL · Answer

It's tricky isn't it! The first thing to get your head around is that there's no over-arching governing body for TEFL course providers - this means that all course providers are slightly different and are accredited by different bodies.

My advice if you're working full time and have kids is to do your TEFL course online - these kinds of courses are increasingly well-respected and highly flexible, so you can fit your studying around your life. When picking your course provider you need to consider the following: 

>Are they independently accredited?
>Are their courses internationally recognized? I.e. Will their courses help you to find work abroad?
>Do you have the support of expert tutors? You can meet some of our TEFL tutors here: http://www.onlinetefl.com/about-itoi-tefl/tefl-tutors.html
>Will they put you in touch with people who've done their courses? For instance, i-to-i has a TEFL community, Chalkboard (http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/), where you can chat to people who've done our courses and gone on to teach abroad.

Best of luck with whatever you decide!

rapose · Answer

Depends on whay tuition your going to and if they're authorised. you could wish to stay with domestically authorised colleges and colleges which might be DETC authorised. I went to a DETC university, pennfoster.edu and it aid me get a task making 100k. i simply enrolled in ashworth universit and desire to get my masters.

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Who provides good TESL training?

4 Answers