TEFL/CELTA/CELT answers...

Choccie Lover

meelyb wrote: »

Oh the irony! Of the three official CELTA centres in Madrid, International House starts this Tuesday and yday told me they had one spot left. So I decided to ring the Hyland centre that starts on the Thursday (given my Fringe festival Endiburgh plans) to see if they had room as they did not answer my emails from last night yet. They cancelled the course as of last night as they were short one person. They then sent one of their cancelled students to the one spot that International House had available. IH just confirmed that this student took the last place. I was going to cancel my flights to Edinburgh altogether as this is more long term important.

My last option is Chester but I was a bit sus by the fact that they are 160eur cheaper. Turns out they are out in the burbs as is their offered accommodation. I don't fancy 'technically' living in Madrid really so looking at other options. Sad face.

Sorry to hear that....What a bloody pain in the arse!!!!! I hope you figure stuff out......

A couple of things I would say is this......

1) Don't worry about the course being cheaper......look at that being an advantage......Course prices vary differently between providers....could be down to location.....don't know exactly...could be for a variety of reasons. CELTA courses are extremely highly regulated.......every course they deliver is audited.....if it were below par, it wouldn't be there......I got an extremely good deal on my CELTA course in London......significantly cheaper than IH etc..the quality of teaching was spectacular.....they had a very high percentage of teachers coming out with high CELTA scores...... 15% above the national average in terms of Pass As etc.....

2) I know what you mean about the Burb issue....where exactly is it? Do you have to take the accommodation or not....? One thing I would say that the CELTA course is extremely intense......You won't be attending your course during the day and out socialising at night.....you won't have any time.....trust me......so you wouldn't be out enjoying Madrid nightlife anyway....... certainly not during the week....... Your life will be CELTA for the month....Living in the burbs could be an advantage :-) Plenty of time to enjoy Madrid later..... Food for thought!


Good luck with it!

yosser hughes

CiboC wrote: »

Many people travel and teach abroad using their CELT qualification.

Within the EFL industry the CELT qualification is recognised as being equivalent to the CELTA. Any prospective employer who is looking at qualifications of prospective teachers will know that the CELT and CELTA are of equal status.

No it isn't.

gaiscioch

yosser hughes wrote: »

No it isn't.

Source?

yosser hughes

gaiscioch wrote: »

Source?

LOL

gaiscioch

yosser hughes wrote: »

LOL

I'm surprised you spent €1700 doing the British CELTA course, instead of €1000 for the Irish CELT course, but can't produce a single "industry" source supporting the idea that the former is better than the latter (companies selling the comically overpriced CELTA qualification don't count, obviously). It sounds like an unwise investment, to put it mildly.

the deftone

Hi guys, any info would be helpful.

Me and a friend are looking to teach english in madrid (no degrees im ariad). We were going to do one of them online 120hr tefl courses. But iv heard they aren't much good? Would it be worth us doing the online course or is that a worthless qualification?

I know the CELTA is the way to go but right now we just want to see if we like teaching in Spain before investing in a proper course.

Thanks for any help.

CiboC

You may have difficulty getting a teaching job without a recognised qualification. have you been offered a position already?

Spain is a mature market and schools there are generally well aware which qualifications are worth having and which are not.

Online courses are a waste of time and money.

If you are actually going to pay for a course choose CELT or CELTA.

the deftone

CiboC wrote: »

You may have difficulty getting a teaching job without a recognised qualification. have you been offered a position already?

Spain is a mature market and schools there are generally well aware which qualifications are worth having and which are not.

Online courses are a waste of time and money.

If you are actually going to pay for a course choose CELT or CELTA.

Thanks for your reply. I understand your opinion on getting the CELTA, I just dont have the cash for that right now. And to be honest im not sure if I will even enjoy teaching or living in Spain, I really want to just test the waters and if I like it then go ahead and get my CELTA.

Are the online tefl courses not recognised?

Also if I dont do any course I will have no idea what im doing when I get there.

Not disagreeing with you, I literally know nothing about this stuff.

CiboC

the deftone wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. I understand your opinion on getting the CELTA, I just dont have the cash for that right now. And to be honest im not sure if I will even enjoy teaching or living in Spain, I really want to just test the waters and if I like it then go ahead and get my CELTA.

The CELT course is significantly cheaper than the CELTA and just as good.

the deftone wrote: »

Are the online tefl courses not recognised?

No, not recognised by anyone.

the deftone wrote: »

Also if I dont do any course I will have no idea what im doing when I get there.

If you do a course that is useless you will still not have any idea what you are doing when you get there.

the deftone wrote: »

Not disagreeing with you, I literally know nothing about this stuff.

This may sound harsh, but shouldn't consider teaching English as something that you can just 'give it a lash' to and hope that the fact that you speak English will pull you through - it won't. Teaching is a profession and, like any other profession, requires training, skill and talent to be successful at it.

yosser hughes

gaiscioch wrote: »

I'm surprised you spent €1700 doing the British CELTA course, instead of €1000 for the Irish CELT course, but can't produce a single "industry" source supporting the idea that the former is better than the latter (companies selling the comically overpriced CELTA qualification don't count, obviously). It sounds like an unwise investment, to put it mildly.

I'm not quite sure why you bring the British vs Irish thing in to it?:D I'm guessing you have some kind of chip there. Your gaelgeoiri username is another hint I suppose. However as you alluded to it, yes, a qualification from an English institution would be more recognisable and carry more weight. That's just the way it is. Don't take it as some kind of national insult!:rolleyes: We are talking about recognition here. I'm sure the CELT is fine but it's not as recognised as the CELTA. This is not a criticism, it's just reality.Any extra you spend on a CELTA pays for itself many times over in the long run. You don't have to explain the CELTA to anyone, you will with a CELT.
My evidence? Look at the job sites. In fact after CELTA the Trinity qualification is the next most recognisable.The two most recognised courses are CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults), awarded by Cambridge University Local Examinations Syndicate and the Cert.TESOL (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) awarded by Trinity College London.

Look don't take my word for it, look at the jobs pages.


@ the deftone With regard to teaching in Madrid. It's competitive there. A friend of mine is over there now. He is married to a Spanish girl. He did the CELTA after getting nowhere without one. He also has a degree. Without a degree at least, then doing a rinky dink course will be a waste of money for you. Online courses might get you by in parts of Asia, but won't cut in Europe really.

OK tone it down a bit on the value judgements, especially on inferring facts from a username. Member warned.
Thanks
MOD

gaiscioch

yosser hughes wrote: »

I'm not quite sure why you bring the British vs Irish thing in to it?:D ... a qualification from an English institution would be more recognisable and carry more weight.

So, leaving aside the obvious contradiction in the above (replete with appropriately idiotic smilies again), you admit you paid €1700 for a course simply because you have some inferiority complex about a British course being more recognisable than an Irish one. Thank you. And that's the long and the short of this. Nothing to do with any factually-based evidence regarding recognition of the qualification but everything to do with your personal hangups, one of many it appears. You could have been upfront with your issues at the outset, and accordingly ignored.

OK tone it down a bit on the personal statements. Just stick to the content.
Member warned.
Thanks
MOD

yosser hughes

gaiscioch wrote: »

So, leaving aside the obvious contradiction in the above (replete with appropriately idiotic smilies again), you admit you paid €1700 for a course simply because you have some inferiority complex about a British course being more recognisable than an Irish one. Thank you. And that's the long and the short of this. Nothing to do with any factually-based evidence regarding recognition of the qualification but everything to do with your personal hangups, one of many it appears. You could have been upfront with your issues at the outset, and accordingly ignored.

Indeed! I'm not sure what to make of your post there. Quite odd.
You seem quite aggressive. Other people can make their own judgements I suppose.
I'm sure you'll want to have the last word. Go right ahead.I stand by my opinions. Don't forget to trawl through my post history again!
Bizarre!

Equally tone it down a bit on the value judgements, especially on inferring facts from a username in the previous post. Member warned.
Thanks
MOD

Omega28

Can anyone recommend a school to do the CELTA course in Dublin?

DenMan

I'm doing my CELTA in Malta in October. Before Christmas I did an interview via Skype and then paid a deposit to secure my place. Really looking forward to it.

CM24

Omega28 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a school to do the CELTA course in Dublin?

I'd like to second this motion. This week I'm planning to apply for a course in Dublin in April/May and I'd like to know if there's any schools to be avoided...

I'm not reading all 43 pages!

Also, if anyone is a TEFL teacher IN IRELAND at the mo, can you describe what the lifestyle is like? I'd mainly like to know

- What hours do you work? Work weekends at all?

- Can you relax when you come home or are you always worrying about planning tomorrow's lectures?

- Is it possible to make a sustainable living from teaching alone?

- Do you find it enjoyable?

whydoibother

Friend of mine is Polish - perfect english and has a master in english studies but unemployed = she's considering this - but she's 45... is that too old???

TTWNF

Hey,

Just looking for some advice here ..... i am considering moving to Brazil with my girlfriend who is Brazilian (i'm Irish).

Can anyone tell me if this course would be of any use to me?

https://www.groupon.ie/deals/learn-tefl-35

Or should i go for the full on CELT course like this one?

http://tefl-course.ie/celt-at-dse/

Obviously this is a massive price difference between the two .... but for somewhere like Brazil would the online course be enough?

thanks

CiboC

TTWNF wrote: »

Can anyone tell me if this course would be of any use to me?

https://www.groupon.ie/deals/learn-tefl-35

Or should i go for the full on CELT course like this one?

http://tefl-course.ie/celt-at-dse/

Online courses are worthless in terms of preparing you to teach. What you will get from the CELT (as well as from the CELTA) is the opportunity to teach in front of a live class while being observed by your tutors. The feedback you get from these sessions is invaluable in helping you prepare and present your classes. No online course can give you that.

Most online courses are petty vague about exactly who accredits or recognises them. The one you list above claims to be recognised by the IARC (International Accreditation & Recognition Council), but who is the IARC? It appears to be nobody and nothing:

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unrecognized_higher_education_accreditation_organizations )

It's your money. Plenty of people out there want it. You have to make sure you get something in return for it!

TTWNF

CiboC wrote: »

Online courses are worthless in terms of preparing you to teach. What you will get from the CELT (as well as from the CELTA) is the opportunity to teach in front of a live class while being observed by your tutors. The feedback you get from these sessions is invaluable in helping you prepare and present your classes. No online course can give you that.

Most online courses are petty vague about exactly who accredits or recognises them. The one you list above claims to be recognised by the IARC (International Accreditation & Recognition Council), but who is the IARC? It appears to be nobody and nothing:

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unrecognized_higher_education_accreditation_organizations )

It's your money. Plenty of people out there want it. You have to make sure you get something in return for it!

Will it not be useful to learn about grammar and how to put lesson plans together? is it better than nothing? .... as i'm not sure if i have the cash/time for a full-month as i'm self-employed and saving for the move to Brazil.

CiboC

TTWNF wrote: »

is it better than nothing?

Probably not.

It's a 59 euro course on Groupon. Groupon will take a sizeable chunk of that 59 euro (that's how they work). What's left is going to an organisation that feels the need to try and trick you into thinking they are recognised by a real academic body.

It doesn't fill me with confidence in the quality of their offering.

In fact nothing would be better, at least you would still have your 59 euro.

TTWNF

Which colleges in Ireland do the CELT 120 hour course? I know of this one http://tefl-course.ie/celt-at-dse/ but is there more?

flowerbattle

CM24 wrote: »

I'd like to second this motion. This week I'm planning to apply for a course in Dublin in April/May and I'd like to know if there's any schools to be avoided...

I'm not reading all 43 pages!

Thirding this!!

CM24

flowerbattle wrote: »

Thirding this!!

I just applied to them all (IH, Kaplan, English Academy and StudyCelta
) and have a load of interviews lined up now for this week. The applications actually take quite a while! I definitely wouldn't have been able to complete all the tasks without a grammar book and Google on hand.

I'm half considering bottling it now and doing the CELT instead. My friend who did that said it wasn't too hard and the application/interview process don't seem nearly as through.

I know I'll work hard enough to pass the CELTA but I'm just pretty nervous when it comes to speaking in groups and I'm worried I'll fail because of that. I've never had to do it regularly and I've no idea if I'll become more comfortable or not.

CiboC

TTWNF wrote: »

Which colleges in Ireland do the CELT 120 hour course? I know of this one http://tefl-course.ie/celt-at-dse/ but is there more?

From ACELS website:

http://acels.ie/SchoolList1.aspx

yellowjumper

Just want to put my experience here, as there hasn't really been a full reply to the question!
I did the CELT in CES on Dame St./Dame Lane almost two years ago, and it was worth every penny. There's no difference between the CELT and CELTA when you go to get a job, and that's important.
I attended classes for a full day every day, half day Friday, for four weeks, with an extra week before final portfolio submission, and gained invaluable teaching experience. I can't stress how important this is if you want to be in any way serious about teaching and getting a decent job.
An online course is no comparison; most of what you need to learn is the practical side of it, teaching real-life students, and getting feedback from tutors and other students. Knowing the grammar is only a start! With regard to completing tests to get a job with google and a grammar book on hand- that's normal until you get a bit of experience actually teaching students! You gain confidence in knowing the material yourself, as well as actually having done the material before, so it becomes less of a chore the more experience you have.

I think overall, once you have a CELT, CELTA, or CertTESOL (Trinity College London), you have the best qualification to get work anywhere- here or anywhere else. You're also opening yourself up to work with groups like British Council, who can be good to work with for your first job abroad. I wouldn't bother with online courses at all. There is no standard regulation in the industry, which can leave you in a vulnerable position. However, the better qualified you are, the more decent positions you can apply for, and the less chance you have of being exploited (though you're always open to that, especially if you organise a job from a different country).

After I completed my CELT, I went abroad for a little while. I did get very good experience teaching Cambridge exams, which was useful when I came back. Having said that, if you have no experience, that's not a problem if you apply for jobs during the summer- there's such a high turnover of students that schools need all the teachers they can get. The experience you get teaching teens in summer schools will also prepare you for anything; if you can handle them, you'll handle anything else!

A poster a while back asked these questions, which I'll give my answer. This is only my experience, and I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who can talk about their experience and who will have come to the same position on an entirely different path.

-What hours do you work? Work weekends at all?
I usually work from 9-1:30. There is the option for me to work in the afternoon too, but part-time suits me, as I also have creative work and need to get to the studio daily too! Some schools offer evening work, often until about 8pm, but you're usually doing either morning work or evening work.
I haven't worked weekends at all here in Dublin (when I was abroad I did occasionally) and I think most schools are only open Monday-Friday.

- Can you relax when you come home or are you always worrying about planning tomorrow's lectures?
I definitely leave it behind me when I leave work! When I started, and was working abroad, I planned in moe detail, but once you've had experience with a few different age groups, nationalities, and levels, you build up material and experience with what's expected for that level/age group etc, so you can re-use things. Like anything, it takes a while to become familiar with how to manage it all, but you get used to it and get into the swing of things fairly quickly. Like any other job really!

- Is it possible to make a sustainable living from teaching alone?
Yes. €18-€20 an hour is the standard (there are plenty of places offering less, and do be careful. There are some cowboy schools out there.), and you could be doing anywhere between 15 and 30 hours per week. You're generally not paid for planning hours, just for teaching hours, so be wise about utilising your time when you go to work!

- Do you find it enjoyable?
Yes. The biggest cliche in the book- it's rewarding! It really is though. Working with teenagers can sometimes be frustrating, as they're often only here for one week, and like any teenager, they're only interested in having a fun holiday abroad with their friends. It's the best way to gain experience in the classroom though, and it's generally unavoidable if you're starting out in Dublin. It's not terrible though, and some groups can be really lovely.
Adults are great to work with- they're usually paying for the course themselves, so are naturally more motivated to learn. They can be here long-term, and you can really build great rapport with classes.
It's a good job, but don't forget that the schools in Dublin (and elsewhere) are businesses, and run as such, so don't be surprised if it's sometimes treated like one. Your hours may be reduced during quieter periods, typically in January or sometimes December, so don't take it personally!

TL;DR:
-Don't do an online course, do a CELT or CELTA (no difference in them if you apply for jobs).
-You can get a job in Dublin easily enough, especially in summer. You'll work with teens to start, which is a good way to learn fast!
-Your first job might be a good bit of planning and work, but after a bit of experience, you'll get into the swing of things, like any other job.
-It's an enjoyable job, very rewarding, and it is possible to make a sustainable living. There are options to work full or part time.

Hope this helps a few people, I know it's a bit long! Any more questions, I'd be happy to answer, and hopefully some others who have different experiences to mine can pitch in with their views.

CM24

I got my CELT from CES on Dame St earlier this year and have just finished teaching teens at a different school on the Summer programs. Would definitely recommend doing the CELT at CES. The practical teaching hours are nerve racking at first but definitely prepare you for the real thing.

Had a good time teaching the past few months but now I'm out of a job, since all the teens have gone home. Hoping to find a new school to work at now. I see EF always seem to be hiring, but I've heard bad things about them (Low pay and expected to work loads of unpaid hours).

I'm 28 and I've already done my fair share of travelling, so I'm reluctant to go abroad again. Any tips on working in Dublin long term? Will the work be very stop-start throughout the year? If anybody knows of anything going, please send me a PM!

treenytru

CM24 wrote: »

I got my CELT from CES on Dame St earlier this year and have just finished teaching teens at a different school on the Summer programs. Would definitely recommend doing the CELT at CES. The practical teaching hours are nerve racking at first but definitely prepare you for the real thing.

Had a good time teaching the past few months but now I'm out of a job, since all the teens have gone home. Hoping to find a new school to work at now. I see EF always seem to be hiring, but I've heard bad things about them (Low pay and expected to work loads of unpaid hours).

I'm 28 and I've already done my fair share of travelling, so I'm reluctant to go abroad again. Any tips on working in Dublin long term? Will the work be very stop-start throughout the year? If anybody knows of anything going, please send me a PM!

Hey cm24

I work in the administration department of a language school in Dublin city centre. We have a teacher leaving and one going on an extended holiday in the next few weeks

Pm me your C.V and I'll pass it along to our Academic Director

Thanks!