Lost in the sea of TEFL..............Please help!

[Celtic Pete]

Just wanted to say a big thanks to whomever produces this site. I have been searching for informatin on TEFL and this is just what the doctor ordered. I have a few queries and their slightly stream of conciousness, so queries will be coming thick and fast.

1) I would like to teach TEFL (Thailand is my choice, at the moment) however I did not pursue higher education. Many of the sites I have read require BA's in english, does this mean that TEFL is out of my reach? I am 30 years old and although I enjoyed english as a schoolboy, at the time I didn't really enjoy school!

2) I have been reading information on TEFL courses and am a little nervous as they seem very intense. I am considering doing an online course, in order to learn the basics and to get used to a learning mentality once again. Is this a good idea?

3) Does anyone have any experience or advice on this TEFL provider tesolonline.com. I am aware that there are some disreputable companies trading on the internet. I believe this site to be reputable but is their qualification highly regarded?

4) Ideally I would like to to do a CELTA certified course, but the providers of said courses seem to want higher learning graduates. Will the fact that I have completed an online TEFL course improve my prospects?

That's all for now. Thank you in advance for any advice and/or encouragement that you can provide.

Pete

[ICAL_Pete]

As I understand it, all teachers in Thailand now need a bachelor’s degree in order to be legally employed, regardless of which TEFL certificate they hold.

With regards to training, unless your intention is to remain within the ESL industry and build a career for yourself in this field then taking an online TESL/TEFL Certificate course is a good idea. It will allow you to get a taster of the ELT profession and see if it is really for you before committing your time, effort and finances to get to the next level.

There are many good language schools around the world that will happily accept TESL/TEFL Certificates issued by reputable organizations other than Cambridge, so you can shop around.

[Celtic Pete]

Wow that's quite surprising news about Thailand!

I do hope to make TEFL my career but I think you are correct that an online course would make for a good taster.

Thanks for the reply. Any more tidbits of info from anyone welcome.

[Susan]

Hi there Pete,

Glad you enjoy the site and welcome

Susan

[Glenski]

1) I would like to teach TEFL (Thailand is my choice, at the moment) however I did not pursue higher education. Many of the sites I have read require BA's in english, does this mean that TEFL is out of my reach? I am 30 years old and although I enjoyed english as a schoolboy, at the time I didn't really enjoy school!

To add to the above, most countries require at least a bachelor's degree or equivalent to get a work visa.

2) I have been reading information on TEFL courses and am a little nervous as they seem very intense. I am considering doing an online course, in order to learn the basics and to get used to a learning mentality once again. Is this a good idea?

IMO, no. You can't really get any practical experience (a practicum) that way.

[Celtic Pete]

So, the fact that I have no higher qualifications means that TEFL is a dead end for me? That's very disappointing.

[Susan]

I would never say that having no higher qualifications means a dead end to a career in TEFL. All it means is that you will have less choice about the jobs you can apply for. Like any domain, the more qualif's you have, the more choices you have.

Many people make a career in TEFL without higher qualifications.

Susan

[Celtic Pete]

Thanks for that Susan needed a ray of hope there after the week from hell . I am certainly not afraid to work my backside off to get where I want to be and am currently reading books on grammar and teaching. Unfortunately the academic route was not too enticing a prospect whn I was younger. I certainly aim to continue my studies, I just need a foot in the door and the experience of my first TEFL job .