Which TEFL Course?
Nikki Ashton
Three years into my career I realised it was time for a re-think. I was working in travel – exactly what I’d hoped to do – but my job hadn’t turned out to be what I wanted and I wasn’t sure what to do next. I didn’t want to rush into another job and potentially be stuck with a bad decision for years to come, so I decided that the best option was a career break.
I’d travelled before but I knew that this time I wanted to spend some really quality time in another country, rather than just backpacking through. I also knew that I didn’t have enough money to travel for an extended period of time and had no intention of going back to the UK within a year! Also, I didn’t want to ruin my CV by going off on a jaunt. I wanted something that would contribute to my work experience, not make me look like a flaky prospect with incessantly itchy feet!
While surfing the net for travel options I saw an advert for TEFL and I just knew it was the answer – it ticked all the boxes! I could work in the country of my choice without being limited by language skills (or lack thereof), stay there for a year or more, earn money and gain a new qualification and more work experience. Perfect!
So once I’d decided that TEFL was for me, it was time to plough through the many different options available. My research then, and subsequent experience in the world of TEFL, pointed towards five main options:
Option one: the opt-out (i.e. don’t take a course at all)
I had a friend who never took a TEFL course, he just turned up in Taiwan and ‘winged it.’ He always had an abundance of self-confidence and a natural charisma and so he managed with the kids he was teaching. If he’d have been teaching adults it might have been a different story –singing and playing games might make you popular with children, but paying adults are a much tougher audience. That’s if you can find a job at all. Many schools won’t accept unqualified teachers and the ones that do are often the ones with a poor reputation, a meagre salary and undesirable teaching conditions.
Option two: the online TEFL course
This is a great option is incredibly flexible and perfect for people with busy lifestyles. As long as you have a computer and internet access, you can do this course at your own pace, working from home whenever you have free time. There’s no need to re-arrange your life or leave your job for this one! It’s also a good choice if you’re on a budget – you can take an online course for under £200.
Doing an online course, by its nature, is more technical than attending a course in person, and so it’s great for those who like to work on a problem that’s written out in front of them. It’s also great if you like to be able to work at your own pace, rather than at the pace of a class. Another advantage is that you can submit a module and get feedback from a tutor, and if you don’t pass first time you often get the chance to try again.
This type of course might be for you if you want to work in a country where general TEFL qualifications are accepted (e.g. much of Asia and South America). It’s also ideal for people who aren’t worried about the practical side of things and who are already confident that they can stand up in front of a class and put what they’ve learnt into practice.
One of the biggest negatives of the online course is that there is no hands-on training or teaching practice. This can be a negative for both the school, who might not want to hire someone without practical experience, and you, who may not feel confident or prepared enough without at least a bit of practice. Depending on what you want to do with your TEFL certification, you may want to consider a more in-depth qualification. If you are planning to make a career out of TEFL, for instance, you’ll probably want to take a longer course.
Option three: a weekend TEFL course
This is a short practical course, with a bit of everything you need to be a TEFL teacher all in one weekend. This is a great option if you don’t have a lot of time available – you don’t need to leave your job or even take time off work. Because it’s hands-on and you will get some practice time teaching your peers, it will give you a good idea of whether or not teaching is for you, and the confidence to get up in front of a class.
This TEFL course is great for practical learners who benefit most from a hands-on approach and for those who have weak leadership or public speaking skills. The major disadvantage is that it is a short and very fast course that doesn’t go into much depth about the theory of teaching English.
Optional extras:
Online grammar modules are also a great addition to an online or weekend TEFL course if you’re not too hot on your prepositions and past participles! Knowing less grammar than your students is very embarrassing. Just because you can speak it, doesn’t mean you can analyse it and teach it.
It’s also possible to do extra courses in teaching business English or teaching children. They can be a great help if that’s what you’re hoping to do, since these areas don’t tend to be covered in the standard courses.
Making the right decision:
Knowing all the options available, the best thing to do now is to sit down and think about what exactly you want to do and where you want to work. Think about your confidence level, your weaknesses, how sure you are that you want to teach English and how competitive your desired market is. Then think about which course is right for you.
The most important factors for me were:
- I was not at all confident about actually standing up and teaching a class and wanted to get as much practice in as possible
- I wanted to work in Spain which I knew was a very competitive market
- I needed to refresh my knowledge of English grammar
For these reasons, I personally chose to do a 120 hour course in Spain, backed up by some additional grammar instruction prior to my departure. I left my job, packed up and flew off to Barcelona. I landed my first TEFL job a couple of days after I finished my course, at a respected school just outside of Barcelona. And the rest is a different story…
