In the context of globalization and cultural integration, the whole society is becoming more and more aware of the importance of learning foreign languages, especially English – the most common language all over the world. The demand for recruiting qualified foreign language teachers is increasing rapidly. Besides the excellent ability in language, teachers who ‘teach English as a foreign language’ also have to constantly accumulate teaching experience, as well as improve the necessary pedagogic skills.
If you want to teach English in your home country, you can major in English at national universities of pedagogy. However, if you want to become a ‘global’ teacher, who has chances to go abroad, learn about cultures in other countries, eg: Vietnam, you should consider taking a course for international teaching English certificates. Through this article, we will help you to have a better view of the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate which is recognized widely throughout the world.
Currently, TEFL and TESOL are evaluated equally by most employers around the world. The TEFL courses will give wide knowledge of necessary pedagogical tools and skills in teaching English. For example, you will be trained on lesson planning, arranging classes, making assessment, as well as teaching skills for different age groups or from beginning to advanced level, and hosting English-learning events, etc. Besides, the course will help you to feel confident when you teach, show you how to speak fluently, attract others through pronunciation, accents, and non-verbal gestures. All of these will help you to promote your ability and become an excellent English teacher.
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What do you need to prepare before signing up for a TEFL course?
It takes you about US $1200 – $2000 for a TEFL course at a prestigious center. Although there is a low failure rate on TEFL entrance test (about 3%), you should not risk investing a large sum of money if you are not ready.
For native English speakers, the requirement for their English standard is quite simple – they just need to graduate from high school. However, for students from non-English speaking countries such as Vietnam, Korea, Japan, …, they require you to have a good standard in English – Cambridge Proficiency, IELTS 7.5 or equivalent.
You can read some books about TEFL in advance to get a general view of the work you will be pursuing. How to Teach English (Jeremy Harmer) is probably the most basic guide for you.
In addition, you should “test” yourself whether you are suitable and interested in teaching foreign languages so that you can deal with difficulties in English teaching jobs. You can participate in some volunteer activities such as teaching for many different groups of students, being a teaching assistant for language centers, giving speeches about your hobbies with group, or simply participating in a language class and watching other teachers give lectures and exchanging experiences.
Some notes before you register for a TEFL course
Depending on your individual circumstances and plans, you can choose from a wide range of courses from in-person, full-time courses to part-time, online or studying abroad. Whatever the course is, you should make sure that the quality of the course satisfies the requirement and the certificate is widely recognized.
These are some prerequisites a standard TELF course has to involve:
– 100 hours of learning and training (4-week in-person, full-time, intensive course or equivalent part-time or online courses)
– 6-20 hours of practice (class observation) teaching real students (not teaching attendees who also study in the same course)
– Prestigious training program which is supervised and admitted by an independent agency.
– Instructions, lectures are delivered by high quality university lecturers.
The two most famous internationally recognized TEFL certificates are Cambridge Celta and Trinity CertTesol. These are also the programs that are most preferred by employers. The salient factor in the reputation of these courses is the presence of experts from Cambridge University or Trinity College London on the Assessment Council. They check and ensure that the instructors follow the curriculum properly, the training process satisfy the quality, learning and teaching of students meet the requirements and the assessments are fair, accurate and reflect exactly students’ level.
