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Online INTESOL vs. Trinity TESOL

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  1. #21

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    Flat Hunter - the friend who sent the list to me got it from the Advisory Teaching Team at the NET section of the EdB. I emailed my AT to ask for the current list and she's not got a copy but she's given me the number of someone at the EdB who'll be able to tell you whether the Intesol course is approved or not. I'll not post the number here for obvious reasons, but PM me if you want it.


  2. #22

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    Online or Intensive

    An online course is not worth the paper its written on.

    With an intensive course you get teaching practice and in-turn this helps to give you the confidence in dealing with a real classroom situation.

    That extra bit of cash you'll spend will be all the more worthwhile, so, don't even bother giving the online qualification a look-in!


  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by alison29:
    It's not just a TESOL cert but a Diploma.


    You also have a guaranteed placement with these guys - so no worries or hassles about finding a job after your training.


    They are really brilliant with everything and you learn so much in a month.



    I'm now working in Mainland...it's not where I wanted to be but it's kicked off my teaching and get me the experience I need to find a job in HK.
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  4. #24

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    Excuse me Squid - would you mind telling me what's so funny?


  5. #25

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    I find myself rather in agreement with Squid, on this one. Each of those points raises a chuckle.

    Diplomas in TESOL are certainly considered better than Certificate courses, but they typically require students to have already attained a Certificate and have some considerable teaching experience. Such, reputable diploma courses can take up to twelve months to complete. Only then are they taken seriously by (reputable) employers.

    The guaranteed placement angle is not a winner for teaching in China, and may even set you up for a lesser job than you could get on your own merits. Check out TEFL.com, which vets employers before allowing them to advertise jobs. Also Dave's ESL cafe. There are no shortage of TEFL jobs in China and you can even land some pretty decent ones without any TEFL qualifications at all. Furthermore, if it seems as though you are being fed into a particular school, then you should be extra wary about the nature of the relationship between the centre where you qualified and the institution where you are being sent to teach. Since anyone who has got that far has already got a track record of having the wool pulled over his or her eyes, you now run the risk of setting yourself up for a year or two of under-paid work, with the added possibility of dubious legality thrown in for good measure. Dancing banana time.

    Learn so much in a month? Well, yes, you can. Intensive certificate courses achieve this all the time. Diploma courses don't. At this point your post reads more and more as though you have, unfortunately, been suckered in to buying one of those oh-so-cheap 'iPhones' from Shenzhen...

    And the job in the mainland that isn't exactly the job that you wanted? Well, after all that you wrote up to that point, this, really, was only to be expected. At least you have maintained a possitive outlook and, as you say, the experience you gain will no doubt stand you in good stead, later. Be aware, though, that employers who care about qualifications, whether in mainland China or in Hong Kong, will likely not care much for your diploma. If you do end up in Hong Kong, therefore, it might well be in another job that is not exactly what you wanted.

    Last edited by M Khan; 13-07-2010 at 10:31 AM.
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  6. #26

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    Such, reputable diploma courses can take up to twelve months to complete. Only then are they taken seriously by (reputable) employers.
    Well - I disagree. I think 6 months is credible enough for a diploma and at the end of the day I'll have a year's teaching experience. PLUS I will have saved over 20,000 HKD for a similar type of course without the guarantee for any kind of job afterwards. Go figure....much?

    And the job in the mainland that isn't exactly the job that you wanted?
    True it's not - BUT the competition in HK is tough for a teaching job. Employers have told me I need references and experience to apply for a working visa. So...hence why I'm in Mainland now - gaining the experience, learning Mandarin and teaching in many different areas.

    Check out TEFL.com, which vets employers before allowing them to advertise jobs. Also Dave's ESL cafe. There are no shortage of TEFL jobs in China and you can even land some pretty decent ones without any TEFL qualifications at all.
    Again - completely disagree. How often have you looked on those sites out of interest?! Because I can tell you I look on these sites daily and 90% of the time employers will either want experience, Teaching Cert or both.

    Intensive certificate courses achieve this all the time. Diploma courses don't
    Again - and let me makes this very clear. This was an INTENSIVE course. Students have the option to not go on and do the diploma but just gain the TESOL certificate instead.

    I can honestly say, I did learn a hell of alot about teaching, life in china, the the culture etc in such a short space of time. Obviously my teaching skills will develop over the year but I felt confident about going into a classroom because this course also gives you practical experience from about 7 days into your course.

    I find myself rather in agreement with Squid, on this one.
    LOL - of course you do! I bet you guys back each other up on these forums all the time, so that's no surprise to me and all water off a ducks back!

    Anyways, I came on these forums to tell others and offer advice about TESOL courses. From my experience the institution in Harbin was excellent and you won't be forking out a pretty penny either.

  7. #27

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    My twopenneth - meant purely as advice to be taken or leave-en by anyone considering doing a TESOL course - is this: do either a Trinity or Cambridge accredited certificate even if it costs you a bit extra. These are the only two internationally, industry-wide recognised TEFL qualifications and whilst others may get you a job, if you're planning to be in TEFL for any length of time and want a decent job (i.e. contracts, holiday pay, training opportunities, pension contributions, relocation allowances if you decide to go to a different country, etc.) then these two certs are your absolute best bet. Many many schools around the world (and in particular the large employers with good contracts, benefits and re-location packages, e.g. British Council) will not consider anyone without either the Cambridge or the Trinity

    Re diplomas - same. The diploma achieved at the Harbin school mentioned above is recognised by the Chinese government apparently which is great if you want to teach in China. It is not however an internationally recognised qualification and just from looking at the info on the website it seems to fall very far short of being so. For the industry-wide recognised diplomas you need a minimum of two years' post certificate teaching experience to get onto a course. And even with experience it's a bloody tough course. Employers recognise that, and if they request a diploma on the advert, chances are they'll be looking for one of those two.

    I'm not writing this as a criticism of other courses or people that take other courses by the way, just pointing out that the Trinity/Cambridge certs will open up so many more doors (and therefore better pay, benefits, etc.) than any other qualifications out there (many of which are run by some businessman somewhere simply because he has decided TEFL is now a lucrative business to be in). You may well get a job, but it'll more likely be hourly paid with no benefits. By doing a course that is not internationally recognised you've ruled out so many possibilities before you've even got started in the field.

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  8. #28

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    I don't like to flog a dead horse, but to go back, briefly, to the diploma issue : six months is, indeed, plenty of time in which to complete such a course. A full-time Cambridge DELTA can be finished in just two to three months. The principal point of diploma courses, though, is that they are designed for people who already have substantial experience of teaching English to speakers of other languages. This experience (often a minimum of two years' full-time teaching) is an essential basis for developing more advanced professional expertise. No reputable diploma course would take someone from scratch with no prior teaching experience.

    You may have gained a lot of experience in just a month (a few more experiences than you seem to be aware of, at this stage), however there are experienced educators and China veterans of many years' standing on these boards who could perhaps see things from a different perspective.

    It is my personal view (so you can dismiss it, freely, if you wish) that the institute where you trained is primarily focused on draining money out of foreigners. Join the certificate course and, if you’re lucky and work hard, advance to the diploma course! Then, if you’re an extra special teacher/sucker, advance to the Master of TESOL!!!

    I notice in the institute's FAQ that their two-year 'Master of TESOL' course is rated by the local education bureau of being equal to a diploma course. Read into that what you will.

    Like I said, before, it's good that you have a positive outlook, and from a whole range of perspectives I believe you are certainly not wasting your time in China (although you MAY have wasted some money).


  9. #29

    Just a thought - if you ever intend teaching at an ELT school in UK, or at the British Council, then a Cambridge or Trinity Certificate will count for a lot, and a Cambridge DELTA or Trinity DipTESOL will go even further. In the UK, the British Council have an accreditation system for schools and one of their requirements is minimum Cert level for all teachers, but these days a diploma is quickly becoming the required standard. A DELTA/DipTESOL will also open up other avenues such as teacher training, curriculum development, etc, should you want to develop your career later on. The certs take 4 weeks full-time (very intensive), or 3 months part time. The Diplomas can be done in 3 months (there is one available at EF in Shanghai). Many Masters in TESOL in UK include a Cambridge/Trinity Cert and Dip, and if you achieve these in advance of the MA, they can count as credits.

    As Arkay points out. It's not the fact that other certs are bad, it's just that they are not regulated or accredited to an internationally recognised standard, so employers may not know what was taught on the course or what standard the trainees have achieved. An A, B, C grade on a Cambridge or Trinity course is a known quantity, but it is sometimes difficult to translate the level of other certs that are not as tightly regulated.