TESL Certificate

I want to take a TESL course online but I'm not sure which one to take. I saw different sites which offer the course such as Sunbridge and ICAL.

One thing is, at first when I searched for universities in the US which offers the course I saw that one needs a minimum of a bachelors degree to be able to take the course. Sunbridge also requires the same thing but there was a note saying to contact them when it is going to be a problem (the bachelors degree!) which I did and they say even if I dont have a degree, if I'm presently an ESL teacher it would just be fine, that I can take the course.

ICAL however only requires that I speak English well-enough and that I'm more than 18 years old.

Is there something like fake TESL certificates? and what do I really need to take the course with the right school?
Price range varies a lot too.
ICAL's costs $250 US and Sunbridge's more than $400 US.

Is there anybody here who could suggest a good online school for a TESL course?

Please help.

 

Unfortunately the very best certificates, the CELTA and the Trinity College London TESOLCert, are not available via distance learning.

The only program that I have seen that would be worth doing on-line would be the one from Open Learning International. It is located at http://olionline.com/. The awarding body is The Awarding Body is OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations). It is well worth the time and the money.

Yes, there are others available, but your major problem is the lack of a BA. Most employers are going to be looking for a program that provides a serious education and has some kind of student teaching component. It is difficult to imagine courses as cheap as $250 or $400 being acceptable to many employers (with the exception places where you could have gotten hired without the certificate, such as Korea or Taiwan).


Tom Nixon

 

The About ESL Guide has links to a lot of resources on teacher training at http://esl.about.com/cs/teachertraining/index.htm

Be sure to check out his personal account of studying for the TESOL Diploma by distance at http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa102698.htm

I've seen the ICAL website at http://www.teacher-training.net -- -- I feel a little leery. I can't find out where it is, who runs it, or how long it's been in existence.

If you want to pay by check, they instruct you to mail the check to Reg.Net (Wintronix, Inc.) in Colorado Springs, CO. Reg.Net processes orders for software developers. Why use them for course registration rather than a school registrar?

Wherever that school registrar might be... ICAL's contact info gives no address. It provides several email addresses and one telephone number with a (419) area code. I believe that's in Ohio. However, ICAL's teacher-training.net domain name is registered to Sean Sutton, 3/218 James St, Northbridge, Perth 6003 AU

The "Accreditation" link goes to a page that says "There is currently no Independent International Board of Accreditation for TESL Certificates. There is also no Independent International Board of Accreditation for International Colleges which offer courses online."

Well, sort of. True, there's no generally recognized global accrediting association -- for schools that offer TESL or other programs. However, there are widely recognized qualifications for language teachers -- RSA DELTA and CELTA certificates among others. ICAL doesn't mention any of these.

 

Did you check any Austrialian Universities? I remember Charles Sturt and USQ offered a TESL Certificate at a good price. I'm not sure if a Bachelor's is required though.

 

I am currently an ESL teacher here in Japan. The RSA CELTA or Trinity TEFL are the most widely accepted. The Distance Delta is offered online but you must have the CELTA first. Your best bet for an online TEFL certificate would be with http://www.regent.edu Regent University or for an easier certificate I would try the http://www.onlinetefl.com by I-to-I. I-to-I is not a scheme and Regent University is also a good place to earn your certificate. I hope this helped you. Oh one more thing the RSA CELTA is not offered online, the one from OCR is not the RSA CELTA it is not accredited by the Royal Society of Arts. Just send them an email and ask.

 

Any recognised EFT or TSL/TESOL Certificate out here must be a Graduate Certificate with an Education Bachelors (Post graduate here) or formal teacher training entry.

As a matter of interest, the RSA/Cambridge Certificates are NOT recognised in Australia for formal language teaching positions. The minimum is a Graduate Certificate. It would pay to check with where you may intend to ultimately go with you skill/qualifications as I understand that some other counties have or will be changing to these requirements.

Peter French
BEd MEd
Australia

 

Anyone received a certificate from online tefl and had a postive result career wise.

------------------

 

Yes, in the USA as well as most English speaking countries the RSA, Online Tefl, and other certificates will not suffice. I currently teach at a Jr. College in Japan and the TEFL will look nice on a resume, but you need the degree. If you are looking to teach at a private English school in Korea, Japan, Thailand and so on you need a TEFL certificate(for a good paying job). The RSA holds the most weight. You will find out later after you are working that most schools just want a trustworthy TEFL certificate. I saw the post about ICAL and I must say that an ICAL certificate is worth about as much as an Adam Smith Univsersity degree in TESOL. If you would like a reputable certificate you may also check out http://www.ajarn.com it has a list of TEFL certificate's. Good Luck!

 

I was wondering about ICAL, too - that's why I've returned to to this trusty website. If you look on the page "Accreditation", it lists every excuse in the book why they aren't. They've been "applying" to the DETC for a couple of months now, and when I emailed them asking for an update, the reply was updates are on the website. The professional organizations they say they are members of only require (for WAOE) a name and address and (for USDLA) a membership fee. These organizations have nothing to do with regulating online programs or the TESL / TEFL in particular.

And like a previous poster mentioned, where are they? Who are they? I can't find a meaning to the acronym ICAL anywhere on the site. Perhaps it means Intriguing Chumps with Attractive Lies.

I found another site who has in-class in Boston and Guadalajara, as well as the online forum. Does Worldwide Teachers Development Institute ring a bell? They're at www.bostontefl.com. They say it's approved for CEU credit.

 

I'd like to thank all the contributors to this thread

Gotta find something to do with my summers

 

TESL Certificates

Funny it is ! ICAL to insure its acceptability encourages visitors to its site to go to Bear's site to make sure they(ICAL) are respectable .

They also mention the quality of their INSTRUCTORS and based on the information provided with photos and short biographies, the instructors are VERY good ( Master degrees or Ph. D.s with experience in ESL and great TESL certificates like RSA CELTA ).

Yes, I fail to understand why ICAL does not provide an address nor name of owner.

 

Jasmine,

Unless I missed it, you didn't say where you will be teaching TESL. If that is South Korea then can you say what are the requirements there for teaching TESL?

I think it a possibility that the U.S. military would have programs with Korean civilians so as to improve relations between.

 

TESL Certificates

I am planning to teach in Latin America by choice but I have a relative who has been teaching in Korea for 2 years now WITHOUT a university degree except for a number of junior college courses and credits.
He seems to enjoy the experience and is in demand for his services because he loves teaching.

 

Hi,

We've just found out about this site and thread from one of our students; so we're dropping in to answer any questions since much of this thread seems about us.

Full contact information is posted on the website; are there any other questions?

ICAL
www.teacher-training.net

 

re TESL certificate

Hi Jasmine and all,

The American professional association, TESOL, has an excellent page on careers in the ESL/EFL field, including detailed information regarding what credentials you need in different parts of the world. You can find it here:

http://www.tesol.org/careers/counsel/index.html

Although my experience is in the Middle East and the U.S., I believe your teaching options will be limited with just a certificate and no BA/BS. If you are interested in teaching in Korea, I'd highly recommend going to the website Dave's ESL Cafe; they have a job discussion forum that is divided into regions of the world, and I believe they have a separate Korean jobs forum. You could make some good contacts at that site and get more of a feeling for your situation there. You can get to the discussion boards at:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/index.php

I hope this information is helpful. Good luck!

Regards,

Adrienne

 

UAE and Gulf

Greetings,

Adrienne et al,

I am presuming you teach in the Gulf. What are the requirements of teaching ESL in the Gulf region, if you know, and if you tell us about the opportunities there.

Kenneth K. A.

 

Re: UAE and Gulf

Hi Kenneth,

To teach at most universities in the Gulf, a Master's degree in TESOL/Applied Linguistics/Related Field is required, and most want several years experience as well. Several of the private companies (e.g. ELS) will hire an instructor with only a BA, although the pay, working conditions, and benefits at those places are far less attractive. I believe for teaching at one of the American secondary schools, a BA and teaching certificate is required, although I don't know about the requirements for the British secondary schools here.

There are a lot of opportunities for teaching here at university level (this is the level I'm most familiar with) -- the GCC states are really pushing higher education as a priority for the national populations. The UAE alone has many "well-known" univerisities (Zayed University, UAE University, Higher Colleges of Technology, American University of Sharjah, and others), with new private universities opening yearly. The best place to look for employment opportunities over here on the web is to either do a Yahoo or Google search on univerisities in the country you're thinking of, and go to their websites directly, or visit Dave's ESL Cafe at www.eslcafe.com. Also check the TESOL site (www.tesol.org), and the Chronicle of Higher Education (www.chronicle.com).

Hope this is helpful.

Regards,

Adrienne

 

Kenneth,

Sorry, I didn't answer your question. Yes, I am teaching here, at UAE University. I have also taught at Zayed University, and at a business college in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Regards,

Adrienne

 

ESL in the Gulf

Hi Adrienne,

Thanks for the information you supplied. It must be quite interesting teaching in the region. Are EFL teachers (MA and Doctoral level teachers) financially well rewarded at local colleges and universities? My understanding is that their salaries are tax free--is it not? How do rate their compensation scales compared to other places?

Kenneth K. A.

 

CLAD Certificate

Most California schools require the CLAD certificate for public schools. It is a 12 unit certificate at the graduate level for teachers. I took 6 units at CSULB and the other 6 at SDU. The teacher learns SDAIE techniques to use in the classroom. Is TESL the European equivalent of the CLAD? I'm thinking about teaching in the UK in a couple of years, so I wonder if my CLAD would work for the TESL.