TEFL Basics | What you need to know
TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign language. TEFL teachers normally teach English to people who do not speak English as their first language. Obviously, this is quite different to being a traditional English teacher in a school – where your students all speak English.TEFL teaching is based on instructing students how to use English in everyday life and requires different teaching methodologies and techniques.
Accredited TEFL courses
The TEFL industry does not have any one governing body unlike in some industries. There are, however, some important institutions which play a role in the TEFL industry.The British Council and Cambridge English are two of the largest and most influential players. The British Council actually delivers English lessons in many countries around the world through their network. Cambridge English Language Assessment, part of Cambridge University, in the UK, does not participate in delivering English instruction but is responsible for a lot of research related to Teaching English as a Foreign Language and provides the CELTA (Cambridge English Language Teaching to Adults) certificate which many TEFL teachers take as their first entry level qualification in TEFL teaching. Cambridge English also provide a range of other TEFL related certificate programs such as:
- A Young learners extension to the basic CELTA certificate
- Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (DELTA), normally a requirement for teacher trainers and examiners for certain Cambridge English exams
- Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT), an entry level TEFL certificate
- International Diploma in Language Teaching Management (IDLTM), for those moving into management positions in organizations where TEFL is the main activity
- In-service Certificate in English Language Teaching (ICELT), aimed at teachers already teaching English who wish to deepen their knowledge and develop their teaching skills further
Other accredited TEFL courses are provided by Trinity College London who offer:
- CertTESOL, an entry level TEFL certification program
- DipTESOL, a higher level qualification for experienced teachers
- Cert IBET, aimed at those teaching Business English
- CertICT, which deals with the area of teaching language using technology
These accredited TEFL programs are recognized globally as high quality and respected by employers within the TEFL industry as well as being acknowledged by the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) in the UK.
There are many other organizations which provide TEFL certification courses, however, Cambridge English and Trinity College have well established networks of accredited TEFL program providers throughout the world. If you are looking for a high quality, internationally recognized TEFL course – one from these providers should be your first choice.
