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online tefl courses

Apr 27, 2007 · clauds · 3 replies · 2748 views
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i'm currently working as a live in nanny in vicenza, italy; but have been thinking about coming to spain and teaching english there for a while. my first intention was to work in the uk for 6 months and do a tefl course there at the same time.

looking at this site has inspired me though, now wondering about the reality of doing a tefl course online and finding a job from that. can anyone tell me if online tefl courses are as highly regarded as others.

also, i'm working here until august, and september seems to be a good time to find work in english schools. if however i went to the uk for 6 months i'd be looking for a job around february. can anyone tell me what my chances of finding something then would be like?

cheers, hope you can help
Claudia
May 21, 2007 · SpainExpat member
Hi Claudia

The best short term method to get a teaching qualification is to do a one month intensive course. These usually last between 100 - 130 hours. Nothing beats actual teaching practice and you'll be teaching within the first week on one of these. International House have schools all over the world that run these courses. In any event a larger organization will have job links far beyond the place where you do the CELTA course which means better opportunities for work. As a first time teacher it is usually better to be in situ as you can pick up supply work and get your foot in the door. In the meantime try and get some teaching practice, volunteering or one to one.


February is not a good time to try and find work but depending where you are and how big the city is you will be able to make ends meet until recruitment time..usually Sept in Spain as many academies start their terms in October.
May 27, 2007 · valenciavalencia
like the pp said, teaching practice is such probably the main part of tefl qualification. even for your own sake - you simply have no idea what that fist time in front of the class is like, and its very advisable to have it in controlled environment first, with tutor support rather than assessing potential employers. many schools would not consider an online qualifications eriously. that said though, here in valencia i dont know of a single native speaker who didnt get a tefl job when he / she wahted to, even without any experience and qualification. it all depends on the place and demand - which also goes for time of the year in terms of finding a job