what is "a recognised TEFL/TESOL certificate" & why?

I see ads for a variety of Acronyms:

trinity, CELTA, TESL, TESOL Training; Accredited ESL Certificate, Diploma ...

what countries education system accepts such certificates.. 4 weeks to a sheep skin..

thirld world only? Asia? US? EU?

there are 'similar classes' offered world wide .. with an amazing consistency of price!

my out of pocket cost beyond tuition: room, food, entertainment, varies significantly per local .. BUT, 6 weeks in Brazil, China, Spain ..

interesting options, Same Same?

The Land of Smiles is my primary focus.

as a non thai resident I expecting a total cost of over $4000 .. $5,000.. ######!

to take the class.. air, room, school, 'cultural exchange projects'. et al ..

+ time & energy to complete 'home work' ..

This is a major committment & I am seeking help in maximizing my return on investment.

You working teachers out there: In hind sight what would you have done differently in educational & vocational paths?

  In hind sight what would you have done differently in educational & vocational paths?

I would have completed my BA degree when I should have, many years ago. Now I am in the process of going back to university to get it at 38 years of age. I am very motivated to study this time. Back in the day I just wanted to smoke pot, cut class and go surfing. I recently completed a CELTA to give me a leg up in finding part time work while I study.

"Recognized" means whatever the hiring person thinks it means. Probably, it means a course he's heard a couple of good things about. In Thailand, they've probably all heard of CELTA, Text'n'Talk, TEFLInternational, and.....maybe others.

If you still have a wide choice of what country to take the course in, but prefer Thailand and intend to teach in Thailand, take it here. If you're already an educational professional and intend to stay in the field indefinitely and world-wide, get a Master's in TEFL.

A decent course in Thailand, lasting at least four weeks, 100 classroom hours, and lots of supervised teaching, costs maybe 45,000 baht. Living in Chiang Mai, for example, shouldn't cost you over 6,000 baht per week. Bangkok, maybe 9,000 (due to housing costs).

You ask, what if I had to do it all over again? Don't tempt me........

"I would have completed my BA degree when I should have, many years ago."

BA in education?

in hind sight for me, a BA in education looks pretty useful.

The" real degreed teachers" seem to be qualified for some pretty good jobs offered around Asia.

CELTA to be used in LOS?

What do you know about CELTA being useful in the US or EU?

"Recognized" means whatever the hiring person thinks it means."

So actually there is not a "Board of Official Pronouncement ..& Board ? whatever" .. I mean no actual meaning to the certificate or an umbrella organization ..

right, it not college hours .. it's a program .. with self administered standards & criteria for certification.

So basically all the schools are same same , no Oxford or Harvard?

Prices are lower in the outlaying areas ... but max few thousand Thb differance in price no matter what the school.

CM or Hua Hin or Had Yai are the Thai schools I'm considering ..

Why so many TESOL schools in Thailand?

For "life experience's" sake I'm considering a Chinese school, price / time same same .. just an extended stay in an entirely new enviroment.

Do you think a school in a different culture is a problem? Thai vs Chinese

The practice teaching seems like an area of extreme practicle benefit.

Do you think a school in a different culture is a problem?  Thai vs Chinese

A problem? Anything but, I would say. I will register for classes at Ramkhamhaeng's Institute of International Studies this coming May. I am majoring in English with a few business classes added as electives, Thai language is required and a foreign language as well. I have chosen Chinese, so I will study

English, Thai and Chinese for about 4 years. You can all laugh and naysay all you want. The full 4 year program is on campus with western professors. I compared

online programs based in the US. The cost of 1 year of study online from a US university is the same cost as 4 years of on campus study at Ram IIS. with the new funding cuts the US has enacted, students in the US will now pay even more, 25% more. I would love to study in my home country, but I would rather not be saddled with massive student loans when I graduate. My choice to study in Asia fits my overall plans for the future; to live and work in Asia. I feel the connections made will be more of an advantage for me as well. It might not be for everyone, but for me it is an affordable, logical option.

Sorry this is off topic. It was TEFL courses, right? I just chose the CELTA because someone told me it was the best and a lot of schools think highly of it.

CELTA means Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. Don't know about all the certs out there but the CELTA I got was a Cambridge one and this is recongnised in the UK by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Have a look at their website.

http://www.qca.org.uk/

This is recognised everywhere as far as I know, which is why I thought it was worth doing.

They're definitely all the same. Ask wherever you're planning on doing it if the qualification is internationally recognised and by whom.

You working teachers out there: In hind sight what would you have done differently in educational & vocational paths?

If you're really serious do the one year DELTA. Good luck.

Big correction. I meant to say they're definitely NOT all the same.

Not all the courses are the same. But if you only intend to teach in Thailand, CELTA doesn't appear to have any edge over Text'n'Talk or TEFLInternational.

I think 'recognized' is very different from 'certified.' Attentive employers recognize good job applicants and resumes. Official bodies certify.

Back home in native English speaking countries, it's not TEFL anymore, but teaching English to immigrants who are already permanently immersed in an English milieu. Oops, what's a milieu? Anyway, TEFL is different from TESL. Besides, home countries have their own requirements. I could probably teach back home for a year or two with an unrelated BA, my TEFL cert, and my TEFL experience. But I'd soon reach a dead end and have to earn countless hours of education courses.

World-wide, CELTA is the standard that other certs. are measured against and is the cert employers are most likely to have heard of.

Yes, it is/was a Cambridge cert, as far as I know devised as a course of study by Camb. Univ.

Most importantly, if you get one you will have no worries or fears in the classroom, you will know what to do.

This is more than can be said for a great many certs. out there.

The above does not necessarily mean you will be offered more money.