Become an Accredited TEFL Teacher

Becoming an Accredited TEFL teacher

Thinking about becoming a TEFL teacher? Haven’t quite made up your mind if Teaching English as a Foreign Language is for you? Here are some things to consider before getting on a plane to find out if TEFL is for you.

For many people the prospect of packing up and heading abroad to live and work can be quite a scary prospect. And that’s before dealing with the fact that you’ll be getting up in a classroom in front of people who don’t speak your language - and teaching them. But at the same time it can be quite an adrenalin rush too!

Many TEFLers drift into it for a whole range of reasons – and from a variety of backgrounds. They might simply want to travel, they may just be offered the opportunity one day and others make a conscious decision to follow TEFL as a career path. However, they all felt nervous before that first class – it’s quite natural.

Like any new job, once the first day is out of the way and you settle down into a routine, meet new people and begin to get the hang of it – before you know what’s happened it all seems like second nature. What’s more, as many accredited TEFL teachers have found – living in a country which is not your own adds a bit of spice to everyday life – no matter where you end up teaching.

Find out what teaching English in a foreign country is like

First step, enroll yourself in an accredited TEFL course to get an insight into what it’s all about. No big risks involved – but you will meet likeminded people, have access to teachers who have already done what you’re thinking about doing, and the accredited TEFL course will allow you to decide if TEFL is something you really want to pursue.

Things which might sound strange at the moment such as lesson planning, classroom dynamics and communicative methodologies will become clear and by the end of your accredited TEFL course you should either be brimming with enthusiasm and looking forward to your first TEFL teaching job – or you’ll have decided that maybe Teaching English as a Foreign Language just isn’t for you. Either way, it’s the first step to finding out if TEFL teaching is something you could, and want, to do.

TEFL as a career

The TEFL industry has not always had the best of reputations in terms of organization, regulation and career development channels as compared to other more well-established professions. This is partly due to the fact that its main participants - teachers - have been spread across the globe and in general are quite an independent bunch of people. Nowadays, TEFL teaching can lead to all kinds of full-time career opportunities, apart from simply teaching English in the classroom, such as:

• Starting your own TEFL school


• TEFL teacher training


• Creating TEFL teaching materials (books, apps, videos, etc.)


• Administration and Management


• Becoming an examiner for international English exams such as IELTS and Cambridge ESOL


• Sales and Marketing positions for large TEFL publishers

The TEFL opportunities available to those people who are professional, determined, committed and have initiative are as plentiful as in any other industry. The basic skill-set and knowledge base is what differs.

Maybe one of the biggest advantage TEFL offers is that while it does offer long term career development opportunities – it’s also something you can simply do for a year or two before moving onto something different. But the skills and experience you’ll pick up are easily transferable to many other jobs. All employers value good communication skills, organizational ability and self-confidence.

Becoming an accredited TEFL teacher could be one of the best career moves you ever make.