The best type of training that is available to you is on-the-job experience. It is very possible to get an English teaching job without any experience at all. This is due to the fact that the demand for teachers greatly outweighs the supply. So, regardless of what many schools may advertise about needing a certification and experience, there will always be opportunities for new people. However, there are negative sides to obtaining a job like this. First, the schools/companies who hire inexperienced teachers usually operate lower quality "English Language Factories", where the main focus is making money by telling prospective students whatever they want to hear in order to get their money. This organizations are usually poorly managed, with little resources for teachers or students, incompetent staff, broken promises, and often basic human rights neglect in the workplace. However, they do provide an opportunity for the inexperienced teacher to get a sample of what the industry is like. As you work and gain some experience and save some money you can do free research via the internet or books available in the teacher's resource section of most schools. When you are ready (or when it is required to obtain a specific job) you can take a certification course. Below you will find some internet and book resources (some free and some requiring purchase) which can help you make some progress at this stage.

CERTIFICATION COURSES

Taking a certification course allows you to develop your English teaching skills in a more structured way and increases your eligibilty for employment as you are granted employment by higher quality schools who require a certification. There are different types and qualities of certification courses, with different costs. In addition, some more prestigious English schools will require quality teaching experience in addition to a certification. This is why it is important to attempt to obtain employment as soon as you can. Your certification course experience will be enhanced if you are currently teaching since you will be able to experiment with and apply the knowledge you learn in class at your job, and since you will have already experienced some of the situations and concepts covered in the certification course and so have some primer knowledge. The basic types of certification courses are outlined here for you to further explore and use in your planning :

Online Courses

There are advantages and disadvantages to taking an online TEFL course. The main advantages are : generally lower price and flexibility of time and location. The main disadvantages are : lack of classroom observation component of course, and less direct instructor involvement.

An online certification course is best viewed as a primer for the more practical classroom CELTA course. It is best taken while working as a teacher. This is because as a teacher you will be experiencing many of the situations which the course addresses. So, the course becomes more immediately practical. Since you will be able to proceed through the course on your own time and at your own pace, this allows you to absorb the most information possible. It is great tool to use as on-the-job training. Plus, when you complete the course you will increase your eligibilty for employment with higher quality schools than you have without any course. As you finish the online certification course while continuing to work, you will be able to save some money each month to take the full CELTA course.

There are many companies offering online certification courses at this time. Be careful to thoroughly review the web site of the courses you wish to possibly pursue. Be certain to read through the course syllabus as different courses offer different and more or less comprehensive topics. Also be sure to research the credibility of the company and the organization(s) which support the certification.

Below is a list of some of the online certification courses available for your review:

www.global-english.com

www.teflcourse.net

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Further Resources : www.eslcafe.com TESL Journal www.global-english.com