State school level teaching qualifications
If you want to become a state school teacher then a TESOL TEFL certificate course is not the way you want to go. Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA all require that a state school teacher has a government accepted teaching qualification. Government accepted teaching qualifications are from degree level and upwards so you will need to plan on university/college level studies of 4 years or more.
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University/College level teaching qualifications
University level positions will require that you have at least a bachelors degree and almost certainly will insist on a masters as well so you will need to plan on university/college level studies of 5 years or more.
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TESOL TEFL teaching qualifications
There are three main stages to TESOL TEFL qualification:
- Certificate (entry level)
- Diploma (advanced level)
- Masters (university level)
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Certificate courses
The TESOL TEFL certificate is the qualification that most ESL EFL teachers start out with. These courses run for 4 weeks, full-time and include 6 or more hours of teaching practice. There are many courses on offer, but the only ones that are internationally accepted are those that are accredited by official accreditation organisations.
As the Certificate is your first step in your path to being an ESL EFL teacher it is best to get one that is accredited because:
- it will open more doors to jobs,
- it is more portable than a non-accredited certificate that has probably never have been heard of outside the place where you studied,
- it will be accepted by academic institutions if you decide to continue on to study for a Diploma or Masters.
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Diploma courses
The TESOL TEFL diploma is normally the second step that an ESL EFL teacher takes. These courses usually run for at least 8 weeks, full-time (3 or more months part-time) and include 10 or more hours of observed teaching practice.
It is not common to find non-accredited Diploma courses. In comparison, it is very common to find un-accredited certificate courses because they are easier to run and generally more lucrative for the un-accredited course operators as they can charge similar fees to accredited courses without incurring the expenses of accreditation. Entry requirements for Diploma programmes usually require that the applicant has an accredited certificate and a few years teaching experience.
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Masters courses
Depending on where you study, a masters will take at least a year to complete and you should study at an accredited university. Masters in TESOL TEFL usually concentrate on the academic aspects and, depending on the course, include little or no teaching practice. If you want to teach in a university or work in a high quality, non-teaching educational role, then having a masters is highly recommended.
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Other courses you might find
There are many other types of courses: weekend courses, one week courses, online courses, distance courses etc. It is very rare that these courses are accredited or accepted by quality employers so beware of signing up for them even though they are cheap.
The main problem you will find with these type of courses is that the majority do not include actual classroom teaching practice. This means that many language schools will not accept your qualification.
To quote the British Council on the importance of teaching practice:
"... feedback on your teaching practice is essential and most distance courses will not include this, and therefore will not be acceptable to many teaching institutes."
The quote is directed primarily at distance courses, but the statement stresses the importance that employers place on teaching practice within a TESOL TEFL course.
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