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There is certainly much to be said for a student taking a tefl (Teaching english as a Foreign Language) course to be an english teacher to foreign students, whether multilingual or monolingual. However, when taking a tefl course the question is often asked which is better, an online tefl course or an onsite tefl course? As I have taken the tefl international online course I have even asked myself if I am getting the same quality of training as I would get in a traditional classroom setting. One tefl site answers this question quite well by saying an online and onsite tefl course achieve the same purpose:
“A similar goal in two very different ways [studying tefl online vs. onsite]. The goal is to make you the most effective and most qualified english language teacher that you can be. Achieving that is done in our online course through a combination of interactive technology and experiences, technically savvy tutors. In our on-site program it is achieved by immersion in a great program with excellent teachers” (ITTO).
I think it can be said that both a tefl online and onsite courses do have different modes of students taking the course but often produce the same result in terms of quality of education.
As I personally began to research sites and evaluate whether to take an onsite or online tefl course there were several considerations. Based on my research then and again today I can see that an online course is usually much more economical than on an onsite course. The course itself is not only cheaper but also the price of getting there (your home computer vs. traveling to an onsite course.) Also, as a banker in the States when I started this tefl course, I did not have the time to devote a month to an intensive onsite course in the united states or another country. Though that option was appealing it simply was not feasible for me. An online course allows one to work at his or her own pace, save money, and still get similar coursework with the help of a very capable tutor. However, there are disadvantages to an online course. In my quest for an esl job I have also found at times employers do not recognize an online tefl certificate. This requirement of an onsite only tefl/CELTA certificate has been rare but it does exist. When speaking of advantages of an onsite tefl certificate I can say undoubtedly the major advantage is live, human interaction. No matter how good an online course is, in my opinion it can never be as good as a live classroom. A classroom provides instant feedback, peer and teacher interaction, and the expression of ideas in an academic environment.
After researching and discussing the advantages and disadvantages of an online vs. onsite course I have reached the conclusion that both have advantages and disadvantages but when completed both usually yield the same results. If a tefl student truly invests in his or her course of study then the tefl training will invest in him or her and produce an excellent instructor of english.
Work Consulted
ITTO. “Online vs. Onsite tefl tesol course.”
Accessed 4/20/2011. [ http://www.tefl-online.com/aboutitto/onlinevsonsite.php].
tefl international. “What is tefl?”
Accessed 4/20/11. [http://www.teflcourse.net/what-is-tefl/].
