GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE
This highly intensive, three-week program is designed to let you earn a TEFL [Teaching English as a Foreign Language] Certificate, the introductory credential necessary to work in many schools in non-English speaking countries.
In a truly international and supportive environment, the sixteen-year-old 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. All accents and backgrounds are welcome and contribute to the diversity of World Englishes.
Designed for native and near-native speakers of English who have completed at least secondary school, 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 and strategies;
- explore a variety of approaches to planning and teaching lessons;
- discover how to teach using the most advanced technologies or a simple blackboard;
- practice teaching your own class of EFL students the traditional skills of reading, listening, speaking, writing, and grammaring;
- learn to evaluate and adapt materials to meet the needs of your students;
- develop your own materials for effective instruction;
- make conscious your innate knowledge of English grammar (syntax and morphology) and the English sound system (phonology);
- understand the basics of second language acquisition;
- build a repertoire of classroom management skills for all levels of instruction;
- 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 businesspeople; and
- learn how to continue growing professionally and to find and apply for EFL positions.
Because the course is intensive, all applicants must submit a written statement of purpose and take part in a telephone interview with the course coordinators.
[1] See the explanation page on the website of the largest professional organization for more information about other common credentials in the EFL and ESL field.