ESL Jobs Forum

[perrya]

Currently thinking of entering this field. I have a BA in Science and have been currently voluteering at Catholic Charities for a year teaching English to Hispanics in a small group (5 or less). Many of my students moved on to becoming US citizens. I also have a J.D in law.

Of the online courses, there is a certificate given for a 100, 150 or 250 hr course. The prices vary from Transworld 250 hr for $1300 to Linguage's $500 for 250 hr. Of course, there is the 100 hr certificate for $250, their 150 hr for $350 etc.

Is the 250 hr course the CELTA? Just how much difference is there between the lesser hour courses? Does the different in price warrant it? Is having a certificate the same as being certified? What exactly is the difference in training in general? Which course would be most beneficial to me for getting a decent job?

Perry in Calif

[Lexicon]

If you're willing to spend the money for training, get a CELTA. Otherwise, most of the other courses are about the same. A few give you the very basics, but most of them give you little more than that, and most are nothing but a trade of your $$ for a piece of paper you could make on your home computer.
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The first step to teaching is realizing that you don't know nearly enough yourself.

My Blog: http://calleteach.wordpress.com

[perrya]

Thanks. Certainly a vast of opinions on this issue. Further research shows me that 120 hrs is the amount in the CELTA onsite courses plus 50-80 hrs of study\homework. That said, it would seem that an online course of 150 or 250 hrs is its equivilent and what is lacking is the student teaching and supervisory portion in a live setting. Is this the main difference? Maybe I am wrong, but don't all the schools, whether online or not, use the same or similiar curriculum and theory?

Perry

[ICAL_Pete]

To get a basic qualification to teach English almost any certificate will suffice. Where a provider says it's X hrs in many cases (though not all) that's a rough guesstimate and nothing more.

A CELTA is a TEFL course run by Cambridge. It's intensive, 4 weeks long (or part-time over several months) and, in my opinion, is best taken by experienced teachers.
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ICAL - Quality TEFL Training since 1998

[perrya]

I see. So, I guess there is no real value per se in enrolling in an online course that is 250 hrs or 150 hrs because it still NOT equal to a CELTA (even if 120 hrs is one).

Going by the number of hours in a course as a guide to its value does not make it better, correct?

What newbies need to know is: besides cost, is a certificate of 150 or 250 hrs in length any better than just the 100 hrs required? Will a doploma of 250 hrs be more favorable to an employer than just a 100 hr cert\diploma? if not, why bother?

Perry

[Lexicon]

It really comes down to quality not quantity. There is no such thing as a class that can teach you even remotely close to everything you need to know before stumbling through your first time in front of an ESL class.

The best thing you can do is to try and self-educate yourself. The basics of linguistics, the phonology of English, the basic syntax of the language. Learn to explore not just what is the correct answer but why.

Most TEFL training courses don't even tell you the important things, like what the purpose of the perfected forms are, or how to explain when to use the present, past, or future perfect, or why sometimes you use the present perfect and sometimes the simple past.

Some will give you BS and loads of crap about when to use something here or there, but most are totally incorrect and I've yet to see one that backs up its grammar guidance with sound linguistic principles.
_________________
The first step to teaching is realizing that you don't know nearly enough yourself.

My Blog: http://calleteach.wordpress.com

[ICAL_Pete]

[Lucas]

Hi Perrya, I don't know about other schools, but Ontesol's 250-hour course with practicum is equivalent to CELTA and Trinity. This program is recognized by TESL Canada and is an extended version of Coventry House International's Trinity CertTESOL program (It offers more training on lesson planning, which is the most important part of a teacher training course). Furthermore, the practicum (also a very important part of a course) for TESL Canada's accreditation is 20 hours as opposed to CELTA's 6-hour practicum

[bgngranada]

Basically put, there is no 'online alternative' for the CELTA courses, regardless of the amount of hours. I have noticed that it seems the industry standards for online courses is 100-hours and the standard for onsite courses is 120-hours. I don't think any 250 hour diploma course would really be necessary until possibly after a few years' teaching experience. You might consider these training courses as falling into three categories: (1) online course, (2)onsite (usually four weeks long) or (3) combined (combination of online and onsite). The most sought after being the onsite, then combined and then online...of course this is in general but a good point of reference.