On-line TEFL v CELTA or both?

[Aliceg]

Hi,
Interested in getting TEFL qualification - Want to do a CELTA course as I understand its the best. However, I'm also thinking of taking an on-line TEFL course prior to the CELTA to prepare myself sufficiently. My questions :
a.Is the on-line TEFL course necessary or could I prepare sufficiently by reading some of the books suggested by yourself? I have about 3 months to prepare.
b.What do you know about the ICAL certification is it a good on-line TEFL course?

Thank you for your help.

Kind regards
Alice

[Lucas]

Hello,
It's not really necessary to take an introductory course before taking the CELTA or Trinity. They are intensive courses but it all depends on the dedication you put into the course. There are many students who don't have any prior teaching experience but do very well in our Trinity course. Think of it as a third year university course and if you still feel that you need to take an introductory course, Ontesol offers a 100-hour online program accredited by ACTDEC UK Level 1 for only $269 CAD (or approximately US$249, GBP 155). You'll be provided with your own private tutor and you'll learn how to develop lesson plans (Other online course providers just ask you to submit short essays).

www.study-at-coventry.com
www.ontesol.com

[ICAL_Pete]

I don't think you need to take an introductory course before taking a CELTA, but I do believe strongly that you need a couple of years experience before taking the course.

They are incredibly intensive and without a good working knowledge of teaching English you will have to put so much more effort into the course and spend valuable time just getting to grips with the basics rather than using the CELTA material and teachers to take you from being an adequate teacher to being a great teacher.

From personal experience and speaking to others who have taken the course, we all found it tough and were pleased that we had not gone into it completely blind!

So, my advice would be to get a couple of years experience before even considering a CELTA. You may have to get an entry level qualification to get a first job but that won't go to waste as all learning is good learning.

[systematic]

Hi,
Interested in getting TEFL qualification - Want to do a CELTA course as I understand its the best. However, I'm also thinking of taking an on-line TEFL course prior to the CELTA to prepare myself sufficiently..

Hi Alice,
You may wish to check out some of the other threads on this board as taking pre-TEFL courses is one of the most hotly discussed topics and you may find some of your answers there.

[Maggy]

Hi
I am also thinking about taking a CELTA soon. As a friend of mine tookthe CELTA and told me it is very demanding, I am not sure whether the 4 weeks will be enough.
In preparation am now doing an online-TEFL (120 hrs) before I sign up for a CELTA.
What I really miss within this online course is contact to fellow students...
Do you know already where you are going to take the CELTA? UK?

Hope to hear from you
Meggy

[Alex Case]

I completely disagree with ICAL Pete. As a former trainer of a CELTA-alike course, I (and the other trainers) found that people who had taught for a couple of years before CELTA were into such bad habits that their first two weeks were entirely wasted getting out of them. Add to that the fact that they had spent two years in crappy jobs teaching badly, all unnecessarily. Once you have the CELTA, you can turn yourself into a great teacher for free by reading, attending workshops etc, all things that you would get much less of without that initial training. Also, CELTA might be intensive and nerve wracking, but it is nothing compared to four weeks of teaching without any training at all.

[ICAL_Pete]

I agree with Alex that some teachers will arrive on CELTA courses with bad habits, but I also stand by my point that there are quite a number of students with no knowledge or experience of the subject whatsoever and who arrive on the CELTA course to be utterly overwhelmed by the material and concepts.

I've met number of CELTA students who have dropped out of the course because they felt intimidated by the rest of the class (with experience) who were so far ahead of them in terms of knowledge of the subject. They felt they were learning the basics of teaching - and English grammar! - whilst the others were ahead and working on improving their current knowledge.

[Alex Case]

It could happen, e.g. a Brit in a course that is mostly Americans who actually studied English grammar at school, but that does not mean they wouldn't have passed if they had continued with the course, the pass rate being in the high 90s. If they really couldn't cope, how well are they likely to cope in their first job without doing the CELTA? How likely is it that they will still be teaching after 2 years after that experience? Why should anyone pay for English lessons with someone who didn't do training because their knowledge of the language was so bad? Of course, any preparation before the CELTA is a good thing, e.g. http://edition.tefl.net/articles/traini ... or-celta/#