How recognised are online TEFL qualifications?

[stophammertime]

I have a years experience in Japan and am now looking to work outside asia.
90% of schools seem to require a TEFL certificate I was wondering how recognised online certification is as I cannot afford to do a celta at this point

[Lucas]

Considering that you are an experienced teacher, take a look at Ontesol's 250-hour online program. This course is recognized by TESL Canada (Necessary to work in Canada and highly recognized throughout the world) and it's actually an extended version of Coventry House International's 5-week Trinity CertTESOL program. You can take the practicum anywhere in the world (Free if you take it at the school you're teaching), and the whole program is half the price of a Trinity or CELTA.

www.ontesol.com

[ICAL_Pete]

Very, is the simple answer. We have graduates of our courses working in almost every country where English teaching takes place. Literally thousands of schools have accepted our online course as proof of teaching ability.

A lot of people talk about courses having to have this or that requirement, but as long as you get a decent course and learn the basics of the subject you will be fine.

[Alex Case]

"We have graduates of our courses working in almost every country where English teaching takes place"

There are also graduates of no course at all working in almost every country where English teaching takes place.

[ICAL_Pete]

Alex, are you suggesting that it's not worth getting training?

[Alex Case]

I am saying that your previous statement about number of countries is meaningless. I'm waiting to hear " ABCD school accepts ICAL online training as equivalent to a 4 week on site course with observed teaching practice"

[ICAL_Pete]

So by your logic, saying, "CELTA is accepted in many countries throughout the world," is equally meaningless.

All I can say in response is that schools hiring teachers have hired our teachers. Whether they hired them over other candidates with other qualifications or without any qualifications is impossible to say.

[Alex Case]

Yup, pretty much, but CELTA does have proof that "CELTA preferred" or "Only Cambridge CELTA or Trinity TESOL" is preferred by schools all over the world, which does mean something. Every other TEFL qualification in the world will get you some kind of TEFL job in most countries in the world, because you could get those exact same jobs for the same pay with no training at all. If you take a 4 week on site 120 hours or so course with 6 hours of observed classes, you will be able to get jobs that people with any kind of online qualification can not get. If you do a well known and respected one, you will have even more choice. If that is REALLY not an option and you are reduced to the jobs basically anyone with a degree can get, then I agree with ICAL Pete to get as much and as good training as you can before you start work.

[markp]

On-line courses are not worth the money. Any school who accepts teachers with these qualifications would probably accept people with no training. You are much better off spending the extra money a doing the Trinity or CELTA.

[Lucas]

It's always better to get some kind of certificate and many people cannot afford $2,000 for a Trinity or CELTA. The least one could do is take a 100-hour certificate, which is the minimum standard required in most countries. Then there is Ontesol's 250-hour certificate with practicum (Recognized by TESL Canada Professional Standard 2), which is an extended version of Coventry House International's Trinity CertTESOL program (Recognized by TESL Canada Professional Standard 1). Many schools are asking their teachers to take this program because of its quality and the benefit of taking it part-time and from anywhere in the world. So it's not really the online method that makes a course good or bad, but the course itself.

[systematic]

On-line courses are not worth the money. Any school who accepts teachers with these qualifications would probably accept people with no training. You are much better off spending the extra money a doing the Trinity or CELTA.

This is not strictly true - it sounds rather like a sweeping statement. Are you a disillusioned job candidate, or a very strict recruiter?

[tonyclarey]

From personal experience ...not a lot.In the 2 years since I gained a 100 hour TEFL cert administered by ITC all job applications have been met with 2 questions:'degree?' and 'CELTA?'
I've done voluntary work in Nepal,India & Norwich (they're a bit remote here,bless 'em).. actually it was at the Refugee Centre.
Now I need a paid job (nothing fancy) teaching disadvantaged children in a developing country.Unless I can get something sorted soon here I'm packing my bags to a yet unknown destination to walk the streets.
Soooo....any suggestions on which qualification is a cast-iron certainty to get me The Job?

[systematic]

....any suggestions on which qualification is a cast-iron certainty to get me The Job?

A recognised university degree.

[tonyclarey]

I should have qualified my question.As the forum was entitled 'how recognised are online TEFL qualifications?',I assumed that contributors would recognise I was asking for recommended TEFL qualifications.

[systematic]

I should have qualified my question.As the forum was entitled 'how recognised are online TEFL qualifications?',I assumed that contributors would recognise I was asking for recommended TEFL qualifications.

As I often say here: This is one of the most hotly discussed subjects on this board, please check out the other threads.

In short, apart from the self recommendations that course providers post here, people who have successfully completed a course don't usually take the initiative to shout about it from the rooftops. What you will find on these pages however, are plenty of details about courses that might be better to avoid.

None of the courses, CELTA and Trinity included, are a cast-iron certainty to get you a job. As you will find by perusing this board, most TEFL certificates are worthless without a university degree in some subject or another.

[KeithinChina]

I really want to say that I have met many schools and colleagues that have problems with online certificates.

Many of my friends in Shenzhen have trouble finding jobs because most schools do not recognise these qualifications. I would think twice about doing the TEFL the easy way.

I did my TEFL in China, Yangshuo. It was great, really learned a lot. I think, doing an intensive programme is worth it. Although I wasn't able to work for four weeks, the amount of teaching practice that I did really helped me.

If you need some more info just email me at keithinchina@hotmail.com.

Good luck

[tonyclarey]

Thanks Keith-nice to get a straightforward reply from someone who isn't up their own
****.I'll e-mail you directly soon.
Tony

[Lucas]

Some online courses are horrendous, but the problem is not the online method of instruction, it's the course itself. At the same time, not because a course is on-site does it mean that it will be good or that it will be recognized worldwide.
It's true that some online schools are not well recognized and maybe that's why they charge a lot of money for "hassle-free" job placement, but if there is one country where their graduates can work is China. Some schools even accept those weekend TEFL courses of 20 to 40 hours and many do not require a degree.

[pokedmund]

Just wanted to add to this topic.

I had a CELTA interview today and after a long discussion with the teacher, I've decided to go for the CELTA Part time course.

I did raise the issue of TEFL online qualifications and I would say that the teacher was not impressed with them at all, stating that even if you were to get job with the TEFL online courses, it is not an official document and it won't benefit future progression in teaching.

Also, just to confirm, Hong Kong is Part of China (as of 1997), BUT, most of the Hong Kong Institutions require a TEFL with vast experience or TEFL-I (which I believe could also mean a CELTA/Trinity course?).

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Lucas]

Well, again, it's not the online method. If you could take the theoretical components of a Trinity course online and then the practicum on-site, there wouldn't be a difference in quality. This is what Ontesol offers through its 250-hour online course with practicum that's recognized by TESL Canada.

These are a few questions a prospective teacher should ask when choosing a TEFL/TESOL course:
Do I want to become the best teacher I can possibly be to help my students better? If you answer yes, then CELTA and Trinity are very good courses, but you don't have to spend over $2,000. As I wrote on another blog, where I compared Ontesol's 250-hour course with 20-hour practicum and Coventry House International's Trinity course, the extra $700 to $1000 you pay for a CELTA or Trinity go to the paper certificate. What matters the most on a TEFL course is Methodology and the practicum. CELTA only offers a 6-hour practicum, while the methodology module from Ontesol is actually an extended version of CHI's Trinity course.

I don't have much money for a TEFL course, which online course is recognized worldwide? Here you will be comparing 40 to 100-hour courses. These are less intensive courses that are good for an entry level job. If you are on your gap year and you're going to a country where you will not be making much money, then it's not feasible to spend over $1,000 on a TEFL course. The minimum international standard is a 100-hour certificate and these usually include everything (Grammar, Phonology, and Methodology).

The problem with online certificates is that there was a time when one could teach anywhere in the world with just a passport from an English-speaking country, so the few companies that started with this online method of instruction (These are the same schools that have to charge between $600 to $1,000 for 'hassle-free' job placement) bundled cheap courses to print certificates and send teachers abroad as quickly as possible. Most teachers would take a 40-hour online course or a weekend course and they are also to blame for giving online courses a bad rep.
The current reality is that there are online alternatives to CELTA and Trinity as well as you can take a reputable online course that meets the international standard without having to spend more than $300.
Lucas from Ontesol
www.ontesol.com