Vantage's TEFL Accreditation
What is Accreditation?
What Do Schools Want?
The better schools are looking to hire the best teachers they can find. So what training background are they looking for in a new hire? They typically recruit graduates of TEFL programs that have met the following criteria:
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A minimum of 100 hours of coursework and training;
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6 hours of observed practice teaching (a practicum) teaching non-English speaking students in a real live classroom.
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Externally validated by a reputable examination body (usually an accredited university or a recognized examinations board) and/or accredited by a national accrediting body such as OTTSA.
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Course instructors hold at least a Degree, Dip TEFL or Dip TESOL Their background should be in TESOL, Linguistics, Education with ESL emphasis; with extensive teaching experience in an international context.
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Moderation of Standards is an integral part of accreditation. For every TEFL course run, an external and independent moderator will go over all the key components, student work samples, and the approved curriculum. Few TEFL courses have moderation, so they don’t really have accreditation.
What Vantage TEFL Offers
Vantage TEFL Certification is the Bangkok training center for TEFL International (TI)—a network of 30 centers in 20 countries on 5 continents—that has issued 32,000+ TEFL certificates since 1998.
Our curriculum and course book have been developed and revised by specialist ESL educators and validated by an American University. Every Vantage TEFL course is externally moderated and their trainers have degrees and are, experienced teachers with years of classroom experience.
We have extensive expertise based upon years of experience and a strong international perspective and a global presence through our TI network.
Your Vantage TEFL Certification is recognized and accepted for the best teaching jobs around the world.
American Accreditation | Internationally Recognized | 3 College Credits
Vantage TEFL Certification is validated through Lamar University (Texas, USA), the Paris College of International Education (France).
These institutions recognize the TEFL International certificate course as a three-credit undergraduate university course.
Each student receives an official transcript from the Paris College of International Education with their TEFL International Certificate.
Lamar University, (Beaumont, Texas, USA,) is part of the Texas State University System. It awards degrees at the Associate, Baccalaureate, Masters and Doctoral levels through its accreditation by SACSCOC (The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission).
When accreditation is awarded to an institution of higher education by SACSCOC, a regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, it means that the institution has a mission appropriate to higher education.
Online Accreditation
Vantage's Combined Course and our Virtual Vantage TEFL Courses are fully accredited by OTTSA (The Online TESOL and TEFL Standards Agency).
They are a professional education organization, dedicated to raising industry standards for online TEFL/TESOL teacher-training courses.
Moderation of Standards
An integral part of academic accreditation is continuous--and external—moderation. For each course we run, the moderator checks the coursework to make sure that the marking is fair and standardized. We also present part of the student's coursework to the moderator so they can check that our trainees have learned the approved TEFL methodology.
Shortly after every Vantage TEFL course, there is a conference call between the Moderator and Vantage’s Lead Trainer where they go over students’ lesson plans and their self-evaluations and discuss what happened in that course.
Here’s a follow-up email from the Course Moderator to the Lead Trainer wrapping up a recent conference call.
Accreditation with ongoing moderation ensures that the course you take is of the highest quality and that's why your Vantage TEFL qualification is internationally recognized.
David Hopkins—TEFL Course Moderator
Vantage In-Class TEFL courses are moderated by David Hopkins,
Dave has been an administrator, teacher, course developer, and teacher trainer of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) for more than four decades.
He holds MA degrees in Teaching Languages and Intercultural Training and Management from the SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont. He has worked and lived in Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
He was the Academic Director for TEFL International for ten years, and, a Senior English Language Fellow for US State Department in Pakistan. He is currently an English Language Specialist with the US State Department and moderator for TEFL International courses worldwide.
Dave has written a number of TEFL-related books. All his books, including his latest, Smooth Moves, 2nd Edition: Best Practices for Teaching English to Speaker of Other Languages, can be found on his Amazon.com author's page.
Mike Fitzgerald—TEFL Course Moderator
Vantage In-Class TEFL courses are also moderated by Michael FitzGerald.
Michael has been an administrator, teacher, course developer, and TEFL teacher trainer (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) for over 25 years. He has taught in North & Central America, Eastern & Western Europe and throughout Asia.
Michael holds a bachelor’s degree from Carleton University in Canada, a Cambridge University DELTA, and a TEFL Certification from the Irish Schools Association. He is also a Master's in Education (TESOL) candidate at the Paris College of International Education.
Michael has also worked with TEFL International for more than ten years where he developed new educational programs, hired and trained staff in addition to directing TEFL courses.
He has been a director for a Trinity College London program, consulted for The Bell Educational Foundation, and many other international training organizations..
Michael has authored books on training teachers and presented at numerous conferences, as well as being Special Projects Leader for TESOL Spain’s Board of Directors.
The Moderation Conference Call
Shortly after every Vantage TEFL course, there is a conference call between the Moderator and Vantage’s Lead Trainer where they go over students’ lesson plans, their self-evaluations and their reflective journal. They also discuss what happened in that course.
Here’s a follow-up email from the Course Moderator to the Lead Trainer wrapping up a recent conference call.
From: "david b Hopkins"
Date: 10 Aug 2020
Subject: Re: Vantage TEFL Course Moderation - July 2020
To: "Chris Demetsopoullos—Lead Trainer"
Hi Chris,
1. Focus on student actions and behaviors are very well described. The trainees obviously have been prepared to think ahead and imagine how the performance will be observable.
2. Self-reflection. Impressive. Trainees seem well aware of what was done, and what might have been done. Unusual thread of self-awareness throughout.
3. Formatting of Lesson Planning and Self Evaluation. Excellent. The display of input and self-reflection is enhanced by the well planned and laid out documentation.
It is not redundant to repeat the good words for the evidence of training demonstrated by these documents.
You and your team are to be congratulated on establishing and maintaining high standards.
Sincerely,
Dave Hopkins
Thailand's Ministry of Education
All our courses are conducted in registered facilities and our Teaching Practices (the practicum) are held at Boromarajonani Nursing College, Thailand’s oldest & largest nursing training university with 28 campuses throughout Thailand, at The University of Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) and at Petcharawun Witthaya School—a Thai school with more than 2,000 students from kindergarten to the 9th grade.
UTCC is a leading business education institution in SE Asia. Founded in 1940, it’s Thailand’s oldest private non-profit university.
These institutions are registered and under the supervision of Thailand's Ministry of Education and al the Ministry of Public Health.
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1873/15-16 Sena Center, Phaholyothin Rd,
Ladyao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900
Tel: 02-511-3516
Fax: 02-511-3515