Ajay Shringi discusses the benefits of getting certified when teaching in China.

China is one of those places that has always led a very sheltered life. It has, for a very long time, held on to its native traditions and cultures, guarding it jealously from outside influences. But, if there’s one thing about the Chinese, it’s their fierce competitiveness. They just cannot abide to be second best. As a result, the country has been seeing a continual period of industrial and financial boom. But that has not prevented the Chinese from looking for more. In fact, the emerging middle class is hungrier than ever before to make their impact on the world.

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In the last few years, the Internet has been causing a mini-revolution in China. In IT, the Chinese have found one more bastion which they have been actively cultivating and expanding. It is in the context of this technological globalization that the importance of English dawned on the Chinese. They understood that in order to have the edge in the era of the Internet, they just cannot afford to ignore English. Not just that, most of the demands for cyber activity came from European markets and the American markets. That made English a necessity for survival in cyberspace.

All these factors have contributed to people from the middle class developing an intense craving to learn English and impart quality English training to their children. They are even willing to provide expensive private tuition to their children so they can be equipped to handle the needs that arise in the future.

Due to this unabated eagerness to learn English, many academic institutes are having a difficult time filling vacancies for English teachers. Thus, they turn to foreign recruitment agencies to fill the posts. Mind you, most of these institutes want native speakers and are therefore turning to markets in the US and UK.

As a direct result of the demand, many institutes are now offering TESOL courses in China itself. By taking a course located in China, students have many advantages. First, they are able to see the way of life in China firsthand even while they study. Thus, they are able to break through the cultural barrier much before they are ready to hunt for a job. Students can also explore various job options independently while they reside in China.

Most centers have their institutes in Beijing itself. Beijing is a huge melting pot of culture and politics. The living environment is good despite what the media seeks to tell you. It is a large city with all the modern conveniences that people look for.

TESOL certification can help students find attractive job opportunities in China.

About the Author

The author is involved in International TESOL Teacher Training, an organisation that provides high quality tesol China certification courses.

By Ajay Shringi

Online TEFL courses open up amazing career opportunities for aspiring teachers in countries that are experiencing a high demand for people with English language skills. With globalization, there is increasing pressure on people to acquire excellent writing and reading English skills. In fact, mastery of language often becomes decisive when selecting people for jobs. That is why many people are desperately trying to improve their English language skills.

According to the British Council, approximately 300 million people are trying to study English at the present time. These students may need to learn English as a second language in their own country, or they may be immigrants who need to learn English in order to adapt to their new life in an English speaking country. Naturally, with the rise in demand for English language skills, there is a corresponding demand for internationally accredited English teachers. Online TEFL courses teach English through distance education and equip you to become a teacher of the English language in a foreign country.

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Anyone can join online TEFL courses regardless of age or work experience: perfect English fluency and a reasonable level of education are the only requirements. Online TEFL courses come in 100-hour and 250-hour variants providing direct access to modern teaching methods that prepare the future teacher to deal with all sorts of educational situations. The price patterns for online TEFL programs vary depending on the number of hours and on the trainee’s choice of availing of the services of a personal tutor. However, most programs are priced very competitively, and some of the courses even have bonus offers.

Online TEFL courses are designed according to distance learning methods and this compensates for the lack of classroom participation. These courses answer the needs of people who have a limited budget, or have time and place constraints that do not allow them to join a full on site teaching program at the TEFL training centers. Thus, more people have access to these courses. In online TEFL courses, the learner is not constrained by the repetitive rhythm imposed in a regular class, meaning that he or she can adjust the learning program according to their personal needs and schedule flexibility.

TEFL diplomas are the most comprehensive TEFL online courses. Such courses are the immediate sequel of training from a basic certification program. Online diploma courses are widely available and consist of 250 hours of highly advanced teaching methods. Recognized at the international level, such courses are accessible only to those who already have their standard TEFL certification. The prices for diploma courses vary from $500 without tutor to $990 with personal tutor.

The only disadvantage of online TEFL courses is that the trainee lacks the direct teaching practice that is included in onsite programs. Though the sample lessons available online are pretty relevant for the purposes and the achievements of a regular class, direct experience has its unique advantages. Moreover, would-be-teachers who choose the “no tutor” variant of the online TEFL course will have to do more research themselves. Any learning item that may remain unclear will be more difficult to sort out on one’s own than with the aid of a tutor.

Online TEFL courses have more advantages than disadvantages. For a person who wants to make a career out of teaching English, these courses are indeed an excellent investment in their future.

About the Author

TEFLCorp.com offers online TEFL courses which will open up amazing career opportunities for you.

By Ajay Shringi

Lots of prestigious academic institutions organize accredited TEFL courses as part of their extensive English teaching programs. These programs are geared towards coping with the international demand for people equipped to teach the most widely spoken language in the world.

For an English speaker with an academic degree, going into teaching would be a good career opportunity particularly if we consider the large number of people who need to relocate every year in distant corners of the world and the rate of globalization that is taking place in the world.

Thus, accredited TEFL courses give you the chance to start a new life and a new career somewhere away from home, or even just a new adventure. You can experience different lifestyles and cultures as you travel. One of the greatest benefits is that your value and remuneration goes up with experience. So, you can earn while you travel around the world!

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What are accredited TEFL courses?

The abbreviation as such comes from the longer name of “Teaching English as a Foreign Language�, and it mainly refers to a group of teaching programs that are recognized or accredited in the international community.

Thus, anyone who has a recognized TEFL certificate can teach English anywhere in the world. However, only teachers with a TEFL diploma can get involved in senior teaching programs since the level of knowledge and experience is a lot higher and definitely more demanding under the circumstances.

Interested in Accredited TEFL Courses?

Well, it is good to have a look online and see what institutions organize them, what costs they involve and whether they allow both distance and onsite learning.

While the online variant is more comfortable and less costly, the onsite opportunity is superior in terms of direct teaching experience. The problem with onsite courses is that there are a maximum number of candidates or trainees that can be taken per session, whereas the online program has no such limitations.

In some institutions, there are combined courses too, where you can use their online program for learning theoretical part of the course, but can go to the training center to learn classroom practice.

Overall, accredited online TEFL courses have a six-month maximum completion period. Onsite courses last four weeks. Most online English courses take applications from those who have a basic educational qualification, are fluent in the English language or have life experience. In some institutions, importance is also given to work experience.

Before joining such a program, it is good to keep in mind the fact that such classes are highly intensive and that you will have to commit one hundred percent to the learning process to become an effective language teacher.

At the end of the course, you’ll have to pass an exam in order to receive your certification or diploma. Try to stick to a high learning rhythm in order to be effective and to make the best of the experience.

About the Author

The author represents TEFLCorp.com, which offers internationally accredited TEFL courses.