TESL, so many to choose from but which is the best...

My wife and I are both certified teachers. One of our goals is to use our summers to travel abroad. We have found numerous programs that allow certified teachers to spend anywhere from one week to two months overseas, however, nearly all require TESL certs.

There are SO many programs that I am truly lost as to which as the most reputable and what level is required (masters, cert, etc) to be considered credible.

Does anyone have any insight?

As always, thanks a ton.

 

Assuming that it's coming from an accredited school then they're all credible, regardless of the level. As to what level is required, that's probably up to the school system that you work in. As to which program to choose, if you primarily want the credential so you can access the travel bonus then I'd recommend you choose the least expensive one available.

 

There is no accreditation for TESL certificates, outside of MA TESOL degrees which technically would be the best. The most useful and widely recognized is CELTA, if you want the best you get that one. Most jobs want "whatever", and you can just print your own on your computer for all they care. I have a TESOL cert from a company I picked randomly off the net, they had actual online material, and a few exams so I guess you do learn something. I chose them because it was a legitimate online course and, primarily, because it was cheap.

 

Places usually ask for a TESL cert as a minimum requirement. I would think being certified teachers would "trump" the TESL certification requirement as long as you had some sort of TESL experience to go with it. At least that was the case when I taught TESL in Japan many moons ago.