Viba, when I did my CELTA, I didn’t have a phone interview. But they do give you a pre entry test that you must pass before you before they’ll accept you. It was pretty much full of grammar questions like, give one past perfect, future continuous … example from the given text. Hope that helps.
it helps))
don’t worry too much. Just think through the questions, use your classroom teaching experience to illustrate your answers, ask for clarification if necessary, and always answer questions that imply a negative quality about yourself in a positive way!
Kenneth
Hey there,
I’m about to shoot off to Bangkok for a month of intensive training. Any friendly suggestions for helping me prepare? I hear that it’s very intensive although I find it difficult to believe there’s 3 hours homework EVERY night as stated.
many thks
Believe it!!
I did a one month intensive TEFL program, and the homework load was insane! I would have welcomed 3 hours a night…mine was more like 6. However, I did have practicum in my program, so a lot of the homework was lesson planning for the next day.
Good luck and have fun!
I did the course in Melbourne several years ago and the work load is very intensive. You may not have three hours of homework every night, but that will probably be the average amount of homework per night. A lot of the homework is preparing for the practice teaching sessions (where you are carefully observed and must be very thoroughly prepared). There is also assignments and reading in preparation for the next days classes. Don’t expect to have much free time, except on weekends, for the whole month.
That said you will learn a lot doing this course and when you come back to Taiwan you will find your teaching is a lot better. (and you will also realise you were making a lot of mistakes in the classroom beforehand)
The best advice I can give is to look after yourself physically because even one day of feeling rough will throw the whole thing out of kilter.
Thanks for that, Most people look at me and imply how lucky I am to be having a holiday in Thailand with a little training on the side. Especially my employer!! :x
Gotta link for your course? I’d like to hear a report when you get back.
Brian
Brian,
Courses are run monthly in Bangkok for $1,400…Mine starts on May5th. There are two establishments there that offer the CELTA. I’ve chosen Elite… eliteinstitute.com/CELTA/index.htm
They have been fairly helpful so far and I’ve already been talking to the trainers regularly.
I’ll keep you posted…If I have the time…
By the way, I’ve just found Hexuan old posts 3 pages back about the CELTA…quite helpful thx
Pros and cons for each in Taiwan
In Taiwan, the all hold equal weight.
CELTA = Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults
TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TESOL = Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
i.e. CELTA is a course which awards a certificate and TEFL and TESOL are just anacronyms for teaching English. Other common acronyms are EFL, ESL and ELT.
I guess what you are talking about is a TEFL or TESOL Certificate. There are many institutions around the world offering TEFL certificates and they vary in quality. The CELTA course is offered by Cambridge/RSA at centres around the world and is also recognised as a formal qualification. The other TEFL certificate that is universally recognised is the Trinity TESOL Certificate. Both these courses are externally moderated and regarded as the minimum qualification for teaching in some countries (e.g. EU and Australia). They are the only courses recognised by the British Council.
As I said before there are many places offering TEFL certificate courses. Important things to look for in a course are that it has 80-100 hours of class time and 5-10 hours of practice teaching to real EFL/ESL students that is observed by a teacher trainer. The Trinity and Cambridge/RSA certificates are expensive but you can be assured of their quality and the fact that they will actually be recognised everywhere.
In Taiwan most schools don’t seem to be particularly interested in such qualifications. Those schools that are interested probably wouldn’t pay much attention to what kind of certificate you have. A Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline is the only qualification necessary to teach legally in Taiwan.
Useful links:
Getting Qualified - The British Council
My thoughts about TEFL Certification
Please check the other threads about CELTA and TESOL certification.
CELTA before teaching in Taiwan
Looking for TEFL / TESOL Courses in Taipei
CELTA training
CELTA interview
URGENT !! Are there any CELTA/TEFL courses offered in Taiwan ?
Reflections on CELTA
I agree with WIX on this.
For teaching English conversation in Taiwan, Japan or Korea, you don’t need these certificates.
And if you do have one, you’re not going to be treated any differently than a teacher that doesn’t have one.
The job market in Asia is not so competitive, in my mind, as to warrant spending several hundred dollars on a TEFOL/TESOL ticket.
But…After saying that, I was turned down for a job because I didn’t have a TEFOL certificate at a school here in Taipei.
I’ve been here for several years and this was the first school to tell me that I was rejected for not having a TEFOl cetificate.
Wether this is true or not, I don’t know. I a teacher at this same school who was hired without a TEFOL certificate.
Think this one over slowly before spending the money. It’s not necessary to get a teaching job in Asia, in my mind.
That’s some really good advice from Wix.
I think one reason why Trinity and Cambridge are so good is that they’re internationally recognised. In my opinion, this relates to the consistent quality of their courses, which are also well-marketed and franchised.
However, there’s also the option of considering a course that’s administered and recognised by a good university. Some are more academic than the CELTA course, sitting beteen CELTA (certificate) and DELTA (diploma).
I’ve been scratching my head for some time trying to think of the reasons why we haven’t had either in Taiwan. I think it’s because of the high costs required to set them up. Added to this is the uncertainty of the market here in Taiwan. Unlike the UK, Australia, America, Canada, etc, there’s essentially no regulation of the teaching industry here. Most buxiban owners wouldn’t even have the ability to run a roadside noodleshop, let alone an educational facility, and it seems their only concern is fast money.
As Wix stated, it’s not yet necessary for teachers in Taiwan to have a teaching qualification, although that may change in the future. As to the benefits of each type of course (TEFL/TESOL,etc), I don’t think it matters much, except that a diploma would outweigh a certificate. One way to understand the validity of an actual course would be to check the quality of the universities that recognise it for acceptance into their diploma or masters courses. For example, there are some courses that are “internsationally recognised” only by some universities in third world countries, whereas others are reognised almost anywhere.
Hope this helps a little.
The Big Babou
But the only important thing is the A.R.C
Reflections on CELTA
If you
Interesting. How much did you pay over there and how many failed? the course? When I did my C.E.L.T.A, wow about 4 years ago now, we were told that about 15% fail.
Workload was heavy, I did the part time course of two nights a week for 16 weeks. It was interesting that out of all the people that did it with me, 16 I think, the people who were actually chalkies by trade, were the one’s struggling the most. We were all juggling full time jobs too. I think they were too stuck in their ways, their habits, their teaching style. One thing that’s important to remember is, it doesn’t matter how good you are, or how good you think you are, if you don’t fulfill the requirements of teaching a lesson according to Cambridge’s criteria, they’ll fail your arse out’ve there. I can still here some of them now “Well I’ve been teaching for 20 years and I don’t think we really need to do it this way”.
Amos, the cost for the course was NT50,000, Hotel 15,000, flight 8,000
spending money 12,000
I think the failure rate is under 10% nowadays and I think you’re right about teaching to the criteria set before you. Nevertheless, I’m pleased with waht I learned there.
respect
I am getting to embark on the CELTA program in Central London next month. I already know that it’s intensive as my TESOL prof and mentor told me it and his DELTA were the hardest things he has ever done including working on his PhD. I have a BA in linguistics with a certificate to teach EFL through my university and three years’ teaching experience, but I do worry a bit about just how I will do in this course. What programs did you go through, Viba and Amos?