Independent Certificate Programs

There is a number of non-state institutes that provide TEFL courses. However, it is necessary to be aware that the teaching standards are different from course to course and so is the extent of employers’ recognition of such programs.

The advantages:
• Courses are less expansive than most conventional ones.
• Supervised teaching training is usually provided.
• There is little difficulty in entering or completing the courses.
• When the course is 4 weeks or longer, it will usually be recognized by the recruiter.

The disadvantages:
• Training methods may be out-of-date.
• “Foreign students” who are taught during the supervised teaching are usually peers or class mates.
• Certificates from small institutions may cause problems when applying for a job, since the employer may reject recognition of it.
• You most probably won’t receive any credit when entering in an MA program if you seek to do so.

Distance Learning Certificate Programs

For some time there was a belief that distant learning is ineffective (it had been so in general) and most employers did not view it as a formal certification. However, today there is a number of good distant learning certificate programs that are world-wider recognized by the recruiter from different corporations, firms, and educational institutions. Before taking up such a course, it is recommended to gather information about the course and the institute that provides it, since the quality of different programs as well as their employers’ recognition may vary a lot.

The advantages:
• The program is cheaper than onsite ones.
• You can study at home and decide your own schedule.
• Usually good distant course offers individual assistance, which is a rarity in onsite courses.
• The best of such programs offer a practice teaching option, and the certificates obtained during such courses are compared to those obtained from the 100-hour onsite courses.

The disadvantages:
• Some courses may give shallow coverage of theoretical fundamentals of the language and teaching methodology.
• You may have to take care (and expenses) of the studying materials.
• Sometimes the system of communication may be very slow (much time lost while waiting for the feedback on your work).
• No credit for the further MA degree in TESOL is received.
• The certificates from the small or unknown institutes may not be approved by some employers.