“As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power
to make a child’s life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.
I can humiliate or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated
and a child humanized or dehumanized.”
-Haim G. Ginott
TEFL Certificate Courses
These courses offer certification in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) or Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). They usually last between four and six weeks. Teacher trainees get between 10 and 15 hours of practice teaching during the course, out of approx. 130 hours of classroom time total.
Here are some of the topics covered by TEFL certificate courses:
- Teaching methods and techniques
- Teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing
- Teaching English for special purposes
- Classroom management
- Teaching vocabulary
- Lesson planning
- Integrating culture into instruction
- Analyzing students’ needs
- Second language acquisition theory
- Error awareness and correction
Most one-month courses meet 5 days a week, 8 hours a day with an hour for lunch, and with methodology and theory instruction in the mornings, and practice teaching and feedback in the afternoons.
TEFL Courses Around the Country
This is not an exhaustive list, and we recommend that you explore all your options, research each institution thoroughly, and speak to students who have completed these programs, before making your final decision.
- Teach English Abroad , Internationally Recognized i-to-i TEFL Courses
- English International, Distance Learning Introductory Certificate in TEFL
- Hamline University, St. Paul, MN, TEFL Certificate Program
- International House, San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA. Cambridge/RSA CELTA Certificate
- Lado Enterprises, Washington, DC, Lado TEFL Certificate Program
- Language Link, London, England, TESOL Certificate Program
- Midwest Teacher Training Program, Madison, WI, TEFL Certificate Program
- School for International Training, Brattleboro, VT, TESOL Certificate Program
- School of Teaching ESL, Seattle, WA, TESL Certificate Program
- St. Giles, San Francisco, CA, Cambridge/RSA CELTA Certificate
Additional TEFL certification programs can be found in Transitions Abroad magazine, and Susan Griffith’s book Teaching English Abroad.
Volunteering as an ESL Teacher or Tutor
Need to get your 20 hours of TESL experience? ProLiteracy, the world’s oldest and largest literacy organization, provides volunteer tutors with the professional training and materials they need to teach basic literacy or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Training takes about 10 hours and tutors typically meet with their students for one and a half to two hours per week. Check out their website to find the literacy council nearest you.
Additional literacy organizations offering volunteer opportunities for prospective CETP teachers are listed at LiteracyConnections.com.
Short-Term Programs for Teaching or Volunteering in Central Europe
Again, other work or volunteer abroad programs can be found in Transitions Abroad magazine, and Susan Griffith’s book Teaching English Abroad.
Links about Teaching English Abroad
Dave’s ESL Cafe has a Teaching Training Discussion Board, a Job Discussion Forum, an Idea Cookbook for ESL teachers, and a country-by-country Job Information Journal.
