Tefl online certification for change of life in Japan

[pirae86]

Hi,

I'm new here and I'm going to have a career break this year. You see I've always wanted to teach English in Japan, but I am unqualified and have a demanding job.

I have a university degree in BA journalism and I'm a journalist, but I'm frustrated right now and I view this oppertunity as a way of getting some time to myself.

I'm 23 and live with my parents still, never been on my own, especially in a foreign country. However I did live for a while in New Zealand when I was a kid.

I'm from Glasgow and the Scottish Government have a scheme which will fund my part time study for up to £200 (through ILA Scotland). I pay the rest myself

i-to-i offer online certification partially funded by this and offer placements in state schools in Japan upon completion of your qualification.

http://www.i-to-i.com/tefl/weekend-tefl/course.html

I want to get in and go ASAP but I'm wondering about everything I've read online about weekend/online courses and they don't compare to a solid CELTA or TESOL intensive month course (which I don't have time to do part time or full time).

So this seems to be my best bet, but I am wondering if any of you experienced people on these forums could provide me with some advice on what to expect or even what online qualification from i-to-i suits?

I've lived in Japan for around a month before, kind of a vacation break type thing and I have a very basic grasp of the language.

But any input for me here would be appreciated.

[tesol007]

I did i-to-i online certificate course in 2004 and diploma course in 2007,and ever since i've never been out of job.I've worked in three different continents with i-to-i certificates without any stress.I also have the London Teacher Training College diploma (180 hours) and the graduate diploma in tesol(both online) and to God be the glory i've had wonderful jobs so far.In fact at my current job my yearly pay is over $40k plus free fully furnished apt,transport and yearly return tickets for me and my family to anywhere we so desire.

This 'certificate' thing do matter in some cases but your professionalism,personality and composure matter a lot when it comes to landing a good job.Don't get me wrong, CELTA,DELTA,Masters are still the ultimate.If you care to know, i've met people with Phd's and Masters who could speak and write 'perfect' English but who couldn't manage to translate their 'big' degrees from reputable and prestigious schools into the real world - they just couldn't impart knowledge! take it or leave it.Students found them too boring and their teaching styles were as archaic as the times of Methuselah!

All in all,I beleive as long as you are a native speaker and a graduate of any discipline,all you need is polishing and perfecting your skills through this online/short courses,after which you will be fine. You may proceed to more popular onsite course if you think you fancy ELT by which time you would have gained the real experience from the classroom.

You decide what's good for you.In the ELT world,classroom action speaks louder than Phd's,Masters or DELTA's.I rest my case.A word is enough for the wise.

[Alex Case]

When reading the parts about TESOL007's advice about online courses probably being enough, it might be worth taking into account that he or she is presently applying to take a Cambridge CELTA course.

[tesol007]

Yeah,you're right ALEX.I'm planning to enrol on a CELTA program purely for professional development.I'm not enrolling to look for job cos i've got a fantastic one at the moment.What do you think about this conditions; circa $50k/yr salary with free f/f 2 bdr apt in a nice environment,3 yearly tickets for me and my family,free car to myself, free medicals, et al without CELTA or Trinity TESOL.

I responded to the Journalist guy's query to encourage him and possibly dispel the fear or notion that without CELTA/DEELTA/Trinity TESOL one can't land nice jobs.

I beleive it's not a crime to start with a short course,be it online or onsite and then see where it takes you before deciding where to go from there.

All in all,i think we should always be positive about life and never restrict or limit ourselves/abilities because of some irrelevant regulations by some egoistic organisations.

[ICAL_Pete]

...I beleive it's not a crime to start with a short course,be it online or onsite and then see where it takes you before deciding where to go from there.

Not only it’s not a crime but it also makes perfect sense.

Unless one’s intention is to remain within the ESL industry and build a career for themselves in this field then they can quite happily opt for a basic TEFL Certificate.

In particular, online courses are a good option for those who have a limited budget to further their studies or if they have other work and/or family commitments that restrict the amount of time they have available to study.

Training online is a viable option, despite what some supporters of traditional onsite courses claim. In fact online TEFL training has existed for many years. However as with all new things online TEFL courses met with a lot of resistance and preconception purely on the grounds that they were delivered online.

Thanks to the ongoing efforts of those course providers like ICAL who have been committed to quality teacher training the trend has since changed, and even major universities around the globe are making the switch to online learning.

Many good schools around the world happily accept online TEFL Certificates issued by reputable organizations. So if one is looking for a way to get some basic training and a foot in the door, online training is an option worth considering.

[Alex Case]

Let me start my usual disagreements with ICAL Pete by agreeing with him

"Unless one’s intention is to remain within the ESL industry and build a career for themselves in this field then they can quite happily opt for a basic TEFL Certificate."

I absolutely agree with this statement. An basic TEFL certificate is at least 100 hours with at least 6 hours of observed teaching practice. A decent qualification for teaching is one year full time with another year of close support in your first job, like the British PGCE. The idea that a 4 week course that costs less than many people's laptop they buy to go abroad is only for people who have a long term TEFL career in mind is ridiculous. You can't become a bricklayer with less training, so why would you be happy for people to pay you to educate their kids in a language that could decide their whole future if you couldn't be happy to invest 4 weeks of your life for training?

Also, if you don't have 1000 pounds in the bank that you could invest in a proper TEFL course, do you think flying halfway across the world to an unknown company and unknown employer is really a good idea?