Helping a friend in need - Which TEFL course?

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HoboSam

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Hey everyone

So I have a friend that's had a fairly rough time in life. He is 26 and is struggling with employment at the moment. It has been his dream to study further but due to financial constraints was never able to do so.

This lockdown has hit him pretty hard and I doubt his employer will be able to afford to keep him on once lockdown ends.

After much thought, I've decided to sponsor his fees for a TEFL course so he can perhaps begin teaching english online and potentially in other countries in the long term once he obtains a formal degree.

I have been researching TEFL courses and there seems to be various institutions offering them. Can anyone recommend a reputable TEFL course to go for and any additional tips I may need to take into consideration?

Any help would be much appreciated :)
 
I don't think the TEFL course is recognised as a degree to get one into foreign countries legally.
It's good for online teaching it takes a while to build up a student base. Look at Preply on the webz.
Big Up for helping a less fortunate soul.
 
Thanks for the responses!
So essentially it's just a certification I'd like him to get so he can begin teaching online or providing tuition perhaps to earn an income and sustain himself. He's fairly well read and knowledgeable and I'm confident in his abilities, a degree and getting to foreign countries would be longer term goals.

Will definitely check TEFL Academy out.
 
Once he has a cert, download Palfish (teacher) app from Google playstore and register. Can teach kids in China.
Many YouTube videos on how to teach using Palfish as well
 
Does he have a degree already? It'll make things a lot easier if it's paired with a TEFL/TESOL course. But some degrees are more valued than others and a TEFL/TESOL qualification would be nice but it wouldn't matter.

It's better that he go to a physical TEFL/TESOL institute instead of doing an online course. If he attends physical lessons he'll get actual teaching prac. time as well. Look for a course that offers 100 hours+. No less. Less isn't counted (because if he gets a job he'll end up doing another course to make up for the hours that he missed). This'll allow him TEFL/TESOL access to the world (or the places that need TEFL/TESOL).

If he goes to an institute that has the name of a well known city that's even better. Universities that are named after cities and countries are considered higher on the academic scale than others that aren't e.g. a TEFL/TESOL qualification from the University of Johannesburg would be more valued than one from Wits or Stellenbosch (Stellenbosch isn't a famous city).

Online courses are considered acceptable for some parts of Asia but Asia's becoming more finicky about qualifications and they prefer/accept/bump up people who have the practicals over the ones who don't. An employer I spoke to said his organisation throws away the resumes of people with online courses - this wasn't something they did 3 years ago - because every Tom Dick and Harry gets one now, and the quality isn't up to par.
Rather think long-term.
 
Is he possibly interested in tech or development?

Codecademy has a free 3 month pro plan for those effected by Corona virus, which would fit his situation at present.

After he has 'eased' into the basics of the first 3 months, there are major free online resources he can continue with.

If I was inclined to learn coding, I would do it myself. I won't due to the time investment though.

Just my opinion.
This would set him up for life.
 
Also bear in mind that, in most cases, the degree stipulation that many countries have has very little to do with teaching English but is mostly to satisfy visa requirements.
 
So at this stage he essentially needs to start something to begin earning an income.
Appreciate every one of the above responses, I think they will all be quite beneficial. Will let him know about codeacademy for long term growth and I don't think it would hurt for him to add additional skills to his arsenal.

@sandwitch he does not have a degree yet. In the longer term (next 3-4 years) he has set a goal for himself to obtain a formal degree. His trouble at the moment is being unemployed and consistently struggling to find employment.
In terms of the TEFL course advice, it makes a huge difference. Would really like to give this guy the best opportunities possible.

If there are other suggestions as to how he can earn a living and save a bit, feel free to shoot :)
The TEFL idea is mainly since his goal is to make a career out of this and become a teacher.
 
I do have a few friends that have or all still teaching English abroad, One of them did their TEFL course through i to i and after receiving her certificate, the company helped her in finding and organizing a job overseas, Currently she is in Japan teaching. This is definitely the more expensive route as you probably have to pay agent fees or otherwise sign a long contract.

Another person I know only had a 4 year degree and went to Taiwan with a tourist VISA to look for a teaching job, He was lucky as many of the schools offer work visa's to foreign teachers but you will have to do your research and it is definitely riskier.

I have heard that a degree is the most important in terms of finding a job but it also depends on the country that they would like to go to. Also a TEFL certificate is not really needed while it may help a little.
 
HoboSam said:
@sandwitch he does not have a degree yet. In the longer term (next 3-4 years) he has set a goal for himself to obtain a formal degree. His trouble at the moment is being unemployed and consistently struggling to find employment.
In terms of the TEFL course advice, it makes a huge difference. Would really like to give this guy the best opportunities possible.
If there are other suggestions as to how he can earn a living and save a bit, feel free to shoot :)
The TEFL idea is mainly since his goal is to make a career out of this and become a teacher.
Click to expand...
IMO Getting a TEFL/TESOL course won't really make a difference to his teaching employment without the degree. All the online platforms I know of will only accept people with degrees and the bigger online platforms prefer Americans over South Africans.
Physically teaching overseas without a degree is dependent on the countries: the ones that pay more, or most of the European countries, want degrees.

I'd tell him to rather apply for bursaries and start studying for his teaching degree now, and look at working part-time jobs if he has to, reception work, data capturing... if it's legal take the job.

But it's a bad time to be looking for any jobs at all.
 
sandwitch said:
IMO Getting a TEFL/TESOL course won't really make a difference to his teaching employment without the degree. All the online platforms I know of will only accept people with degrees and the bigger online platforms prefer Americans over South Africans.
Physically teaching overseas without a degree is dependent on the countries: the ones that pay more, or most of the European countries, want degrees.

I'd tell him to rather apply for bursaries and start studying for his teaching degree now, and look at working part-time jobs if he has to, reception work, data capturing... if it's legal take the job.

But it's a bad time to be looking for any jobs at all.
Click to expand...

If I'm not mistaken, there are countries in South America which take people without degrees but there are probably flaws as well.
 
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