I was recently trying to figure this out myself, and while I don't have a good answer for you yet I'll share my thought process! I wanted to find teaching work abroad without paying crazy fees to an outside organization, but I've taught basic ESL classes on my own and I definitely need training to do it effectively as a job. I'm not good at learning in front of a screen, so online courses were out. The TEFL classes I found in the U.S. were just too expensive and time consuming so I looked into several TEFL options abroad, as I'd rather spend the same money and travel. Finally I decided to apply for WorldTeach in Colombia and it seems like a good fit..I'll let you know how things are going in 2012!

This is a good question, there are several things to think about, this should help.

1) $$ Cost:

a) If you can't afford it, it doesn't matter where you take a class. If there is one in your home town or where you can live for free for a month, that will save $ 1,000 bucks pretty easy.

b) A great online course allows you to continue to work full time while taking a part time TEFL class, this means you aren't out of 1 month's pay when taking the class.

c) If you have the money to take the class abroad but choose to do options a or b, this will give you that extra money to travel while living abroad that you would have spent during the 4 week course.

2) If the country you want to work is where a TEFL class is located.

Example: Want to teach in Spain, take a class in Madrid then interview after the class. Pretty simple, take a class, interview, get a job and start working.

3) Do you need to interview over the phone months before starting the job abroad?

Example: South Korea the interview process is done 2-3 months before the job starts, there is typically a 6-8 week period to just get the federal criminal background check before getting accepted and a work permit. The interview process also requires a face to face meeting at a local South Korean embassy or consulate in your home country before getting the work permit.

What does this mean?

It means if you took a TEFL class in Korea (or elsewhere) you would still have to fly all the way back to your home country (USA for example) to go through the paperwork. That would have been a total waste of time and money.

Benefits of taking a class at a location:

a) Get orientated to the country for 4 weeks, (but keep in mind that you are in class all day and studying at night. It’s not a vacation, it’s like going back to college. Weekends are optional fun but need time to catch up on any classwork.

b) Meet other people taking a course that will probably stay in town and work.

c) A good school will have job assistance and introduce you to good language schools to interview. Many countries you need to interview face to face in that country so it’s a benefit for any extra advice on good jobs.

Benefits of taking a class before going abroad:

a) Take class in your own country, no stress of a foreign country. Comfort of own home.

b) When going abroad you can concentrate on just the job hunt and not about your TEFL class.

c) Some countries you interview months in advance over the phone (or skype) so you can have a job lined up in advance.

d) If take class over several months part time (in person or online), the work load is considerably less per week (difference of 30 hours of class full time to 12-15 hours part time).

e) Possibly save money (see above).

Author: Bruce Jones, President of International TEFL Academy. Bruce has traveled and worked in 30 countries worldwide and his company trains nearly 1,000 new students a year and making dreams come true every day.

For further advice on TEFL classes either online or in person, take a look at International TEFL Academy, www.InternationalTEFLAcademy.com

With you being a recent college grad, I'd strongly recommend going to the Study Abroad department of your school and see what they have to offer. With you as an alumni, the cost of a certified teaching course SHOULD be cheaper (and possibly less hours) than going at it online or through something like CELTA/DELTA or Trinity College.

I believe that a lot of this depends on you, how much money you want to spend and how prepared you want to be going into the classroom. There are many schools that hire new teachers and offering on the job training. Any good classroom TEFL program is basically going to do the same thing, put you in the classroom and then provide feedback for how to improve.

If you've got the money for a classroom TEFL course, do it. You can take the class at home and then find a job or take the class in the country you want to work in and do it with a company that will guarantee you job placement (just research the job and make sure it's good). If you want to save some money, take an on-line course and really study the materials. Then find a job with a school willing work with and train new teachers.

www.teachingnomad.com