TESL Course Accreditation

[HenryTeach]

If you're thinking of taking a TESL course and are concenred about accreditation, then check out this blog entry which looks at the accediting agencies and how they are often scams.

http://www.free-esl-blogs.com/blogs/blog.asp?fEntry=239

[mercury]

There are a few things to consider whe selecting a TEFL coure provider:
. is the certificate that they will give you woth something?
. is it recognized
. is it a dummy certificate or a valid acredited one

You will see some TEFL course providers that state that their course exceeds the requirements laid by British Council etc, etc.

They will also say that their course is "moderated" by some known university.

It is important that you realize that course moderation and certificate validation / accreditation are two very different things. If a course is validated by a university then you know that you are most likely going to get what you have paid for. A VALID TEFL CERTIFICATE

Now... if a course is "moderated" all it means is that the company offering such a course pays the named university to say that they are in fact offering a TEFL course and not Vietnamese cooking lessons. A course can be moderated by any major university or college and it doesn't really mean a thing.

There are currently only 2 (two) TEFL certificates that are worth your time and money:

CELTA and TRINITY

If you are thinking of paying for any other course then you might as well print the certificate yourself and with the money go somewhere nice for a relaxing holiday.

I have one piece of advice: "do some research before you part with your cash" contact the supposed institutions that validate the TEFL certificate, believe me ... you will be surprised at the answers you will receive"

[kona]

There are a few things to consider whe selecting a TEFL coure provider:
. is the certificate that they will give you woth something?
. is it recognized
. is it a dummy certificate or a valid acredited one

You will see some TEFL course providers that state that their course exceeds the requirements laid by British Council etc, etc.

They will also say that their course is "moderated" by some known university.

It is important that you realize that course moderation and certificate validation / accreditation are two very different things. If a course is validated by a university then you know that you are most likely going to get what you have paid for. A VALID TEFL CERTIFICATE

Now... if a course is "moderated" all it means is that the company offering such a course pays the named university to say that they are in fact offering a TEFL course and not Vietnamese cooking lessons. A course can be moderated by any major university or college and it doesn't really mean a thing.

There are currently only 2 (two) TEFL certificates that are worth your time and money:

CELTA and TRINITY

If you are thinking of paying for any other course then you might as well print the certificate yourself and with the money go somewhere nice for a relaxing holiday.

I have one piece of advice: "do some research before you part with your cash" contact the supposed institutions that validate the TEFL certificate, believe me ... you will be surprised at the answers you will receive"

I have read your post regarding the TELF International school. My concern is that I am planning to take the course in Rome, Italy and the only schools that come up in the internet is the TELF International school and I have written to them and asked about their accreditation and they state that they are moderated.

Do you know of any other schools in Rome that will offer the TELF accredited by the Trinity or CELTA?

[Robbo]

There are currently only 2 (two) TEFL certificates that are worth your time and money:

CELTA and TRINITY

If you are thinking of paying for any other course then you might as well print the certificate yourself and with the money go somewhere nice for a relaxing holiday.

So are you saying that in the whole of the English-speaking world, only British-based qualifications are worth anything?

And that of the various British-based qualifications, only CELTA and Trinity are worth anything? (I can think of several others.)

And are you saying that the individual circumstances, level, career intentions, location, mobility, availability, cost, etc, can be ignored?

I respect your right to your own opinions, but it does not seem a balanced or well-informed piece of advice to give to enquirers.

You ought to take account of individual circumstances and acknowledge that there are many different TESOL/TEFL qualifications of value.

In my opinion, it's all about matching available solutions with specified needs and so the most suitable course/qualification is going to be different for different people.

Robbo