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Q: What do you think about an online TEFL course?
I to I, for istance.
I think it's a good idea...it's cheaper more convenient and you don't have to worry about sitting in some room for hours until you finish/complete the course..
Shining_brow:
Take into account the provider of this advice, when you read the post!
don't do it!
they suck, I applied to be an IELTS examiner and showed my online TEFL and they basically laughed me out the door. It is not really prestigious. Do an online CELTA much more respectable.
BEWARE: 
a legitimate CELTA can not be done online !!!
xxxcdbxxx:
I believe that was changed recently
http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-qualifications/celta/ways-to-take-celta/
nicholasba:
nope, not really...that website actually advertise online CELTA courses too. So. i dont really see that big difference with I to I...
sorrel:
i would sort of doubt the quality of the online CELTA. Anyone who has completed the CELTA knows that it is an intensive, but VERY high quality course. How the online version could manage to maintain the quality I don't know.
Shining_brow:
I totally agree with you Sorrel. I'm quite surprised Cambridge has gone this route. However, given the rigour with which they treat the face to face course, I'd imagine there's going to be a hell of a lot of checks and balances and all.... might end up being somewhat harder than doing it face to face!
sorrel:
the irony is, after completing my CELTA 2 years ago, I was told in no uncertain terms that I should "not teach CELTA English". ha ha ha ha
It's absolutely worthless, except in the sleaziest of schools in China.
However, on the flip side, if it's more for you to have a more thorough knowledge of the English language, I to I is a very good site to do a TEFL course.
dandmcd:
Yes, I took a TEFL course online not because it would help me land a job, but to help brush up on my English grammar and also it helped prepare me for creating lessons for middle or high school teaching. It truly is useless as a "degree", but can be worth the time to be a more prepared teacher.
slice_999_k:
Couldn't agree moe. I'm not saying it will particularly help finding or ensuring a job, but for somebody who never taught English before, it definitely helped me get my shit together, so to say, when doing lesson plans and straightening out my grammer before I came.
Online TEFL's are no longer allowed or accepted in the Labor Department, this where you apply for your exert cert.
Utterly worthless. You'd be better off just reading a book on your own and photoshoping a diploma--at least that doesn't cost hundreds of bucks, and it would be acceptable in pretty much the same schools.
My honest adivice? Shell out for a CELTA, or don't bother doing a course at all. It sounds snobbish, but even the non-online courses tend to be run by a shitload of con artists who flood course review sites with bullshit glowing ratings from all their 'students' (The TEFL Academy, or whatever they are calling themselves now--they change names from time to time so people don't realize that they are all complaining about the same shitty organization--most notably). Yeah, a shitty training center that expects you to dance like a monkey to entertain a bunch of brats (and possibly teach them how to say 'hello', 'happy', 'sad', exc...over a freaking year) won't require anything approaching the CELTA. But, if you aspire to be treated with way more respect and dignity, or to just plain have a fulfilling job, you may apply to higher-level schools that would appreciate the CELTA. Or, you could get sick of slumming it in China, and want to teach in a country where that standard is required. It just makes sense to do it right the first time, or not waste time and money doing it at all, in my opinion.
I did a dodgey mostly online course before I set out on my new career. Worthless!!! Taught me nothing! (granted, I'm already fairly well educated...).
If you have any interest in teaching outside of China, don't even bother with such courses. Total waste of your time and money. The rest of the world will simply ignore such a 'qualification' - they recognise its real worth!
If you're only interested in teaching in China, then don't... please leave that to those of us who actually bothered to learn to teach properly...
( Ms. Pot, pleased to meet you - I'm Mr Kettle 
)
nicholasba:
dont really know about other courses, but I -to-Igot a tutor in charge to check your assignments, and he/she decide whether you ready for to further advance. I did learn a lot: from how to teach vocabulary to manage a class to lesson planning.But not really necesseray if you teach in China.
Funny thing is that it happened that sometimes I had to help out "native English speaker" . Besides, according to my tutor, an Australian teacher with more than 30 years experience I was ready to teach.
Shining_brow:
So, you've done a stack of theory over the net, someone has checked all your assignments and has judged you ready to teach... without ever stepping in front of a class of students...
Yeah, I trust that!
the funny thing is, given the nature of the 'work' most foreign teachers are expected to do, having a CELTA is unnecessary. I mean, who needs to be able to explain the use of the different Conditional Tenses to students whose reasoning is on the level of 'no why?'
Shining_brow:
The teacher employed in a university to bachelor (and above) students ???
I know, while most language teachers aren't actually doing much of a job, there are some of us who will only teach older students in a specialised environment.
But then, that's what the CELTYA is for :)
sorrel:
I was teaching university students, preparing them for IELTS and transferring abroad, yet when I tried actually teaching them what they needed, my Department president told me to stop........
