Teaching Qualifications In Thailand

[grim]

Hi all,

I've been in Thailand around a month and am now looking to get a job as a teacher, for which I know a TEFL or TESOL qualification will be invaluable as I have no experience of school teaching (not counting corporate training I have done).

My problem is that I'm being blinded from all sides with TEFL and TESOL-based qualifications - online courses, weekend courses, intensive courses, month long courses, etc.

Does anyone have any recommendations of courses which will provide some basic training and classroom experience, I am a bright boy so just need a relevance for the CV.

I've searched extensively and everything seems to be around £1,000 and of of dubious credibility.

Thanks all

*Please PM me if the board doesn't allow for specific course/institution recommendations

www.jonnytheforeigner.blogspot.com

[Hannahcopacabana]

Hi Grim,

Have you seen this thread yet? It's got some useful opinions on it.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Celta-Tefl-C...te-t136706.html

Another good place to look for reviews of TEFL courses is TEFLreview dot com.

Best of luck to you.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

Don't bother with a TEFL/TESOL. If you have a bachelor's, get a job at a government school. If no bachelor's, get a job at a language center. Once you get 2 years under your belt, you'll have your pick of teaching jobs.

[Loaded]

Don't bother with a TEFL/TESOL. If you have a bachelor's, get a job at a government school. If no bachelor's, get a job at a language center. Once you get 2 years under your belt, you'll have your pick of teaching jobs.

If you only care about yourself, the above is a valid point.

If you care about the kids whose education you will be partially responsible for and if you want to be proud of the job you do in the classroom, it's probably better to receive some training and preparation. Common sense really.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

Don't bother with a TEFL/TESOL. If you have a bachelor's, get a job at a government school. If no bachelor's, get a job at a language center. Once you get 2 years under your belt, you'll have your pick of teaching jobs.

If you only care about yourself, the above is a valid point.

If you care about the kids whose education you will be partially responsible for and if you want to be proud of the job you do in the classroom, it's probably better to receive some training and preparation. Common sense really.

I went through a TEFL, and it was invaluable. The OP, however, complained about the cost, and, if cost of the course is a concern, you can get by without doing the course. In certain employment situations, you can learn all you need on the job, because the school has a new hire training program. My school does, and I am the trainer. We have 25 foreign teachers. Moreover, most of the TEFL curriculum can be learned online. Few TEFL programs offer sufficient evaluated teaching practice. An equivalent amount of teaching practice can be obtained in a few weeks on the job.

[aitch52]

Hi Grim

I am doing the certificate TEFL course, the cost was £685, just starting the second week of the course now. I have 16 years experience as a technical instructor in the military and I am learning every day. The trainer does not stick rigidly to the syllabus and a large part of the course is dealing with the problems Thai and Asian students in general have with the language which I have found to be invaluable.

There is a fair amount of teaching practice using the rest of the class as guinea pigs. There are 4 teaching sessions of 45 minutes to be delivered to a class of Thai students, which are assessed by an independent assessor. Grammar is essential but is fed gradually into each lesson rather than ok here we have grammar for 8 hours, again my competence with grammar has improved markedly.

On top of that the employment and self employment opportunities are covered extensively. On a scale of 1-10 I would give the course a resounding 9

Good Luck

Chris

Edited November 8, 2008 by aitch52

[PeaceBlondie]

There are only a few schools in all of Thailand that have the kind of supervised teacher-training courses that zapadedoodox mentions. In many schools, a new teacher would get a good evaluation by a competent evaluator once a year, at most. I never got one in two years.

Yes, six hours of supervised lessons in a TEFL course is only six. But it surely beats getting none.

[Tyree D.]

I am a bright boy so just need a relevance for the CV.

First off, I currently have 4 years experience ranging three countries and a TEFL. With that said, in Thailand I had nothing. I got 25,000 baht jobs at universities without it. I decided to get my TEFL after Thailand in California where they already told us it means nothing in that state. Now I'm in Korea where the only requirement is a degree and I think I am the only foreign teacher with previous experience...and a TEFL.

In Thailand a TEFL will only move you in the 40,000 baht and higher bracket if you have two years experience to go with it. You say you only want it to put on your resume as opposed to learning a few new tricks so I can tell you from experience just go straight to looking for jobs. All you need is one to say yes and Thailand was the first place I ever got multiple job offers where the hard part was choosing which one and turning the rest down.

[Martian]

I have secured a teaching job in Thailand for the 2009 school year. I have a Bachelor's degree but no formal teaching experience. I will be attending the SEE tefl course in Chiang Mai primarily because I want the extra training and "orientation" into the profession. Although I had already planned on attending a tefl course, and visited a couple already, the EP director at the school I will be teaching required me to get TEFL training in order to teach in her program. I visited a couple TEFL programs in Chiang Mai and found John and the program at SEE TEFL a good fit for me.

It is true that TEFL is not an "official" requirement to teach in Thailand but I think it surely helps in preparation and does make you more attractive to more prospective employers, thats my opinion.

Good luck!

Martian

Edited November 8, 2008 by Martian

[grim]

Thanks for the thoughts on suggestions both on/off board - much appreciated and helpful guidance.

Those commenting that a TEFL isn't necessary, I'm not sure that is the case for someone starting out from scratch (without teaching experience) who is looking for a job at a good quality school. The ones I have spoken to look for candidates with experience and as someone with no formal teaching experience/qualification (although I have a degree), TEFL will give me the kick start I'm looking for.

I've also heard the authorities in my area (Saraburi) are cracking down on teachers without licenses.

[aitch52]

Hi all

just to correct my earlier post the practical teaching sessions to Thai students are indeed 6 x 1 hour and not 4 x 45 mins I quoted earlier. A lot of information to take in on the on the first week of the course

Cheers

Chris

[dumball]

Not being in the educational field for teaching "English as she be spoke " , i can only add my experience as i have found it in practise as apposed to in theory , most Thais i have met with school teaching have ( to my way of thinking) been taught by teachers with little knowledge of the English language per-se , by teachers with English as a second language , by teachers with funny accents , but most of all , not been able to transpose the understanding that which is trying to be explained to an individual .

The whole idea behind learning a language is to obtain the ability to COMMUNICATE in that language , some of the best exemplifiers of this has been by Thais who have learnt 'Pidgeon" English , they have been able to talk to me AND understand what i have been saying . All of the documents and diplomas one may have , does not mean you will have the ability 'To teach' or enable the student 'To learn ' .

My thoughts on this subject have not been made to denigrate or belittle those in the educational field , only to point out my experience for what ever it may mean to those in that area of education .

[ICALPete]

I've searched extensively and everything seems to be around £1,000 and of of dubious credibility.

You certainly don’t need to break the bank to get good teacher training.

Quality online courses offer a great training opportunity at entry level. They can provide a thorough grounding in a new career and the right tools to approach a new profession within a manageable amount of time and finances. They are a good option particularly if you have a limited budget to further your studies or if you have other work and/or family commitments that restrict the amount of time you have available to study. 

As for which course to choose it really depends on how much time, money, and commitment you are prepared to invest. There are quite a few good courses both online and onsite to choose from. You could start by taking a look at TEFLWatch.com. This is a site where TESL/TEFL courses and course providers are independently reviewed and rated.

[Krupnik]

Before I came to Thailand I was asking a similar question to you except that I knew definitely that I wanted to do the TEFL but I didn't know which one.

Someone on this forum told me to take the CELTA. This was the best advice I ever had! I looked it into it and did it and I would very highly recommend taking it if you can afford the little extra money and effort that it involves.

[Loaded]

I've searched extensively and everything seems to be around £1,000 and of of dubious credibility.

You certainly don’t need to break the bank to get good teacher training.

Quality online courses offer a great training opportunity at entry level. They can provide a thorough grounding in a new career and the right tools to approach a new profession within a manageable amount of time and finances. They are a good option particularly if you have a limited budget to further your studies or if you have other work and/or family commitments that restrict the amount of time you have available to study. 

As for which course to choose it really depends on how much time, money, and commitment you are prepared to invest. There are quite a few good courses both online and onsite to choose from. You could start by taking a look at TEFLWatch.com. This is a site where TESL/TEFL courses and course providers are independently reviewed and rated.

Learning to teach online without any practical classroom experience is similar to learning to be a ballet dancer by reading a book - waste of time.

You also know ICALPete (seller of online courses) that most employers around the world are looking for a 120 face-to-face training course with 6 1-hour teaching practices.

[victrola]

I've searched extensively and everything seems to be around £1,000 and of of dubious credibility.

You certainly don't need to break the bank to get good teacher training.

Quality online courses offer a great training opportunity at entry level. They can provide a thorough grounding in a new career and the right tools to approach a new profession within a manageable amount of time and finances. They are a good option particularly if you have a limited budget to further your studies or if you have other work and/or family commitments that restrict the amount of time you have available to study.

As for which course to choose it really depends on how much time, money, and commitment you are prepared to invest. There are quite a few good courses both online and onsite to choose from. You could start by taking a look at TEFLWatch.com. This is a site where TESL/TEFL courses and course providers are independently reviewed and rated.

Learning to teach online without any practical classroom experience is similar to learning to be a ballet dancer by reading a book - waste of time.

You also know ICALPete (seller of online courses) that most employers around the world are looking for a 120 face-to-face training course with 6 1-hour teaching practices.

Do they recognize the CELTA in Thailand? I mean, does having a CELTA enable you to get a better job? I have one, but was sad to find that schools in Japan have never heard of it.

[Ulysses G.]

Most people - everywhere - seem to think that the RSA CELTA is by far the best.

[Loaded]

Most people - everywhere - seem to think that the RSA CELTA is by far the best.

You've spoken to most people!

You're not even a teacher UG so this is an obvious attempt to troll. Go back to writing reviews for burgers on the CM page as you're very well qualified to do that - experience etc.

[PeaceBlondie]

I am now going to close this thread because it has become or is becoming the typical TEFL course war ("my CELTA is better than your ZELTA"). If you want some general concluding statements, here are my opinions

Almost any course is better than no course at all

Even an online course is better than no course at all

A four week classroom course of 120 hours and six hours of supervised practice teaching is the industry standard

Everybody has a favorite course, usually whichever course they took in the last twenty years

A Master's Degree in TEFL/TESOL nearly over-qualifies you in Thailand.