Although you are free to sign up for any course that catches your eye, there is one thing you should always bear in mind: the minimum qualification required by most ESL employers worldwide is a 120-hour TEFL certificate course. The good news for our trainees is that there are a number of ways in which this can be achieved with ITTT.
Travel to learn or stay at home?
The first distinction in TEFL course type depends upon whether you want to travel to a training center to complete your studies or stay at home. If you wish to travel, then an ‘onsite’ course is best for you. Should you wish to complete your training at home then an ‘online’ course is best.
What are onsite TEFL courses like?
The four-week 120-hour TEFL certification course can be completed at one of many locations spread across the globe. As the name implies, you attend the training center over a period of four weeks, in which time you will receive all the training required to allow you to teach an effective ESL lesson anywhere in the world. The training is broken down into theory and practice. The theory sections cover all the basic teaching skills required to successfully teach a class, as well as language knowledge, which covers what you actually teach. The practice sections involve planning and teaching real classes of English language learners whose first language is not English. You will have the opportunity to teach at least six hours of these observed lessons and will receive immediate feedback from your trainers.
Onsite courses are designed to cover all aspects of ESL teaching and assume you have no previous knowledge of teaching theory or practice. They are also suitable for experienced teachers too!
What are online TEFL courses like?
These can be taken in your own home and at your own pace. You will also have a generous time period to complete your studies. For example, the 120-hour TEFL certificate course, which covers all aspects of teaching skills and language knowledge, allows six months for completion.
There are a whole range of online courses available to meet all current needs. The course options include;
120-hour TEFL certification
The standard entry level for employment worldwide.
Specialized TEFL courses
We currently offer three specialized TEFL courses: The Certificate in Teaching Business English (CTBE), the Certificate in Teaching English to Young Learners (CTEYL), and the Certificate in Teaching English Online (CTEO).
Diploma level course
An advanced 370-hour certificatIon that starts with our standard 120-hour TEFL course, where you learn all the basic skills and knowledge of ESL teaching. You then build on that knowledge by taking a 250-hour research based course that completes the full Diploma in TESOL.
Package courses
These bring together a range of courses in one package, which include:
The 170-hour course in teaching English as a foreign language with online specialization, which combines the 120-hour TEFL certificate and the 50-hour course in teaching English online (CTEO).
The 550-hour Expert Package, which brings together the 120-hour TEFL certificate, 50-hour courses in teaching business English (CTBE), teaching English to young learners (CTEYL), and teaching English online (CTEO), and the Diploma in TESOL. The package also includes the chance to complete some observed teaching practice and a live one-on-one job consultancy session with a TEFL job expert.
Combined TEFL courses
Combined TEFL courses bring together many advantages from the onsite and online options as it uses both. In the combined course option the theory is covered by the regular 120-hour online TEFL certificate that is completed first. This is then followed by eight or ten days at a training center to complete your teaching practice. This option gives the equivalent certification to completing the 120-hour onsite TEFL course, as it covers all the same requirements.
