TEFL 140 hour online course

WarbossPepe

There's a promotional on Groupon today where you can get a 140hour online TEFL course with "Star-TEFL" for €58. Here's the link:

http://www.groupon.ie/deals/dublin-special/startefl/4705602?nlp=&CID=IE_CRM_1_0_0_102&a=1768

Does this seem like a worthwhile investment, or are there other courses which would be more beneficial to get involved with in order to teach abroad?

purplepapillon

It depends where you want to teach and, if you are planning to return to Ireland, if you want to teach here. There are CELT and CELTA courses in many schools in Dublin, which are a higher qualification (thus longer and more expensive). They are certified by ACELS http://www.acels.ie/ which is part of the NQAI (National Qualifications Authority). They are recognised by the Department of Education, and are an entry-level qualification into teaching English as a foreign language. The term "TEFL" simply means just that - it is not a standardised qualification. The course you mentioned and similar ones, online or weekend courses, can help you to teach English in non-English speaking countries. But if you wish to teach in Ireland (I'm not sure about other anglophone countries), employers generally look for an ACELS certified qualification. Two friends of mine have completed CELTA courses and are employed abroad in non-English speaking countries. I think it generally depends on where you want to teach. You never know - the course you mention may be enough. Sounds like a bargain though!

WarbossPepe

Thanks for the response! More than likely i'll be aiming at teaching English abroad, either in Asia or S.America, so it seems that the course is good enough for that. If i come across any more promotions anyways i'll be sure to post them!

Lolabear

hey WarbossPepe,

seen that offer on groupon aswell, was just wondering if u got it/started the course, was thinking of doing one myself before i go travelling but not sure which one to choose.

Four of a kind

Just wondering folks, would doing a course like the above mentioned one be worthwhile as a form of preparation for doing a CELTA course, which I aim to do at the end of the year?

I know CELTA is the most recognised but would the grammer training that the TEFL course provide you with be on par with the CELTA as a form of preparation?

I know the teaching methodology would obviously be different but I would be more interested in the grammer side of things since I think that would be my biggest hurdle to overcome in the course.

Thanks.

queensinead

Four of a kind wrote: »

Just wondering folks, would doing a course like the above mentioned one be worthwhile as a form of preparation for doing a CELTA course, which I aim to do at the end of the year?

I know CELTA is the most recognised but would the grammer training that the TEFL course provide you with be on par with the CELTA as a form of preparation?

I know the teaching methodology would obviously be different but I would be more interested in the grammer side of things since I think that would be my biggest hurdle to overcome in the course.

Thanks.

A person I know failed the CELTA course in Dublin but passed the CELT with flying colours a few weeks later.

The reason the person gave was that the staff in the CELT course were more supportive and less intimidating.

But the real reason could have been that the preparation given in the failed CELTA course was invaluable when it came to doing the next course

Some people just cannot improve and make great strides forward, as you are required to do, in one month
They need more time for everything to sink in, and they need a head start.

So from that point of view you would be better prepared for the CELTA, and would already have some idea what it was all about, if you did the online course as preparation

Provided the online one is not too expensive, of course. Because on their own these online courses are not considered that useful, I believe.

But bear in mind that it is the Teaching Practice which students sometimes fail, and which can be intimidating, and you won't get a run at that on the online course

jefreywithonef

'Evening. Quick question regarding these type of online courses (figured it didn't warrant a new thread) - do they use up much bandwidth? My broadband package restricts me to using 25GB a month so it's something I need to take into consideration. Thanks in advance!