Certificate options in SF

[featurefilm]

San Francisco, CA seems like a great place to hang out, and there's now a bevy of TESOL certificate options out there. Two are relatively new, and I was wondering if anyone has attended an open house through one of the affiliated schools (CPLC) or even gotten there certificate through either TESOL Training International @ CPLC or TESOL @ the Intercultural Center of California -- all in San Francisco. Please share any thoughts or experiences.

[Jenny M]

I did check out the Intercultural school you mention - it was a bit cheaper than some of the other programs but I wasn't impressed. They don't have an alumni network, didn't seem to be able to offer placement assistance, and when I asked some language schools in San Francisco - they said they'd never heard of it (and don't hire teachers from that program). One language school told me the ESL school at Intercultural doesn't have a good reputation either.

My suggestion is - try to visit all the schools and check out their classrooms, teachers and materials (do they just rent the room for example), look at who accredits them or if schools recognize their certificate. Ask the school to give you the email or phone number of some recent graduates and actually bother to contact them - because it is a complete waste of time (and money) to take a course that isn't recognized.