Where can you get TEFL certified in the DR?

sybillecutey

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May 16, 2007
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Hi !
I'd like to know where you can get TEFL certified here in the Dominican Republic (Santiago/santo Domingo) ?
any answers would be appreciated !:cheeky:
 

santiago2008

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Apr 24, 2008
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Hi !
I'd like to know where you can get TEFL certified here in the Dominican Republic (Santiago/santo Domingo) ?
any answers would be appreciated !:cheeky:

im not sure but in Santiago at Language American partnership in San Luis street in their ad i see it says TEFL test

Next monday while im in town i can stop by and ask them about it if u want..
 

eralc777

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Dont bother wasting your money on it. It isnt worth the paper it is written on! Im a qualified teacher and know that no school worth its salt is impressed by that.
 

bob saunders

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Dont bother wasting your money on it. It isnt worth the paper it is written on! Im a qualified teacher and know that no school worth its salt is impressed by that.

Are you sure about that? My son took the 135 hr TESL Canada course, which he took specifically because many schools finds it essential for their teacher to have for teaching English as a foreign language. He had no problem finding a job. Anyways she said TEFL certified and I assume they are almost the same. Of course there are plenty of paper mills out there that you can gt your degree from, and still not understand anything. Teaching is a vocation and there are many teachers that have a great deal of paper qualifications but can't teach a lick.
 

sybillecutey

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im not sure but in Santiago at Language American partnership in San Luis street in their ad i see it says TEFL test

Next monday while im in town i can stop by and ask them about it if u want..

Thank you, are you talking about the New York center institute ?
 

eralc777

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Yes I am sure about it. It doesnt qualify you to be able to teach nor does it give the knowledge needed to teach English as a second language. As a qualified teacher, I have rarely come across a school where they accept that without a teaching qualification. AND then if a qualified teacher has got a TEFL certificate its not considered half as important as actual experience.
 

LaTeacher

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May 2, 2008
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American doesn't do it. They don't even give the TOEFL test, which is the test that non-english speakers take. They'll PREPARE you for the TOEFL and then send you to Santo Domingo to take the test.
As far as being certified as a teacher, it will help if you're applying for jobs IN THE STATES but most schools outside of the states don't really care about it.
 

bob saunders

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Yes I am sure about it. It doesnt qualify you to be able to teach nor does it give the knowledge needed to teach English as a second language. As a qualified teacher, I have rarely come across a school where they accept that without a teaching qualification. AND then if a qualified teacher has got a TEFL certificate its not considered half as important as actual experience.

While they ask for a BA to teach ESL in Japan, Korea...etc the only place it is a real requirement is Canada, England, and the USA. My son has taught at Jilin University in China and in Korea at a reputable school. He has a two year business diploma, and a TESL Canada Course. He is a published poet and has the ability to teach. Does he have a teaching degree, no, but it doesn't seem to stop him from getting a job teaching. My wife is a teacher, a principal, and has many years of teaching.
 

LaTeacher

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May 2, 2008
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if you're planning on teaching english in the DR, you can take what they call a "Pedagogy Course" at a more reputable institute (like Dominico-Americano or even American Language in Santiago) and that will help you see how they teach English here. A lot of language teaching has to do with culture and how the students of that culture learn. Teaching ESL in the states is different because it's an eclectic mix of students from many different cultures, while teaching ESL in the DR depends on understanding a homogenous culture - even academically.

The classes usually last three months, though some are longer and are worth the effort, I think, even if it's just to get new ideas or brush up on some of the "newer" teaching techniques being used.
 

Prodical

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Apr 14, 2007
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Sorry, I don't post much on the board...but I read a lot! :)

This thread is kind of confusing me a little. I will be starting a TEFL course in August. It is 8-10 weeks long. The school is located in Chicago. I was hoping to use that certification to land a job teaching English as a second language, but from what I am reading, it doesn't sound like it will help me.

I will tell you that I do not have a BA. I am a certified personal trainer and was hoping to supplement teaching English with getting a personal training gig. Of course since I have been to the DR 5 times I would love to be there doing this, but I am also looking at a couple other Latin American countries in South and Central America.

Am I wasting my time?? This school is nationally recognized and has a lifetime placement service. They say that just by telling a Language School that you have been certified through them, they will hire you. I am not expecting to make a fortune, just to give something of myself and to be able to live.

Sorry if this goes off the OP subject...any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

La Verdad

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Jan 4, 2009
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Of course since I have been to the DR 5 times I would love to be there doing this, but I am also looking at a couple other Latin American countries in South and Central America.

What happened to joining the monastery & becoming a monk?

L V
 

Freefallfatty

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Apr 20, 2009
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Dont bother wasting your money on it. It isnt worth the paper it is written on! Im a qualified teacher and know that no school worth its salt is impressed by that.

That is utter BS and if you are a qualified teacher then the only reason you would be saying this is because you have a chip on your shoulder about people being able to walk into the classroom with a TEFL while you have spent years slogging away at university to get there.
I know several people without a degree who are in fantastic positions all over the world with nothing nore than a TEFL qualification, and making more than people who have slogged away as you may have due to working in lower tax countries.
Having a TEFL certificate opens doors for you, not having a degree will limit countries you can work in Not becaue of your capabilities as a teacher, but purely because the country may not authorise a visa without a degree. Having a degree holds absolutely no weight at all in whether you will be a good teacher or not, it is merely a passport into countries that require it for visa.
The best way around this if you do not have a degree at the moment is to take a job, you will get one if you hold a TEFL certificate, and then do a degree online while working. Once you have done this you have a certain amount of experience under your feet (which is more attractive than anything to employers), you have the piece of paper that is the degree that will open doors for entry and the world at your feet.
Best places to seek work without a degree and only the TEFL are the likes of Taiwan, Thailand, China, Indonesia is a crying out for people.

Good luck!
 

LaTeacher

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May 2, 2008
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the point was, freefallfatty, i think that a TEFL is not necessary to score a job teaching english as a foreign language. neither is a college degree. most countries - and the institutions in them - are begging for native english speakers. a TEFL certificate might help to negotiate pay, but it doesn't prove a good teacher from a bad one. it shows some sort of dedication to teaching, but other than that?

most schools have their own methodology, their own materials, their own philosophies. and those things they don't teach in a TEFL course and the school will have to invest in ALL new teachers - reteaching their own process to them.

perhaps for visas, job placement from the states and governmental jobs a TEFL is essential to non-uni grads, but not necessarily pivotal for a job.
 

Freefallfatty

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Apr 20, 2009
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It certainly didn't come across like that in the post!
You are right, a qualification does not make a good teacher, but to say the TEFL qualification is useless is utter rubbish. It gives the foundation and structure and basic briefing to what goes on around constructing a class, not alot more, easy to get, but holds open a lot of doors. It is more likely to get you in the door than a degree, and in the high majority of schools who require TEFL TESOL EFL etc around the world you can not get in until you have this certificate.
 

expatsooner

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Aug 7, 2004
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Both sides in this discussion are right - a TEFL can get you a job all over the world and yet it is not enough to get you a job. It all depends on the type of teaching job. The language institutes that are only for English lessons are more than happy to have TEFL certification only.

The many K-12 private schools throughout the world (Carol Morgan for instance) that teach with an American curriculum and are accredited through agencies like SACS are much more stringent on teachers needing to have a regular teaching certification because of the requirements of accreditation.

So everyone is right and getting a TEFL can pay off depending on the type of teaching position in question.
 

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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Sorry, I don't post much on the board...but I read a lot! :)

This thread is kind of confusing me a little. I will be starting a TEFL course in August. It is 8-10 weeks long. The school is located in Chicago. I was hoping to use that certification to land a job teaching English as a second language, but from what I am reading, it doesn't sound like it will help me.

I will tell you that I do not have a BA. I am a certified personal trainer and was hoping to supplement teaching English with getting a personal training gig. Of course since I have been to the DR 5 times I would love to be there doing this, but I am also looking at a couple other Latin American countries in South and Central America.

Am I wasting my time?? This school is nationally recognized and has a lifetime placement service. They say that just by telling a Language School that you have been certified through them, they will hire you. I am not expecting to make a fortune, just to give something of myself and to be able to live.

Sorry if this goes off the OP subject...any help would be greatly appreciated.

My son has the TESOL Canada course, which consists of 150 hours of instruction, 10 hrs of observation and ten hour practicum. He has taught for a year in China(Jilin University) and is going back again for another year to a different area of China. Certain countries like Japan, Korea, and most of Europe they want you to have a least a BA. In most Latin American countries being a native English speaker with TESL or TESOL is enough for the majority of schools.