how many hours tefl course do i need

Full Answer

How long does a TEFL course take to complete?

While many learners complete their TEFL course in as little as three weeks, the average duration hovers in or around 6–12 weeks for all of our Teach Away TEFL courses. There are also more intensive onsite TEFL courses that may be completed in around four weeks on a full-time basis. How long is a TEFL certificate valid for? For forever!

How many hours do you need to TEFL intern internationally?

While 100 hours is the minimum requirement, it can be 20 hours shy of the TEFL training desired by hiring schools internationally. Are you an adventurous recent grad who's short on cash and looking for a way to fuel your wanderlust? Grab your free copy of Beyond magazine.

What is the best online TEFL course to take?

The best online TEFL course for recent university graduates with very little (if any) teaching experience is a 120-hour TEFL, like the one you can get from Teach Away. A 120-hour TEFL certificate will qualify you for most teaching jobs.

How much TEFL training do I need to teach English abroad?

A minimum of 100 hours of TEFL training is recommended, however, 120 hours of TEFL training will qualify you for the greatest number of teaching jobs because it can be required to meet mandatory visa and job requirements.

Is 120 hours TEFL enough?

120 hours is considered the baseline for a professional level TEFL certification for teaching English abroad or online. Not all 120-hour TEFL courses meet international standards, so it's essential to seek out those that are accredited and include live practice teaching.

How long does it take to finish a 120-hour TEFL course?

Depending on how the course is structured, a 120-hour TEFL course can take anywhere from one month to six months. Shorter courses are more intensive and require full-time study.

How long does a 150 hour TEFL course take?

For example, there are 150-hour courses and 120-hour courses that both take just four weeks.

How fast can you do a TEFL course?

There's only a 120-hour option (which meets the requirements for most countries). Students tend to finish it within 3-6 weeks, but some students can take 2-3 months. This course will set you up to work in most countries, but doesn't offer any specializations.

Can I finish TEFL in a week?

Typically, a fully accredited TEFL certification course will last anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months. Shorter, 4-week long courses will generally run full-time (30-40 hours per week) and are very demanding.

Is getting a TEFL certificate worth it?

Is TEFL Certification worth it? Yes. If you want to get a good teaching job and be an effective teacher for your students, then it is definitely worth it. Remember, most schools worldwide require a TEFL certification; and once you're certified you can the ball rolling on applying and interviewing for jobs.

How hard is the TEFL exam?

It is very rare for any student to fail an International TEFL Academy TEFL Certification course. International TEFL Academy has a passing rate of over 90% (one of the highest passing rates of any TEFL school worldwide).

How much does a TEFL teacher earn?

So, how much do English teachers abroad get paid? Overall, a TEFL teacher's salary can vary anywhere from $600-$4,000 USD per month.

What can you do with a level 3 TEFL?

A Level 3 TEFL qualification is equivalent to an A Level in the UK. This level is perfect for getting a good TEFL job whether you want to work online, work abroad in non-native English speaking countries or volunteer around the world.

What is the shortest TEFL course?

Course.

How long do TEFL certificates last?

Not only does a TEFL certification not expire, it's also accepted worldwide.

Does TEFL get you a job?

If you don't have a teaching license and are seeking an overseas teaching job, you should have both a bachelor's degree and a TEFL certificate. With these under your belt, you may be lucky enough to find ESL teaching jobs in countries such as China, Japan, and Korea.

How can you measure "hours" online? And are these hour claims even accurate?

Most online TEFL courses are "asynchronous". What that means is that there are no set class times or hours. There are also "synchronous" online courses out there, but I have never heard of this with TEFL.

So what do these TEFL course hours mean?

They are supposed to refer to actual contact hours of training. However, as you can now see that's pretty hard to measure online. These aren't credit hours and you are not in college anymore.

How many hours does a TEFL course need to be?

"The number of hours in a course really doesn't matter." - Chinadonkey

So is 120 hour TEFL enough?

Amongst TEFL providers it is said that 100-120 hours or more is considered more "reputable", but online these "hours" are fake as you saw above and...

The bottom line

For most schools in Asia the amount of hours in a course is not going to matter as most certificates are taken at face value. However, there is a small percentage of schools in Asia that might care about them like: some universities, international schools, some private & public schools like EPIK in Korea.

What are the important modules a course should cover?

Any course you study should include at least the methodology of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, as well as a module on grammar. It makes sense to cover teaching methods in a TEFL course, especially one geared towards this specialism, but why would native speakers need to cover grammar?

How do I decide which course and how many hours I need?

Answering the questions “how many TEFL hours do I need?” entirely depends on what you plan to do with your training after it’s been completed. Things you need to bear in mind when choosing a course include:

If 120 hours is the industry standard, why do both longer and shorter courses exist?

Good question. Some courses which are less than 120 hours are “tasters”, if you would like to gain a little bit of experience as a hobby or would like to get an insight into what’s involved before committing. You may also have previous experience and just want to refresh your knowledge and ensure it’s up to date.

How long does a 120 course take to complete?

The course “hours” are a throw-back to when TEFL study was purely in-person. The standard length of a course ran for 5 days a week, 8 hours a day for 3 weeks. As courses moved online, it was difficult to control the length of study time as naturally some students will work through certain sections more quickly than others.

Does it matter if the course is online or in-person?

In terms of finding a job, no. Whether you would feel more confident taking either of these routes is down to your personal preference. If you’ve never taught before, and you’d prefer to get in-person experience of managing a classroom, you may opt for attending a course near you.

Key Takeaways

Whatever your situation, make sure the course you choose ticks the boxes for what you want to get our of your journey. An extended course might seem like a great idea, but could end up costing a lot of money whilst not providing any additional benefits. At the same time, try to commit to at least 120 hours.

The general rule

So if you’re wondering, “how many hours of TEFL do I need?”, the answer is it depends! Generally 120 hours minimum is the most common requirement, but some countries only require 100 hours or have no preference at all. Most employers prefer to hire English teachers with an internationally recognized TEFL certification from a 100-120-hour course.

Why are some TEFL courses longer or shorter than others?

The TEFL industry is infamously unregulated, meaning you can find all kinds of course offerings that vary in length, cost and quality.

Do I need to do a TEFL course with a practicum?

Some TEFL courses include a practicum (meaning the real-life practice of teaching a class) and some don’t.

Do I need to do a TEFL course with extension modules?

Again, this is a personal choice. Some TEFL courses offer extra modules that you can do, on top of the core study modules.

Will doing more than 100 hours on a TEFL course make me more employable?

Not necessarily. Most employers ask for 100-120 hour TEFL certificates, and doing more for the sake of it won’t automatically make you more employable. It all depends on the country you choose because every country has different requirements or preferences.

Do a TEFL course at your own pace!

When choosing the best TEFL course for you, make sure it has at least 100 hours of TEFL training if you plan to teach abroad.

Who should take a short-format online TEFL course?

Having the opportunity to help others by volunteering as an English language teacher is something that appeals to many of our trainees. TEFL qualified teachers are in demand in many countries around the world where local people require English skills in order to get into jobs within tourism and other industries.

Who should take a standard length online TEFL course?

Anyone who wants the best chance of earning a good salary while teaching English abroad will need to complete a TEFL course that includes the unofficial but widely recognized minimum of 100 hours of study. By completing our 120-hour TEFL certification course you will learn everything you need to begin a new career as a English language teacher.

Who should take advanced or specialized online TEFL courses?

Once you have completed an initial TEFL certification course you might consider expanding your teaching credentials by taking additional training courses. If you want to take an advanced level course, our 250-hour TESOL Diploma could be perfect for you.

Will my online TEFL course really take as many hours as it says?

While TEFL courses are typically labeled with a number of study hours, this figure is generally only a guide and does not necessarily represent the true amount of time it will take each individual to complete. The real figure will come down to your own level of motivation and how much time you have to dedicate to your studies.

What to look for when choosing a TEFL course?

The most important thing to look out for when choosing a TEFL course is accreditation, which ensures a course has undergone quality control by an external body. There is no over-arching accrediting body for TEFL courses, which means providers can hold accreditation from a wide range of bodies.

What is TEFL certification?

TEFL certification refers to a qualification specifically for teaching English – abroad or online – to English language learners. In the world of English language teaching there are a lot of different acronyms, which can get a little confusing!

How Many TEFL Course Hours Do I Need?

One of the first differences among TEFL course offerings that you are sure to notice when you begin the selection process is the respective time commitments that they require. Per the industry standard, the lengths of TEFL courses are typically labeled in “hours” instead of “days” or “weeks.”

How Long Is a TEFL Certificate Good For?

Think of a TEFL certificate as a college diploma – there is no shelf life. TEFL certificates do not have an expiration date. You can use a TEFL certificate – provided that it is properly accredited (more on TEFL accreditation in the following section) – for decades.

What Is the Best TEFL Certification Program?

Given the dizzying array of TEFL course programs offered on the web (some aggressively marketed), deciding which program best suits your learning preferences, budget, and career goals is a daunting task.

How Quickly Can I Find a Job After Finishing My TEFL Course?

After you earn your TEFL certificate, there is nothing to stop you from beginning your job search immediately. Check out some of these fantastic ESL job boards to discover teaching opportunities around the globe (maybe in places you haven’t even considered):

The Bottom Line on the TEFL Certification Process

If you play your cards right, stay diligent about your coursework, and choose the best course to meet your needs, you can realistically plan to complete an online 120-hour TEFL course (which does not always actually take 120 hours) in a matter of 3-4 weeks.

How many hours are in a TEFL course?

Online TEFL course. Online TEFL courses are usually 120 hours plus in order to meet the benchmark required by employers. You can add on specialist modules and even combine with a classroom course to give yourself a really rounded learning experience. The great thing about online TEFL courses is that they’re so flexible.

How long does it take to learn TEFL?

The amount of time you’ll spend studying depends entirely on the kind of course you choose to take. Getting a basic grasp of TEFL can take as little as 20 hours (in the case of a short classroom course), but getting qualified enough to confidently and effectively teach abroad can take much longer depending on the depth of learning you want ...

How long is a weekend TEFL course?

A weekend TEFL course is 20 hours’ intensive TEFL learning over (unsurprisingly) a weekend, and gives you an insight into the techniques and methodology behind English language teaching, as well as the chance to practise some hands-on group teaching.

How long is a TEFL course?

There’s a minimum course length required. Online courses vary in length from as few as 40 hours to 200+ hours. If you’re counting on your TEFL certification to qualify you to teach abroad, you will need to ensure your TEFL course is comprised of the minimum amount of training schools are looking for.

How long does it take to complete a TEFL course?

While many learners complete their TEFL course in as little as three weeks, the average duration hovers in or around 6–12 weeks for all of our Teach Away TEFL courses.

How many hours of TEFL online?

The TEFL course from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) comes in three customizable course options, which range from 100–150 hours of online study. Teachers in the 120- and 150-hour OISE TEFL courses can customize their course with specializations like Teaching English to Young Learners and Teaching English to Arabic Speakers.

What does TEFL stand for?

TEFL is a four-letter acronym, short for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. You’ve probably seen TEFL pop up a time or two when researching teaching abroad, along with other popular in-person and online ESL certifications like TESL, TESOL and CELTA.

What is a TEFL certification?

A TEFL (English as a Foreign Language) certification is the globally accepted qualification to teach English abroad to students (both children and adults) whose first language isn't English. A TEFL is what most hiring schools are looking for on a teach abroad application.

How many hours do you need to teach abroad?

Regardless of which option you choose, you’ll want to look for an online or onsite TEFL course that is a minimum of 100 hours.

Is TESOL equivalent to TEFL?

Despite what you might have read online, TESOL and TESL are not equivalent qualifications to TEFL for anyone looking to teach English abroad. Depending on where in the world you want to teach, one type of ESL certification may be a better fit than another.

How many hours of coursework is required for TEFL certification?

In essence, the world of English teaching agrees to these standards, which are recognized by leading accrediting bodies and and thousands of language schools worldwide for professional-level TEFL Certification: 1) At least 100 hours of coursework and training;

How long does it take to get a TEFL certificate?

2) Time – The process of accreditation typically takes six – twelve months and entails volumes of paperwork. Even after the process is complete, an accredited TEFL course requires extensive record-keeping and auditing of documents, tests, exams, course materials and more, all of which requires time and money.

What is the ranking system for TEFL?

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Services (Ofqual) maintains a ranking system known as the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). Rankings are 1-8 based on content and hours.

What is TEFL accreditation?

Accreditation ensures that your certification course meets quality standards in the level of instruction, the quality of the curriculum, inclusion of a practicum, extent of training and other areas. It ensures that the TEFL certification you earn is independently reviewed and monitored by recognized experts in the field to maintain the quality ...

What is International TeFL Academy?

Founded in 2010, International TEFL Academy is a world leader in TEFL certification for teaching English abroad & teaching English online. ITA offers accredited TEFL certification courses online & in 21 locations worldwide and has received multiple awards & widespread recognition as one of the best TEFL schools in the world. ITA provides all students and graduates with lifetime job search guidance. ITA has certified more than 35,000 English teachers and our graduates are currently teaching in 80 countries worldwide.

What is a level 4 and 5?

Level 4 and 5 are the professional levels sought by most prospective employers including the British Council, and will include live practice teaching and at least 100 hours of coursework. A level 4 and 5 would be equivalent to a university level class for a first or second year student, e.g. 101 or 201 level class.

What is a level 4 TEFL class?

Level 4 is the standard of a 100 hour TEFL class with 6 hours of practicum and is typically the equivalent of a freshman level university course. By comparison, Level 8 is the equivalent to PhD coursework. TEFL/TESOL accreditation begins at Level 3. Such a class may incorporate 100 hours or training, but no practice teaching, ...