The TEFL Times

By Luke Fisher

We’re once again joined by Luke Fisher, who delves into the world of teacher training courses in this article:

The various types of TEFL Certification available make it important to research all possible options before learning to teach English as a second language. As there are many types of courses available you can usually find one that will suit both your timing and the method that you prefer for instruction. In the past there have been two options when it comes to taking a TEFL course, the first is classroom style and the second is an online course. Currently, about 30,000 people per year become TEFL certified with 5,000 completing in-class courses and 25,000 completing online courses.

There are a number of options in terms of TEFL certification. The training methods vary due to the nature of the course itself, the main difference being the method of course delivery. An in-class 4 week course is face to face where trainees are taught along with their peers and includes the very important component of teaching practice with real students of English. By Contrast, an online course is by nature completed independently with the support of an online tutor either via email or chat. Although an online course is a convenient option in terms of cost and accessibility, the draw back is that no teaching practice can be completed due the course being online. Instead, a CD of teachers teaching are viewed and commented on.

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Typically, a TEFL certification course is 4 weeks long and is more than often completed in the country where you plan to teach English. The course is fairly intensive and is designed to give a sound foundation and introduction to teaching English as well as teaching practice with actual students of English. Teaching skills, knowledge and experience are improved after the course when actually teaching. The most popular locations for TEFL certification are Thailand, Spain, Italy and Costa Rica.

Another option is TEFL certification online. The main advantage of this type of course is its flexibility and price. The course can be taken from pretty much anywhere with a pc and can be completed at a self dictated pace. The course can be completed in anything from 2 weeks to 6 months depending on the time that you have available. Not having to attend a training centre overseas for 4 weeks obviously makes this type of course a much cheaper option.

One further option is a Combined TEFL course. This is a combination of the two methods above. Trainees complete the online TEFL certification course and then attend a training centre for two weeks for further training and teaching practice. This is a good option for those that do not perform to their full potential in intensive environments. The teaching practice component of the combined course is offered in four locations: Thailand, Italy, Spain and the USA.

The quality of training and certification received when completing a TEFL course relates to the time involved in training and the amount of teaching practice hours completed. The 4 week in class TEFL course and the combined TEFL course involves approximately 130 hrs of training and 6 to 10 hrs of teaching practice. The industry standard recommendation for an in-class course is 6 hrs of teaching practice. The online course involves 100 hrs of training and post course options for in class components of teaching practice either locally or abroad.

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