TEFL or TESOL or CELTA ?

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

ganimay - 05 Nov 2005 02:20 GMT

Can anyone advise which would be the most useful qualification for
Teaching English as a Second Language?
Plan is to teach English - either in Australia or in Asia.
Or does it not matter, so long as one has ONE of these?
thx

Reply to this Message

Django Cat - 05 Nov 2005 18:41 GMT

> Can anyone advise which would be the most useful qualification for
> Teaching English as a Second Language? Plan is to teach English -
> either in Australia or in Asia. Or does it not matter, so long as
> one has ONE of these? thx

CELTA is the only one of these acronyms that refers to a teaching
qualification. Don't touch anything else with the exception of Trinity
Certificate.

DC. CELTA 1982.

Reply to this Message

credoquaabsurdum - 07 Nov 2005 01:20 GMT

There are a few thousand institutions in the world that offer some kind
of basic teacher training course and give you a certificate at the end.
They usually go by the name of "Certificate in Teaching English and a
Foreign Language" or "Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of
Other Languages." Welcome to the alphabet soup of this business.

Generally speaking, these programs are under no external obligation to
maintain quality control in what they do. While some of them are quite
good, some of them are really low down on the quality ladder. The best
ones are known on a national level, and they're safe bets if you want
to stay in the same country for the rest of your life (a lot of us
do...we get married, have kids, that sort of thing).

However, what you're looking for is: "Have internationally-known
certificate, will travel/feets don't fail me now."

Now you have two votes for CELTA as your best bet, Trinity a good
second, everything else a distant third. Cambridge ESOL, the
organization that sponsors CELTA, hasa few real marketing geniuses on
the payroll, and they're just getting better at spreading the word. A
lot of people who do Trinity are fantastically loyal to the quality of
the programs, but Trinity just isn't as good at

I know the recognized certification programs often cost a lot more than
the no-name courses, but it will be worth it when you go job hunting.

My situation should be a good lesson: my basic teacher-training course
one of those no-name TEFL courses (done in Paris) and when I got to
Athens, it was worth less than nothing insofar as ease of employment or
pay rate was concerned.

Best of luck, 'cruit.

> Can anyone advise which would be the most useful qualification for
> Teaching English as a Second Language?
> Plan is to teach English - either in Australia or in Asia.
> Or does it not matter, so long as one has ONE of these?
> thx

Reply to this Message

John Ramsay - 07 Nov 2005 14:49 GMT

Depends where you are planning to take the course.

In the US they call it Tesol, Canada Tesl, Celta in Europe.

What you need for solid basic qualifications is a 100+ hour
course from an accredited institution.

Check to see if your local university offers such a course.

Reply to this Message

Jan - 08 Nov 2005 07:21 GMT

Actually I heard it *does* matter which course you take. CELTA works
fine in some countries, and something called TESOL works better in
others (like the States? I heard they don't really recognise CELTA over
there, but that could be wrong).

Perhaps someone working in Australia or Asia can give us the facts?

Jan

Reply to this Message

credoquaabsurdum - 09 Nov 2005 00:35 GMT

As an American working in Europe, I don't know much about Australia or
Asia, but insofar as the States go...UCLES isn't all that popular in
general. You pretty much need state-recognized certification
specialization (each state has its own system, and while there are many
similarities there are also plenty of differences), and for any job
that might pay a living wage, you've got to face the facts and aim for
an MA.

Having completed a major international course like CELTA usually counts
for a bit when reaching for the college credits to satisfy the
certification each states demand, but once again...UCLES is not all
that popular, or even well-known, in the States.

The acronym TESOL is more popular in the States for what we do in this
job than it is elsewhere because TESOL Inc., the largest non-profit
organization in the profession, started in the States and is more
firmly entrenched there than the Vatican is in Rome. Still, among the
laity, ESL is what the job generally goes by. Having a piece of paper
obtained abroad that says "TESOL" on it will not put you in a job any
more than one that says "TEFL" will get you in a job in Kent, the home
of IATEFL, the UK's answer to the TESOL machine.

The funny thing is that UCLES EFL (now known as Cambridge ESOL, or just
CESOL) keeps insisting that it is achieving wider and wider recognition
in the USA, in general. They point to their growing list of 250
colleges and universities that recognize the Main Suite examninations
(FCE, CAE, CPE) as proof of that. There are about 2,500 colleges and
universities in the States and most of the people in them may have
heard of the University of Cambridge, but would probably tell you that
the "Local Examination Syndicate" sounds awfully like a Mafia drug ring
to them.

Most of the fifty or so major Ph.D.-granting institutions are indeed on
Cambridge's list, but it's all I can do to keep from laughing when the
representatives pop the "wider and wider recognition" line at the
bi-annual examinations Results Meetings here in Greece. The natives eat
it right up, which is proof positive of CESOL's grasp of the principles
of proper marketing.

Just a note to straighten out the international alphabet soup but I've
probably done more harm than good.

> Actually I heard it *does* matter which course you take. CELTA works
> fine in some countries, and something called TESOL works better in
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Jan

Reply to this Message

Discussion Groups / ESL Teaching / November 2005

TEFL or TESOL or CELTA ?