What is a TEFL Certificate?
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Typically, this refers to teaching English to people of non-English speaking countries but can also include people living in English speaking countries who do not speak English as their first Language. In English speaking countries, it is usually referred to as ESL. A typical TEFL certificate has between 100 and 120 hours included. Courses vary but should include an introduction to language teaching and teaching, practice of teaching and language training, and literacy, teaching listening and communication skills and Teaching Reading and Writing.
Why do I need a TEFL Certificate?
Most people who want to get a type of certificates are living in foreign countries or want to live in foreign countries. TEFL gives you the type of certificate where you can teach, travel, and work abroad. If you speak English as a first language taking a TEFL certificate is next step in getting certified for teaching English as a second language.
Who needs a TEFL Certificate?
Are you already living abroad, retired, or can’t seem to get a full-time job due to working permits? Many countries will permit you to work teaching English full-time or part-time in what some countries call professional services. Teaching English as a foreign language can be a great way to make an extra income or full time income depending on your desires.
Teachers
Retirees
Adventurers
People passionate about teaching
People passionate about helping others
What is the difference between all of the TEFL Courses?
There are face to face courses, online courses, and blended courses, depending on your circumstances and your preferences. you just have to choose one of them.. Many of the top of courses are offered as online courses
Types of TEFL Courses
F2F
Face-to-face courses are of course where you will go in and meet with teachers and a classroom setting. Many face to face courses will also include actual classroom hours. At Panama Quality Education, our face to face classes include 80 hours of content and 40 hours actually teaching in a classroom.
Online – independent
Online courses are great for people who are looking for a way to take the courses during their own hours or on their own schedule. Most online courses run at their own pace. So if scheduling is an issue for you or you just don’t have a lot of time to spend or dedicate at this moment, you can just take an online course that may last anywhere from 1 to 6 months.
Online – Facilitator led
Panama Quality Education TEFL Community
Panama Quality Education TEFL Community
However some online courses have a beginning and an ending date and are teacher facilitated. Online courses that are teacher facilitated may cost a little bit more money but you have interaction with a teacher and also with other classmates within the course. On the other hand online courses that are teacher facilitated have certain deadlines and times that you need to do your work so you will need to be more available than with a straight online course.
Blended
There are also blended courses for TEFL. A blended course is a mixture between an online course and face-to-face course. The benefit of this is that you can take the online part during your own time and you also have the benefit of a teacher.
At Panama Quality Education, we offer both online courses and blended courses. We offer both types of online course:s one where you can take it at your own pace and another one that is teacher facilitated. We also offer blended courses for anyone living in Panama or would like to travel to Panama to take our TEFL certificate course. Our blended courses are 120 hours which consists of 80 hours of class work and 40 hours of actual classroom teaching with a teacher. Clearly, when possible, your best course of action is to take one of the blended courses where you get actual classroom experience with one of our certified TEFL instructors.
What is included in a TEFL course?
Most of the TEFL courses are online. There are several online TEFL courses out there so you need to dive deeper to compare them. You need to look for a certified course. And you need to pay special attention to what is included in the course. Especially if you are starting without a teaching certificate, you will need a course that will give you the tools necessary to get in a classroom and feel comfortable and confident.
What will I learn?
There’s no one top course so it is up to you to choose one. Before you decide, check out the curriculum that’s included certificates should be somewhere between 100 and 120 hours where 120 hours is the typical certification needed to teach abroad.
After that, researching the content or syllabus of the course is very important. Keep in mind that teaching English as a second language is much like teaching a language for the first time. The four parts of learning a language are reading, listening, writing, and speaking so you want the type of course where you will learn how to teach students how to read, listen, write, and speak. The ultimate goal of the basic courses you will teach is a basic level of communication. However, depending on the country and the level of English in the country, many students are intermediate or advanced English speakers.
So what do you need to begin a TEFL course?
TEFL Work from Home
TEFL Work from Home
First, you do not need a teaching background. Clearly the desire and passion to teach will greatly benefit your studies. Depending on your country of choice you may or may not need a college degree. Also, speaking English as a first language is not necessarily requirement; however, if you are not a native speaker, you should be somewhat close to a native speaker in fluency.
Will I be teaching adults or children?
You can to teach adults or children. Once you have your TEFL certificate, you will realize that you are highly in demand so typically you can just choose based on your personal preferences and desires.
Is there a requirement on class sizes? The answer is No. You will have to research where you will be living and teaching to find out what kind of teaching environment they have. Again, because teachers are in such demand you typically have a choice whether you want to work with adults or children, and large classes or 1 on 1.
English is and will be the global language of the world for many years to come. As the need for English increases in foreign countries so does the need for teachers. In most foreign countries English teachers can make higher salaries than many other jobs including other teaching positions.
Why should I take my TEFL Certification with Panama Quality Education?
Panama Quality Education – TEFL Certificates
Panama Quality Education – TEFL Certificates
- #1 TEFL Community – Before, During, and After your Certification
- Flexible classes
- Panama Quality Education is TEFL certified
- Years of Experience
- Competitive Rates
- Classes that are based on real classroom experiences
Take Action Now
If you are ready to get started on your path to getting the best training you need to get your TEFL certificate and start teaching, give us a call today.
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