looking for information for a continuing education program

[yar78]

I have been living in France for the past 15 yrs and after having an accident at work I have found myself looking for a continuing education program financed by the CIF. I am considering TEFL or the CELTA program for teaching English here in France. I live near Avignon and cannot go to Paris for going through a program. Does anyone know which of the two programs would be best and more importantly financeable by the CIF and located near Avignon. I want to find a real course hints not an online course and if anyone knows an internet site that may have this type of information it would help enormously.

[_Sarah_]

I've done the CELTA and it's an amazing course, but I'm pretty certain that it's only available in Paris, here:
ILC France-IH Paris | CELTA : Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

If it needs to be close to Avignon then I guess that you'll have to go for another TEFL course, but I don't know any in particular, sorry.

[yar78]

Originally Posted by _Sarah_

I've done the CELTA and it's an amazing course, but I'm pretty certain that it's only available in Paris, here:
ILC France-IH Paris | CELTA : Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

If it needs to be close to Avignon then I guess that you'll have to go for another TEFL course, but I don't know any in particular, sorry.

I was wondering where you went for the CELTA certification? I wanted to know if taking the CELTA course and being certified helped you to teach and opened doors for you. Here not many companies ask for the TEFL or the CELTA certification and I have asked the question if it will make a difference. Want kind of posts ask for the CELTA certificate and did you find work right away as a result of this certification? I am try to gather as much information I can regarding the programs at the same time find out what impact it will have regarding teaching opportunities. Thank you for your help.

[_Sarah_]

Actually I'm not in France yet. I'd like to teach English once I'm there, so on top of my Bachelors degree I wanted to do a short ESL-teaching course. I did some research and it seems that in France the CELTA is quite respectable; I've seen many language schools ads across France asking for at least the CELTA.

I've seen lots of ads asking for a people with a "TEFL certificate or CELTA", but I chose the CELTA because you actually complete 6 hours of teaching practice, which was really helpful. I did it in Melbourne, but I know that it costs the same all over the world (here it was AUD $3000). I'm sure there are many good TEFL courses that will do the job. I've also noted that some companies and schools ask for people with previous experience, between 6-12 months usually.

With just a CELTA or a TEFL there is probably quite a few things you can do. I know that with only an anglophone Bachelors degree I could probably get a bad-paying position somewhere, but I feel more confident with a TEFL qualification. It wouldn't hurt to get some experience as well, even if it is just volunteer work.

In terms of jobs, other than language schools, you might be interested in the holiday programs for school kids to learn English:
http://www.education.gouv.fr/recrutlangues/
There is also private tutoring. If you have a Masters degree you can be a lecteur/lectrice in a university. It's also a good idea to contact the rectorat in your area for any opportunities they might know of.

Sorry for not having any first-hand experience !