TEFL courses anyone?

[purplepeony]

Can anyone recommend a quick online intensive TEFL course?
I am already a qualified teacher of English with years of experience including teaching Basic Skills, which might be enough, but would like to add this to my CV in view of doing some work overseas.
So many to choose from and would save me time to know which is best (is it the Cambridge cert?) as there are so many Mickey Mouse courses out there.

Hi purplepeony

I can't recommend an online course but when I did my TEFL training (15 years ago!) the Cambridge cert was considered to be the best and most recognised overseas.

As you say, being a qualified English teacher may be enough depending on where you want to teach. I taught in Japan and whilst a TEFL qualification in my school wasn't compulsory it did help (on CV) and meant you got paid more! I think schools in Europe are more likely to want a formal TEFL qualification.

No worthwhile organisation would accept an online qualification.
Most orgs though will accept a PGCE instead. (I recruit tefl teachers and will often choose a PGCer over a TEFLer simply because they have more classroom management nous)
The recognised certs are now lumped together under the title CELTA by and large and are offered by various places, unis, adult ed colleges etc. The Cambridge RSA cert and the Trinity College ones are the best and can usually be done in 4 or 5 weeks full time or part time/evenings over the course of an academic year.
If you look at the website of your nearest uni/college type place, they might offer a CELTA. Lots of the bigger language schools (International House, Bells, Pilgrims) offer them in-house as well, with more or less guaranteed work afterwards.

I swear I replied to this

Oh well, I agree do a CELTA or a Trinity, or I've heard good things about a new one called a SIT on Dave's cafe.

Where are you planning to teach? Different countries have different teaching requirements and different institutions will have different ideas on what is an appropriate qualification.

Thanks all.
I am not sure where I want to teach. I am thinking of having a mini gap break - maybe 3 months- and was going to do voluntary work, but being a teacher ( and English at that) it seems mad to lose out on earning power if I could get work.

Someone recently suggested China to me as a good place to go.

I suppose part of me thinks why should I train in TEFL having taught for years, if I don't need to ( and spend the money on a course) but I suspect it is a different way of teaching.

Open to suggestions!

I point you in the direction of Dave's. They will tell you everything

www.eslcafe.com I think!

Had a quick look at some courses- the Cambridge course is around £1500 for a 4-week, 120 hr course.

I also had a look at some 65 hr courses- adn they seem to be all about what I already do and trained in 30 years back: classroom management,grammar, role-play , use of blackboard etc etc.

How could I find out if what I have done so far is acceptable without doing a TEFL course, or could I maybe do a short course just to top up my experience and qualifications?

international job forum

cheers- appreciated

PP- It's difficult to say tbh, who would accept you without a tefl. I would but I know other organisations like IH etc will insist on it. It varies so much from organisation to organisation.

For the very best (ie well-paid) jobs even a tefl won't be enough. My friend works in China and needed a Master's in Linguistics for a well-paid job.

I'd be wary about any certification that wasn't very specifically CELTA or confirmed as being "equivalent to and accepted as much as " a CELTA.

Dave's cafe, as Frak says also has a useful section on the places to avoid like the plague- and unfortunately there are more of those around than not.

If you're in Nottingham or it's area, I'm still recruiting for this summer!!

Thanks Buch- I'm further south- almost London.

I am not necessarily after a "proper proper job", IYSWIM, but more a bringing people up to sratch with English. Originally I was going to volunteer for say 3 months, in somewhere like Africa, but then I thought- why not see if I can get paid as well, as I am a qual. English teacher. I am more qualified obviously than 18 yr olds and feel it's a waste not to try to get paid work, but I am not looking at a year's post or anything like that.

I also have specialist training in dyslexia, so am pretty hot on phonics, spelling,etc etc.

Will keep looking and investigating.

I'm sure this summer (esp July) you should be able to find short course work, especially "almost London" way....Try the big language schools, International House, Pilgrims, OISE, are all good ones, and then numerous others not so good, but still Ok to dip your toes in, I'm sure most would accept a "proper" teacher even without a TEFL.

One of these companies is the one I work for so I know they will.....(I just tried to contact you with more details but you aren't clickable...t'is the one with just initials anyway....)

How did you get on? I think with your quals you would be better off avoiding Efl and going to work for an International school abroad the pay is better and it will be easier to get a job when you return Uk efl is a goner now