How long to get a TEFL cert?

ExpatLife4Me · Post by **ExpatLife4Me** » March 18th, 2012, 5:06 am

How much time does it take to complete a normal TEFL course and how much does one usually cost?

Think Different · Post by **Think Different** » March 18th, 2012, 5:29 am

I did an online 120-hour TEFL cert course in about 6 weeks. The program I used cost about $400 and had an online tutor that assisted you and graded/checked your work.

Mr S · Post by **Mr S** » March 18th, 2012, 10:37 am

If you attend in person they usually run 4 weeks more or less.

http://www.teflinternational.com/

I decided on them and went to their Ban Phe head quarters in Thailand. It was a pretty good experience. Just hard enough to make it interesting without major stresses unlike what I hear CELTA enrollees deal with.

If you go there take one of the outside huts rather than a room inside, it's a better experience and you have more privacy.

Remind you I finished mine back in 2003...

ExpatLife4Me · Post by **ExpatLife4Me** » March 18th, 2012, 6:54 pm

Think Different wrote:I did an online 120-hour TEFL cert course in about 6 weeks. The program I used cost about $400 and had an online tutor that assisted you and graded/checked your work.

Are the online certs good? Will most potential employers look favorably on them or do they not think so highly of them. The reason I ask is that my university offers a program in which, if a student takes 12 units of classes in linguistics, they are given a TEFL cert. I haven't looked into the program too much but I know that it does also include some working with foreign students and teaching simulated classes. If the online certs are just as good then I won't bother with the classes but if you think this would be of greater help to me when it comes time to finding a job overseas, then I will definitely participate in this program.

Mr S · Post by **Mr S** » March 20th, 2012, 11:17 pm

It's always preferable to attend a brick and mortar school if possible, online is usually best if you can't make the commitment due to other factors in your life.

I would take the linguistics course from your Uni and get the certificate that way, it will look better on your transcripts or CV/Resume when applying for future teaching positions.

Think Different · Post by **Think Different** » March 21st, 2012, 2:52 am

ExpatLife4Me wrote:
Think Different wrote:I did an online 120-hour TEFL cert course in about 6 weeks. The program I used cost about $400 and had an online tutor that assisted you and graded/checked your work.
Are the online certs good? Will most potential employers look favorably on them or do they not think so highly of them. The reason I ask is that my university offers a program in which, if a student takes 12 units of classes in linguistics, they are given a TEFL cert. I haven't looked into the program too much but I know that it does also include some working with foreign students and teaching simulated classes. If the online certs are just as good then I won't bother with the classes but if you think this would be of greater help to me when it comes time to finding a job overseas, then I will definitely participate in this program.

I had already taught ESL overseas in the past while not having a certificate or a university degree. So, in my opinion the type of school, the location and general competition you're up against are the deciding factors. The school I'm teaching at in Italy is a private language school and my 20+ years of professional experience and the fact that I'm a language geek all played in my favor. The school is considered one of the best and most honest in the city, and that counts for a lot in Italy, where language schools will neglect to pay their teachers as a matter of fact, especially the further south you go. The only thing an online course can't give you is the 20 hours of classroom/teaching simulation time, but you can add that on to your online cert, later on. Remember your cert is good for life, unlike an IT cert, and even if you have to start out for a year or two teaching at a tier 2 or tier 3 school to get your experience, it's worth it! Once you've got some experience and the cert under your belt, you can start looking for better and more competitive schools. Also, sell your past experience in other things as part of the "package" that a prospective employer would want to hire. Your personality and openness to people will go far, as well. Half of an ESL teacher's job is being an entertainer, someone who can keep the students' attention, and who is friendly and outgoing. Just knowing grammar rules is not going to cut it.

xiongmao · Post by **xiongmao** » March 30th, 2012, 11:46 am

Bump!

Take a look at CELTA providers. There are some in China and Thailand that will give you the qualification in a month (well assuming you pass). A CELTA will cost you around $1700 regardless of where you get it from.

The CELTA really is the gold standard of language teaching. If you can get the qualification from a University in a Western country then so much the better. But as Cambridge Uni oversees all CELTA providers it shouldn't matter where you get your qualification from.

By the way, the course is for teaching to adults, but it doesn't seem to matter when you go to get a job.

One huge advantage of the CELTA is that you get *real* teaching practice.

ph_visitor · Post by **ph_visitor** » March 30th, 2012, 4:24 pm

One to 6 weeks.

$100 to $4,000.

Scourage · Post by **Scourage** » January 3rd, 2013, 5:17 am

which options are provided by having a TEFL cert?

do you need some previous requirements to get it?

terminator · Post by **terminator** » January 3rd, 2013, 10:20 pm

These TEFL-Mills are a waste of time. You need a Uni degree (in anything) first, and then a good-quality TEFL before being considered now-a-days.

ClearView · Post by **ClearView** » January 4th, 2013, 3:46 am

xiongmao wrote:Bump!

Take a look at CELTA providers. There are some in China and Thailand that will give you the qualification in a month (well assuming you pass). A CELTA will cost you around $1700 regardless of where you get it from.

The CELTA really is the gold standard of language teaching. If you can get the qualification from a University in a Western country then so much the better. But as Cambridge Uni oversees all CELTA providers it shouldn't matter where you get your qualification from.

By the way, the course is for teaching to adults, but it doesn't seem to matter when you go to get a job.

One huge advantage of the CELTA is that you get *real* teaching practice.

Celta is an intense course and has many good things about it but the great advantage is that they put you in a class teaching from day 2 starting with 20 minute classes and finishing in week 4 with 60 minute classes back when I was doing it. The rest of the time is spent on honing your skills. You can gets substantial savings if you do it in Thailand or perhaps other places in Asia but in Australia the going rate is $3100: http://www.studycelta.com/melbourne/cel ... -australia

There may be advantages to doing it in a Western country, I'm not sure as I never did it in Asia but I know people who did. Overall the quality of the teachers should be similar as they all need to be certified by Cambridge.

xiongmao · Post by **xiongmao** » January 4th, 2013, 3:58 am

I looked into it. Most courses last a month and cost around $1400. I was going to do one, but I couldn't find many places that ran residential courses over Christmas.

I might do some teaching in China, but I guess it will be more private tuition in return for favours. I'm now going to China on an education visa, so I don't need to teach English to get a working visa.

As ClearView says, all Celta places should be the same but don't kid yourself that one gained in Thailand will be as good as one gained in my local Uni with its 5* rated language department. Still, if you get one in Asia then you'd probably find a job lined up for you as soon as you qualify.

I'll remind you all that a Celta is hard work though. Especially for us native English speakers who mostly learnt English grammar from their mamas, not in a school. I really struggle to remember what even adverbs are, and as for propositions etc. etc. , who knows!!!!

I failed to complete the Celta entrance test - it really sorts the men from the boys.

Ghost · Post by **Ghost** » January 4th, 2013, 9:53 pm

-----

xiongmao · Post by **xiongmao** » January 5th, 2013, 4:42 am

I'd recommend you go for the best course you can afford. Celta/TESOL qualifications are the best and last forever. I know more about the Celta, as my employer runs the courses. I was going to get the certificate, but I wimped out on the entrance test!!! To be fair though, they are an elite linguistics institution so they'll expect an awful lot from their students.

You can do a Celta anywhere in the World. In the UK it's about Â£1000 ($1600). If there's somewhere who offers it in your local area then this is an option. Some courses are intensive and full time for a month or so, whereas others last for 6 months or a year. The overseas places (e.g. Thailand) are only really useful if you're already abroad, or want to go somewhere and live cheaply for a month (some include cheap accommodation).

Teaching jobs are plentiful in China, but getting anything in China mostly comes down to who you know. Hence I'm building my network of contacts out there.

Why not pick a part of China you like and start making contacts there like I've done with Guangzhou. Smaller cities are best for teaching and if you want to date ladies then inland is better for more traditional ladies. Sichuan, Hubei and Hunan Provinces fulfill these criteria pretty well.

Other than that - bad economies/job markets are largely a myth. Despite the "recession", there are actually loads of jobs in the UK. Many are in niche areas like radiology or engineering. Learn a skill like this and you'll never be out of work.

Renata · Post by **Renata** » January 5th, 2013, 5:17 am

This school gives an online TEFL course with a few days of real classroom Teaching practice. The certificates has no mention that it was an online course. You also get a graded certificate for your teaching practice. http://www.intesoltesoltraining.com/ you can finish it in 2 weeks or do it at your own pace.

Celta is obiously the best course to TEFL