TEFL Teacher training

Orelud	Mar 4, 06, 08:55 #1
Hey! Has anyone done a TEFL techer training course or does anyone know any information about it? I have checked out some websites and found them fairly useful but i would prefer to talk to someone who has either done or has knowledge of the course.

robin	Apr 5, 06, 15:46 #2
I was a student in Poland (English Teaching School) but I think it's something different from TEFL teacher training...

derek

Apr 5, 06, 18:28 #3

same question from me
i will relocate to poland early next year and i reckon my best hope for employment is teaching english (very scary) i have seen so many posts on this and other forums that it has become totally confusing. some of the the courses are expensive. so can any one very simply reply and say which course is best and most likley to help in securing employment in poland as a native speaker of english (also native speaker of irish).
maybe some one on this forum may employ native speakers what is it you look for in a teacher. this will be a long term move for me so i want to get the best of whats available and will work hard to pass any exam

again I'm not a back packer I'm 35 and will be moving to poland early next year

derek

ps if my spelling and gramar is bad sorry but this is not an exam

robin

Apr 5, 06, 18:48 #4

It seems TEFL is a must to be a foreign teacher of English in Poland (plus at least a college degree). More info at:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/esl/articles/teachengli shcentraleasterneurope.shtml

Personally, I think the best "value" for Polish students who are taught English by a native English speaker would be not through learning grammar, spelling, etc -- but learning how to speak/converse. When you are in Poland you will notice most students know grammar and have good writing/understanding skills but they lack the ability to speak well; they have "strong Polish accent" or they simply afraid to talk in English.

So maybe you'll focus on obtaining a "certificate" that would allow you to effectively teach the Polish students how to speak well (I'm not sure if such "certificate" exists though).

jackelliot	Jun 9, 06, 06:34 #5
A native speaker from Scotland?

andalaThreads: - Posts: 26 Joined: Mar 13, 06 ♀	Jun 10, 06, 03:37 #6
Here's info about TEFL courses in Poland: cactustefl.com/tefl/poland It doesnt actually matter where you're taking the course, but if you're interested in relocating to Poland then taking it here could be helpful. And here's the address of a school that specialises in in-company courses. Drop them a line, I'm sure they are looking for native speakers lang.com.pl/?d=praca&s=0&l=en

komplex	Edited by: komplex Feb 19, 07, 23:49 #7
Hi everybody, this is my first post! What exactly are the requirements of being an english teacher in Poland? Umiem bardzo dobrze pisac i rozmawiac po Angielsku ale moj polski nie jest za najlepszy. Przylecialem do Australi 18 lat temu i zapominam niekture slowa! Nigdy nie bylem w polskiej szkole, tylko w zerowce ale prawie wrzystko rozumiem... -Greg

♂

Feb 20, 07, 03:50 #8

TEFL courses aren't expensive if you do them at a local college. For employment purposes I don't think it's too important which one you do, as long as you have done something that has an official certificate.
A degree isn't required, but an education is. If you haven't managed to attain a decent level of education yourself, I think you will underachieve as a teacher. The indefinable extras count. You yourself will have to define what 'decent' means here.
I didn't do a TEFL course, as I did a postgraduate certificate of education - standard schoolteacher stuff - and worked as a French teacher in England before emigrating.

♂

Feb 20, 07, 05:01 #9

Quoting: Varsovian

for employment purposes I don't think it's too important which one you do

much of it depends where you are going to teach - in many parts of the world, e.g. asia/china/south america, you can get by with a distance or online certificate... this is not the case in europe

go for a course which is a minimum 1OO hrs in length... 12O is better... make sure there are at least 6 hrs of teaching practice included in the course and that these are with *real* students and not peers from the course

there are a number of more recognised providers - the Cambridge CELTA and Trinity Cert TESOL being perhaps the best know. TEFL International now claim to graduate more trainees per year than Trinity

its worth noting that the A in CELTA stands for adults and the chances are you will be teaching kids... at least to start with

If you are planning to teach in poland and dont want the expence of a certificate, there is a very popular series of scools using their own methodology and will train you up... callan.co.uk

Gazza

Feb 20, 07, 12:58 #10

You don't need to be formally trained to teach in Poland as at this moment the demand to learn English is huge.

Having said that I would try and get some form of training. For example Berlitz do a weeks training for new teachers. However, beware as you are not guaranteed a job even though they may infere it at the time. Getting trained by berlitz is very good and gives you a basis to teach and is better than some people I know who were given a book one day and told to go to the class the next day(!) without any training.

If you don't learn grammar you will die in the classroom!

nauczyciel

Feb 21, 07, 08:10 #11

I'm an ESL teacher in PL. I'm in my mid 30's and never took any post secondary education.

It's quite challenging as i do not speak polish very well. I am teaching myself the language. I teach Callan method. It is almost impossible for me to explain some of the grammer to first level students. I try my best. The native Polish teachers understand and will clarify things for those classes. I teach students 10-60 years old.

I took a TESOL course in the summer of 06, and moved to PL in Sept. I had already been to PL earlier in 06, so i wasn't too shocked.

i suggest going to eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewforum.php?f=19 for loads of info on ESL in Poland.

You do not need a work permit as an English Native Speaker. I was in the immigration office in my city and was shown 4 different documents to verify this. A fellow teacher was with me to translate things.

I suggest you have about 10,000+ zl (of your own currency) with you .

i have got to get to school....to good luck

pa

ETaranaski

Mar 16, 10, 19:06 #12

Mar 16, 10, 19:12 - Thread attached on merging:
TEFL Course

I just wondered if anyone has done the TEFL course for teaching English? If so did you manage to find any work with this certificate ?
I live in England but do not have any qualifications for teaching but would like to travel and teach English and I've heard most places always want you to have a degree etc. But some places accept the TEFL qualification? I am thinking about doing the course but would like to know feedback if anyone has any.

convexThreads: 46 Posts: 7,185 Joined: Nov 25, 09 ♂	Mar 16, 10, 19:07 #13
Top right corner, type 'TEFL' and search, looks like some good info in there.

ETaranaski	Mar 16, 10, 19:11 #14
Ok many thanks :)

lowfunk99Threads: 18 Posts: 435 Joined: Jan 7, 08 ♂	Mar 16, 10, 19:56 #15
I took CELTA and did an online TEFL course.

♂

Edited by: jonni Mar 16, 10, 20:39 #16

The CELTA is generally a good course and will set you up well (but take care where you do it), the Trinity is similar, but not as widely accepted in certain countries - though it's usually OK.

Remember that the CELTA is an introductory course, and for your first job, you should choose a school that gives ongoing professional development, perhaps leading to DELTA.

Schools that recruit people without degrees and without a minimum of a CELTA are the very bottom end of the market (with all that entails) and should be at best a stopgap and are better avoided unless that is your only opportunity.

Be careful of online courses without an observed teaching component - they are OK as well as a CELTA but are not a substitute and will severely limit your employability if you have only this. Do not think of teaching English unless you have an excellent understanding of grammar - remember you are taking students' money for a professional service, and feeding a stereotype that is unfair on more professional colleagues. You would also struggle in the classroom and lose the respect of your students.

Some private language schools (including in Poland, especially the provinces) have very low pay and disreputable and unpleasant owners - the better qualified you are, the better able you will be to get work somewhere nicer and more lucrative.

Good luck!

TrevekThreads: 33 Posts: 2,155 Joined: May 21, 08 ♂	Mar 16, 10, 22:44 #17
jonni: Be careful of online courses without an observed teaching component - they are OK as well as a CELTA but are not a substitute and will severely limit your employability if you have only this Some schools and organisations don't accept on-line certificates (I think PASE is one of them, for what it's worth).

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07 ♂	Mar 16, 10, 23:00 #18
Trevek: Some schools and organisations don't accept on-line certificates That's true and certainly nowhere that pays well in the Middle East or Korea.

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