Is It Worth Getting A Real Tefl?

[Neeranam]

A few years back, I went to Spain to do my TEFL, a proper recognised one(ie Trinity or Cambridge). What a load of <deleted>, I learnt nothing, but was pissed every night and had a good time. I have never had to show it to anyone in Thailand. All my employers have been more interested in my experience and whether or not I have a degree.

I heard a lot of crap about how hard it was too. The 4 years experience I gained before doing it were more than enough to pass.

If anyone out there is thinking of doing the Celta at ECC or even one of the 'mickey mouse' ones - forget it.

I saw one exactly the same as mine in a shop on KS Road. Wish I hadn't wasted about 150,000 baht.

Doing the DELTA would have been better. I could have done it with my experience teaching.

At least I could work anywhere in the world, if I wanted.

[Ijustwannateach]

I never got a formal TEFL cert. [was trained originally by conversation schools in Japan, though], so I can't comment on how much use the instruction is professionally for an experienced teacher. However, regrettably, it seems to be becoming one of those "standard certs" that define the ability to do TEFL- a way for employers to avoid doing the sensible thing and evaluate employees ALSO from observing demonstration lessons.

Don't get me wrong- for a beginner a TEFL cert. is invaluable- but I dislike the way the certification process is replacing an appreciation of experience and performance in hiring. I can outperform any four-week newbie with a certificate. Fortunately many employers still recognize this difference, but the way Asians are impressed with paper (and only paper) does not make the trend reassuring for the future for those of us whose quals outdate the paper side of the industry.

As my handle indicates, I'm impatient with the paperwork and BS side of the teaching industry- there seem to be more and more impediments and challenges getting in the way of someone who just wants to teach. DEVELOPMENTAL coursework is certainly valuable and should give someone an edge in applying for a job. But a required basic coursework for TEFL- especially applied retroactively to folks with equivalent experience- just seems like small-minded consistency for its own sake.

"Steven"

[Lost gold]

Neeranam are you a.k.a the infamous Smythe?

[PeaceBlondie]

So, let's see where we are here, so far, supposedly, allegedly:

A guy who was so drunk he never paid attention (to a course which should have taught him a lot, and for which he says he paid 150,000 baht), didn't teach him anything, because he wasn't paying attention. Then he worked for several years and got the experience that taught him a lot of things he might have learnt in class.

IJWT missed out on the TEFL class but accumulated several years of experience, and is now a good teacher without the cert.

Okay, then there's me (or I). First I got my degree, then my TEFL cert in Thailand, then started getting the experience. The training helped me to get started. The experience helps even more.

And what self-respecting TEFL course, especially a CELTA, lets you go through all the classes stoned out of your mind, and then gives you the certificate?

Methinks I smell a rat.

A training course is worthless if you don't even try to learn in it. A training course very well might be very helpful if you apply yourself in class and study hard.

[kenkannif]

Neeranam are you a.k.a the infamous Smythe?

^ Not as far as I know, you can guess what will happen if it turns out he is though?

[Ijustwannateach]

PB- good points- how would the OP *know* if he missed anything or not?

I think my training at the beginning of my teaching "career" probably would've qualified as a TEFL equivalent, and as a beginner it was invaluable to me- couldn't've done without it. So for the newbies, I'd say get some kind of training, whether from your primary employer or from some school before starting.

I'll just be preeeetty PO'ed if it becomes one of these things where I get rooked on the resume side because I started the biz BEFORE the quals were out there.

"Steven"

[griser]

I can tell you what a Tefl Cert does for you in LoS...

You get and extra 2k to 5k added to your salary. Most Schools will part with more cash for a guy with a TEFL.

Greg