TEFL. An international certification
The international certificate that allows you to teach English both in Spain and in many other countries is obtained through a TEFL course. Doing it gives you the opportunity to live new experiences and to have a specialization that is a job guarantee. It also allows you to work independently.
For this reason, we will outline below all the information related to TEFL and give answers to the questions regarding what it is and what it is for. Additionally we offer some guidelines to take into account when choosing a good TEFL course.
What is a TEFL course?
TEFL stands for “Teaching English as a Foreign Language,” however, this is not a university degree, but a certification of national and international recognition that covers important areas in language education and provides excellent training to engage in such work.
It should be noted that a TEFL course is not to study English, but to learn the proper way to teach English; how to manage students, how to engage with students, how to plan and develop appropriate teaching strategies, amongst many other practical techniques.
What is a TEFL course for?
The purpose of taking a TEFL course is to learn how to properly teach English as a foreign language and to acquire a broad and detailed knowledge that certifies you as a qualified teacher.
As a follow up to this course it is beneficial to do an internship in a language school or other educational institutions in order to increase your confidence as a teacher.
TEFL online or face-to-face?
Studying, taking a course or diploma, is now much easier thanks to the fact that there are two learning modalities, each one with its different advantages and disadvantages according to each student´s needs. Firstly, there is face-to-face, which is the most traditional and allows the student to acquire all the necessary knowledge through a close, face-to-face relationship with the teacher and fellow students.
Nowadays, many Tefl training centers can adapt the study schedule to people´s work schedule, since it is not always necessary to study full time and can even be advisable not to have lengthy class sessions.
Secondly, there is the online mode, which is the most common in recent years and has meant a great benefit for those who work all day or those who cannot leave home.
Therefore, if you are wondering how to take your TEFL course, the answer is very simple, everything will depend on your needs and objectives.
It is important to keep in mind that both modalities are valid and one is not necessarily better than the other, though most Face to Face courses are more complete. The certificate does indicate in which manner you did the course.
What to consider when choosing a good TEFL course?
When choosing a TEFL course, regardless of the modality you choose, you should bear in mind several aspects, among them the following:
1) Teaching hours
A good TEFL course should offer at least 100 academic hours, otherwise it is deficient or simply an introductory course, so pay special attention to this aspect.
2) Price
The cost of this type of course is generally high, so it can be more or less around 1.200€. However, although there are cheaper courses, which are usually online, you have to evaluate the opinions of those who have done it before. Always read Google reviews.
3) Check the reviews
There is no better recommendation than word of mouth, from experience, therefore, when looking for a good TEFL course it is important to inquire about the opinions of other people who have taken the course before, for this you can search on the social networks of the academy and on its website.
It is essential that, when looking for opinions, you research in different sites and do not get carried away by the incredible photos or videos that may be offered on digital channels. These reviews will help you get a general idea of the quality of the course.
4) The content
To know if the TEFL course you are willing to pay for is good, you should read all the content it offers. Once you have access to it, detail it and compare it with that of others.
5) Internships
Although offering teaching practices does not mean that the course is better, this is a point in its favor. It never hurts to practice before teaching, if you do not feel very confident then look for a training that includes them.
Now you have more information to decide what may best for you in studying for a career as an English language teacher in Madrid, Barcelona o Valencia. We hope we have been helpful.