TEFL certificate : online?

[markwilk]

Hi

Hopefully some of you may be able to offer advice. I'm very interested in studying for and obtaining a TEFL Certificate to 'formalise' my experience and 'go official' (!).

Currently I am working in a private academy in mainland Europe and teaching English as a foreign language to children, teenagers, and adults. The course material is from a leading university press. The work is very interesting and I have a background which includes training in a classroom and practical environment. This includes:
- working for a major plc in information technology, in a team leader and coach/mentor role, also
twelve years in HM Forces - general training and promotion courses (supervising/training teams of 4-6), and
15 years part time and 2 years full time (split over seasons) as a sports instructor - 40% in a classroom environment (clearly the relevant bit here). This included instructor training courses and formal practical assessments and examinations including in small classrooms, larger classrooms with OHP/MS PowerPoint etc.

So in the circumstances I do feel comfortable with the idea of taking an on-line course, as the above work history and experience backs up some of the practical aspects. I was wondering whether anyone has further feedback to offer before I further consider enrolling with a school or on-line provider.

Many thanks in advance!

Kind regards,
Mark.

[ICAL_Pete]

Online courses are a good option particularly if you have a limited budget to further your studies or if you have other work and/or family commitments that restrict the amount of time you have available to study. You can find good online courses that provide quality training and allow you to work at your own pace. Having no deadlines but those which you set for yourself is a great advantage. Working on a course with a flexible schedule where your personal tutor can be contacted 24/7 or your coursework can be submitted whenever ready has allowed many of our students – teachers to complete successfully their TESL/TEFL Certificate course, further their knowledge and gain better prospects of employment.

[shlee]

ICAL_Pete does offer an exceptional program for online TEFL training. In the spirit of fair play, I would say there are many options out there for consideration that you can get information and make inquiries. I represent KEI - TEFL and would have to say that what ICAL_Pete mentions regarding the validity of TEFL training programs in an online format is absolutely correct. Unfortunately, those folks who push the on site programs usually have vested interest in promoting their programs. Quality aside, the programs are good, but often cost prohibitive for most people who are just beginning their teaching career. If you want more information about our program please PM me and I'll be happy to share as well.

[markwilk]

PM sent to the above.
Have also been in email contact with ICAL.

Thanks for the replies so far.