Quisqueya TESOL

Hi John,

Charmead, one of the owners of this business is a friend of ours. She worked part time off and on at our favourite local pub. While chatting with her one day over the summer she mentioned that she was moving to the DR and starting this business. Needless to say, we pricked our ears up at this.

We did try to hook up with her when we were in Las Terrenas for two days in December, but never managed it. I had emailled her through her business contact, but never heard back from her. I have a feeling that she may have been back in Canada for the holidays. Of course I had forgotten to bring her business card with me (it was in my wallet in the safe back in Cabarete ).

That being said, I think that Las Terrenas would be a good place to pick up Spanish. Our impression was that few of the locals speak anything other than Spanish. This was confirmed by our hosts Jos and Ans at Los Holandeses where we stayed.

I think you would really like the area. It is much more mountainous (by Dominican standards, not necessarily by West Virginia standards) and is very lush. The area is not overly developed and there is a concerted effort to keep large hotels and AI's out. Personally, I fell in love with the place.

I will try to find out more about what is going on with the business and let you know what I find out.

Rose

Spanish in Las Terrenas?

Hmmm, Spanish in Saman?? There aren?t many Spaniards here, you know. Las Terrenas is a place where Spanish is spoken with a heavy French accent or German grammar. Good place to learn Italian though. Locals move their nose when spoken to in Spanish.
Have fun.

I think their program is legitimate, and interesting. Are you going to teach? Or get certification?
I'm pretty sure the program's residency is only 2 weeks and then you have to complete the rest of the competencies elsewhere.
Teaching English is a great thing to do.
mk

quisqueya tesol

Hello
I have seen your posts about Quisqueya Tesol. There are just a few things that I would like to mention about this. I know Joanne, one of the owners, and know that she has many years experience in teaching this course, which certifies you to be able to teach English as a Second Language anywhere in the world, not only in the DR. She set up this school in the DR, so that North Americans (or whoever takes it) can experience what it is like to live outside their own country, thus preparing you for your experience abroad -wherever this certification leads you. Many of her students that she certified in North America went on to teach ESL in places such as China, Japan, Taiwan and other Latin American countries. I have personally watched her in action, in a training session in Canada, and can tell you that she is an amazing teacher, and her students loved taking this course with her. Her husband is Dominican, and therefore the link to the DR. She had lived there for many years before, and thought it would be a great place to set up a "hands on" style course. The certification is globally recognized and by being in a "typical" setting, it also provides the students with the opportunity to experience another culture, which will be vital to them in the future. So please don't think that by investing in this course that you will ever be limited to teaching in the DR.

Quisqueya TESOL validity

I just wanted to thank everyone for their comments about and support for Quisqueya TESOL and give some additional information that will clarify our position.

Both myself and my business partner have been in the EFL/ESL language industry for a long time, as teachers, teacher trainers, and curriculum developers. We were both tired of the mediocrity and cloned programs available in North America, as well as the incestuousness and pettiness of the privatized sector of the industry. Quisqueya TESOL was born out of our experience and desire to be better than the rest.

The global EFL industry offers amazing opportunities to those who either love language teaching, or who want to get paid to see the world. I have placed people in small villages in Mongolia and in corporate settings in Mexico City and everywhere in between. Whoever you are and whatever you do, a good teaching certification in EFL is an invaluable ticket to carry that will open unimagined doors for you. We like to be able to give people that opportunity, and we do it well. We are knowledgeable about our field, and the global marketplace.

Why are we in the DR? Four reasons:
1) Simply, I have family ties here, I am familiar with the country, etc, etc., and it is a wonderful opportunity for novice teachers to experience what it is like to live and work in another part of the world.
2)We want to work with Dominican teachers to upgrade their pedagogical approaches to English language learning and teaching and can do that by placing native speaking teachers in schools as well as bring our teacher training program to Dominican teachers as a professional upgrade.
3) We believe strongly in putting back into the community, instead of taking from it. We offer affordable (20 pesos or free) classes to the local community to make English accessible for them and we are building an English language resource library as well, to give students of all ages access to materials when they want it.
4) I have seen so many people who, because they speak English, believe that they can teach English, and who have consequently turned many potential learners away from something so badly needed in today's world because of their lack of expertise and training. And it happens in destination countries like the DR and other "exotic" countries, including Indonesia and Thailand. Many Dominicans have had experience with bad teachers - we want to turn that around, to the best of our ability, and join other serious English language educators in the country to maintain a level of quality and legitimacy to the field.

Those who wish to teach either in the DR or around the world will benefit from the program. Salaries in the DR vary according to the school - either public, private, or international and to education and experience - B.Ed, BA, MA, TESOL or any combination thereof. Many teachers take on private or corporate clients as well. The current difficulty is the devaluation of the peso, but hopefully this will stabilize in the near future, and teachers will be able to earn their keep more comfortably.

In the interim, please feel free to email us or visit us in Los Cacaos, Samana.

Joanne