Thinking of Teaching English? You can in 3 Dedicated Steps!
How to become TEFL certified
Bored with your job? Looking to make an impact on others? One great way to do this is by becoming TEFL Certified. TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
Why become TEFL certified and not just apply for a company which just needs a native English speaker?
In order to teach successfully, it is both beneficial and essential to get training in order to enhance your knowledge and skills. Speaking English doesn’t automatically equate to being a teacher, just like switching on a tap doesn’t make you a plumber.
Having a TEFL certification is recognized worldwide. You may be someone who wants to teach abroad or from the comfort of your home. Reputable companies will require you to have training. Even if you are a qualified teacher, this will not guarantee a job role as a TEFL teacher.
It’s also definitely handy in these unprecedented times. Education is very much needed online with the huge amount of educational institutions closing /only opening to key worker children then reopening and who knows if they will close again?
Lots of people around the world are searching for teachers to help their English language skills as English is the lingua franca of the world.
You can choose your target group from children/teenagers/adults.
Read on to find out how to become TEFL certified in 3 dedicated steps!
3 is the magic number
To become a TEFL certified teacher, I highly recommend these 3 dedicated steps:
Step 1: Research TEFL companies
Step 2: Apply for a minimum of 120 hours TEFL course
Step 3: Do the course and become certified!
STEP 1 — Research TEFL Companies
Research is important before making a decision to do anything in life especially when it requires parting with valuable time & money.
One way of researching I’d advise is via reading reviews on TEFL companies. Any company which wants you as their customer (in this instance; student) will highlight the benefits of their courses.
Yet, if you take the time to read reviews of that company, you will find out the real experiences of a range of people who have taken part in one of the many TEFL courses.
With reading reviews, have an open mind, read both the good & the bad ones to get an overall balance.
There are many companies offering TEFL courses & you should find one that is accredited, fits your aims and is good value for money.
It’s important to note that in order to be certified you need a minimum of 120 hours of training.
This is the requirement worldwide and via online teaching companies. Some TEFL companies offer courses with less hours amongst other courses yet doing a 20 hour English business course is not going to get you to the destination of teaching in an educational institution abroad/where you live/online with a distinguished company.
120 hours is not a lot in comparison to doing a 3 year undergraduate teaching degree or a year postgraduate teaching degree.
Although I am an experienced teacher & middle leader, I personally learnt so much when doing the TEFL 120 hour course.
Here’s my review on TEFL Graduate to start you off in your research
I decided to do the 120 hr course in the middle of 2019 with TEFL Graduate as I wanted more freedom and flexibility.
I learnt a lot of new information and skills regardless of my experience & degrees.
Lots of reflection…
Doing the course encouraged quite a lot of reflection on my past learning & teaching experiences. It helped me to focus on the minds of learners (which we all are)!
Good challenges!
It does challenge you whether you have taught previously, studied English at a high level or are new to it. The ability to gain support with job searches is fantastic and the opportunity to work abroad is amazing.
Great support and feedback!
The feedback given at each stage was very helpful and I am very pleased to have done it!
PROGRESS, PROGRESS, PROGRESS — 100%
I liked the fact that I could track my progress as I went along and go over previous lessons for revision easily. The course is very clear and doesn’t require you to be computer savvy to navigate through. I certified with 100 % in January 2020 & this was very rewarding!
My husband also did it and he had no prior teaching experience & he too successfully certified with 100 %. He is an example that is possible for both experienced teachers & aspiring teachers to succeed in this course.
My overall rating- 4.5/5
The course was flexible, a good challenge, well put together and resourceful. I was able to do this in my free time after work as well as during home renovations after moving abroad. These were busy time periods of my life, yet the course kept me motivated to continue!
I would recommend this company to those who are ambitious learners, enjoy reading & a challenge.
STEP 2 –Apply for a minimum of 120 hours TEFL course
Once you’ve done your research, apply for a minimum of 120 hours.
Be sure to plan your schedule & make an effort to do all the reading provided, try your best to eliminate distractions and never give up.
Another great TEFL company I’ve researched which you may want to take a look at is TEFL UK.
With a TEFL UK certification you will have the option to teach English online or in a school, teach in the UK or your dream destination.
TEFL UK also have a jobs section on their website where you can easily apply for a multitude of options.
TEFL UK pride themselves in being teachers who train teachers so you will be supported by those who have done this training and have experience.
Click ==>HERE<== for more information on their courses & as a treat add the code AB8741FB to get a 10% discount on any of the TEFL UK courses.
STEP 3 — Do the course and become certified!
You won’t regret becoming TEFL certified. It will open doors for you to work flexibly whether tutoring online, working abroad or where you live! You can teach children, teenagers or adults!
The great benefit of the online TEFL course is it can be done in your own time and the time limit is usually up to a year once you’ve registered. Of course you may be able to do this in a few months if you have the time and motivation to do it quickly.
Let me know if you’ve done any TEFL courses or equivalent and how you’ve found them!
Every success to those who aim to become TEFL certified!
