Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in TiAnjin KAifAqu Weidianzǐ Xiaoqu Xiaoqu [Tianjin Development Zone for Microelectronics]? Are you interested in teaching English in Tianjin? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.
online tefl courses vs onsite TEFL coursesThe decision to choose an online tefl course or an onsite TEFL course can be daunting. There are several factors that can contribute to your decision making. Online and onsite TEFL courses offer the same certification but different experiences and you have to decide which is the most suitable for you based on the below: Cost This is one of the most important factors when making your decision. An onsite course requires you to travel to the site which can be overseas, costs for the lodging and food for 1 month. All these expenses are on top of the course fees. Whereas an online course definitely costs less than an onsite course. You need not travel to the site and incur all the expenses. All you need is your computer and internet connection. Time flexibility An onsite course requires you to spend 1 month of your time at the school and you may not be able to spare this time due to your own personal commitments such as family or work. An online course allows you the flexibility to control your own learning speed. As long as you finished the online course within a time frame of 6 months, you have the flexibility to spend a few hours a day or a week and you are not constrained by the 1 month time frame. Benefits The benefits of an onsite course are numerous. You can have the benefits of the hands on classroom teaching experience. Any questions or doubts that you may have can be answered immediately by the teacher. You can have the opportunity to learn together with probably international students in which you can learn and be exposed to the different cultures. Most of the employers would require you to have at least some hands on teaching and an onsite course does expose you to this. As for an online course, working at your own time allows you to absorb the course material at your own pace whereas for an onsite course, you have to cramp everything within the 1 month time frame. You can also work from home or anywhere without sacrificing your own personal commitments. At times, you may not have an idea whereas teaching is your cup of tea. Doing an online course does give you the opportunity and a longer time period to reflect as you go through the course at your own pace. Disadvantages Doing an online course requires lots of self-discipline and patience. As you are not being controlled by the classroom setting, you need to set aside a few hours each time to read, absorb and understand the material before attempting the exercise. This can be very tiring especially if you are already working full time or a full time mum. There will be an online tutor dedicated to you but depending on your location, you need to wait for the tutors response to all your enquiries. At times, the tutor may not be able to clarify your doubts clearly as its not a face to face clarification. As such, time is lost again as you need to re-ask or re-phrase your question. As you can see from the above, there are pros and cons in deciding an onsite or online course. You have to do some research or speak to someone who has the experience to further decide which course is the best but most importantly, you have to decide which suits you better according to your own individual needs. Sources: TITC tefl online vs. Onsite tefl certification. http://www.teflcorp.com/articles/44-tefl-online-vs-onsite-courses/134-online-vs-onsite-tefl-certification.htm The TEFL times An online or onsite TESOL course which is best? http://www.eltworld.net/times/2011/03/an-online-or-onsite-tesol-course-which-is-best/
