TEFL (Teach English as a foreign language) certificate is your key to travel the world and still have the money rolling in. One can be tempted to join the field of teaching through TEFL due to various appealing factors such as exploring different cultures, monuments, languages, food and many more. This course helps a teacher to learn and inculcate various strategies to bridge the gap.
With the world shifting online, there are plenty of courses being available on the internet but how do you know if it is an authorized institution or just a scam? There are many complaints being filed every year about scams and forgeries, so how do we protect ourselves from them?
There are various sites that offer online TEFL certification but not all of them are authorized and offer the required quality instructions. Parting with your hard-earned cash can be very painful. Therefore, here are a few precautionary steps and instructions that can protect you, your time and energy.
What does TEFL accreditation mean?
We all are aware of the heaps of good that the internet has gifted us, but good always comes with bad. With all the opportunities that the internet has provided us with, it also brought us face to face with the negatives of the world. So, how do we differentiate between them and make the wise choice? Accreditation is one of the best ways, it simply means that the institution has been evaluated and checked by an accreditation body(a separate body that confirms the authenticity of the institution by assessing through inspection or laboratory), and after successfully assessing, they deem the institution worthy. And you don’t have to worry because such information is prominently displayed on the institution’s website. However, it is important to remember that some con certification providers offer various types of courses and facilities are well known to advertise illegal accreditation, to make their course look more appealing to the aspirants. You will come across various suspicious TEFL providers, which makes it very important to do some careful digging before finalizing. Here are a few more key points to be consider
1. HOURS:
The minimum standard of hours set for an accredited TEFL certification online or offline in various industry and language schools is 100 hours of coursework. While doing your hunt for the perfect course provider, you must have seen variations in the amount of hours offered by different institutions. It’s important to know the international standard that most reputable language schools, government programs, and universities prioritize while looking to hire an English teacher. If your TEFL course provider does not meet this standard, you should consider a different provider. In this online world almost anybody can start up a TEFL certification course and claim themselves to be “accredited.” But don’t be fooled by institutions that offer less than 100 hours of coursework, because not only will you get inadequate training, but the employers won’t even consider your application if your training is of less than 100 hours. You need to qualify for a job, and know what you are doing.
2. COST
Don’t we all get twitchy when the fee is a little heavy on our pockets, and get excited when we see TEFL courses being provided at a very reasonable price? But when it comes to TEFL certification, you pay for what you get. There’s a lot of 100+ hour courses available out there, but not all of them will be of utmost quality, The prices for these courses vary because of a vast difference in the quality provided. Sometimes even the more expensive courses aren’t the best. A single governing body doesn’t offer accreditation for TEFL certification which makes the institutions free to charge whatever they want for their courses. On the other hand, the cheapest TEFL course out there, might not provide the best education possible.
3. KNOW YOUR MENTORS
High fee, 100 house of training and curriculum will still go to waste if your mentors aren’t masters of their field. The person responsible for educating you and inculcating all the strategies required matter. A online TEFL course instructors should hold an advance degree such as MA, PhD, etc.. in TESOL or related fields, along with years of experience. Our instructors should be of highest standards because they are in charge of making or breaking our future.
4. ADMINISTRATION
It is very important that your learning process is accompanied by constructive feedback needed to continuously improve your skills. Some self-paced online TEFL courses that offer little to almost no guidance and feedback, without which you can never tell if you are completely understanding the course’s concepts. Administration accompanied with weekly assignments, quizzes, readings, and tasks are the few basic requirements of a good course. On top of all of this the flexibility makes the online course ideal for anyone who is working or going to school full time.
5. PRACTICUM
Practicing live teaching is a critical element for any top level TEFL course, online or offline. Many employers won’t even recognize a TEFL certification that doesn’t have at least 6 hours of live practicum. The main purpose of practicum is to provide teachers with hands-on experience in teaching.
6. REPUTATION
Along with researching the academic facilities of an online TEFL course, it’s as important to research the organization itself. It is important to find out the experience of the previous students of the institute, did they enjoy their experience? Was it worth it? Did they find the curriculum of the institute well structured and helpful to find a job? What institution you are coming from and what kind of educational faculties you got have a massive affect on your future jobs.
7. POST CERTIFICATION ASSISTANCE
What happens after you have completed your course? A responsible and good institution stays with you even after the certification. Assistance & guidance in finding the right job is also very important, and after all of this the most important question is, if this online course is going to get you the desired English teaching job abroad? Getting TEFL certified is a crucial step for achieving your goal, but it’s only part of the entire story. The type of guidance provided after the completion of the course, helping in finding the right recruiter, helping you know the basic requirements and documents, help you know the country and it’s law in a more specific manner is also very important. But if you have to pay extra or search someone else for support and assistance then you are at the wrong place.
Winding and packing your entire life up and moving around the world to teach English abroad is a very big decision, and no one wants to make any mistakes in this process. You should be ready to put in all the required time and efforts to do all the possible research as possible, which includes calling an online best TEFL certification course provider and asking all the necessary questions. Don’t ever hesitate to get all your questions and doubts answered, as at the end of the day whatever you decide now is going to impact your life in the future.
