How I Got TEFL Certified

I have no affiliation with International TEFL Academy other than being one of their students.

Like every good education, getting TEFL certified is an investment.

TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

It’s where you have the credentials to teach English to a non-native speaker; whether in person, online or through tutoring.

What Led Me to Getting TEFL Certified:

After I graduated from college, I put my career pathway on hold to travel a bit. While backpacking Europe later that year, I found myself in Barcelona, Spain where I fell in love with the city, a person, and the way of life.

You can read about why I went on this trip, how I planned it, and how much it cost in the links provided.

Upon coming home from that trip, I spent weeks figuring out how I could get back over the pond, live in Barcelona, make an income, and continue my travels.

At first, I tried to figure out how I could get hired as a teacher in English-speaking schools. Though quickly I learned that getting a work visa in Spain as an American was next to impossible.

Teaching English became the best option.

I knew I couldn’t get hired at a real school, so the options were limited to teaching English online or work as a private English tutor.

Companies that hire applicants for online teaching require the TEFL certification.

Parents that hire young adults to tutor their children prefer the TEFL certification.

Either way, I knew I needed to get my education in Teaching English as a Foreign Language as soon as possible.

I may have a degree in elementary and middle school education, but getting certified in TEFL was a completely separate process and bill.

And so, I began researching and comparing different agencies for the TEFL accreditation.

Always do your own research! Each TEFL certification is different in terms of curriculum, hours, price, and value of education.

Ultimately, based on countless google searches, blog readings, website scannings, not to mention personal pros and cons lists,

I decided to get my credentials through International TEFL Academy.

Reasons why I loved International TEFL Academy:

ONE: their website

Their website is professional, easy to navigate, and thorough. Any questions you may have about the program, teaching abroad, locations, tips, and more are covered. It’s organized, detailed, direct, and extremely informational.

They have blog posts, brochures, videos, teaching resources, job search resources, chart comparisons, and more.

TWO: their customer service

Any question I had, whether TEFL-related or general teaching abroad tips, was answered promptly through my TEFL advisor via email or phone call! Being able to talk to someone on the phone, tell them my ideas for this pathway, and listen to their own experiences was super beneficial. I could tell that the ITA team really cared about their platform and wanted to make sure their students (or potential students) were comfortable and knowledgeable throughout the process.

THREE: their programs

International TEFL Academy offers a variety of courses and extension programs.

They have two online classes, 11-week and 4-week, as well as in-person classes across various locations in the US, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. They also offer three “specialty” classes for online teaching, young English learners, and business English learners.

FOUR: their guidance in job searches

Whether it’s looking at the resources on their website or talking to a team member about your wants and needs, ITA is open, honest, and realistic about your options in the job market.

Of course, it’s not as easy as 1-2-3 to get a job. Not to mention that time and world circumstances are forever changing.

ITA can’t just get you a job; you’ll need to put in that time and effort yourself. But they can offer what they’ve experienced and share stories they’ve heard from the students that went on to pursue TEFL careers.

FIVE: their accreditation

International TEFL Academy tops numerous other TEFL online programs.

After completion of their course, you will acquire 170 hours of TEFL experience – 150 in coursework and 20 in practice.

“To ensure that our Online TEFL certification meets international standards in quality and delivery, this curriculum has been externally monitored and approved for accreditation by TQUK, an officially Awarding Organization that is recognized and regulated by Ofqual, the British Government organization responsible for monitoring and maintaining educational standards for professional certifications in the United Kingdom.” – International TEFL Academy

https://www.internationalteflacademy.com/blog/ita-online-tefl-certification-course-valid-and-accredited

Upon completion, students will hold a Level 5 Regulated status in TEFL education.

In simpler terms: earning your certification from ITA looks really good to employers.

Getting TEFL Certified:

After I decided I wanted to give my time and money to ITA, I was just a credit card and click away from enrolling.

Completing My TEFL Course and Official Certification:

Coursework

Overall I had a very positive experience with my course! The assignments weren’t overly challenging, the discussions were on-topic, the teacher was informational, and the curriculum was very organized!

Unit topics included lesson planning, teacher materials, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, speaking, writing, listening, and reading.

Assignments entailed you read the textbook, take a quiz, write some prompts, and participate in online class discussions with other students.

The textbook was informational in that it taught a lot of language learning theories, teaching techniques, and example lessons/activities.

Practicum

This part of the certification is to ensure you have actual practice with an English language learner in order to gain experience, comfortability, and use the techniques learned in class.

It’s 20 hours of teaching time with a learner of your choice. You can split it up between different students or just one.

In another post, I will go into more detail about this, but I completed my practicum hours as a private English tutor while living in Barcelona, Spain. I tutored six students between the ages of seven and fourteen for four months.

Upon completion of your hours, you will fill out a document explaining the circumstances of the student, describe your teaching practices, and send it off for approval!

Certification

Once you’ve completed your class (passing it of course) and sent in your practicum log, you just wait!

Within weeks your coursework and practicum hours will be reviewed, accepted, and ITA will send a diploma via email!

Save this document to your computer, to a flash drive, and then print out a copy as well! This is proof that you put in the time and effort to get TQUK Level 5 certified in teaching English as a foreign language. Employers will want to see it!

You’re TEFL Certified! What Now?

Now it’s time to find a job!

Find a school within the US that needs TEFL certified teachers (particularly in the South). Look into visa options and fly off to a foreign country to teach English. Settle down in a foreign city for a couple of months on a tourist visa and market yourself as a private tutor. Look into different online teaching platforms and send in a demo video.

I would hope in making the big decision to get certified, you’d also have an idea of how and where you would use it upon completion.

But if you find that your plans have changed, circumstances are no longer possible, and you’re completely lost in these next steps, contact the ITA team! They are more than willing to give you guidance, explain different possibilities, and help you apply your new skill.

What I’m Doing With My TEFL Certification:

As I was taking my online course, I was staying with friends in Barcelona, Spain. Originally I was on a tourist visa (three months) but due to COVID, I ended up staying six!

Upon arriving in Barcelona I immediately marketed myself as a private tutor for parents who wanted their children to become more proficient in English. This ranged from helping students with their English homework and assignments from school, teaching my own lessons, or simply babysitting the child while only communicating in English.

You can read about how I marketed myself as a private English tutor once in Barcelona and how I brought my cat to Spain here.

Now that I’m back in the United States, however, I’ve gone onto new adventures.

Currently, I’ve started work as an online English teacher! I’m working for VIPKid and QKids; teaching English online to students in China.

You can learn more about how I applied to online English teaching companies in my blog post here!

I hope this post was informational on your journey in getting TEFL certified. Everything here is just based on my opinion and experiences. As mentioned before, do your own research to determine the best course of action for you!

Any questions or comments you would like to send me privately? Contact me!