I visited a school this week and they are insisting that their teachers take a TESOL course which costs something like $45,000NT…they say that it is being discussed in government now and will be implemented soon that in order to teach in Taiwan you will have to have a TESOL document…
Has anyone else heard this? Or think there could be any truth to it?
The school did say they would pay for half the course too…
best,
DV
Hi,
No, I don’t know the status of this, but I have seen similar threads within the forums. Suggest a search. Should turn up something of interest.
Seeker4
I haven’t heard anything about this, but am curious…where exactly did they want you to get this cert? Here in Taiwan? Do their relatives run the course or something?
The site is www.americatesol.com - I think it is their company but they are talking about marketing it across Taiwan, I will be getting more info this week.
[quote=“seeker4”]Hi,
No, I don’t know the status of this, but I have seen similar threads within the forums. Suggest a search. Should turn up something of interest.
Seeker4[/quote]
I have done a search but they key is that they said it is being discussed in government now and will be passed soon, if so this would be a huge thing, do any other school owners know of this?
The site is www.americatesol.com - I think it is their company but they are talking about marketing it across Taiwan, I will be getting more info this week.[/quote]
I just checked out their site…this “America TESOL” looks very unaccredited…
Plus, NT 45,000 is about the same price as the RSA/CELTA!
I’ve never heard of this either. Of course, the CLA doesn’t do a very good job of keeping us up to date.
What school is this that you visited?
[quote=“Taiwaner”]I’ve never heard of this either. Of course, the CLA doesn’t do a very good job of keeping us up to date.
What school is this that you visited?[/quote]
The school is a small independent one in Taipei, so it is not a major chain or anything but it is run by a foreigner (American).
Also what is the CLA??
I would think that if this were true, it would have made the news, and more school owners (and the general public) would have been made aware of it.
Sounds like a crock to me.
If it hasn’t become a regulation yet, you don’t need it.
Are they going to make everyone that already has a work permit get TESOL qualifications? I doubt it. It could only happen for new work permits after a decision has been made.
But, this IS Taiwan, anything is possible. 
[quote=“Bassman”]Sounds like a crock to me.
If it hasn’t become a regulation yet, you don’t need it.
Are they going to make everyone that already has a work permit get TESOL qualifications? I doubt it. It could only happen for new work permits after a decision has been made.
But, this IS Taiwan, anything is possible. [/quote]
They said it would happen in a few months and in order to get an ARC or renew one, it would be required, he said it was being discussed in government now and would become law soon…I know it sounds weird
A law like that would just make more teachers go illegal here in Taiwan, sad to say…
[quote=“dvasas”][quote=“Bassman”]Sounds like a crock to me.
If it hasn’t become a regulation yet, you don’t need it.
Are they going to make everyone that already has a work permit get TESOL qualifications? I doubt it. It could only happen for new work permits after a decision has been made.
But, this IS Taiwan, anything is possible. 
[/quote]
They said it would happen in a few months and in order to get an ARC or renew one, it would be required, he said it was being discussed in government now and would become law soon…I know it sounds weird[/quote]
That I can believe. Worthless paper that they sell in Canada, no questions asked. 
No, really, it’s true.
I can’t see how this is going to change anything.
Ok, I can see it now…
There’s an opportunity here for some bright spark.
I’m noticing that TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certification seems to be ‘required’ by schools and recruiters now. Is anyone else noticing this?
If this is a new qualification that the market is demanding, does anyone have any ideas, comments, or experiences related to a quality course? Clearly, there are many certificates offered all over the world. If I’m going to invest that kind of money and time, I’d much rather be paying for a good course. If anyone can offer any advice, I’d love to hear it.
My research has led me to believe that there aren’t any good or marketable courses in Taiwan. Does anyone have any experience with the local courses?
One option that I am considering is an Oxford Seminar (http://www.oxfordseminars.com/). This course has the advantages of convenience and price, but is definitely the least rigorous. Does anyone have any experience or commentary?
For reference, I am a fresh graduate with pretty limited experience but big aspirations. In other words, I’m clueless and not exactly in a position to throw away $1000-$2500 on a course that is of dubious value or even unnecessary.
I can only tell you what I found from my own research and not personal experience. The 60 hour and online courses are garbage, they are not recognized in many countries. If I remember correctly the Oxford course is only 60 hours. Spend the extra money and make sure you take a 120 hour in class course. I personally plan on taking the CELTA next year as it seems to be the most widely recognized certification, at least in Asia.
Since you are looking at taking an Oxford course I am assuming you are in Canada. I know you can take CELTA in Toronto for $2300. You can also take the CELTA course in many Asian countries, but as far as I know it is not offered in Taiwan.
Hope this helps,
Bruce
[quote=“Bruce1971”]I can only tell you what I found from my own research and not personal experience. The 60 hour and online courses are garbage, they are not recognized in many countries. If I remember correctly the Oxford course is only 60 hours. Spend the extra money and make sure you take a 120 hour in class course. I personally plan on taking the CELTA next year as it seems to be the most widely recognized certification, at least in Asia.
Since you are looking at taking an Oxford course I am assuming you are in Canada. I know you can take CELTA in Toronto for $2300. You can also take the CELTA course in many Asian countries, but as far as I know it is not offered in Taiwan.
Hope this helps,
Bruce[/quote]
This is going to sound a bit vague (sorry), but I’m sure I’ve seen adverts for a CELTA course in Taipei, from what I remember it wasn’t on offer all-year round, it was only available to take certain times of the year.
I could have just been dreaming… I seem to be getting most things wrong these days.
Unfortunately there are no CELTA courses available in Taiwan. I say this as a CELTA tutor and someone who has looked into the viability of running courses here. Unfortunately, it’s not viable in the long term - there would be enough candidates for one or two courses in the short term, but the cost of administration in setting up and the fact that anyone can teach here with no qualifications save a degree mean it’s not worth it.
[quote=“DaveTW”]. . . something called a CELTA or DELTA (depending on if its children or adults). . . .[/quote] According to Cambridge ESOL’s website, the certificate for teaching kids is called CELTYL. cambridgeesol.org/exams/teac … eltyl.html