Hi everybody,
I'm considering taking a TEFL qualification and would very much appreciate some advice.
A brief background summary - I have taught English before, a year in a secondary school in France and a year as a lectrice in a French university. I have a degree in French and taught this too for a while when i lived in the UK. I have recently moved to France (nr Rennes) with my young family and i'm now considering returning to TEFL. I do not however have a qualification to do so and i'm considering an on-line course (on-line due to family commitments, notably 3 children).
Can anybody give me their opinions with regards to on-line courses? Maybe point me in the right direction? I've heard negative things about on-line courses, i'm hoping it's not all true as I think i'll find it pretty difficult to free myself for the usual 4 weeks.
Any advice welcomed and many thanks in advance
Lorna
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Hi Lorna,
I too found it difficult to find a four week block to do a face-to-face course, but was able to find a CELTA course that ran part-time over 15 weeks. It might be worth looking to see if there is anything like that near where you live.
Best wishes, Vicky.
The Celta is offered online, now.
Avoid 100% online courses, which offer no teaching pratice.
That said, I'm not sure a teaching qualification is an asset in France, where most teachers don't hold any and are offered jobs just because they're native speakers (though non-natives generally hold university degrees, but no teaching qualifications).
Hi Lorna
Ideally, everyone would be able to take a face-to-face training course before starting as a teacher, but in the real world that's not possible. However, I think it's worth thinking hard about doing some form of face-to-face training - after all, if you want to teach in a real classroom, it's best to get some experience!
One option is the CELTA; but there's also the Trinity CertTESOL, which has equal international prestige and recognition. While it's possible to do some part of these courses online, they both involve teaching practice, and so you have to present yourself in person.
Finally, it's important to think about the place you want to teach, and the local requirements. Here in Spain, an accredited qualification is almost essential; however, there are parts of the world where a good level of English is all you need.
Best of luck!