Types of TEFL course

Last Updated on Sunday, 21 February 2010 17:46 Written by Administrator Sunday, 21 February 2010 17:15

Before you start to teach, you should take an initial teacher training course; when applying for a job, some school do not require any qualifications of their teachers, but with a qualification you will find it easier to get a job, easier to manage classes and organise lessons and essential if you want to offer good training for you and your prospective students.

Introductory Courses
Introductory courses are designed for prospective teachers who want to experience teaching before making the decision to train formally and obtain qualifications. The courses usually last from a week up to four weeks. These are not certificate courses and you will not be regarded as a qualified teacher after completion of your Introductory course. You will, however, be able to say that you have had some experience of English language teaching. Some schools require trainee teachers to take an introductory course before starting a Certificate course.

Certificate courses
The majority of trainee teachers who would like to teach take a certificate course in teaching EFL/ESL. A certificate course provides basic grounding in teaching, lesson development, managing students and, in particular, the different stages of teaching English. Certificate courses are great for trainee teachers who have no experience of teaching – perhaps have a degree or experience in a totally different field – and want to ensure that they are well prepared for their first ‘real’ class (as a trainee teacher, part of your certificate course will be to experience practical teaching in a classroom). Most certificate courses are intensive and run over a four or six week period. You can take distance-study courses or take a certificate course on a part-time basis over several months.

Once you have a certificate in teaching English, you can start to apply for jobs at schools around the world. Although there is no single qualification, there are two main certificate courses: University of Cambridge CELTA and Trinity College London Cert.TESOL. Either one is well recognised around the world.

Aside from these two main certificate qualifications, many school, colleges and universities have their own certificate course developed in-house. Make sure that you ask the course provider about their qualification and if they will provide assistance finding a job once you have completed your course.

As well as the basic certificate course, you can also study for additional modules that will gain you experience and qualifications in specialist subjects (see also the section on ESP); for example, teaching young learners or teaching business English.