choosing a TEFL course for a dazzling new career

spencer999

After losing all my s/e work in lockdown I became a home delivery driver for a supermarket, then moved to work in a more upmarket shop - but they want me to work nights and the overcrowding is getting stupid.  So I've had yet another brainwave - teaching English as a second language from home.  I've read about the good bits and the pitfalls and what dodgy practices are out there.  ANYWAY I wondered if anyone could recommend a good and reasonably priced TEFL course to get me going.  I've worked in schools before and I don't think confidence will be an issue.  
I don't know why I mentioned the supermarket work - I suppose I never thought I'd be stacking shelves one day LOL

Brynsam

First question (it always is!): where will your customers (students) come from?

spencer999

I'm getting bombarded with job alerts for TEFL from indeed and Reed etc etc 

Marcon

spencer999 said:

I'm getting bombarded with job alerts for TEFL from indeed and Reed etc etc 

I don't doubt it. What happens when you follow them up?

unforeseen

My daughter has been teaching English as a foreign language for the last 7 years. However, she is in Spain and employed by one of the academies there. 

spencer999

Some of the companies get good reviews from employees - yes I am alert to fake reviews - 
and a lot say "we will help you get TEFL qualified".  But I want to check out getting qualified myself first.
Thanks to Rishi I have a bit of wiggle room

KatrinaWaves

My friend was teaching English in Vietnam before Covid, and was forced to come home. He is really struggling to get work online as the market is absolutely saturated by people like him. He mostly only gets his old Vietnamese students.

Flint19

KatrinaWaves said:

My friend was teaching English in Vietnam before Covid, and was forced to come home. He is really struggling to get work online as the market is absolutely saturated by people like him. He mostly only gets his old Vietnamese students.

That certainly tallies with the experience of a friend of mine who is in the same position. Years of TEFL experience, well qualified and with great references, but yet to teach anyone who isn't already a former student. 

Marcon

spencer999 said:

Some of the companies get good reviews from employees - yes I am alert to fake reviews - 
and a lot say "we will help you get TEFL qualified".  But I want to check out getting qualified myself first.
Thanks to Rishi I have a bit of wiggle room

Before doing that, it might be instructive to follow up some of the alerts which offer to help you get qualified - and see how much it would cost you/what you are promised in return (if anything). There's not much point in getting qualified if you can't then get any work - and the posts above don't sound too optimistic.

Voyager2002

The link below is for a company that offers a cheap way to get a TEFL qualification:
https://intesoltesoltraining.com/

My friend qualified with them. At the time she already knew the content and was working teaching English in China. She passed the course without needing to study it (but already had a relevant Masters degree) and the qualification enabled her to get a higher salary for the same work.