# Recommendations for an on-line TESL course? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 23, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-an-on-line-tesl-course/332494 "2005-11-23T22:25:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-an-on-line-tesl-course/332494/1 "2005-11-23T22:25:20Z")
I am very eager to quickly get my TESL accreditation and begin teaching as soon as possible. It appears that many of the on-line courses let you go at your pace, is this true? Are such courses reputable? I live in northern California and I know of a few TESL programs in the surrounding area, would it be better to go to an in-person course instead of an on-line one? Is there any program in my area (Stockton CA, forty miles south of Sacramento)? ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-an-on-line-tesl-course/332494/2 "2005-11-28T20:21:22Z")
> [@Muad'Dib](#): > > I am very eager to quickly get my TESL accreditation and begin teaching as soon as possible. It appears that many of the on-line courses let you go at your pace, is this true? Are such courses reputable? > > I live in northern California and I know of a few TESL programs in the surrounding area, would it be better to go to an in-person course instead of an on-line one? Is there any program in my area (Stockton CA, forty miles south of Sacramento)? bump ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-an-on-line-tesl-course/332494/3 "2005-11-28T20:59:24Z")
You might be more likely to get a response if you told us what the heck TESL is. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-an-on-line-tesl-course/332494/4 "2005-11-28T21:09:09Z")
TESL **T** est of **E** nglish as a **S** econd **L** anguage. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-an-on-line-tesl-course/332494/5 "2005-11-28T21:10:17Z")
> [@Muad'Dib](#): > > Are such courses reputable? My brother got his TESL, and as I recall, the real hassle was finding _a_ reputable course, much less one on-line. I would be very hesitant to go through an online outfit unless they were affilliated with a very good school. That’s just my 2 cents - sorry I don’t know any specifics of them. Also re: Invisible Wombat TESL stands for Teaching English as a Second Language and involves teaching english to non-native speakers. - Peter Wiggen ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-an-on-line-tesl-course/332494/6 "2005-11-28T21:36:24Z")
I would definitely recommend doing it in-person. I would guess that it isn’t really possible for an online certification to require some kind of in the classroom experience (which, presumably, would be part of the in-person program…it was in mine). It would probably be beneficial to, at least once, stand in front of a classroom full of non-native speakers trying to explain passive voice its situational appropriateness and seeing 30 faces full of complete and total incomprehension!