How to choose a TEFL course

EBC International TEFL Certificate—Accredited TEFL training

Dr. TEFL: HOW TO CHOOSE A COURSE

EBC International TEFL Certificate

A useful guide for choosing a TEFL course

Accredited? Online? Four week? Hybrid? Getting a job?


ACCREDITED,

AWARDS A TEFL AND TESOL CERTIFICATE

OBSERVED TEACHING PRACTICE,

PRACTICE WITH ENGLISH LEARNERS,

COVERS TEACHING TO ALL AGES,

COVERS TEACHING BUSINESS ENGLISH,

INTERVIEW PREPARATION,

WORRY FREE JOB SUPPORT

EBC TESOL AND TEFL TRAINING

HOW TO CHOOSE A TEFL COURSE

EBC PREPARES YOU FOR INTERVIEWS,

EBC APPLIES FOR YOUR JOBS,

EBC IDENTIFIES SCHOOLS FOR YOU,

ALL YOU DO IS ATTEND INTERVIEWS,

EASY TO USE AND TROUBLE FREE,

UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,

EXCLUSIVE TO EBC GRADUATES

EBC JOB SUPPORT

www.ebcteflcourse.com

[email protected]

Skype: ebcteflcourse

CONTACT

OK, so we run TEFL courses and teach abroad programmes. However, there are

other courses out there. This guide from Dr. TEFL walks you through all the options

and highlights pros and cons where applicable.

Course types

There are quite a few different types:

Four week residential courses

Online only courses

Hybrid/blended learning courses

Five day or weekend courses

FOUR WEEK RESIDENTIAL COURSES

Residential courses are designed for people that can attend a course in a training

centre and dedicate themselves to full-time learning over a 4 week period.

The ideal is to attend a residential course in the country where you would like to

teach. Doing this is the cheapest and easiest way to train and teach abroad-

Teaching is interactive, there are lots of practical exercises performed under the

direct supervision of a tutor and most importantly you get to teach practice classes.

Ideally (as in EBC’s case) you should teach to classes of non-English speakers rather

than fake classes given to your peers. You should also get to teach to different class

levels as well: beginner, intermediate and advanced. The latter so that you see first-

hand where the learning challenges lie at each level.

Pros

A residential course is simply the best way to learn. You are in a classroom with a

tutor and peers. You can interact with other people facing the same problems as

you. You can ask questions and ask for clarification in real-time. You will finish in 4

weeks so the learning cycle is intense and most importantly, fast.

You should get to teach practice classes to non-English speakers. Aside from the

invaluable experience of doing this, you will be infinitely more attractive to employ-

ers than other people that have only done an online/distance course.

If you have chosen wisely, you are already in the country where you want to teach.

If you have chosen EBC, you’ll be working within a week of graduating. If you choose

a different school, it will take longer and you’ll have to look for jobs on your own.

A residential course is cheaper than an online course taken at home. Silly state-

ment? If you take an online course at home and then want to teach abroad, how are

you going to attend the face to face interviews that most schools demand? How

much are you willing to spend on airfare and living expenses while you are inter-

viewing? If you do not get the job, can you afford to fly on to the next interview?

Cons

There is one: time. A residential course means that you have to set aside 4 weeks to

take the course.

Summary

A residential course is the best of all options. Top quality courses (like EBC’s) are

accredited and include teaching practice classes given to non-English speakers at

different ability levels.

An accredited TESOL TEFL certificate qualification gained through a residential

course that includes real teaching practice is the most attractive to potential em-

ployers.

ONLINE ONLY COURSES

Exactly as it says, your training is given online. These types of courses grew from the

old distance learning courses. Initially started in the 1970’s, distance learning cours-

es functioned using the postal service. Material and assignments were interchanged

between student and teacher using the postal service. As we are now in the internet

age, the postal service has been replaced by email and web based delivery.

The EBC online courses use web technology. All material is published on the web

and administered using MOODLE. Your material, video clips, assignments, communi-

cating with your tutor, feedback, results etc. are all processed online in order to

shorten your learning time.


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT


[email protected]


CONTACT


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT


[email protected]


CONTACT

Pros

Online courses appear to be cheaper than four week residential courses and you

study when you feel like it. Online courses are ideal for people that cannot afford to

take time away from their job or other daily commitments in order to attend a resi-

dential course.

Cons

No or limited trainer interaction

No classroom spirit or spontaneity

No way to get immediate answers or have discussions

No teaching practice

Higher cost and risk when looking for work than a four week full-time course

Language schools have low or no respect for online TEFL certified teachers. They

have never taught in a classroom so they are a risk.

Even worse, if you have studied at home and want to work in a foreign country, on

top of having a second rate certificate, you will have to find schools willing to accept

it, apply and then probably fly to the country for an interview. Are you willing to risk

spending a lot of money flying to a different country and living there in the hope

that you will get a job offer?

Summary

An online/distance learning course will teach you teaching theory. It is cheap and

you study at your own pace. If you really want to teach abroad, do not take an

online only course. In the long run, it will cost you a lot more than taking a four

week residential course.


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT


[email protected]


CONTACT

HYBRID/BLENDED LEARNING

Hybrid/blended learning courses are a half-way house between an online course

and a residential course.

The course combines the study time flexibility of an online course during which you

learn the theoretical aspects of teaching and the real-life exposure to teaching in a

classroom environment.

EBC gives you this option. You can combine the online TEFL TESOL certificate course

with a two week teaching practice module taught in our Madrid training centre.

Pros

Blended learning combines most of the advantages of online and residential learn-

ing. You will obtain a qualification at the end of the teaching practice that will help

you get work as it has real teaching practice.

Cons

The online part still has the problem of a lack of immediate response by a tutor to

your questions. The residential part still has the problem of you needing to dedicate

time and travel in order to complete the teaching practice module.

Summary

Blended learning is for someone that wants more than a purely online course but

usually cannot afford the time or perhaps the cost of a 4 week intensive residential.

Blended learning will give you a qualification that will be viewed positively by poten-

tial employers as it has real teaching practice.


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT


[email protected]


CONTACT

Abbreviated one week or weekend courses

These courses provide the equivalent of a management summary about teaching

English. They are not designed to train you how to teach. They are overview courses.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is not telling the truth.

The course is usually given over a weekend or a few days (usually 1 week). You usu-

ally get 16 to 20 hours of tuition so as you can imagine, you aren’t going to learn

anything to the level of detail you’ll need to be able to teach. Usually there’s no

teaching practice either.

Pros

Short.

Cons

On a cost per hour basis they are very expensive, usually twice the price of a resi-

dential course and often more expensive than a good online course. If you are given

a certificate at the end of it, very few employers will accept it as the number of

course hours falls well below the generally accepted minimum of 100 hours and

there’s no teaching practice.

Summary

If you have a bit of time to spare on a weekend and are looking for something to do,

then this type of course may be for you. If you are serious about teaching English

and want to get a qualification that is acceptable then do not take one of these

courses. If, due to personal circumstances, the abbreviated or weekend course is the

only type of course you can do, save your money.

Aside from slick marketing, we have no idea how these courses survive as they are

basically useless if you want to teach abroad.


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT COURSE SELECTION CRITERIA

Here are the main criteria that you should consider when making a short-list of

courses:

Now badly do you want to teach abroad

How much can you afford to spend before you get a job

Accreditation by a university or examination board

References from past students

Location

International acceptance

Entry requirements

Teaching practice

Job help

Travel help

Accommodation help

Cost

If you follow the following basic guidelines you will end up with the course that best

suits your needs.

For much more detail about calculating your budget, refer to our publication “How

to get a job abroad teaching English”.

Things you won't have to worry about if you choose an accredited four week resi-

dential course. These courses (like EBC’s) have been checked by an independent,

expert 3rd party educational organisation.

Choosing an accredited course like EBC’s guarantees the following:

the quality of the course


[email protected]


CONTACT


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT the quality and experience of your course tutors

the international recognition of your qualification

The EBC International TEFL Certificate course is accredited by the College of Teach-

ers (CoT).

EBC is also an accredited centre of Chichester College and Anglia Examinations.

The College of Teachers

The College of Teachers has been in operation since 1849.

Our accredited status also means that the quality of our course is independently

checked regarding:

The course syllabus.

All course material.

The qualifications and experience of our trainers.

The quality of our training centres.

The content of our web site

FINDING A COURSE

There are many web portals that list TESOL TEFL courses around the world. An alter-

native is to go to a search engine, e.g. Google, MSN Search etc. and type in a few

keywords, for example TEFL course + the location where you would like to work or

study. This will give you a list of all courses in the area that you are interested in.

Once you have the list, start making a short-list based on the suggested criteria

shown in the next sections.

Be very careful about TEFL portals. You can tell them apart from organisations that

actually run courses because. The “PORTAL TEST” is to ask the question, “give me

the address and phone number of your school in [country].” If they say no, they are

hiding the identity of the school because: 1) it is a bad school or 2) they do not want

you to apply directly to the school because they will lose their commission.


[email protected]


CONTACT


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT They are the equivalent of travel agents but, unlike travel agents, they won't tell you

who your course provider is until you've paid. By then it will be too late to back out

if you find that they've just sold you a course from a provider that you had previous-

ly rejected.

They operate on commission, they are pure for profit organisations, they add no

value to the TEFL community. They only cause confusion by creating the illusion of

courses that they run. The in reality is that all they are doing is maintaining a sales

portal, taking your few hundred USD, GBP, Euros, etc. and then simply passing you

along to the actual school that will train you. Added value or quality? You decide.

REFERENCES FROM PAST STUDENTS

Always ask the schools that you are considering for references from previous course

students. This is by far the best way to check how good a school is.

COURSE CENTRE LOCATION

Becoming an accredited English teacher is as much about finding work as it is about

getting the right qualification. It is difficult to study in your own country and then

start looking for work abroad. For precisely this reason there are many accredited

courses run all around the world. This means that if you are fairly certain of the

country that you would like to teach in, go and do your course in that country. As

there are many accredited training institutions around the world you should have no

trouble finding one that best suits your requirements.

Don't forget that all accredited certificates are internationally accepted so it really

does not matter which one you choose.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

In general, almost all courses (accredited and non-accredited) will accept anyone

from the age of 18 that finished secondary education. EBC has always taken a cynical


[email protected]


CONTACT


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT ALL ABOUT THE COURSE

view of this tactic. Why? How many language schools do you think will hire someone

who is 18 years old and has no degree?

EBC’s entry requirements are probably the highest of all courses. You have to be at

least 21 and either have a degree or 5 years work experience. The reason we set the

bar higher than most is that we know that this student profile is employable imme-

diately after graduation. We don’t want to give anyone who enrols on our course

false expectations of getting employed; it would be unethical to do so.

TEACHING PRACTICE

The school must include at least 6 hours of teaching practice. The practice sessions

must be observed and feedback must be provided. Ask for details about the practice

classes themselves.

As a point of comparison, EBC gives you 8 hours of teaching practice taught to clas-

ses of non-native English speakers. You will teach at least 2 beginner, 2 intermediate

and 2 advanced level classes so that you see the challenges associated with each

level.

JOB HELP

Ask the schools on your short-list what type of job help they give. This is very im-

portant as you don't want to be hanging around without work for weeks after finish-

ing your course. Unfortunately the accreditation process does not currently extend

to covering job help. You will get work with an accredited certificate but the more

help your training institution can give you the quicker you'll get working. Make sure

you don't forget to ask what kind of job help they will give you.

EBC's lifetime, job placement assistance programme is unique and unrivalled. It is

proactive, fast, efficient and it will have you working within a few days (or less) of


[email protected]


CONTACT


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT ALL ABOUT THE COURSE

graduating from one of our residential courses or after completing the teaching

practice option that goes with our online certificate course.

If you have doubts, read our “How To” publication “Get a job abroad teaching Eng-

lish”. EBC is different because EBC applies for jobs for you.

EBC will give you help and advice that quickly translates into you getting a teaching

job abroad with a reputable educational institution.

So far, everyone who has taken our course and then wanted to stay on and work has

done so. This is regardless of what passport they hold. Most people are interviewing

within a few days of finishing the course and all who want to stay are working within

about a week of finishing.

TRAVEL HELP

You'll need help with flights, transfers and health/travel insurance. Make sure that

the school you choose helps you and advises you about these issues before your

travel.

EBC's central and local staff will help you out with flights, transfers, health/travel

insurance and accommodation.

ACCOMMODATION HELP

It's best to get your accommodation arranged at least 3 to 4 weeks before you plan

on starting the course. Part of your course selection process should include finding

out from your short-list of schools whether they provide accommodation or wheth-

er they will refer you to reputable accommodation agents, hotels, hostels etc. and

that they will also provide some type of advice and assistance.

The school that you eventually choose should be sympathetic to the fact that you

are moving to a new country to study and therefore need all the help you can get.


[email protected]


CONTACT


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT EBC offers help all the way regarding accommodation. We have a wide range of rep-

utable accommodation options at affordable prices.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND THE FUN FACTOR

If you want to attend a TEFL course based purely on the fun factor - save your mon-

ey. You'll have more fun and money to spend whilst travelling abroad without the

additional problem of attending a TEFL course.

Having said that, the fun factor does play a useful role as long as it is secondary to

your learning experience. As the old adage “all work and no play makes Jack a dull

boy” implies, if your course is all work without any extra-curricular activities to give

you some needed relaxation time, then you may begin to look at your course as

more of a chore than something that you appreciate doing.

In EBC's case, we have to say that the EBC course is intensive and it is challenging,

but we do pepper the course period with extra-curricular activities. Group dinners,

visits to discos, cultural excursion for example to see local dance (e.g. flamenco or

tango) etc.

We have found that these activities, help our students to relax and renew their fo-

cus on the task at hand during the course.

COST

The cost of a course is relative. In general, accredited courses cost more than non-

accredited courses for one simple reason; the course operator has to pay a registra-

tion and certification fee on a per-head basis to the accrediting organisation. You

must always check with the accredited schools on your short-list whether the ac-

creditation fees are included in the course fee.

There are cheaper, unaccredited courses but in the long run is it worth it? Would

you pay for a cheap, non-accredited degree? If you wouldn't then my advice is that


[email protected]


CONTACT


ACCREDITED,














UNRIVALLED,

PROACTIVE,

FAST,

EFFICIENT,

LIFETIME,

WORLDWIDE,


EBC JOB SUPPORT you pay that small amount extra to get an accredited certificate that will open doors

to jobs just about anywhere in the world.

There are even some non-accredited courses that are MORE EXPENSIVE than ac-

credited courses in the same area!!

If you want to compare the tuition fees between an accredited and non-accredited

residential course do the following rough calculation. Compare 90% of the accredit-

ed course's fee to 100% of the non-accredited course's fee.

The EBC course is possibly the best value for money course there is. We are less

expensive than almost all other accredited courses and we provide more support

services than any of them.

CONTACT US TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS

To request a call-back from one of our student advisers, just email us, give us your

phone number or Skype id and we will call you.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (+34) 915 553 975


Fax: (+34) 917 702 112

Address: EBC Servicios Lingüísticos, Calle Orense 16, 2E, 28020 Madrid, Spain.

YOUR NEXT STEP

If you have not applied, sign up for an EBC course for free by filling out an

application on our web site.

If you have applied, guarantee your place by securely sending your deposit via

our web site.


[email protected]


CONTACT

http://ebcteflcourse.com/aa_apply/

http://ebcteflcourse.com/aa_apply/

http://ebcteflcourse.com/ac_pay/

http://ebcteflcourse.com/ac_pay/

EBC’s mission is to ensure that you achieve your teaching goals and

get you started on a successful EFL career. We focus on quality

training and getting you a job in the shortest time possible, usually

within a week or less.

The four week, intensive EBC International TEFL Certificate course is a

practical and thorough course designed for candidates with no previ-

ous experience teaching English. It is also suitable for candidates with

some experience but no formal training in the TEFL TESOL field.

The EBC online TEFL course offers weekly tutorial and feedback ses-

sions live with your trainer and even better, 6 hours of observed

teaching practice given to real English language learners.

Our EBC hybrid TEFL course is the same as the online course except

that you do your teaching practice with us in Madrid.

EBC is an accredited centre of the College of Teachers and awards

TEFL certificates that are internationally recognised.

READY TO START?

EBC International TEFL Certificate Calle Orense 16, 2E, 28020 Madrid, Spain.

(+34) 915 553 975 phone (+34) 917 702 112 fax Skype: ebcteflcourse

Email: [email protected] www.ebcteflcourse.com.

EBC International TEFL Certificate—Accredited TEFL training courses and jobs

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