Getting an online TEFL certificate is a great place to start if you want to learn how to teach English as a second language. By getting TEFL certified online you can obtain the TEFL qualification you need to find that dream TEFL job.
Benefits of getting a TEFL certificate online
How would you like to establish yourself as an English teacher all from the comfort of your own home? Here we’ve outlined 7 reasons why obtaining your online TEFL certificate is a great idea.
Lower TEFL certification cost
When compared to travelling abroad to do your TEFL course, getting an online TEFL certificate can significantly reduce your TEFL certification cost. For one, you can complete the course from the comfort of your own home. For two, you don’t need to shell out on plane fares or accommodation. This makes doing your TEFL course online considerably cheaper than its face-to-face counterpart.
You may think that by not doing a face-to-face TEFL course you’ll miss out on quality tuition. However, this is not the case and you can receive equally good tuition online. Many course providers now offer near enough identical course programs in both online and face-to-face formats.
That’s not to say that there aren’t benefits of doing a face-to-face TEFL course abroad, it also has its perks. You just need to decide what fits best with your own personal preference and needs.
Acquiring teaching skills
If you think that you’ll be able to start teaching English just because you’re a native speaker, you probably need to think again! Teaching English creates unique challenges that could be very hard to take on without first doing a TEFL course.
By studying for and completing your online TEFL certificate, you’ll be taught how to approach and deal with many of these unique challenges. One such challenge could be that some of your more advanced students seem to know more about English grammar than you.
But don’t fret! By doing an online TEFL course you’ll learn the necessary grammar and methodology and be prepared to teach English to students of all ages, levels and abilities. This is just one of the many great reasons for getting a TEFL certification!
Learning grammar and phonology
English teaching, or teaching of any language for that matter, is much more than just vocabulary. You need to know about grammar, phonetics, accents, expressions, idioms and more. For example, if you do not understand grammatical structures and pronunciation it will be a lot more difficult for you to confidently teach your students.
The good news is that an online TEFL certification can help you learn all of these things and will equip you with the skills to deliver great lessons to your students.
Your goal as an English teacher should always be to improve the English of your students, which in turn will help you grow your reputation as a great teacher. This should be a lot easier for you once you have obtained your online TEFL certificate.
Improved confidence
When you know your subject it shows! Teaching English as a foreign language takes skill, knowledge, intuition and a decent helping of personality in the classroom. It also calls for a good amount of planning and organization.
By taking an online TEFL certificate you’ll be well prepared in a number of these areas and be ready to face a classroom full of students. This may sound daunting, but by having the training from your online TEFL course to fall back on you’ll be able to face almost any situation with confidence. Your students will recognize this and they’ll respond to you more as a result. Consequently helping you to deliver your lessons in a successful manner and acquire even more students in future!
More job opportunities
Most TEFL jobs require a TEFL certification. If you look at any international jobs board you’ll quickly see that this is the case. For many, the fastest route to becoming TEFL qualified is by obtaining an online TEFL certificate.
A high percentage of online TEFL courses can be started as soon as you purchase them. However, you don’t just want to rush into any old course. When choosing your online TEFL course it’s important to make sure that it matches with the requirements of your targeted position(s). Employers will generally ask for a 120-hour TEFL certificate and may have other requirements as well.
By getting a TEFL qualification you will get your foot in the door in the first place. The teaching agencies will then be able to help you with the administrative side of placing you in the job.
Better pay
Another benefit of doing your TEFL certificate online is the improved pay you can receive once you are TEFL certified. International teaching jobs can pay handsomely for TEFL certified teachers, especially in the countries that pay the highest salary for teaching English abroad.
Naturally, there is a reason why certified teachers are paid higher than those who are not. Certified teachers are trained in English teaching methodologies and acquire the skills needed to best teach their students. Both students and employers recognize this more often than not, which reflects in the pay.
Sure, you will have an initial outlay to cover the cost of your online TEFL course. However, you will have the opportunity to receive a higher salary in comparison to a teacher without a TEFL qualification.
Convenience
If you want to do a TEFL course at your own pace and fit it around your schedule, studying for your TEFL certificate online could be for you. Many online TEFL courses can be completed whenever you want and within no set timeframe. This means you could do it after you finish work or at the weekends. Likewise, you may decide you want to get it all done in a month or you could take three months doing it. The flexibility provided by studying for an online TEFL certificate really is great in this sense.
Nevertheless, even if you are doing a TEFL course online you may occasionally need to be present at a specific time for tuition. However, this is very different to having to attend a TEFL course for 7 hours each day in a classroom.
Another thing to note concerns that all important teaching practice. In the past, teaching practice used to be a major selling point of face-to-face TEFL courses. It wasn’t offered by many online TEFL courses. Fortunately, things have changed. A number of online TEFL courses now offer teaching practice as well, which is definitely something to look out for.
Some final thoughts
If you speak to any existing TEFL teacher, many of them will have got started in English teaching by first completing an online TEFL course. Obtaining an online TEFL certificate is great for getting your foot in the door and should give you the confidence to move forward and start teaching. It will also help you acquire a great deal of knowledge without an overly high TEFL certification cost.
Then, once you have your new online TEFL certificate in hand, you’ll be ready to embark upon your English teaching journey. This will open up a whole new world of exciting opportunities for you, so dive in and get started.
James has been helping people teach English abroad for over twelve years. He’s traveled to over 30 countries, lived in 3, and taught English in Chile and online.
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