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Teaching Qualification FAQ’s
1. What is a TEFL qualification?
TEFL is just the name of the industry – Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Qualifications vary hugely, but typically there are 2 types. One is a certificate that basically gives you an overview into teaching English, and is a bit of kick-start into the industry. The second is the Cambridge CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults) which is a much more rigorous course and a much higher level of qualification.
2. What is the difference between a TEFL certificate and CELTA?
The main difference really is that whilst CELTA courses are approved and moderated by the Cambridge exam board, other similar TEFL courses are only validated by the school that offers them.
Even though the course may not have the same global prestige as a CELTA, you should still be able to find work with it, especially in China. For example, The British Council recognizes any course that involves at least 120 hours of input and six hours of assessed teaching practice
3. Which qualification is best for me?
If you are looking to teach for a short period of time, as a way of supplementing income while in China, and are not thinking seriously about teaching long term, then a TEFL certificate is a good option for you.
If you are looking to teach more long term, and thinking about teaching English to non-native speakers elsewhere in the world (or back home), then you might consider the more intense CELTA course. On finishing the course you will have a greater foundation for teaching as well as a deeper understanding of teaching methods.
4. What are the requirements to get on a CELTA course?
Applicants must:
- Be at least 20 years old by the start of the course. Candidates aged between 18 and 20 can be accepted at the center’s discretion, but must clearly fulfill the criteria below.
- Have a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education.
- Have an awareness of language and a competence in both written and spoken English which will enable them to undertake the course and prepare for teaching a range of levels.
- Have the potential to develop the necessary skills to become effective teachers and to complete successfully the written assignments and the assessment of practice teaching.
Due to the demanding, intensive nature of the course, applicants should be in general good health. Non-native speakers of English are very welcome to apply, but will need to demonstrate in their applications that their level of English, both spoken and written, can cope with the demands of the course. A near-native-speaker competence is required
5. What is actually covered on a CELTA course?
The overall aim of these courses is for you to become a confident, competent teacher of English. Work usually starts around building your language (grammar) awareness, as most of us have problems with this area.
The course presents a view of the principles underlying language teaching, and deals extensively with the analysis of English from the learners’ perspective. Presentation of new language, activities to develop language skills, planning and effective utilization of resources, syllabus design, and timetabling are all covered.
The course is divided into two closely interconnected parts. Input Sessions covering language teaching methodology and language analysis are followed by daily Teaching Practice Sessions, with feedback from the course tutors and other trainees. The course syllabus is designed to enable candidates to:
- Develop an awareness of language and knowledge of the systems of English in order that they can apply these in their professional practice.
- Develop an understanding of the contexts in which adults learn English, their motivation for doing so, and the respective roles of the teacher and the learner.
- Develop familiarity with the principles and practice of effective teaching to adult learners of English.
- Develop a range of skills for teaching adults in the classroom.
- Develop familiarity with appropriate resources and materials for use with adult learners for teaching, testing, and for reference.
Identify opportunities for their own future development as professionals in the field.
Assessment of the course is continuous and integrated. The main components of assessment are based on two components: Lesson planning and teaching (through supervised Teaching Practice); and classroom-related written assignments (of which there are four in total)
6. Is it as intensive as everyone says?
The CELTA course is very intensive in nature and outside timetabled hours candidates will also need to dedicate 100-120 hours in the evenings and at weekends in order to complete the required reading, research, written assignments and, especially, lesson preparation.
Courses are generally scheduled Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:30, over four weeks. The total course length is 120 contact hours.
Mornings are given over to input sessions, covering topics related to teaching methodology and language analysis, and supervised lesson planning while afternoons are dedicated to supervised teaching practice, peer and tutor feedback.
In addition to this, candidates will be required to attend 6 hours of observations of experienced teachers.
7. Will I need to speak Chinese to apply for TEFL course?
Whether you are working with absolute beginners, or advanced level students the TEFL courses all train you to teach English only using the English language. It is also very much a part of the TEFL ethos to stay in the target language. It also encourages you to find new, creative ways of getting across meaning – maybe through mime, drawing, using visual aids or real objects in class, or using other students to explain to their peers in English. There is almost always a way around having to use the student’s own language.
Though it is not necessary to speak Chinese, as you will be here for an extended period of time, we do recommend you try and pick up a little of the language just so you can live a little more freely in daily life.
8. Do I have to attend the whole course to pass, or can I miss some?
You are expected to attend the entire course so you should select course dates where you can attend every day. If it is genuinely unavoidable for you to miss a day or two it is usually OK, but you will need to let the tutors know as soon as you possibly can.
9. Do I have to go to the school for my interview?
Not necessarily, but if you are already in China, and looking to stay in the same city where you take the course, then more often than not we advise heading over and seeing the school where you may be teaching at. If you are still abroad we will help set up phone interviews for you.
10. Does a good quality TEFL course guarantee me a job?
It doesn’t technically guarantee you a job, but we have a wide network of schools we work with, and by having a minimum of a TEFL certificate (required in China), we guarantee a minimum of 3 interviews for you to go to.
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