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ESL
Basics & Certification Course Links
Not
all TEFL courses are alike, but all CELTAs are, no matter
where they were obtained, because it is an internationally
recognized, standardized program. The Cambridge/RSA CELTA
is a minimum qualification to teach ESL in some places. The
Trinity TESOL certificate is the only other course that is
recognised around the world. Both of these courses take four
weeks of full time study to complete.
Apart from the RSA/Cambridge and Trinity College courses,
there are a plethora of courses and certificates being offered.
Here are some important things to consider before you decide
to take a course other than the two previously mentioned.
First, consider who is offering the certificate. If it is
being offered by a university or if the course will be recognised
for credit by universities then the course is obviously well
regarded. Second, consider how the course is run. Ideally
you should have classes and workshops that give you grounding
in linguistics (pronunciation, grammar and the like) and teaching
theory. Also it should have practice teaching sessions where
you teach a group of ESL/EFL students and are observed by
a teacher trainer.
However, do you really need a TEFL certificate to teach in
Asia? In most countries the only 'legal'' requirement for
a foreigner to teach English is a university degree in any
discipline (...so
that Liberal Arts B.A. was worth something after all!) Getting
a TEFL certificate takes time and money. If you've already
spent three or four years at university you may be short on
dough. If you are only planning to teach English for a year
or so then doing a course is probably not worthwhile. However,
if you are serious about teaching for a few years or as a
career then a certificate is very useful. It will help you
be a better teacher and will also give you a greater range
of job opportunities. If you're not sure how long you want
to teach English you can always try it out for a while and
then do a course later if you decide teaching is the right
thing for you.
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TEFL certificate related links
*UC
Berkeley University Extension Courses
www.unex.berkeley.edu
*Transworld
Schools in San Francisco
www.transworldschools.com
* The British Council- Getting Qualified
http://www.britishcouncil.org/english/quals.htm
* Certificates and diplomas for English language teachers - Cambridge
ESOL
http://www.cambridge-efl.org/teaching/index.cfm
* Trinity College London (follow link to TESOL)
http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/
*
TEFL International
http://www.teflintl.com/
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