Hi there, i was just wondering if anyone had done a TEFL course, if so how was it?

I am going to do the weekend course in Lausanne in July, with the London Teacher Training College.

any feedback would be great...

thanks

Hi,

I'm currently doing a CELTA course. Having researched beforehand, I think this is the most well recognised TEFL qualification and certainly seems to be the one which most Swiss schools ask for.

It's not cheap to do in CH (about CHF 4000), but potentially cheaper if you were prepared to go elsewhere, ie, UK, to do it.

It also takes some time to complete. I'm on 6 month course, with 1 day a week "at school". I think there may be a 3 month/2 day a week course in CH in the summer, and other countries also offer intensive 4 week/ 5days a week courses.

No experience of any other TELF courses in CH, but not sure if a weekend course would give sufficient input or practice required to go forth and teach.

I also thought about the CELTA course but i just didn't have the money to do it it costs 4000chf to do so i am doing the TEFL course first and when i have enough money i will go on to do the CELTA course....

thanks for your feedback

I did the CELTA course, too, purely because it seemed to give me the most options for teaching English. I did the intensive course, passed with flying colours, but needed a long holiday to recover .

Please note that the LTTC Cert tefl course is now accredited by ASET in the UK so meets the industry recommendations.

I think this is a little misleading. Online or distance training courses leading to a TEFL qualification are not the industry standard. If no teaching practice has been undertaken there can be little value in such courses.

From where are you getting the "industry recommendations"?

The "industry standard" is the CELTA course. If you want a job in Switzerland, that's the one you need to do. If you don't care about getting work then pat yourself on the back with an online course .

I was unable to find the LTTC Cert TEFL course on this list of training providers at the ASET website:

http://www.aset.ac.uk/viewpage.php?i...-programmes%2F

Perhaps you could direct us to the appropriate list of accredited institutions so that we might be reassured as to the authenticity of the qualification you recommend?

Hello!

There are also much cheaper online TEFL courses which cost around $400-600. So it can be worth shopping around.

Take care,

Naomi

Absolutely right - why waste thousands when you could waste just a few hundred?

I did an intensive 4 week CELTA course some years ago. It was called CTEFL back then. It was exhausting but really worth the money and time. I can't really speak much about the other courses but CELTA seems to have the widest acceptance. If you do teach English here I recommend going private as much as possible. Most of the schools pay a pitance, but any work from them is worth taking initially as it will lead to other things.

This where I'd start if you're serious:
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/t...rds/index.html

I just finished a TEFL Certification class in Florence, 4 weeks, 5 days a week, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. cost about $2000. It was really tough, a lot of studying little free time but worth it and was happy to pass the exam. You want to make sure it is an accredited school. CELTA is, I believe and as others have said, a "higher" certificate but from what I understand and what I was told TEFL is also a valid certificate to teach around the world. Hope that helps.

Hi guys

Thinkind of doing a CELTA course but i want to know a little more before I shell out the cash.

How easy is it to find work in Switzerland with this? Either in a school or self employed?

Roughly how much can you expect to earn?

What is it actually like as a job?

Can you find jobs just for the summer, or is it a more permenant thing?

Finding work with either the CELTA or TEFL degree is fairly easy at a language schools for adults (they always seem to be hiring). The problem I have found is that although the pay is not terrible on the books (about FRS 40 an hour), it's hard if you need a certain amount by the end of each month. Canceled classes mean you don't get paid, and it is very difficult to get consecutive hours, so you may teach first thing in the morning, then again at noon and then early evening. Then you aren't paid for any potential travel time or prep time. Where I taught for 4 years, I technically had 20 hours of teaching a week, but most weeks ended up with about half.

This was my experience in Lausanne at least...... I can't speak for anywhere else.

As an independent you can charge a bit more, but then you have to go out and find your own clients which can or cannot be easy.

I personally enjoyed teaching (I came from the business world, so it was a first for me). I just found the financial situation frustrating, which is why I stopped.

Hello,
Teaching in private schools can be an unsteady business. Some schools pay you around 50 an hour or more but the amount of hours you get is very unsteady. Sometimes you get many students and sometimes you don't get that much. Besides, you always need to organize and plan your time. It does help to work in more one school but then, it gets stressful when you have to travel from one school to the other. But the compensation for all these is the joy of teaching!

Hello, I'm Frank from S Africa.

I am first completing the CELTA in SA (10 times cheaper with the rate of exchange) in Jan and then coming over to teach English in Lausanne - relocating permanently.

I know the rates are say, approx CHF40 per hour - but what are the DEDUCTIONS (tax, medical, transport)?

And are the deductions the same if you work freelance for yourself or for a school?

Thank you in advance,

Frank

This is valuable information for someone looking to teach English over there. I had not heard of the CELTA course before (only TEFL). I'm graduating with my master's in bilingual education/ESL, but I want to be as qualified as possible.

The above site is no longer live. For current information on qualifications, see this site: http://www.ediplc.com/

While the CELTA is the holy grail of english teaching here, I've had a private language school recommend I take only an online TEFL certificate (it was less than 300CH) since I simply can't afford the CELTA at this time.

Perhaps it is the only school who will hire me, but I've had good vibes from them, and the feeling that they will support my ongoing learning and professional development as a teacher (which an online course can't provide), and for me that is priceless.