GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE

Now in its 36th year, this highly intensive, three-week program is designed so that you can earn a TEFL [Teaching English as a Foreign Language] Certificate, the introductory credential necessary to work in many schools in non-English speaking countries. The 100-hour program offers vibrant, interactive classes plus supervised practice teaching experience and classroom observations with authentic English learners of all abilities.

In a truly international and supportive environment of the larger International Summer Language School with its 600 participants studying 8 languages, the program provides you with the perfect opportunity to decide if a career in teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language (ESL/EFL) is right for you for a year, a few years or even the rest of your life.

There is no upper age limit, but you must be at least 18 to enroll independently in the course. You do not need any knowledge of another language. Nor is it important if you speak British, American, Canadian, or Singaporean English as long as you are able to be a good role model for your future students. All accents and backgrounds are welcome and contribute to the diversity of World Englishes.

Designed for native and near-native [C1] speakers of English who have completed at least the first year of college/university, the course is taught by TEFL instructors with Ph.D.’s and years of experience in the field, both in the United States and around the world.

Once you begin the course, you and your classmates will:

• discover your own learning styles, strategies, strengths, and challenges;
• explore a variety of approaches to planning and teaching lessons;
• discover how to teach using the most advanced technologies or a simple blackboard;
• from Day 4 on, engage in supervised practice teaching  of your own class of authentic EFL [English as a Foreign Language] students;
• learn to evaluate and adapt materials to meet the needs of your students;
• develop your own materials for effective instruction;
• practice teaching English through content [CLIL/CBI];
• understand the uses and misuses of different assessment tools and approaches;
• build a repertoire of classroom management skills for all levels of instruction;
• make conscious your innate knowledge of English grammar (syntax and morphology) and the English sound system (phonology);
• apply theories of second language acquisition [SLA] to enhance learning;
• appreciate the cognitive processes of SLA and their challenges;
• value the role of errors in SLA and appropriate error correction and feedback;
• understand the importance of cross-cultural issues in teaching and living abroad;
• study how to work with groups with specific needs (ESP), such as scientists or business people; and
• discover how to find and apply for EFL positions;  and
• most importantly, learn how to continue growing as a TEFL/TESL professional.

This program meets the international standards of the largest professional organization in the field, TESOL. See Standards for Short-Term TEFL/TESL Certificate Programs