I just don't know what I can trust. I look for accreditation, but it's such a jungle. I don't want to put money into getting a certificate from an organization that turns out to be nothing more than a piece of paper saying I did it. I want to know if there are any organizations out there that anyone knows are trustworthy and worth it. I'd really like to get certified to teach English abroad (just TESOL/TEFL/ESL type of certification) and to teach, mostly, in South America. I don't want to be a teacher or have a 4-year teaching degree or anything. I just want to have this experience in my life aside from what I already am going to school for and what career plans I already have.

I took the TEFL Worldwide Prague course last October and have been teaching in Prague since. It was a great course, very thorough and intense but alot of fun too. The trainers are just dynamic. Alot of people from my course stayed in Prague but quite a few went on to teach in several different countries. They have great job guidance with binders filled with current job openings and contacts for English language schools all over the globe. I highly recommend them. www.teflworldwideprague.com

In addition to Global Tesol check out these 2 sites:
http://www.eslcafe.com/
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/

On eslcafe - there are excellent forums and you can ask your question there -

Go to this website:

http://www.globaltesol.com/index.php

They are one of the best, are one of the most reputable, have good certs., and will give you truthful information

In South America the standard minimum requirements are a BA plus a TESL/TEFL Cert. and/or experience.

Of course, as with any job, the more you have to offer in terms of qualifications and experience, the better your chances of landing a well paid job with opportunities for advancement.

Unless your intention is to remain within the ESL industry and build a career for yourself in this field then you could opt for a TESL or TEFL Certificate. This will allow you to get a taster of the ELT profession and see if it is really for you before committing your time, effort and finances to get to the next level.

Being certified will make you more marketable and it will also, and perhaps more importantly, prepare for the job.

Online courses are a good option particularly if you have a limited budget to further your studies or if you have other work and/or family commitments that restrict the amount of time you have available to study. See the ICAL www.icalweb.com for quality online courses and a respected TESL/TEFL Certificate.