Just wondering how well these 120 combined courses hold up against the Cambridge CELTA and Trinity courses when looking for TEFL jobs.

Thanks

Hi there,

That's great you're thinking about getting TEFL certified - in terms of the differences between the CELTA and i-to-i courses there's a good article here: http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-faq/content/1/54/en/celta-vs-i_to_i-tefl-which-is-better.html

Obviously the CELTA is a much more in-depth qualification, so is held in higher regard by employers than shorter courses. However i-to-i courses are also well-respected and widely accepted by employers all over the world. Generally a CELTA course is a good investment if you're looking to make a career out of TEFL, but if you're just planning to teach abroad for a year or two it's not worth the extra time or money you'll spend on it (unless you're planning to teach in the UK, or countries like France, where there's limited demand for teachers) - it'd be a bit like getting a pHD to get a job as a secretary if you know what I mean!

Off the top of my head, I know these guys have all done the 120 course and gone on to teach abroad - so you might want to chat to them about how they found it and how it helped them:

http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/pdixon/

http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/sandychow17

Hope that helps - if you want the other side of the coin you might want to chat to Emma who I know has done a CELTA course: http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/emmafoers

Good luck!

Hi Matt,
The C.E.L.T.A was good, but unfortunately it doesn't cover teaching children at all - so I'd definitely recommend doing the CELTYL.  Also for a cheaper option, i-to-i do a specialist certificate in teaching Young Learners that you could do as an add on - either after the i-to-i online course or after the C.E.L.T.A.  However, if you really don't want to teach children, there are jobs out there only for adults.  Honestly though?  I'd recommend doing a summer school first to see if you like teaching kids (and to practice) before commiting to a school and a contract.  Being in a different country can be hard enough - especially if you aren't keen on your job :-)