A Quick Tesol Cetificate

[SebD]

The following advert is currently featured in the Classifieds section of my local rag.

TEACH ENGLISH

as a foreign language. Four week intensive training course leading to the internationally recognised TESOL certificate Job opportunities abroad or with us......

The cost quoted is £1000 + Examination Fees.

I appreciate that there is little information to go on but, at face value, does it look like a good deal, a poor deal, even worthless?

Could a person who obtains the "Qualification" on offer expect to obtain employment on the strength of it?

If anyone can offer good advice, it must be someone from here.

Thanks.

Edited December 5, 2008 by SebD

[Martian]

SebD,

Not a lot of specific information like.......where is your local rag from?....where are you wanting to teach English? etc. etc.

I am going to participate in a one-month TEFL training course in Thailand and then on to a job in a government school which I have already secured for the 2009 school year. I hope this helps you decide:

1. Check what accreditation any TEFL/TESOL class offers.

2. One important set of benchmarks that I have found for these types of courses is: 120 hours of face-to-face class with 6 hours of actual classroom teaching practice (you actually teach in classroom as part of the training).

3. For Thailand there is no OFFICIAL requirement that a teacher has such training BUT....it will help you get considered more more positions.

My future boss required me to get the training since I don't have any classroom teaching experience AND I want the training to hopefully prepare me better for the profession (I know it isn't a replacement for a formal education degree but anything is better than no training).

Regards,

Martian

[garro]

It should be noted that the legal requirement for the Teacher's Council is not TEFL or TESOL but a degree. The TEFL course is something that some schools like and something that should hopefully introduce you to teaching if you have no experience.

[Loaded]

It should be noted that the legal requirement for the Teacher's Council is not TEFL or TESOL but a degree. The TEFL course is something that some schools like and something that should hopefully introduce you to teaching if you have no experience.

All due respect Garro, but you are incorrect.

Government Schools

Only Thai nationals are allowed to work for Thai Government institutions. There are no universal employment requirements for foreigners. Schools get around this by writing private employment agreements (อัตราจ้างพิเศษ) between the teacher and the school. The employment requirements are whatever the school wants them to be.

Private Schools

A Director's Letter stating that the teacher's other qualifications (TEFL etc) and experience compensate for the lack of a degree, will obtain a work permit for teachers without degrees.

2-year renewable Teacher licences for both of the above types of schools can be obtained easily without the teacher needing to take the Teacher Knowledge Test.

Language Schools

These are category 15/2 schools and are exempt for Teacher Licencing requirements. However, whether you have a degree, or not, it's unlikely the school will provide a work permit anyway.

Plus

The evidence of many posters on this forum confirms the above. There are numerous posts from teachers without degrees working legally.

Let's put this degree/no degree to bed. You don't need a degree to work legally in Thailand.

Edited December 6, 2008 by Loaded

[garro]

It should be noted that the legal requirement for the Teacher's Council is not TEFL or TESOL but a degree. The TEFL course is something that some schools like and something that should hopefully introduce you to teaching if you have no experience.

All due respect Garro, but you are incorrect.

Government Schools

Only Thai nationals are allowed to work for Thai Government institutions. There are no universal employment requirements for foreigners. Schools get around this by writing private employment agreements (อัตราจ้างพิเศษ) between the teacher and the school. The employment requirements are whatever the school wants them to be.

Private Schools

A Director's Letter stating that the teacher's other qualifications (TEFL etc) and experience compensate for the lack of a degree, will obtain a work permit for teachers without degrees.

2-year renewable Teacher licences for both of the above types of schools can be obtained easily without the teacher needing to take the Teacher Knowledge Test.

Language Schools

These are category 15/2 schools and are exempt for Teacher Licencing requirements. However, whether you have a degree, or not, it's unlikely the school will provide a work permit anyway.

Plus

The evidence of many posters on this forum confirms the above. There are numerous posts from teachers without degrees working legally.

Let's put this degree/no degree to bed. You don't need a degree to work legally in Thailand.

This information is completely different from the information provided from the Teacher's Council representative at the Thai culture course which I recently attended in BKK. The representative had been sent to make it clear what the requirements are and these did not involve any TESOL or TEFL certificates. The representative emphasised, more than once, that the only teaching qualification they were interested in were either at graduate or postgraduate level.

[PeaceBlondie]

The TCT, a nightmare based on the Thai education act of 1999, may some day force its absurd standards upon an even more absurder Thai education system. Until then, schools even in big cities like Chiang Mai will do it Thai style, not TCT style.

[Loaded]

This information is completely different from the information provided from the Teacher's Council representative at the Thai culture course which I recently attended in BKK. The representative had been sent to make it clear what the requirements are and these did not involve any TESOL or TEFL certificates. The representative emphasised, more than once, that the only teaching qualification they were interested in were either at graduate or postgraduate level.

And I'm sure the TC rep was being sincere and telling you what he/she thought was the situation. From my understanding all of these culture courses have been subcontracted to and run by a youngish Thai lady, who owns a language school in Phuket, and not actual TC people. The TC Teacher Licensing proposal hasn't been accepted by schools and therefore its implementation is unlikely to be enforced.

[Ijustwannateach]

From what I've heard about the TCT courses and their claims, they are completely unprofessional and nearly completely uninformed. At a recent course which some teachers from my school attended, the so-called representative was able to give nearly no decisive answers about qualification questions- what kind of degrees are sufficient/necessary, from what kinds of schools, in what countries. Every question was deflected with 'I'll get back to you.' He clearly had no knowledge of the things he was supposedly 'representing.'

At the present time, it is by no means clear what the qualifications actually are. If one goes on a 'what works' basis, it does indeed appear possible in many individual cases to get work permits for teaching-related jobs without a degree, but mileage may vary.

Let me remind our participants that the degree-no degree issue is restricted on this subforum, and it is also off-topic. If anyone has any further advice related to the OP's question, then let's get back to that.

"S"