What to look for in TEFL Certification?

By Teaching English as Foreign Language (TEFL) 0 Comments

Choosing a TEFL Course can be tricky if you are not aware of the particular features to look for in a certification course. If being overseas and teaching English to native speakers is on your mind, you better know the nukes and crannies of the criteria you should identify before grabbing your TEFL Certificate.

A number of teacher training institutes are coming up with various courses that make you capable of landing you a job in countries abroad. You do not even need a traditional college degree to get into this profession. But you do need an acclaimed certificate.

What are the criteria of a good certification in TEFL?

There not only one or two criteria that must be present in your teacher training courses but a few more. In the following sections we will tell you about these. Always keep in mind that quality of the certification course will determine how well-placed you will be.

Training Duration

To be a Master in TEFL you must complete a course duration of at least 100 hours. That means, your class time will cover this hour duration and inclusive of all the course works within this period. This means the certification course will be spanned over four weeks’ class, each of them comprising of 25 hours in online or offline mode.

Anything less than that, 2-week courses or weekend course or any such crash course does not match the international standards of being a professional EFL/ESL trainer.

Practice Teaching

In teaching, getting hands-on skills is necessary. It is more important in case of teaching English as foreign language. Practice teaching sessions give you the desired level of confidence and comfort when you step into the classroom in another country.

Remember when you present your TEFL Diploma or TEFL Advanced Diploma degree to the hirers they will also look for live teaching sessions of at least 6 to 20 hours. Your chosen course must provide you with the same.

Highly Qualified Trainers

To be a professional you need the guidance of a professional, right? Before enrolling into a course, check who gives of the training.

Are they university level professors? Or are they simply being referred to as tutors? What qualifications are these tutors in possession of?

Do they have at least Master’s Degree in TESOL or TEFOL or any such related field? Experience and expertise of the trainers will determine you come out as a professional with that level of expertise which would increase your employability.

Accreditation from Recognised Institution

When you present your TEFL PG degree to the authorities who would hire you, they would also look for your institute’s accreditation. Does the institute you choose have accreditation from a recognised university or any other independent body of this field?

The accreditation will ensure that your TEFL curriculums are as per international standards, hours of teaching or practice teaching qualifies the standard the criteria etc. No accreditation will make your certificate and degree meaningless.

Assistance in Placement

This is one of the most crucial criteria you must check for before indulging into a certification course. A TEFL training programme which is also involved in recruiting, interviewing and proper navigating of the worldwide job market is the one you should definitely go for.

The assistance will help you land a job and fulfil your dream of teaching English abroad. You will not have to take extra burden of finding connections, contacts of schools or other recruiters. Proper job assistance takes care of visa and other relevant things also.

In a nutshell, these are the main criteria of TEFL certification courses you should look out for. The ones that tick all boxes should be chosen. Grab your international teaching diploma today and set forth for your career abroad.