TESOL / TEFL; too good to be true?

Question

I believe in the saying "if it sounds too good to be true...." TESL/ TEFL courses that charge $1200 and promise you a job abroad seem to set of my suspicions. Has anyone had any experience with teaching English abroad? Scam or the real deal? Are there any reputable schools? Any countries better to teach than others?

Answer 1

Contact the Department of Defense - they have schools abroad and often have contacts in the areas they are located for the school systems there that are in need of help, etc.  Be careful though - you may have to get certification which could be pricy and not get paid very much.

Answer 2

It sounds fishy to me. Usually, people pay big bucks to get americans to teach abroad. The fact they want you to pay them and then they give you a job is ludicrous. It should be the other way around. They should be offering free TESOL/TEFL and a signing bonus for taking a job abroad.

Answer 3

I have a few friends that have done this, 2 went to Vietnam and loved it, and 1 went to South Korea.

My friend who went to South Korea ended up taking a private job teaching English in Japan. He has since got married to a Japanese girl, and lives there permanently.

Not sure the school they went through though

Answer 4

Hi, ensure that if you are going to spend money on getting TEFL certification that the course you do is recognised by respectable schools. The main ones are TESOL (mostly American English) and CELTA or LCCI (mainly British English), although there are other acceptable alternatives. If you have either of these, you shouldn't have any difficulty gaining employment. If you're going to Europe, the CELTA or LCCI is better, for Asia/S. America, TESOL is good, although if you are from the US, you will be able to create a niche for yourself with the TESOL certificate pretty much anywhere you go, as many businesses prefer US English.

Whichever training course you decide to do, to be acceptable to good schools the course should have a minimum of 120 hours of lectures and 6 hours of teaching practice (in all, 4-6 intensive weeks of training). This is the minimum acceptable to teach in state schools pretty much worldwide, and the sector is becoming increasingly regulated, so expect private schools to start demanding similar qualifications in the near future. A 30 hour course is no longer good enough.

You could look into doing your certificate abroad - I know it is possible to do the CELTA in Berlin, Germany & Krakow, Poland, for much cheaper rates than in the US or UK. They can also set you up with accommodation and if you're any good will give you a job once you've completed your training. I'm sure there are others - these are just 2 that I have personal experience of and trust.

As for employment, there are many threads on many TEFL networking sites that detail teachers' experiences in various countries - I've listed a few below.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck! I planned to teach TEFL for 6 months and ended up staying 5 years!