What are the differences between TEFL courses?

TEFL courses adhere to different standards, either laid down by an outside authority, themselves, or a combination of the two. Their prices vary according to the reputation or size of their associations. The most important thing to remember is that after the course, at job interviews, employers often have inside knowledge (and opinions) of each TEFL course provider, seeing their good and bad points. Therefore, speaking from experience, employers who care about the connection between their own school's name and those who represent it, tend to look for the amount of real teaching practice students receive. A course provider like TEFL Europe is very strong in this area because it is led by its experience in the real TEFL market-place, and has been founded by an English language centre. We do not run online courses in which trainees are unable to teach students face-to-face, and because TEFL Europe is not a multi-national corporation, it does not offer teachers minimum wage style monthly contracts after their TEFL courses in order to earn extra income on a small number of students being taught. TEFL has more than a contact base of language schools in a careers service, because its connection with English Non-stop means that EN is the first port of call for course graduates who receive preferential treatment. We do not believe in promising the glamour of locations around the world, without providing the real picture, which is that different markets vary, once trainees graduate, particularly at the beginning of their careers, they should look for locations (like Prague) where English is in demand and competitive language schools operate (like EN), so that they can get solid experience onto their CVs.

Should I bother doing a TEFL course?

Being a good teacher largely comes down to common sense. But it is surprising how many people lack this common sense, despite being well qualified or knowledgeable in other areas. Students, particularly in the Czech Republic, are unlikely to say to a teacher exactly what is wrong with their teaching, and so it is easy for someone to fall into the trap of thinking 'Most of my students are lazy and that's why I lost them.' The truth is, if you are a good teacher, you get recommended, and you can end up with not enough hours in the day to teach everyone. However, to get to this point, you need to have experience and practice. Most good TEFL courses can provide golden nuggets of information about simple techniques in the classroom, and set you off in the right direction in becoming a good TEFL teacher faster than if you decide to go it alone.

Do I need a degree to teach English?

You don't need a university degree to teach, although it does help because of the quantity and level of work is comparable to university work. However, TEFL teaching is an odd profession in that being well educated does not mean one is able to teach! We also think the experience of having learnt a language helps make a good teacher, which is part of the reason there is an 'unknown language' module on the TEFL Europe course.

What should I look for in a TEFL course?

I think the most important difference to look for is the number of teaching practice hours the courses provide.  

Which TEFL certificate is the best for finding work? Another point is to decide whether the course has a relationship with its location - does it involve a school attracting paying English learners, leading to a much more satisfying time for teacher and trainees because they have the chance to get to know the place they visit. Primarily TEFL centres can be so detached from the fascinating cities in which they have set up shop, that they may as well be down the road from one's home. The English Non-stop language school ensures TEFL Europe trainees are very much in touch with Prague life and society.