Are online EFL Courses reliable or accepted?
Question:
Answer:
If the course is offered online by an accredited college that also offers on-campus versions of the course, chances are good you can "trust" the online course. You should also look to see if the college is NCATE certified... if it's not, you should keep looking.
Here is the link for great online EFL course offering institutes...take a look
The answer to your question really depends on the particular program and the state in which you want accreditation. The first thing to do is to ask the school that is offering the online course about their accreditation. If all they tell you is that they are accredited by some trade association (with a name like the Association for Online Training or some such), it is probably not going to get you much. You are looking for accreditation from a state AND from a major college accreditation program, like the Middle States Association.
Very important: Before you sign up, get them to tell you--in writing--that their program qualifies you for state certification. Then, call the state department of education and ask them the same question. You are most likely to receive proper credit from a program that is run by a "real" college that has a regular program, especially one from the state university in your state. So, an online program from, say, the University of Minnesota, or a recognized public community college in Kansas or Virginia (or wherever) is far more likely to get you the right certifications than "Joe's Online School" ever will.
Bottom line: you need to do a little background work on your own here. There are lots of shady operators out there, some of whom look legitimate and charge a lot of money. So be careful, get what they tell you in writing, and confirm it with the state department of education in your state (every state has one, usually in the capital). Good luck!!
If you're looking at a basic certificate course (like those offered by i-to-i or Global TESOL) that is about one hundred hours, then the answer is no. At that level, schools are looking for certificates that included SUPERVISED TEACHING PRACTICE. That's the main reason why you would do a TEFL course! Instead, you should do a CELTA. It's the most widely-recognized TEFL course.
Keep in mind that these certificates will only prepare you for entry-level work in a private language school. If you're thinking of going abroad, most countries will only give visas to applicants with a Bachelor's degree. If you want to work in a university or college, you need an MA in Applied Linguistics or TESOL. This type of certificate will not allow you to work in a K-12 school.
Some might be reliable but they are not accepted by most organisations because they have no component of assessed teaching practice - check discussions on the eslcafe.com.
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