TEFL courses offer a popular route to gaining valuable work experience and income while living in an exciting new destination. But with hundreds of courses of varying quality to choose from, you need to know what you’re signing up for and what you’re going to get out of it.
(Photo: Steveriot via Flickr/ CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 )
Demand for English-language teachers is booming, with thousands of new opportunities for qualified teachers to teach abroad or earn extra cash from home. Taking an accredited TEFL course is often the best way to open doors to these teaching roles, since most employers require Level 3 TEFL certification as a minimum.
But not all TEFL courses were created equal. Some offer personalised learning plans, live workshops and lifetime access to exclusive job opportunities, while others offer a quick fix at the weekend. To help you make the right decision for your needs, we’ve selected five of the best TEFL courses in the UK based on price, curriculum, job prospects and student support.
We’ve chosen Premier TEFL as our top pick for TEFL courses in the UK. The school offers an impressive range of courses, from 120-hour entry level programmes to specialised courses, such as English for business. All courses are accredited by Ofqual and offer excellent value for money, with regular promotions offering up to 50% off throughout the year. But best of all is the student support, which includes everything from visa assistance to a salary calculator. More than 54,00 teachers across the world have qualified with Premier TEFL — and we aren’t remotely surprised.
TEFL UK offers comprehensive training with courses ranging from 120-hours to 240-hours. All programmes cover the key components required to jump-start a teaching career, such as lesson planning, classroom management and grammar. Courses also include helpful bonus materials, like lesson planning ebooks. Students can choose from online-only or combined courses, which include 20 hours of in-classroom experience where students can put theory into practice. There’s also an excellent job placement service featuring thousands of jobs across the world, as well as remote opportunities too.
With a 65-year history of teaching, St Giles International is one of the best-established English language teaching schools in the UK. It’s an excellent option for those looking to complete a CELTA, a specific TEFL qualification which is accredited by Ofqual and awarded by Cambridge ESOL, part of the University of Cambridge. Courses are available online but the school is best suited to those who prefer face-to-face learning. Students can choose to attend classes in Bloomsbury or Highgate in London, Eastbourne, Cambridge and Brighton. The school is accredited by the British Council and offers a 120-hour teaching course, with additional opportunities for teaching practice.
The TEFL Org offers students access to a wide variety of self-paced online courses, as well as regular two-day classroom courses in the UK, Ireland and Spain. Its best-selling course is the 120-hour premier online course, but it also offers a highly reputed Level 5 TEFL course, which offers a more comprehensive teaching program for students seeking higher salaries. Costs for all courses include a personal online tutor who acts as your main point of contact for advice and assistance. Students also receive lifetime access to the school’s job board, which offers free TEFL jobs advice as well as exclusive vacancies. Unlike many other providers, the certificate is included in the package too.
Gallery Teachers is a UK based network of EFL teachers offering three high value, high quality courses. The basic Level 3 course is slightly longer than most at 180-hours, but this includes a free grammar course. Students can also opt for a 220-hour Level 3 course, which features personalised online learning and additional training, such as safeguarding. The 300-hour Level 5 course includes real-life teaching experience, observed by your personal tutor. Courses are accredited by Ofqual and certificates are issued by The European Language Certificates (TELC). All courses feature a combination of downloadable resources, live workshops and masterclasses.
