8 Things About TEFL Courses That You Probably Didn’t Know
1. They might not be required
In my experience teaching English in Asia you often don’t need a TEFL certificate. Some schools may prefer them, but that is usually second to experience.
To get a visa you usually need a bachelor’s degree and to be a native English speaker.
2. Accreditation is not required
Accreditation is not a requirement. There is no rule or law requiring it. There is no one accrediting body for TEFL. Aside from maybe a couple like Cambridge (CELTA), all the accrediting bodies are basically businesses. They charge money.
They are often run by a group of TEFL course providers or in some situations run by the same TEFL course provider using a different moniker.
Learn more about accreditation.
3. “Internationally recognized” courses don’t mean anything
If you are looking for an “internationally recognized” TEFL course you have been mislead. As mentioned before there is no one accrediting body for TEFL. There is no stamp that says one provider is “internationally recognized” or not.
It’s basically a marketing term. There is no certificate that is accepted by every school. Just like employers in your country they have their own preferences.
4. Guaranteed jobs
Sounds nice. If you take a course with a certain TEFL course provider they may say that they will guarantee you a job. That might be true, but whatever jobs they offer you will dim in comparison to the amount of jobs you can find on your own.
The course I took offered this, but when I looked into the jobs they offered where I wanted to teach I found that they were very few compared to what I could find on other sites.
You need to be more independent and less dependent on a course provider. Do your research, but be a little more brave.
5. Exotic places
A lot of TEFL courses providers show images of tropical beaches in Asia. They are appealing and you can visit those places. I did. I went to Thailand and the east coast of Taiwan, yet chances are you’re not going to be living by them.
It’s possible, but probably not just based on percentages. Most teachers in Asia teach in densely populated cities because that’s where the jobs are. You don’t have to though.
Similarly there are courses that are held in beautiful locations in Thailand and Vietnam.
Again I just want to give you a reality check. Teaching abroad is not a year long vacation. Many teachers that work in private institutes in Asia might only get 10 days of vacation a year.
6. TEFL course hours??
Should I take a course that’s 60, 120, or 150 hours in length? In the case of most online courses you should know that these hours are usually pseudo hours. They’re made up. There is no set time where they could actually measure the hours.
As far as I know most online courses are open courses. That’s convenient for you, yet the hours are basically a lie.
Learn more about TEFL course hours.
7. There is a lot of bias
Some companies might stretch the truth to get you to buy. Some bloggers might be affiliates and be making money from the courses they “recommend”. The same can be said about recruiters too. Just keep in mind that bias as you are doing your research.
Some of the things that you may have learned prior to reading this may be contrary to what you are learning here. The reason why is because of bias.
Everything that I am telling you here is based on my experience teaching English in China, Korea and Taiwan.
8. Online courses are usually accepted
It depends on where you want to teach, but in most of Asia online TEFL courses are recognized. Most schools do not recognize the difference between online and in-class courses or a TEFL and a CELTA certificate.
