Getting certified: Part II—Onsite or online?

Onsite certification programs are generally recognized as superior to online programs, mostly because they can provide experience teaching real students. However, they can be extremely expensive and have geographic limitations. I, for example, living in Eugene, would have to drive to Portland every day for 4 weeks to complete an onsite course.

Susan Griffith writes:

“the most useful qualification for anyone intending to spend a year or more abroad as an English teacher is a Certificate in English Language Teaching validated by one of the two examination bodies active in the the field of ELT ESOL, the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations and Trinity CollegeLondon”(22).

The Cambridge certificate is offered through different programs worldwide. International House USA is just one of many providers. It offers the CELTA, validated by the University of Cambridge, and a number of other English teaching and learning courses. I considered signing up for the program in Portland, but the steep tuition ($2,200 plus fees), discouraged me immediately.

Linda Galas, who currently works for International House in Portland, noted back in '96 that “the cost of the certificate program is worth it only for those who plan to teach for at least two years and don’t commit themselves to staying in one country that pays low wages.” Campbell, 14). But does that still hold true today, with competition ever increasing?

You certainly can’t ask the certificate providers, because they will always say you need what they have to offer. So, I spoke to Kevin Rushings, a veteran teacher abroad. He opined that when you’re starting out, any TEFL certificate will do. His recommendation was that I just get a quick and cheap certificate, because not even the most expensive program can really prepare you for what you’ll encounter abroad. The real learning always happens on the job.

There are even a couple of articles that discuss the benefits of learning how to teach ESL online. According to an article from Educational Media International on "Multimedia in Modern Language Teacher Education," online language teaching courses present unique advantages:

"Computers can present teachers with actual examples of modern language teaching in settings that are a much closer match to the contexts of practice in which they will eventually have to teach a foreign language."

An article from Open Learning also discusses benefits of online learning for language teachers. Authors Cheng and Myles found that online learning is, in many ways, less restrictive. Rather than being bound to a particular text, readings could link out to numerous sources. Correspondingly, online courses are more easily personalized. With the Internet as their learning environment, teachers could easily search matters relevant to them personally rather than be confined to the topics of the classroom (35). Cheng and Myles also emphasize the advantage of access to discussion boards for interactivity and interaction between participants (36).

Another benefit I see, though obvious, is that online learning can take place 24 hours a day. If I feel like completing a course module at 2 am, I can. It's flexible, and perfect for someone like myself who is concurrently working and going to school full-time.

So, based on those articles, Kevin's advice, and the fact that I intend to teach abroad for about a year, the cheaper and more accessible online programs seem like the better option for me.

I now feel better about succumbing to the quick and easy answer of an online program, but I still want to register for the best one possible. After all, I still want to get the most for my money.

If you still feel uncertain of whether an onsite or online program would be best for you, try visiting the International Teaching Training Organization, which provides an extensive online article on the difference between its online and onsite programs. I assume that the advantages and disadvantages that ITTO describes are very similar in other programs. Bridge-Linguatec, for example, provides a similar "online vs. onsite" article.

Sources

Cheng, Liyeng and Johanne Myles. "Managing the Change from On-Site to Online: transforming ESL courses for teachers." Open Learning 18.1, 2003.

Griffith, Susan. Teaching English Abroad: Teach Your Way Around the World. 8th Edition. Oxford: Vacation Work, 2006.

Raya, Manuel Jiménez. "Multimedia in Modern Language Teacher Education." Educational Media International 40.3/4 (2003): 305-317.

Personal Interview. Kevin Rushings. January 27, 2007.