There are several good reasons that our online TEFL Professional certification course is by far our most popular course. It’s flexible, has a lower price tag than in-person courses, provides the international standard for certification (150-hours), and gives you free access to our student services department, such as our job placement assistance, for life.
Each student receives customized TEFL Certification support from our Student Services Department, Career Services Team and the Instructors. We provide free job placement assistance for each and every graduate of our courses. To learn more about:
Read the feedback we have received from over 1,000 TEFL Professional graduates about our courses visit the Alumni Course Reflections.
Each TEFL Institute student is asked to rate our materials, instructors, course, and job placement assistance. To see over 8,000 responses from our alumni, click here.
Visit our Alumni Blogs to learn about their experiences in teaching English abroad and to learn what they thought of the course.
Our TEFL Professional course is broken into two parts: 130 hours of online coursework and 20 hours of student teaching and/or observation
The Course
The online portion of the course runs for 9 weeks, and you will be assigned 1–2 modules (or units) per week. Each module has reading assignments, writing assignments, quizzes, and sometimes an online video. Writing assignments are posted to a forum that is accessible to your classmates and professor. One requirement of each assignment is to post comments on at least two (2) of your classmates’ assignments, ensuring lively and engaging discussions throughout the course. Check out the course syllabus for more info about assignments and topics covered.
Throughout the course you will learn various teaching theories and techniques that are specifically designed for the ESL classroom. Your final assignment is one week’s worth of lesson plans—which any teacher will tell you is an essential part of developing and maintaining meaningful learning experiences for your students. Ask your advisor for a guest pass to the online course to see it for yourself!
The student teaching/observation is done individually, and is arranged in your area. Usually finding an ESL classroom to observe or assist is a quick and easy process, but if you have trouble finding a school to work with, our Student Services Department will help you find a classroom.
The Students
We cap our online courses at 25 students to ensure that each student gets the individualized attention they deserve. Our online students live across the globe, range in age from 18 to 80, and have a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds.
The Instructors
TEFL Institute courses are taught by experienced, university-level instructors. TEFL Institute instructors hold a MA or PHD in TESOL or a related field. Our instructors have 5 – 10 years of teaching experience in the US and abroad.
The Benefits to Online Certification
1) Flexible
TEFL Professional Online courses are perfect for people working or attending school full time. Our course requires a commitment of just 15 hours of coursework for 9 weeks. You can log on day or night at your own convenience. There is no set log-in time for the course. Instead, each aspect of the course has a set due date, due at midnight your time. You are free to work ahead, and you can always notify your professor if you need an extension for any assignments.
2) Interactive
Our professors are easily accessible through email, monitor and comment on discussions, and provide continuous feedback for each assignment. Students are encouraged to comment on discussions and share advice and insight with other students. Most students choose to create profiles and use the course as a way to network and make friends with others who are moving abroad. All course students are invited to join our Face Book pages in order to network and find teaching assignments with our alumni teaching around the world. The student teaching and classroom observation aspect of the course is by far the best way to apply what you’ve learned and gain essential experience from interacting with teachers and students in the field.
3) Affordable
The online course tuition is just one third of the expense of a traditional in-person course. In-person courses average $3,000–$3,500 for one month of tuition, housing, and food expenses. For many people, being able take the course online and save money is the difference between teaching abroad or not being able to go at all. Our online course tuition includes all materials, advising, and job assistance, and there are absolutely no hidden fees. (However, the course materials are available in downloadable and paperback formats for you to purchase if you so choose. See our bookstore for more information.)
4) Lets You Plan Ahead
Since our certification never expires, many students choose to become certified months or years before they move overseas. Getting certified online prior to your departure allows you time to prepare for your life abroad, plan your move based on hiring cycles, and fully research job opportunities, ensuring that your life overseas will be a fantastic and truly unforgettable experience.
Want to Learn More?
Ask your advisor for more information about our courses, students, professors, or the many services—including our free lifetimes placement assistance—that our student services department provides.
Ready to Enroll?
Congratulations! Head over to our registration page to choose your course date and begin your enrollment.
The online portion of the course runs for 9 weeks, and you will be assigned 1–2 modules (or units) per week. Each module has reading assignments, writing assignments, quizzes, and sometimes an online video. Writing assignments are posted to a forum that is accessible to your classmates and professor. One requirement of each assignment is to post comments on at least two (2) of your classmates’ assignments, ensuring lively and engaging discussions throughout the course. Check out the course syllabus for more info about assignments and topics covered.
