Tefl.NET Forums

Hi there,

I am in a dilemma. I teaching qualifications that i acquired that i am having trouble being recognised for a job in England. Thsi si the list.

TESOL certficate from TEFL International (in Thailand)
TESOL certficate from SIT School of International Training / AUA (in Thailand)
TESOL diploma from TEFL International (in Thailand)
IELTS certificate from London Teacher Training College (in England)
TEYL certificate from London Teacher Training College (in Thailand)

NARIC in England said if the qualification are not in the national education system they can not help. I also asked the British Council and had no luck. Would any of you knowledgable people be able to help me so i can get my qualification recognised by schools here in England. I went to a job interview and the English school said come back when we know more about your qualifications? Please help me!!

Thanks

boogerneil

Could you give more details about what kind of job you are applying for and who your qualification needs to be recognised by?

By "IELTS certificate" do you mean "Certificate in Teaching IELTS"?

Yes, it is a Certificate in Teaching IELTS. I wish there was a global body to recognise all these extra courses!!

Ditto that :)

And could you answer Alex's question above, please. Thanks.

The school i went to offer these courses.

Cambridge First Certificate (FCE)
Cambridge Advanced Certificate (CAE)
Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE)
IELTS
ESOL Skills for Life with Citizenship
ESOL for Work

So, i need my qualification compared to allow me to work doing these courses. I am not sure if there is a larger body i have to be recognised to, in England, but at the moment it is just the boss of this school who wants to know.

Hi there,

To teach ESOL in the UK you need to have a CELTA/Trinity CertTESOL or equivalent. This means you need to take a course of at least 100hrs and which includes a minimum of 6hrs of assessed teaching practice (where you teach real students as opposed to your fellow trainees). If your Thai TESOL certificates do not meet this criteria then I'm afraid you have little chance of finding paid work in the UK.

Briona

Is it a further education college or a private language school? And can you tell us the boss's question in more or less his/ her own words, because I'm still not sure what you mean by "recognised".

Also, who is that school accredited by?

If it is a British Council inspected private language school, here are the criteria:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/accredita ... idance.htm

It clearly states that the British Council will not comment on your specific qualifications, it is up to your boss to ensure that they meet the description there. Seems you meet the criteria to me.

Here's a description of the minimum requirements for further education colleges:
"TESOL and diplomas will qualify you to teaching in English Language schools and private schools but should you wish to work in further education (also known as the Learning and Skills sector) it gets a little trickier. You will need:
•The Certificate in Further Education Teaching Stage Three at level five (of the revised NQF; Nation Qualifications Framework, more complicated abbreviations!)
•The Certificate for ESOL Subject Specialists at level four.

Qualifications that include these are:
•The ESOL Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). You will need a degree to do this, it isn’t discipline-specific but a degree relating to languages wouldn’t hurt!
•The CELTA Module Two (Cambridge Certificate in Further Education Teaching Stage Three with the Certificate for ESOL Subject Specialists; what a mouthful!). This is for those who’ve already completed the CELTA course and are already teaching English but planning to move more into teaching in further education."

In other words, no four week Cert is good enough (for a UK further education college) and even someone with a Delta or Trinity DipTESOL will need further qualifications. I think you can take those qualifications while you are doing the job, but note that the ESOL sector is going through huge cuts and so employers are likely to be fussy.