So many courses to choose from, what’s the difference?

One of the biggest changes taking place in English language teaching (ELT) over the last 5 years is the plethora of “TEFL” courses now available in the market. There are short introductory courses, full time intensive courses, university based courses, specialist adult and young learner courses and online TEFL/TESOL courses.

Once upon a time the choice was limited to a few main examining bodies and certificates such as the UCLES/Cambridge CELTA and Trinity TESOL Certificate; and whilst these are still the most widely recognised worldwide, they are a lot of money for people living in Thailand, with the CELTA costing around $1,400 locally or £1,135 (US $2,160) in the UK.

Nowadays, TEFL trainees have a much wider choice of TEFL/TESOL courses available but choosing the right course for you, can be a bit of a minefield as not all TEFL/TESOL certificates are necessarily accepted by Ministries of Education (for work permit purposes) or by potential employers. Generally speaking, in most countries around the world, a good Director of Studies is likely to follow the international guidelines for TEFL/TESOL certifications and Ministries of Education normally require a "recognized" course.

A lot depends on what you want from your TEFL/TESOL course, so try asking yourself the following questions:

• Do I want a recognized International standard TEFL course?**
  
• Do I have a limited budget?
  
• Do I want a course that can be verified by any potential employer?
  
• Do I want to take a course in Thailand?
  
• Do I want to take a course outside of Bangkok?
  
• Do I want to work in Thailand or Asia after graduation?
  
• Do I have the time to take a comfortably paced 6 week (5 hours a day) course, allowing me to work, or relax and carry out additional home study?
  
• Do I want experience in teaching adult and young learners?
  
• Do I want highly qualified and experienced trainers?
  
• Do I want a course which will help me understand Thai and Asian Learner problems?
  
• Do I want reasonably priced, comfortable accommodation close to the beach?
  
• Do I want help and advice with finding a job?
  
• Do I have enough money to sustain me whilst studying?

** An international standard TEFL/TESOL certificate course is commonly recognised as being at least 100 – 120 hours and having 6 hours of observed teaching practice, with real students.

Guidelines are taken from British Association of TESOL Qualifying Institutions:
Initial Qualifications for TESOL http://www.quality-tesol-ed.org.uk/BATQI%20page.htm.
Click on their link to see the BATQI Qualifications Framework.

If you have answered YES to all or the majority of these questions then our TEFL for Target Learner Groups Certificate could be the one for you!
Click here to learn more on TEFL Course overview.

If for any reason, it is not practical for you to study the TEFL for Target Learners Course in Hua Hin, then click on the following link for other geographical alternatives.

Whatever course you choose, WECI TEFL wishes you every success in your new career!