The ‘try and get a job’ is going to be the difficult part. So many people worry about types of certificates and their various merits, but it really doesn’t matter. Employers/recruiters are looking for a degree and experience. A certificate at the bottom end of teaching simply means that you at least have a clue about what you’re doing.
It’s also a lot cheaper to do a TEFL once you get to wherever you’re going. Just an opinion, but Japan might not be the best place to start. Most start out in countries like Thailand or Cambodia to get experience and then move onto the higher paying countries. Generally, online courses are frowned on because they lack the hands on experience and are theory only. Mine was a week classroom theory and 250 hours volunteer practice and it's the experience and reference I got from that, that my first recruiter was most interested in.
Picking a TEFL course with an English Degree?
Moderator: Joe
Re: Picking a TEFL course with an English Degree?
Which employers? Outside the UK in a foreign country 'Cambridge' and 'Delta' mean very little. Employers are looking for evidence of some knowledge and practice.
Personal blog: https://johnvasiateacherblog.forumotion.com
Re: Picking a TEFL course with an English Degree?
I think you need to weed out all the TEFL Course frauds, and there are plenty. Take a visit to https://reddit.com/r/TeflScams Good luck to you.
Before taking any teaching job in China make a quick visit over to https://reddit.com/r/ChinaScamCentral and https://reddit.com/r/TEFLreviews so your dream job does not become a nightmare.
Re: Picking a TEFL course with an English Degree?
Avoiding scams is not necessarily that easy. For a couple of years, two prominent (i.e., highly visible) sites are each screaming at each other that the other one is a complete fraud. This is reflected in the (confusing) Reddit entries. I would advise that you look at at least two review or YELP-type pagesfor comments on any course you consider, since scammers and dissatisfied school directors can flood a site that puts them down or simply accepts less-than-glowing reviews. While I have strong reservations about Trinity and CELTA, they are at least legitimate and require hard work. SIT is also legitimate and also requires a serious application of sitzfleisch. As a potential employer, I would put much more weight on SIT. On the other hand, CELTA has done a bang-up job of promoting its brand (especially in Europe) so that most potential employers will either not know humptyfrom dumpty or only have hear of CELTA. All three are expensive.
There are some options that reduce costs but usually entail a commitment. These include schools that train you and place you in a school, usually with some connection to the training institution. If you go this route, be sure to read all the fine print and find out what the length of your teaching commitment will be and what your salary will be. Then compare it to offers for the same country that you see on job boards.
Among my TEFL certifications, I have one that was free and worth the time as a beginner course but unfortunately is no longer available. There was a free no-strings-attached 120-hour course available as recently as two years ago, but I don't recall the name. Here are a few "free" options. I have not used any of them except the first one, so I can't vouch for them one way or tother. Some of these have additional not-for-free courses.
https://www.teachenglish.co.uk/tefl-cou ... aster.html - This is a non-certificate wet-your-feet course. It's totally automated, so you don't get any personalized assistance or feedback. If you just want to find out what TESL is about and get a few good ideas about how to teach EFL, this 15-hour course is for you. (It can also be used as a sort of refresher course.)
https://www.englishfirst.com/work-abroa ... ification/ - This company will pay for your training if you are accepted in their placement program.
https://theteflcertificate.com/tefl-cou ... -overseas/ - This a "120-hour" course (https://theteflcertificate.com/ for a short description of areas covered) that is free to take. If you just want the training, it sounds good. If you want a certificate for having taken the course, you have to fork over some money (I think it might be twenty pounds).
VIPKID (https://www.englishteacher.us/#apply) is a company for online EFL teachers of children. If you are accepted training is included. It is for Canadians and Americans teaching online to Chinese kids (and possibly Korean and other kids). It has a good rating on glassdoor.
TEFLEducator (https://teflbootcamp.com/start-free/) offers a very short free "course" with no certificate. The information provided looks good, though it is minimal.
There are some options that reduce costs but usually entail a commitment. These include schools that train you and place you in a school, usually with some connection to the training institution. If you go this route, be sure to read all the fine print and find out what the length of your teaching commitment will be and what your salary will be. Then compare it to offers for the same country that you see on job boards.
Among my TEFL certifications, I have one that was free and worth the time as a beginner course but unfortunately is no longer available. There was a free no-strings-attached 120-hour course available as recently as two years ago, but I don't recall the name. Here are a few "free" options. I have not used any of them except the first one, so I can't vouch for them one way or tother. Some of these have additional not-for-free courses.
https://www.teachenglish.co.uk/tefl-cou ... aster.html - This is a non-certificate wet-your-feet course. It's totally automated, so you don't get any personalized assistance or feedback. If you just want to find out what TESL is about and get a few good ideas about how to teach EFL, this 15-hour course is for you. (It can also be used as a sort of refresher course.)
https://www.englishfirst.com/work-abroa ... ification/ - This company will pay for your training if you are accepted in their placement program.
https://theteflcertificate.com/tefl-cou ... -overseas/ - This a "120-hour" course (https://theteflcertificate.com/ for a short description of areas covered) that is free to take. If you just want the training, it sounds good. If you want a certificate for having taken the course, you have to fork over some money (I think it might be twenty pounds).
VIPKID (https://www.englishteacher.us/#apply) is a company for online EFL teachers of children. If you are accepted training is included. It is for Canadians and Americans teaching online to Chinese kids (and possibly Korean and other kids). It has a good rating on glassdoor.
TEFLEducator (https://teflbootcamp.com/start-free/) offers a very short free "course" with no certificate. The information provided looks good, though it is minimal.
Get experience.
Since you have no formal experience teaching (does that imply that you have informal experience?), I would strongly recommend that you get some experience, be it in a TEFL course, an education program at your college, or volunteering someplace. You don't want to go into your first real hour of teaching without having done some practice teaching -- especially if it is with young children.