Now, more than ever, investing in a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate makes perfect sense
Here’s a selection of the most attractive programs:
University of California San Diego Extension
At University of California San Diego Extension International Programs, native speakers of English and non-native speakers with advanced English proficiency can choose from a variety of professional certificate programs to prepare for careers in English language teaching overseas or at Intensive English Programs (IEPs) in the U.S. or other countries.
There are appropriate TEFL courses and programs for every goal, both for novices and for experienced EFL teachers who want to improve their skills and knowledge. The Professional Certificate in TEFL is normally a six-month program, but can be completed in an intensive three-month format every summer.
Highly-experienced TEFL instructors and a gorgeous coastal location with nearly perfect year-round weather in La Jolla make UC San Diego’s TEFL certificate programs an excellent professional and personal experience.
The Boston Language Institute
Since 1981, The Boston Language Institute has set trends in the field of English and foreign language instruction and, since 2000, in the field of English language teacher training. Their TEFL Certificate Program has been lauded by The Wall Street Journal as “…one of the better-known programs in the country.” The graduates of the program teach in over 20 countries around the globe, including the U.S.
The Institute offers the program in a four-week full-time and a 12-week, Saturday part-time format with special units for non-native students. Hundreds of the more than 1600 alumni form an international community at the service of more recent graduates, a supportive network that extends the Institute’s career counseling and facilitates employment around the globe.
Hamline University
Hamline University’s TEFL Certificate was established in 1991 and over 1400 recipients of the certificate have taught in more than 40 countries worldwide.
The Certificate follows rigorous standards that reputable employers expect and respect.
Faculty are leaders in EFL/ESL education, and Hamline is a nationally accredited university. Students gain hands-on experience, spending over 40 hours teaching/observing classes with English language learners, as well as graduate credits that may be applied to either an Advanced TEFL Certificate or the University’s MA in ESL.
The TEFL Institute
The TEFL Institute offers professional TEFL certification and the training of international English teachers. Internationally accredited courses can be taken online or in more than 25 locations around the world. These 150-hour courses consist of 130 hours of coursework, complemented by 20 hours of practicum (student teaching and classroom observation). Led by university-level instructors, the course covers the following areas of study: Curriculum Development, Lesson Planning, Classroom Management, English Grammar, Personality and Language Assessment, and more. Lifetime job placement assistance is provided to all graduates.
Additional one-day seminars are also available online and in Chicago for continued training in the areas of: Teaching Advanced Grammar, Teaching Business English and Teaching Kids English.
ICAL
Since 1998, ICAL has been offering the TEFL/TESL Certificate online which covers all students need to know to become a proficient and successful TEFL teacher from lesson planning to classroom management. ICAL students have their own personal tutors who guide them through the material and are there to answer questions. ICAL also offers all students a free mentoring service to help find work, prepare job applications, and offer advice on all aspects of teaching. Students can take the course from anywhere in the world and complete it in their own time.
Cactus TEFL
Cactus TEFL is an independent and impartial TEFL course admissions and advice service. Their aim is to help raise the profile of the TEFL industry, with the objective of promoting high quality courses which are professionally delivered, providing the participant with a solid grounding prior to embarking on a teaching job or career. Through Cactus TEFL, prospective teachers can find out about the TESOL industry worldwide, and learn about the different types of courses and qualifications available. They can also compare course prices, locations and dates, and submit an application to their chosen course provider for no extra cost.
Cactus TEFL also offers a pre-TEFL English Language Awareness course, a comprehensive online grammar course that was specifically developed to help prepare trainee teachers for their TESOL course.
Volunteer Teaching Abroad
Volunteer Teaching Abroad offers TEFL qualifications which are globally recognized and many automatically include a teaching English placement abroad. They offer a number of TEFL courses to suit different needs; including weekend courses, online TEFL or specialist TEFL certification. A weekend TEFL course will qualify students with all the essential skills needed to teach a class overseas, while the advanced online and specialist TEFL courses provide superior teaching skills. They offer 27 volunteer teaching placements in many countries across the world.
The International Teacher Training Organization
The International Teacher Training Organization’s online and onsite TEFL TESOL Certificate Programs of 140 hours provide teacher training, certification, lifelong job guidance and contacts worldwide. Due to the 140 hours of content, which translates into 20 hours above the international requirement, all graduates receive the necessary skills, confidence, and ability to embark on their teaching careers in a professional manner anywhere in the world.
ITTO’s online course follows the worldwide accepted communicative method and trainees will develop their skills through a combination of informative lecture materials and activities that encourage practical use of the newly acquired skills. Only highly skilled individual tutors participate in this program and all of them are hands-on. Students learn how to teach all four language skills which include: writing, speaking, listening and reading. The components of the course help students teach, motivate, and succeed with both adults and young learners.
Indiana State University
The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Indiana State University offers TESL/TEFL programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels. At the undergraduate level, students major or minor in Language Studies. Majors can obtain a teaching license; minors can add a license to another licensure degree. Students may focus largely on one language or combine the study of several language areas, including TESL and linguistics.
At the graduate level, they offer a Master’s Degree in TESL/Linguistics/Cross-Linguistics or a Graduate TESL/TEFL Certificate. The Certificate courses are online each summer. They also have graduate coursework in Spanish. Teaching Assistantships are available to M.A. students on a competitive basis, but approximately 25 percent of graduate students receive assistantships.
The department draws students from many countries and provides group activities so that they interact with one another, the university and the community.
Via Lingua
Via Lingua provides international TEFL certificate courses in many of the world’s most popular teaching destinations. With courses in 15 countries, Via Lingua is one of the world’s largest global TEFL course providers. The internationally recognized and externally moderated course is delivered through a combination of workshops, seminars and demonstrations. Partnering with U.S. universities and fully accredited by the College of Teachers in England, the Via Lingua course exceeds all professional guidelines for the regulation of international TEFL certificate courses. At Via Lingua, ability as a language teacher will largely be assessed by performance in the classroom. To achieve this aim the course is delivered around established principles of foreign language teaching and equips students with the most up-to-date language teaching techniques.
Training 4 TEFL
Training 4 TEFL run a four-week training course based in central London that leads to the internationally recognized Trinity CertTESOL qualification. The course, open to all nationalities, includes six hours of teaching practice, four hours of guided observation of experienced teachers and over 70 hours of input sessions in a hi tech classroom with interactive whiteboard and wireless internet access for all trainees.
