Teach travel live & work abroad. Learn to teach English as a foreign language
Frequently Asked Questions Q. What is the Freedom International TEFL Certificate, and if after working for Freedom I wanted to teach in another country, would your TEFL Certificate be recognized there? A. The Freedom International TEFL Certificate is recognized and accepted all over the world. It is an internationally recognized qualification for teaching English abroad. Q. Does Freedom English guarantee a teaching position for those who complete the International TEFL Certificate course? A. Freedom does have teaching positions available but cannot guarantee a job at the moment. We have a strong relationship with many employers worldwide and give unlimited assistance with job applications, references and resumes. Q. How much can I earn teaching English in Goa? What is the average successful graduate's weekly work schedule like? A. Our graduates earn approximately four times the average English teacher´s wage in Goa, working on average twenty five hours a week. Q. What type of students will I be teaching? What age range are they going to be, and are they going to be professionals or individuals? Will I teach classes, or teach on a one-to-one basis? A. Your students will be a mixture of children, teenagers, adults and professionals of all English levels. You will usually teach one to one as well as small groups (2-5), and occasionally big groups (6-20). You will teach in our centre, as well as travel to schools and offices around Goa. Q. When do I start teaching classes? A. Another important difference at Freedom includes being paid for teaching classes that begin during the course. Theoretical training is important, but there is no substitute for experience. Standing in front of a group of non native English speakers and teaching an English class in a foreign country is not easy. For those with little or no teaching experience, it can be a daunting experience. Freedom realizes this. Our program is specifically designed to guide you, to help you and walk you through this process so that you attain the confidence necessary to do this by the end of the course. Our philosophy includes both a “LEARN BY DOING” approach together with a “PAID FOR DOING” policy. Thus, each TEFL trainee must teach a total of 20 hours of observed classes with non-native speaking students to obtain their TEFL certificate. Moreover, you will be paid for teaching these classes as well. As a trainee, you will be hard pressed to find a better situation than that! Q. Do I continue teaching the students that I have started with during the course, and will I receive more classes after this? A. You will start teaching students during the course and you may be able to continue with them for the rest of the year. In addition, Freedom will assist you in marketing yourself to other academies and provide you with class sessions on resume writing, how to set up private classes for yourself, and their well known and respected job references as well. Q. If I have never taught before, would the Freedom International TEFL Certificate give me the necessary qualification and experience? A. With the explosive growth in the demand for English instruction, the TEFL Certificate has become the common qualification overseas for entry-level teaching. The Freedom International TEFL Certificate course is an economical, time saving option for people who want to learn how to teach English as a second language as well as to immediately start work teaching in a foreign country. Unlike other TEFL programs, Freedom devotes a significant amount of time concentrating on the techniques of teaching children. Every trainee participates in 25 hours total of children practice teaching. Considering that 50 % of the job offers around the world involve teaching children, this is another important point to consider when shopping for a TEFL program. Many TEFL programs, including the CELTA, cover this topic in passing, if at all. We feel this is an oversight. Perhaps because of the shifting job market to the teaching of children, together with the major insufficiency of a children teaching section in the original CELTA program, many CELTA providers are now offering additional young learner certificate courses of 20 to 30 hours duration on aspects of teaching English to young learners for an additional 380 euros on top of the initial 1,350€ course price. Remember, CELTA stands for Certificate of English Language Teaching of Adults. Moreover, Freedom also dedicates a substantial amount of time directed toward the techniques of teaching business English to professionals. Again, all trainees participate in 25 hours total of business English practice teaching. Q. Can I obtain a teaching position without a TEFL certificate? A. Although it may be possible in a few countries to obtain teaching jobs without TEFL certification, this is becoming rarer. Moreover, these are usually quite low paying jobs. Schools increasingly require a TEFL certificate and often require applicants to teach a demonstration lesson or submit a video of the applicant teaching a lesson. Freedom's training will more than prepare you to meet these requirements. Q. Are books and materials included in the course price? A. Yes, all materials for the course, including the textbook, are checked out to each student through the Freedom English library. Typical materials in the library include magazines, books, photocopies, games, etc. Q. Is there any type of orientation provided when I arrive to Goa? A. Yes, everyone is welcome to join us for an orientation session at Freedom English, Goa. Orientation is always on the Friday of the week prior to your first TEFL class at 9:30 in the morning. All the students meet with the Directors of the Freedom English Language Academy and various staff members. Each student is given a welcome pack. After the orientation, the directors then take everyone out for an informal “English “ breakfast with bacon and eggs, pancakes, assorted donuts and pastries, cereals, orange juice, coffee, tea, etc. where everybody gets a chance to relax and converse more informally. The whole orientation covers about three hours and finishes sometime around 12:00 noon. There is also a “Kick-off Cocktail” event of some kind scheduled on the same Friday in the evening where new TEFL students can meet and network with other teachers/friends of Freedom. Topics and information to be covered include: 1. Introduction to Freedom English and the TEFL program. Q. Is accommodation included in the price of the course? Also, what is the typical cost of living expenses? A. Accommodation is not included in the price of the course (see below for a variety of housing options). Typical cost of living expenses are the following: 1 month rent: 180 Euros Here is a list of internet sites where you can find housing and other useful information about Goa: http://www.hostels247.com/INDIA/GOA/ http://iffigoa.org/iffi2006/dormitories.php http://yas.nic.in/yasroot/hostel/youthhostel/yhgo.htm http://www.hostels.com/en/in.go.html http://www.hostelsweb.com/cities/goa.html http://www.hostels.net/findabed.php/India-Goa-hostels http://goagovt.nic.in/gag/platou.htm http://www.goatourism.org/Accomodation/accomodation.htm http://www.hostelsclub.com/cheap-hostels-en-154-Goa.html http://www.hostels.mobi/hostel/india/goa/9563 Other useful links: http://www.goatourism.org/About_Goa/goa_intro.htm Q. How much money would I need to start up before I actually complete the TEFL program? A. You would need (as a minimum) the following: 1 month rent: 180 Euros (bills included) A. Clothes Goa has many sunny days and a warm climate, so always dress for the tropics. Cotton clothes are the best option during the warm and sunny days and are available very cheaply in Goa. Woollen clothes are rarely needed, and even if you do feel the cold, all you need is a light wool jacket or sweater. The maximum daily temperature is rarely less than 30 degrees centigrade and the minimum is seldom below 20 degrees. You don´t need to bring much because you can purchase clothes very cheaply in Goa. For example, a pair of cotton trousers can be onbtained for less than 2 Euros. Documents All foreigners travelling to India need to carry at least one valid photo ID e.g. passport. It is advisable to carry copies of the original ID and if possible carry second photo ID like a driving license, in case one of the IDs goes missing. Tourists are advised to arrange their own medical insurance prior to the visit. In addition, it is imperative that you have both an awareness and understanding of English grammar. We advise that you study English grammar before you leave, and that you bring a grammar book(s) with you. We present the following as excellent English grammar books: Murphy, R. (2004) English Grammar in Use, Third Edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Swan, M. (1980) Practical English Usage, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Q. What´s the climate like in Goa? A. Goa enjoyes warm temperatures year round. Between late September and late may temperatures usually reach between 30 and 35 degrees and rarely drop below 20 degrees. During this time, expect to see about 8-10 hours of sunshine every day so make sure you´ve got sun cream. The monsoon starts in early June and is the spectacular wet season. Although rains are heavy and frequent, there are still about 5 hours of sunshine during this period. Q. What is the nightlife like in Goa? A. Drinking and having a nightout is not very popular in India but it is well accepted in Goa. Goa was a Portugese colony till 1961, so it still bears much of portugese culture and tradition. If you like fun and frolic then Goa is the best place to visit. Night life in Goa is exciting and there are many ways to spark up the evening and have a good time. You can either have a drink at your nearest bar or join a beach party. Most restaurants serve exquisite seafood and other Goan delicacies.. Goan people are very friendly and helpful. There are places where every third house has a bar-cum restaurant. All of these places may not be very fancy. Sometimes it´s just a room open to public with some tables and chairs but the atmosphere is always excellent. Here is a recommended list of night clubs and bars that you should visit when you are in Goa. Club Tito’s Pubs in Goa North Goa Cool Cat - Osborne Holiday Resort, near St.Anthony's Chapel, Calangute. South Goa Bar Negro - Verna Q. Do the students arrange airfares independently? A.Yes, the students arrange their own airfares. Q. When does the next Freedom International TEFL Certificate course start? A. The Freedom International TEFL Certificate course is of four weeks duration and is held every month of the year apart from December. Click here to see the course dates. Because of the demand for our TEFL course, it is usually booked up a few weeks or more (depending on the month) before it starts. We recommend that you send in your application for the month that is most convenient for you as soon as possible. Q. When do people normally have to decide and pay the deposit? A. If your application for the month you have chosen has been accepted (we take about a week to evaluate it through a highly selective process), you will receive an e-mail informing you of your acceptance. You then have fourteen days from the date of the e-mail to send us your credit card number, which will be debited 300 Euros. Additionally you can pay by bank transfer or by sending a cheque to the Freedom office address. If, after fourteen days, we have not received payment, your space will be taken by another student. Q. Which vaccinations or medication will I need? We recommend you have a look at the following link for medical advice relating to India: http://t8web.lanl.gov/LAT00/medical_advice.html. We also recommend you consult your GP at least 6 weeks before travelling. Q. Do students arrange their own medical insurance? A.Yes, all students need to arrange their own medical insurance. Follow the following link for more information about obtaining medical insurance: http://www.nriol.com/insurance/foreigners-travel-medical-health-insurance.html. In case any student needs to see a doctor we can recommend the best doctors in the area. Q. Where is Freedom located? A. Freedom International Language Solutions Q. How to I get to Panaji? A. We can arrange a pickup service from Dabolim airport at the local rate. You can also take a train from Mumbai to Panaji where you´ll be met at the station upon arrival. Q. What if I have other questions? A. If you still have any specific questions concerning the program, please email us a contact number and the best time to call you. We will telephone you there as soon as we can. For the fastest and speediest responses, please send all emails to the following address: info@freedomindia.com/ freedomlanguages@hotmail.com Come and start your new, fun, and exciting life in India! SEE YOU ON THE BEACH!! | ||||||