I went for it & submittted my first attempt at Checkpoint 1 last night! I opened my emails a few hours later & found an email to say that it had been marked! For 2 hours I was too nervous to open it! Then I got some courage & to my total surprise I passed! 

now on with the rest of the course! :D

Hola Katie

Very cold here at the moment.  Will improve next week though, so can put up with it for a little while.

A BIG THANK YOU for your thoughts.  It is really useful.

Sue 

Hola Sue! How's the weather where you are?

I'd personally say go for it with checkpoint one, that's what I did! You get three attempts to pass the checkpoint, and often you'll be surprised how many people pass first time but think at the time that they've done it all wrong - a pleasant surprise!

Don't forget to take plenty of notes as you go along, take the time to really let it all sink in, refer back to your notes one more time, then press on with the checkpoint. The course relies heavily on your retained knowledge, so if you rush it and don't take notes, you're not going to have a lot of luck!

The tutors give really comprehensive feedback, even if you have passed the checkpoint, so it's worth a try in my opinion. Hope it helps!

Katie

Hi Melissa 

My name is Sue and I live in Spain.  I am slightly older than you (a mature student) but very young at heart!  However, I am not sure about the Checkpoint one.  Whether just to go for it and see what the tutor comes back with.  This is very much a learning curve.    Help please !!

Hi PDixon I didnt mean I was going to teach in the uk, thats why I said I would have to wait and see what happens.  We will decide once in the uk where we want to go from there, obviously they will not need tefl people there.  I might travel onwards from the uk and decide if I am going to do my course or try something else.

@pameladon - to teach in the UK you are better doing the CELTA course...it is very difficult to teach english as a foreign language in england without a CELTA equiv or higher... langauge schools in the UK will not employ you if you only have TEFL... also depending which country you are from it might be very difficult...

if it was just a casual thing it might be possible BUT with english being the UKs native language the demand for teachers is very low!

Hi thank you all so much for your in put, I guess by reading all your advice etc the course is not a walk in the park but a challenge is always good.  I am still thinking about things as once i start there will be no going back.  We are moving over to the uk so I could start there also, I might wait and see what happens over there.

i think with the specialist courses (the 5-10 hours courses) it is marked via a test - the answers are either right or wrong...some modules are the same on the main course - in this case you will get either a pass or fail with a percentage...

on the main course where you have to write your answers and create lessons plans and there is one answer but many possible answers then this will need to be evaluated by a tutor who will mark it.

sometimes your tutor will change throughout your course depending on how long you take and whether the tutor takes time off etc...this is why, usually if you have a problem you contact the help desk.

One of the disadvantages of doing an online course is help can take time - usually people who do well on online courses work best alone and are able to be self motivated and enjoy doing self study etc.

If you work best discussing answers with other people, like to talk to a tutor face to face and book an appointment to discuss your work or prefer working in a classroom at a set time because of the routine - then an online course is not for you.

many people start to think that they are stupid because they just dont understand - usually though this is because the method of learning is not for them and they are better off in the classroom whereby a tutor can explain something in more than one way until you understand

Hi there - I recently started the tefl advanced 120 hour course and am finding it tough. Mine seems to be slightly different though as when I complete a module it tells me straight away that I have passed, and can check my scores in the results section..is this not the same for all tefl courses? I am struggling with the Phonology section at the moment - tough going. I have already got one extension and was wondering if others have too? I work full-time and find it hard to sit down for hours every night - anyone else have a similar experience or am I just going really slow...would like to hear from others...

I am the mature person too.  The courses are a challenge but once you complete each module your level of bravado goes up. After you complete each checkpoint you are determined to continue. The one thing I can suggest is complete what you can afford first. You can build each time you are done with each course. I know the money is not a drop in the bucket in these times. I had to wait months to save just for the first 80 hours. There is no regret and I am not done. This week I start the specialty courses. Please don't give up before you start remember you have solid life experience which will aid you in your success.