Where can you get a TEFL Certificate to teach English as a Second Language?

Answer 1

There are many course providers offering different levels of service to teacher-trainees.

You can get a TEFL certificate at a local university, at a local language school or online. The best certificate is arguably the CELTA. It is an intensive and expensive course and it is recommended that you have at least a couple of years experience teaching before taking it in order to get the most from the course.

Many providers offer in-house courses ranging from a weekend to four weeks long. There are also a number of reputable online course providers where you can take an entry level course entirely online.

If you are new to teaching and want to "test the water" as it were, perhaps the best option is a cheap online course to get your first job. If you like the lifestyle and work then you should follow this up later with a more robust course like the CELTA. A word of warning. There are many poor quality courses on offer from fly-by-night schools. It is strongly recommended that you check out course providers to make sure they are reputable. The TEFL Course Review site is a good place to start.

Answer 2

My experience is based exclusively in Latin America, so bear that in mind :0)

It is fairly easy to get a job in Latin America with only a TEFL certificate, especially if you are a native speaker. Most people that I've met teaching here have only got their TEFL certificate, but there is a big difference in the standard of teaching depending on the certificate they have.

Most of the teachers I have known that did an online course suffered with classes a lot and their student feedback wasn't too good. I also know several instances where job applicants with certification that required "in-class" teaching hours got preference over applicants with online certificates. The reason for this was due to the difference in practical teaching experience of the applicants.

Based on what employers have asked me for in the job application process and what I've heard from other ESL teachers, the main purpose of your training (which will provide you with the certificate) is the amount of time you spend actually teaching and receiving feedback on how to improve. With as much of that under your belt as possible you'll be a much more attractive job prospect in a wide selection of institutions. This will also have the added benefits of providing your students with a good learning experience and allowing yourself to feel confident, capable and happy with the work that you are doing, both difficult things to achieve if you haven't spent much time in the front of a classroom.

If you'd like a suggestion of a good course with a heavy focus on the practical side, I highly recommend the one that I took in January 2009 when I first moved abroad. It was in Chiapas, Mexico at a place called the Dunham Institute. I also gather they just started running a volunteer teach program recently that allows you to get 4 weeks teaching experience by volunteering at a local state school after you have completed your training, so that should increase your job prospects and classroom confidence by an order of magnitude as well.

If you are interested, the website for the Dunham Institute is

http://www.dunhaminstitute.com