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Taking a TEFL Course
Teaching English Abroad

TEFL Classroom - ESL in Asia TEFL courses are a great way to jumpstart your ESL career

While not a requirement, taking a TEFL course is a great first step toward becoming a successful teacher. A good TEFL course can help give you the background and tools you need to properly prepare lessons and better connect with your students.

There are a number of courses available, both live and online. Choosing which course is the best fit for you may feel overwhelming! To that end, Reach To Teach has included a summary below which explains some of the differences between the various certifications.

Many of our teachers ask for course recommendations. It’s difficult to recommend a particular “live” classroom course. There are so many different training centers located throughout the world. However, for many people, taking a classroom course is impractical or cost prohibitive. If you choose to take an online course, we would recommend an i-to-i online TEFL course.

TEFL Classroom - Teaching English in Asia TEFL courses can be completed in a small classroom or at home with an online certificate

Because we have sent many teachers to i-to-i, we’ve asked that they offer their lowest price to our teachers. Follow this link to ensure you receive this discount.

If you are plan on teaching in Korea, make sure you sign up for the 100 hour course. If you teach at a Public School in Korea, completing the 100 hour course will qualify you for a higher salary. Over the course of the year, you will earn back the money you spent on the course and a lot more. Translation: Make sure you take a 100 hour TEFL course!

Finally, if you take a TEFL course, send us some feedback. We base our recommendations on what YOU tell us!

CHOOSING THE TEFL QUALIFICATION THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU!

Don’t be confused by all the different terms!
This is a throwback to the fact there is no one TEFL regulatory body to standardize all the terminology and resultantly the various teacher training centers have developed different names for some very similar things. We like to use the term ‘TEFL’ but here are some other common terms you may encounter:

ESL – English as a Second Language
ESOL – English for Speakers of Other Languages
EFL – English as a Foreign Language
ELT – English Language Teaching
EAL – English as an Additional Language
CELTA – Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults
TESL – Teaching English as a Second Language
TESOL – Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages
TEFL – Teaching English as a Foreign Language

There are two ways to earn your TEFL qualification:

  1. Face to Face TEFL Courses. This refers to attending a training center for your course
  2. Online TEFL Courses. This refers to studying your course online

‘FACE TO FACE’ TEFL COURSES

Great if you are coming to Taiwan, China or South Korea!

  1. Oxford Seminars (60 or 80 hours)
    These courses are becoming very popular. The shortest courses limit the scope and depth of what you can realistically cover yet they can still provide you with a basic grounding to get you started in the classroom. Some centers may also offer observed teaching practice (this is when you teach lessons to real students and are given feedback on your performance by a qualified teacher trainer.)
    www.oxfordseminars.com
  2. TEFL International (120 hours)
    An increasingly well known course that includes at least 6 hours of observed teaching practice. This qualification is recognized by the majority of schools and organizations. It takes a month to complete (full time) and is hard work – but very rewarding. You can do this course at many of their training centers around the world. Employers prefer this course over shorter courses or those that do not have any observed teaching practice. Overall, it’s a good course.
    www.teflintl.com
  3. Cambridge CELTA (120 hours) or Trinity* TESOL (120 hours)
    Two of the best known and most recognized courses. Very thorough courses that also include at least 6 hours of observed teaching practice. Both of these qualifications are very well recognized all over the world. Both take a month to complete (full time) and are hard work – but very rewarding. You can do these courses at many centers around the world, including your home country. Employers prefer these courses over shorter courses, or those that do not have any observed teaching practice. Overall, they are great courses.
    www.cambridgeesol.org
    www.trinitycollege.co.uk
  4. TEFL Corinth (120 hours)
    The course is essentially practical in nature, with just enough theory to provide sound principles on which to base your practice. In the morning, there are input sessions on the skills and methods of teaching and on language awareness. The afternoon consists of guided lesson preparation, teaching practice observed by a trainer, and feedback on your teaching. Our trainees often comment "I know you said it was intensive, but I didn't realize it was that intensive". Well, it is. You have been warned.
    www.teflcorinth.com/
  5. The TEFL Institute (120 hours)
    We are committed to providing you with an excellent TEFL teacher training program, empowering you to be a competent and enthusiastic teacher in the international teaching environment of your choice. Course participants come from various professional backgrounds and vary in age from twenty to sixty five. What everyone has in common is an interest in learning, a commitment to the tasks at hand and the understanding that one can have fun teaching!
    www.teflthai.com/

*Please note that there are many different ‘TESOL’ courses on the market. The one we are referring to is the Trinity TESOL.

ONLINE TEFL COURSES

Great if you are coming to South Korea!

These courses are popular because you can do them at your own pace and they are normally cheaper than Face to Face courses. In terms of content, they provide the basics as they are restricted through the nature of being ‘online’ ~ there is no teaching practice, group discussion, peer help, etc. However, they are very good courses!

  1. i to i Courses (40, 60, 80, 100 hours)
    An increasingly well known course. The limited length of these courses restricts the scope and depth of what you can realistically cover, but they provide a good basic grounding to get you started in the classroom!
    Because so many teachers choose this course, we’ve asked that they offer their lowest price to our teachers. Follow this link to ensure you receive this excellent discount:
    www.onlinetefl.com
  2. TEFL Earth Courses (Weekend, Online and 3-Day Courses)
    TEFL Earth aims to provide a high level of service and quality training to those looking to start out in TEFL/TESOL/ESOL/EFL/ESL.
    TEFL Earth started out in Scotland, running 2 and 3-day classroom-based courses, we still do that, but we noticed that more and more people wanted to do their learning online. Online learning has grown steadily since then with people wanting to supplement classroom-based courses or simply not having the time for a classroom-based course. We are still based in Scotland and have 2 sister sites offering classroom-based TEFL courses in Scotland and England.
    www.teflearth.com
    www.teflscotland.co.uk
    www.teflengland.co.uk
  3. ICAL Online TEFL Certificate (100 hours)
    This course will prepare you for any English teaching situation. The ICAL certificate you will earn has been accepted worldwide, with our graduates working across the globe. In all, the course is worth 100hrs and it will give you a solid understanding of the principles behind teaching English as a second or foreign language as well as a wealth of practical ideas on how to make any lesson a fruitful and enjoyable experience for both yourself and your students.
    www.icalweb.com/
  4. The Englist Training Center (up to 250 hours)
    We aim to provide just the right course for you. Our Tefl / Tesol courses range from our introductory course to a comprehensive 250-hour teacher training programme. All our courses are available by distance learning which gives you the flexibility to work at a time, place and pace that suits your own needs. There are no deadlines or time limits. Each course provides you with substantial study material, expert tuition, comprehensive feedback and course certification.
    www.englishtc.co.uk
  5. Oxford TEFL (120 hours)
    Oxford Tefl is among the most highly-regarded teacher training institutions in Europe. Last year more than 400 teachers earned their TESOL certificate in our centres in Barcelona, Cadiz and Prague and around 20 completed their Trinity Diploma in TESOL which we offer in Barcelona. From the Barcelona and Prague centres we also provide language and skills training to the local and international business community as well as offering a range of general English classes in the schools themselves.
    www.oxfordtefl.com/

Note: If you plan on teaching in Korea, make sure you sign up for the 100 hour i to i Course. If you teach at a Public School in Korea, completing the 100 hour course will qualify you for a higher salary. Over the course of the year, you will earn back the money you spent on the course and a lot more. Translation: Make sure you take a 100 hour TEFL course!