Sara Smucker is wondering whether to do a one month Lado certificate or a longer and more academic TEFL course of preparation before coming to teach in China. And if they don't employ at least several trainers who have taught English in Asia choose another program that does. I did a masters degree in TESL at the University of San Francisco School of Education before coming to teach in China. I learned in the masters degree more a source of anguish and frustration than helpful in my classroom. This because Chinese universities fail my professional expectations constantly.
Curriculums are frankly very badly conceived, pedagogically speaking.
Techniques would help me enjoy my classes more than theory does. In China you are on your own. No one around you in China is likely to know how to help you. Your students will sense your difficulty and try to help. They don't know how of course.