TEFL course school recommendations in eastern China? (Suzhou, Xi'an, Dalian)

Hello Saloon,

I am interested in taking a certification course in China. Though I realize it's not necessary for securing a TEFL job, I think that with my situation--Asian-Australian, non-education major, want to be able to teach English in multiple countries--gaining accreditation will be a worthwhile investment.

I've been perusing school start dates on the east coast around Shanghai: Suzhou, Xi'an and Dalian are the three places that have most caught my eye, though I'm certainly open to other nearby locations. Of all the schools, the Chiang Mai University accreditation course seems the best fit in terms of start date (end of July) and location. http://www.teflcoursechina.com/index.html

Does anybody have any experience with this program? I'd appreciate any advice on other schools, too!

In addition, I was wondering whether it's worth trying to get in touch with individual schools while I'm still abroad (I currently work in Washington DC), under the pretense that I WILL be certified by the time I start teaching in the Fall. I've been perusing the China TEFL Network, but if you have specific non-recruiter (I've been studiously gaining familiarity with the ongoing debate about the merits of recruiters and some of you regulars' opinions on the issue!) sites you'd recommend, please share!

Cheers,
Mark

PS: I've posted a couple of times in the old saloon but this is my first entry into the glorious new world of V3.0! 

PPS: Raoul, if you think this belongs in another section of the forum, feel free to move it.

Can't help you much but wanted to mention that many schools now prefer that TESOL, TEFL etc certification come from outside of China.

Take a course in Washington.  It would be easier and worth something in other countries besides China.

Thanks for the feedback. I've been previously recommended to get certified in the country in which I wish to teach, in that it will provide more culturally-specific training as well as job placement.

Does everybody feel that getting certified in the US is a better idea? Are there any folks out there who were certified in the States/China and feel strongly about it either way?

Love to hear from some others!

Thanks,
Mark

I took my course in Canada.  It was fine for teaching anywhere.  Culture, you learn that when you get somewhere.  They give you a text book on teaching do's/dont's which touches on culture, generic, but sufficient.  This forum gives you the rest of what you will need.  CELTA is the most expensive and probably the best and will give you the most assistance.  I didn't take that one, but if you want to teach in Europe (ones that don't require an EU passport) it is starting to be a requirement.  I believe it is also a requirement for some parts of the Middle East too.

The Education Bureau of Changsha (can't speak for others) reconizes that certification for English taken in an English speaking country is worth more than one taken in China. So much so that they have recently turned down requesta for Foreign Expert cards to some without it.

A Thai university (Chiang Mai or Chulalongkorn, I think) has a TESOL cert program in Suzhou that seems worth a look.
I no longer recommend the Boland School here, though...

PS: Xian is definitely WESTERN China...

I'd like to know about CELTA (or the other one, whatsitsname) programs in the greater Suzhou area.  If I teach more than another year, it's the sensible thing to have.

I'd like to know about CELTA (or the other one, whatsitsname)

  Con, do you mean DELTA (diploma rather than certificate) or the one that Trinity puts out, that I can't remember either. 

I did the CELTA some time ago and it wasn't cheap, at about A$1900, but it was a good way of seeing if I'd like the whole ESL game.

No hard and fast rule about this of course, but I'm told that outside China the schools generally want someone who has a bit more under their belt than just a CELTA.

PS: Xian is definitely WESTERN China...

Xi'an is 'technically' titled North West China - however, it is really smack in the centre and as such fabulous for travelling in any direction!!

Only downside of Xi'an is pollution.

I would take in the States. I have heard of schools that don't accept the ones gotten here. I took the TESOL course. I don't reccommend it. It's accepted here with no problem but the only thing I really learned from the course was how to apply for jobs overseas, nothing really about how to teach ESL.

I think much is in who sponsors the program.

There are a number of venues in China for getting a CELTA or a certificate sponsored by a foreign university. These shouldn't have too many problems being accepted.

For-profit, largely self-accrediting foreign operators such as Boland or TEFL International may be a different story. Purely Chinese institutions...gosh, why would anyone have reservations trusting them? 

All,

Thanks heaps for the advice!

I've decided to enrol in i-to-i's (OnlineTEFL) combined course, which provides 20 hours face-to-face and 60 hours online. http://www.onlinetefl.com/combined-courses/index.html

I've always been rather skeptical of online course anything, but I like the blended course structure, the flexibility it provides, and naturally, the lower cost than a traditional course. Though I'm interested in teaching in multiple countries, I'm certainly not planning on pursuing a long-term career in teaching English (I'm actually hoping to get involved in environmental sustainable development in China).

As for the CELTA, the distance course is almost 2,000 pounds, or US$4,000 (!), and I'm just not looking to shell out like that at the moment.

Finally, as for Xi'an being Northwestern China, my apologies and I've learned my lesson! When I first moved to the States from Australia, I think I used to confuse the Midwest with the Southwest and the Mid-Atlantic! Some things will take time, I suppose.

2,000 pounds, or US$4,000

All the best, itslateagain, and please let us know how you get on.  I don't have any problems with on-line courses per se, and I have even looked closely at the M. A (Applied Linguistics) from University of New England, as advertised on the spoon

I reckon we can all see how an on-line course can be a wank, but that certainly doesn't mean that they all are.

Again, all the best.

One on-line/distance course I recommend is the MA in Applied Linguistics through Victoria University, NZ.

When I was doing it there were students from all parts of the world enrolled it. People were very supportive of each other, it was a real active on-line community of students.