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What's the best way to get a TEFL in Hong Kong?

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  1. #1

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    What's the best way to get a TEFL in Hong Kong?

    I'm looking to get a TEFL;
    Have any of you guys enrolled in a TEFL course here in HK, or perhaps abroad?
    I don't mind travelling outside HK to do it (China is ok).

    Also, how much am I likely to pay for the course? I read this article, and kinda afraid of being ripped-off (-_-) TEFL Scams - TEFL World Wiki

    Anyone got some experience with the TEFL training course, tips, etc?

    much appreciated


  2. #2

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    Make sure the qualification is recognised and includes teaching practice.

    See Trinity College London and CELTA Cambridge ESOL

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  3. #3

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    I can recommend CELTA. I did it in Beijing.


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    Quote Originally Posted by justjoe86:
    I can recommend CELTA. I did it in Beijing.
    how long was the duration of the course, and how much did you pay?

    I wouldn't mind doing it in Beijing, never been there before, except the airport lol

  5. #5

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    The best is a CELTA with the British Council. It's not cheap but it qualifies you to teach in EDB jobs in Primary Schools without the need for a degree. It's four weekends, I think, not sure. It was HKD$36,000 a couple of years ago but what it gets you is in to the system and a high paying teaching job. Primary School work here is great, but you have to be careful, too. Just do the CELTA, do any contract with an EDB school and then choose what you want after that. I wish I'd known about it back then!


  6. #6

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    By the way, it's the British Council in Hong Kong.


  7. #7

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    The British Council in Hong Kong hasn't offered the CELTA course for quite a number of years, now. There is, as far as I know, only one place in Hong Kong offering the Trinity CertTESOL, and none offering the CELTA. Someone will, I'm sure, correct me if I'm wrong, but if you want to get a reputable TEFL qualification in Hong Kong then I think you'll have to look at English for Asia, in Sheung Wan. Rumoured to be the most expensive course of its kind, you may be better off taking the CertTESOL or CELTA in another (cheaper) city, if that is a realistic option for you.


  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by diqiuren:
    The best is a CELTA with the British Council. It's not cheap but it qualifies you to teach in EDB jobs in Primary Schools without the need for a degree. It's four weekends, I think, not sure. It was HKD$36,000 a couple of years ago but what it gets you is in to the system and a high paying teaching job. Primary School work here is great, but you have to be careful, too. Just do the CELTA, do any contract with an EDB school and then choose what you want after that. I wish I'd known about it back then!
    That price is way too high for me, I wouldn't be able to afford it.
    I already hold a degree from university in the UK, so do you recommend me doing a different certificate other than CELTA?

    I asked me friend who teaches English in HK; he's from the States, and got his CELTA in the UK - he told me most of these certificates are all the same, but from different companies.. can anyone shed any light to this?


    Quote Originally Posted by M Khan:
    The British Council in Hong Kong hasn't offered the CELTA course for quite a number of years, now. There is, as far as I know, only one place in Hong Kong offering the Trinity CertTESOL, and none offering the CELTA. Someone will, I'm sure, correct me if I'm wrong, but if you want to get a reputable TEFL qualification in Hong Kong then I think you'll have to look at English for Asia, in Sheung Wan. Rumoured to be the most expensive course of its kind, you may be better off taking the CertTESOL or CELTA in another (cheaper) city, if that is a realistic option for you.
    Which one do you have?
    I checked on the TEFL site; the closest place to be able to get that is in Mainland China - Zhuhai, and Shanghai. The Beijing one is no longer an option (may have closed or something).

  9. #9

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    To shed some light on this, both the Trinity CertTESOL and the Cambridge CELTA are offered by a wide variety of accredited course providers. Moderation and assessment are performed by examiners from the respective accrediting bodies (either Trinity College, London or the University of Cambridge), according to a fixed price structure. This price is built into the cost of the course, but the rest of the cost is determined by the course provider. In Hong Kong, it is said that the high cost of rent is the primary reason why the Trinity CertTESOL costs so much (last time I checked, it cost HKD25,000).

    In order to gain 'accredited' status, course providers have to fully satisfy the accrediting institutions that they consistently meet all the relevant teaching criteria, and they are regularly visited and have their work inspected to ensure this level is maintained. This is why accreditation is so important. Plenty of on-line or weekend courses will boast that they're 'fully accredited', but unless they're accredited by a reputable establishment after close scrutiny then their accreditations are worthless. You'll see some providers saying they're accredited by the 'World TEFL Council' or some other such nonsense. It then turns out that their accrediting body is owned and run by the course provider's very own college drop-out boss.

    This is not to say that Cambridge and Trinity are the ONLY reputable accrediting bodies, but globally they are the most 'recognised'. They are so well-known around the world, and their standards have been consistently high for so long, that employers have great confidence in EFL qualifications coming from either of these two bodies. If you find a course with different accreditation, by all means keep it on the table for consideration, but scrutinise it carefully. Does it come with 100+ hours of 'hands-on' teaching of real students? Does it appear on any Government lists of courses approved for teaching purposes? To what level on the Common European Framework is it equivalent (CELTA and CertTESOL are both equivalent to level 5)?

    If you have any reason to doubt the veracity of a provider's claimed accreditation, don't take their word for it. Check directly with the accrediting body.

    There is, of course, a whole separate argument about whether one of these two certificates is really needed, especially if you might not be set on making EFL teaching a real 'career' choice, but all that is covered ad nauseum in other threads. You have already got a degree from a UK university and in some cases you'll find that that's enough to get a job. The general consensus on these boards, however, is that either of the top two certificates is a good (if somewhat expensive) qualification to have up your sleeve; having one opens up a lot more 'decent' teaching options (as opposed to teaching in 'fly by night' outfits); and that having a weekend or on-line qualification generally isn't worth the paper its printed on, no matter how cheap the course may be.

    Last edited by M Khan; 24-05-2012 at 12:16 PM.
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  10. #10

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    Sorry, just to clarify / correct one of the things I said, above: TEFL courses don't generally come with 100+ hours of teaching experience, but rather 100+ hours of instruction, which includes something like 6 hours of actual hands-on teaching practice with real students. The rest of the time is learning how to teach.

    Also, the qualification level I mentioned is set by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), with CELTA and CertTESOL each being at Level 5 on the National Qualifications Framework for England. I can't locate, right now, the Common European Framework equivalents.

    Last edited by M Khan; 24-05-2012 at 01:14 PM.
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