TEFL Programme: 6 key questions and answers

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could travel the world and earn by teaching at the same time? Grabbing a TEFL certificate can do just that for you.

While you possess a TEFL diploma, you have to teach the language to speakers of native language. For this purpose you need to trot the globe and settle in such countries where English is not the mother tongue. Various teacher training institutes offer online or offline classes to which you can enrol.

But while choosing the teacher training course, several questions my loud your mind. In this article, we choose six such frequently asked questions and answer them to clear the doubts in your mind. Scroll down to know more.

1. What are the criteria for enrolling into a TEFL programme?

To enrol into a TEFL diploma or TEFL advanced diploma degree course, you do not need any special educational qualification or have to be a degree holder in specific subject. You can be a graduate from any stream and avail the course.

For landing a job as a TEFL trainer you need to speak the language English well enough and must possess a certificate in TEFL course. In fact, you do not have to have any prior experiences either to get admission to such a course.

English may or may not be your native language. Nevertheless, you can join a course of your choice and polish your skills of speaking and teaching.

2. Do I need to know foreign language?

Not necessarily. To be a successful TEFL trainer you need to have knowledge in English language only and be master in TEFL. But if you can speak the language of the learners of your class, that will be an added advantage as the communication will be easier. But in that case, whether or not you have fluency in the foreign language, is not that much relevant.

As a TEFL trainer you are supposed to impart knowledge on reading, writing and speaking English and English grammar. Thus knowing foreign language is not mandatory. But if you are placed in a native-speaking country, knowing their language will help you mix with the culture and understand the demands easily.

3. Are TEFL and TESOL same?

As for meaning and application, yes these two terms are same. TEFL is the abbreviation of Teaching English as a Foreign Language. TESOL is the abbreviation of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Both consist of similar learning materials and course curriculums. The term TEFL is more frequently used in the United Kingdom while TESOL finds frequent use in the USA. However, both these terms are also used interchangeably.

4. What are the career options with TEFL?

When you have a TEFL PG degree, you can make a real career out of TEFL if you wish so. TEFL gives you the scope to earn a handsome amount while exploring various parts of the world and developing your career at the same time.

With TEFL you can land permanent or long-term jobs. From being a TEFL teacher to obtaining administrative positions in the academic institutions, you can achieve all with TEFL degree. Director of Studies is another designation that you can avail after obtaining the degree in TEFL.

If you are interested in writing, you can also be involved in writing and developing materials for the teacher training process. The more advanced degrees you possess, like diploma or PG, the more senior positions you are going to get access to.

5. What are the age criteria for TEFL?

This is a tricky question to answer. Age limit is dependent on the country of your work, their culture, choice or the criteria set by the different employers. Keep in mind that your students are not always school-going children; employees of multinational companies can also be the learners.

Depending upon the age group of students or learners, the age limit might vary. Some employers might want mature and experienced teachers while some other might want to invest in the dynamic nature of youth and prefer fresh and young candidates for recruitment.

To be very honest, there is no age limit to get admission into an online TEFL course or offline. But to get placed below the age of 21 and above 50 becomes difficult as some places have retirement policies implemented at 60-65 years.

6. Which institute is best for TEFL?

There are a huge number of institutes offering classes of TEFL programme. How do you choose from among them? Look out for the following points before enrolling into one:

1. Which courses are available in the institute? Certificate, PG, diploma or advanced diploma?
2. Do they cover the entire syllabus in the study materials provided?
3. How much is the fee of the course?
4. Are the certificates provided at the end of the course globally accredited?
5. Is the institution recognised by international bodies?
6. Does the institution provide job assistance?
7. Does it provide at least 120 hours’ class?
8. How are the reviews as provided by the previous batch of students?

If you get satisfactory answer to these queries, you can go for the particular institute.

Hope this helps you in clearing your doubts. Grab your international teaching diploma today and set forth with your career s a TEFL associate. Choose a reliable and worthy institute and give wings to your dreams to be a part of the academic world.

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