I was a little confused by your advice.

On the one hand you say, "a TEFL certificate will garner a bit more in wages. But the way in which you gain more in pay is being able to be more selective in the jobs offered to you." Which tells me that I just need to wait for the right offer, presumably not from a placement agency.

But then you go on to say, "All the education and experience in the world may not do you much good in landing a job if you don't have a piece of paper that actually says 'TEFL trained.'"

Well, I have gotten quite a few offers without the TEFL cert under my belt; granted that 95% of the offers are junk (see: placement agency), but they're offers all the same.

So is what you're saying: TEFL cert online doesn't prepare me, but it is valued nonetheless, and can help me get a job?

Danke,

Dusty