Why TEFL course?

Bally20

Hey.

I've been doing some research into the TEFL courses on offer around Dublin but there are so many for highly varying prices so I've sort of hit a brick wall. I know the CELTA course is the best but it's also €1500 which I can cover but just about. I also don't plan on making a career out of teaching English, which is sort of what I understand this course to be for, but I also don't wanna drop 300 yoyos on a course that won't qualify me to teach on the side of the road. I have a BA from UCD and I would like to get out of the country for a while. I'm wondering if anyone here has information on a good TEFL course that isn't wildly expensive but recognised internationally and will allow me to travel abroad for a few years and teach English? I'm open to all suggestions guys as I have absorbed so much information I'm beginning to forget it all.

Peace out

Edit: Fecking title is supposed to say 'Which'

Mr.Nice Guy

If you want a cert that is recognised internationally then I'd recommend doing the CELTA or a CELT course.

Both certifications are very similar in terms of structure and what you would learn. The big difference is that the CELTA is Cambridge-approved and thus is better known internationally. If you do the CELT it just means you might have to sell yourself to an employer that little bit more than you might have to if you had the CELTA because the CELT is mainly known in Ireland.

If you ever wanted to teach in Ireland, say make a few bob in summer when the demand for teachers is highest, you would need at the very least a CELT or a CELTA certification.

There are a bunch of weekend certificates out there and ones affiliated to certain schools which promise you jobs abroad. You should treat these with caution imo. These are NOT going to get you into a good school in Ireland as the regulations over here won't allow it, and many schools abroad will not be impressed with these certs, especially in Europe. (Perhaps in Asia where they are a bit more lax about that)

My opinion, for what it's worth, is at the very least do a CELT course (cheapest will be about 1000 probably) as you will be learning a near identical course structure to the CELTA, and you will also have the option to pick up summer work in Ireland with it in future if you want. Avoid the dodgy, weekend course type certs, which are just a few hundred quid and aren't respected in the industry.