Oxford Seminars Review by James, February 23, 2009

Not a good course. THey give you no classroom experience which is required by many schools. Finding a job will be tough with oxford seminars.

Oxford Seminars Review by Inbal, May 14, 2009

I was really disappointed by the Oxford Seminar course, in fact I was so disappointed in the quality of instruction I decided not to complete the course. The materials provided are very high quality, but how much you learn depends on the instructor you get. When I requested a refund, the company was not very flexible and returned less than half of the amount I paid. The instruction in class was very general, and I did not feel the course provides hand-on skills and experience for teaching abroad.

Oxford Seminars Review by Reg, August 23, 2009

I thought the training was really good. Especially given the short amount of time it it held.

I do believe it mostly had to do with the instructor. She was really well informed and had a wealth of experience to share. I can see how it might be a negative experience for folks who have a poor trainer - especially since it’s only one person leading the course. Even if you have the most in-depth training in the world, that doesn’t guarantee you’ll be a good teacher. The materials and job search help alone are worth it.

Oxford Seminars Review by Jerry O, August 26, 2009

I had a decent teacher who really stressed the importance of lesson plans, but gave us very little in terms of detailed guidance. The whole course was pretty breezy, and it seemed like a bit of a rubber stamp process, but I did get a good sense of what a classroom needs.

Oxford Seminars Review by DP, September 12, 2009

I totally agree with Inbal and also dropped out. This course is a complete waste of time and money. The training materials aren’t distributed until the first day of class so students are instructed to read specific sections and discuss the contents with small groups then share with the entire class. This apparently passes for education these days. Each student is required to give a short presentation on the second weekend of this course offered over three consecutive weekends then a long presentation on the final weekend. Almost the entire course comprises of in-class reading assignments and presentations. You’ll receive a certificate if you complete the course which may improve your marketability, but don’t expect to be prepared to teach English as a second language.

Oxford Seminars Review by Culain, September 13, 2009

I have mixed opinions about the Oxford Seminars TEFOL certification course. This course provides the knowledge on how to make and use a lesson plan. There is one individual exercise where you actually teach a lesson in front of the class. I am an intelligent person with multiple degrees and I did not feel prepared going into a classroom. There is not enough focus on teaching spoken English. I am employed in China at a Foreign Language College; in fact most teaching institutions want their American teachers to teach spoken English. I did not feel Oxford seminars prepared its students for this approach. There was not an emphasis on grammar and there was not much guidance on actually teaching either. I had a good teacher, but the content was really ephemeral. I could have gone into my classroom without taking this ESL course and been fine; however, most schools look for the certification. It dismays me to see that I spent $1000 dollars on this certification when there were better certification courses out there. I did not need their job placement services because I had found a job before even taking the class. Experience is always the best teacher.

Oxford Seminars Review by Kent, December 4, 2009

After reading the prior reviews, I do not share the predominant opinion about the Oxford seminar’s lack of quality.

My prior teaching experience is one year teaching oral English communication in Beijing. The students were mid-career analysts with a major Chinese company. Prior to that experience, I have very limited teaching experience of any kind, primarily teaching work related courses duiring my thirty plus years of public service employment. After the one year experience in China, I felt I had made every teaching error, although the students succeeded in passing the end of course test. (I wonder if they would have passed without the educational experience.)

My objective in taking the Oxford Seminar courses was to gain insights which would assist in future overseas teaching assignments. After completing the Basic course, the grammar course and the TOEFL course, this objective has been met. For example, although the actual teaching experience in the basic course was limited and artificial (the “students” being individuals whose first language was English) the emphasis in the class was on lesson planning and the need to integrate each lesson within a larger set of classes. The practicum also allowed me to plan a class and practice techniques which addressed several of my perceived deficiencies after the Beijing experience.

While I disagree with Culain’s comment about the lack of grammar in the basic course (at least within the course I took, the emphasis in the practicums and the primary text was on teaching grammar) I feel I could have (in fact, did) succeed without the Oxford courses. However, I am better prepared for additional assignments because of the courses. The Oxford training appears to be part of the evolution toward becoming a quality teacher. Like individuals who get collegiate degrees and enter teaching, the evolution does not start with entry into institutes of higher education, does not end upon completing the requirements for the collegiate degree, but continues throughout the professional life.

Oxford Seminars Review by jane sears, February 9, 2010

We attended the session in Winter Park, Fl. Our instructor was well prepared, had a wonderful grasp of teaching ESL, and good interpersonal skills with the students. Our class had 8 students, a good size for interaction. Because there was so much content in the material, we couldn’t linger long on each. However our instructor encouraged us to contact her if we needed more help. She chose portions of the books to focus on, giving the main ideas for that material. She was encouraging organized, and yet kept good discipline. We loved it!!!! We are considering taking the Grammar portion next. We are both in our 60’s.

Oxford Seminars Review by Reda Dashti, February 11, 2010

This course is a scam, sorry to say. The “teachers” are really allowed to skip most, if not all of the contents of the very big book they give you. It is a huge rip off. All that you get for the almost 1000 dollars is a book, and a teacher who will make up senseless activities in the class, and will never actually get into the important aspects of teaching (how to teach grammar, phonology, making up lessons, behaviour management…etc). These may be mentioned in their book, I am not sure because they never actually use the book.

Stay away.