Choosing the Best TESOL Course to Get you Working

If you Google TESOL or ESL courses in Australia you will find seemingly endless different options. The more you read the more you may go cross eyed with the different acronyms and course names and types out there. The price varies from about $300 for an online course, to over $3000 for an accredited course held at an Australian University or TAFE.

The reason for this madness is that this is a largely unregulated industry and the courses exist as long as there is someone willing to pay for them.

To be eligible to take on the most comprehensive course, CELTA, you will typically need to have completed a university degree.  In contrast  cheaper online courses are open to anybody.

Neither the top or bottom qualifications will be a guarantee of work; but it goes without saying your options are greater the better qualified you become.

First of all, there are so many ridiculous acronyms used to describe qualifications to teach English. Here are the key ones you should know:

Teacher(s) of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
English teaching and English teacher certification process. It refers to the teaching and the learning of English both overseas and locally.

Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)
The teaching of the English language in an English-speaking country.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)
The teaching of the English language in a country where English is not the students’ native language.

Which TESOL qualification is best for you?

Although you will come across many more interesting courses online, these are your real choices when picking a TESOL qualification.

CELTA – (Cambridge CELTA – Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults). Validated by Cambridge University, the CELTA is most well known and widely respected of the qualifications. The vast majority of quality language schools around the world will require teachers to have the Cambridge CELTA, although the Trinity Certificate (see below)  is often accepted. Basically if you want to teach overseas for a chunk of time and you can afford about $2500 to do this course, do it. Although it is geared towards teaching adults it gets you into language schools with students of all ages. For more information : http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-awards/index.html

Trinity Cert TESOL – (The Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). This certificate is validated by Trinity College London and although it is not quite as well known as CELTA (The dog’s balls of TESOL courses) it is pretty much the same in content and usefulness.

TESOL Cert IV – Is in content very similar to A CELTA, but in some cases it is aimed at non-native speakers. It is government accredited at certain institutions and is often offered as a post graduate opportunity at Universities. It is however not as recognised globally as a CELTA or Trinity Cert TESOL and so if you are planning to get the best qualification for teaching overseas then go for the CELTA.

Weekend Courses – Similar to online courses, these are not comparable to the four week intensive qualifications available, however they are again cheaper and will give you the basic information you need to give voluntary or short term teaching a go in a location where demand for teachers is high.

Online courses – This a good and super cheap introduction to TESOL and can get you a job in countries with a high demand for teachers (where arguably you could get a job without a qualification at all), but if you are serious about teaching for an extended time internationally, give it a miss and cough up for a classroom based course.

DELTA (Diploma of English Language Teaching to Adults) -Taking a diploma-level qualification is the next big step after your initial TEFL qualification and a couple of years of teaching experience. The decision to take this qualification might follow the realisation that TEFL is no longer just a gap year option for you, but a real career which you now wish to pursue and develop.

Things to consider:

Be aware that different qualifications are accepted in different countries, so if you know where you want to go, then do some researches into which qualification will best impress local employers (check the other parts of this guide).

Do you want to study at home or in a new exciting location? Many language schools train teachers on location so you can do your qualification at the start of your trip and get to know the area before you start work.

When choosing a course beware of the many bullshit operators out there. Ask to see a course outline and look at the work that will be required. If there is little to no work, or the work is ridiculously easy then this course is not worth the paper it is written on. Google the provider and keep an eye out for any negative reviews. http://www.eslcafe.com/ (Dave’s ESL Cafe) is a great place start with forums on all things ESL.

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