TEFL online course i-to-i? or CELTA

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rshoemaker
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Posts: 1
Joined: 03 Aug 2013, 21:43
Status: Prospective Teacher

TEFL online course i-to-i? or CELTA

Unread post by rshoemaker »

Hello all

I took the first step towards teaching overseas by applying to several recruiting sites. After phone interviews they have all been dodgy about whether or not I actually need a TEFL certification. I realize it "helps." I do have a masters degree but not in english. I'm sure a course could help refresh english basics. I looked into i-to-i and although searching for 'i-to-i scam' doesn't bring up much, the price seems too low when compared to CELTA courses. But on the other hand I've seen it recommended by a few message boards.

Has anyone heard of i-to-i? Should I shell out for CELTA...or wait to see if teaching overseas is something I'd like to do as a career.

Best
Alex Case
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Posts: 539
Joined: 17 Aug 2007, 01:53
Status: Teacher

Re: TEFL online course i-to-i? or CELTA

Unread post by Alex Case »

i-to-i is not a scam, but it has no more recognition from employers than any other online course, and you do of course get what you pay for. You need practical teaching experience to be able to teach, and you can only get that from face to face courses like the CELTA.
MarkTeacher
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Posts: 19
Joined: 09 Aug 2013, 19:47
Status: Teacher

Re: TEFL online course i-to-i? or CELTA

Unread post by MarkTeacher »

Hi! I started i-to-i 7 years ago but didn't finish it. I can't remember why. I have taught English for 8 years: I have never been asked for a formal English teaching qualification. It may be because I have always been freelance. I started being freelance and had some jobs with academies in Spain. They never asked for a qualification. I do however have a Masters in translation so that may have helped... Maybe more powerful than Celta.

In summary: you can definately be successful without a qualification however you may well have to study alone English grammar. Over the years I have had to get a very good grip of the grammar and have got this by self-study. I still come across things I don't know and study them as I go along.

All the best.
English classes via Skype with native teachers, free trial: http://www.clasesinglesonline.com
MartinHejhal
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Posts: 17
Joined: 26 Sep 2013, 12:43
Status: DoS

Re: TEFL online course i-to-i? or CELTA

Unread post by MartinHejhal »

Hello,
I would only take an online TEFL course if I had significant teaching experience and were looking for jobs in countries that do not require CELTA or equivalent TEFL certificate (meaning 100+hours of instruction and 6+ practical teaching hours). If you haven't taught before, online TEFL will not teach you to teach.
Martin, http://www.liveteflprague.com
Martin @ LiveTEFL/SPEVACEK Languages
https://plus.google.com/u/0/10511339199 ... rel=author
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