How to choose a TEFL course

Dr.
TEFL: HOW TO CHOOSE A COURSE
EBC International TEFL Certificate

A useful guide for choosing a TEFL course
Accredited? Online? Four week? Hybrid? Getting a job?
EBC International TEFL CertificateAccredited TEFL training
HOW TO CHOOSE A TEFL COURSE

OK, so we run TEFL courses and teach abroad programmes. However, there are
other courses out there. This guide from Dr. TEFL walks you through all the options
and highlights pros and cons where applicable.
Course types
There are quite a few different types:
EBC TESOL AND TEFL TRAINING
Four week residential courses
Online only courses
Hybrid/blended learning courses
Five day or weekend courses
ACCREDITED,
AWARDS A TEFL AND TESOL CERTIFICATE
OBSERVED TEACHING PRACTICE,
PRACTICE WITH ENGLISH LEARNERS,
COVERS TEACHING TO ALL AGES,
Residential courses are designed for people that can attend a course in a training
COVERS TEACHING BUSINESS ENGLISH,
centre and dedicate themselves to full-time learning over a 4 week period.
INTERVIEW PREPARATION,
WORRY FREE JOB SUPPORT
FOUR WEEK RESIDENTIAL COURSES
The ideal is to attend a residential course in the country where you would like to
teach. Doing this is the cheapest and easiest way to train and teach abroadTeaching is interactive, there are lots of practical exercises performed under the
EBC JOB SUPPORT
direct supervision of a tutor and most importantly you get to teach practice classes.
Ideally (as in EBCs case) you should teach to classes of non-English speakers rather
EBC PREPARES YOU FOR INTERVIEWS,
than fake classes given to your peers. You should also get to teach to different class
EBC APPLIES FOR YOUR JOBS,
levels as well: beginner, intermediate and advanced. The latter so that you see first-
EBC IDENTIFIES SCHOOLS FOR YOU,
hand where the learning challenges lie at each level.
ALL YOU DO IS ATTEND INTERVIEWS,
EASY TO USE AND TROUBLE FREE,
UNRIVALLED,
A residential course is simply the best way to learn. You are in a classroom with a
PROACTIVE,
tutor and peers. You can interact with other people facing the same problems as
FAST,
you. You can ask questions and ask for clarification in real-time. You will finish in 4
EFFICIENT,
weeks so the learning cycle is intense and most importantly, fast.
LIFETIME,
WORLDWIDE,
EXCLUSIVE TO EBC GRADUATES
Pros
You should get to teach practice classes to non-English speakers. Aside from the
invaluable experience of doing this, you will be infinitely more attractive to employers than other people that have only done an online/distance course.
CONTACT
If you have chosen wisely, you are already in the country where you want to teach.
If you have chosen EBC, youll be working within a week of graduating. If you choose
www.ebcteflcourse.com
info@ebcteflcourse.com
Skype: ebcteflcourse
a different school, it will take longer and youll have to look for jobs on your own.
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
A residential course is cheaper than an online course taken at home. Silly statement? If you take an online course at home and then want to teach abroad, how are
you going to attend the face to face interviews that most schools demand? How
UNRIVALLED,
There is one: time. A residential course means that you have to set aside 4 weeks to
PROACTIVE,
take the course.
FAST,
EFFICIENT,
LIFETIME,
A residential course is the best of all options. Top quality courses (like EBCs) are
WORLDWIDE,
accredited and include teaching practice classes given to non-English speakers at
different ability levels.
CONTACT
much are you willing to spend on airfare and living expenses while you are interviewing? If you do not get the job, can you afford to fly on to the next interview?
Cons
Summary
An accredited TESOL TEFL certificate qualification gained through a residential

course that includes real teaching practice is the most attractive to potential em-
ployers.
ONLINE ONLY COURSES
Exactly as it says, your training is given online. These types of courses grew from the
old distance learning courses. Initially started in the 1970s, distance learning courses functioned using the postal service. Material and assignments were interchanged
between student and teacher using the postal service. As we are now in the internet
age, the postal service has been replaced by email and web based delivery.
The EBC online courses use web technology. All material is published on the web
and administered using MOODLE. Your material, video clips, assignments, communicating with your tutor, feedback, results etc. are all processed online in order to
shorten your learning time.
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
Pros
Online courses appear to be cheaper than four week residential courses and you
UNRIVALLED,
PROACTIVE,
study when you feel like it. Online courses are ideal for people that cannot afford to
take time away from their job or other daily commitments in order to attend a residential course.
Cons
No or limited trainer interaction
FAST,
No classroom spirit or spontaneity
EFFICIENT,
No way to get immediate answers or have discussions
LIFETIME,
No teaching practice
WORLDWIDE,
Higher cost and risk when looking for work than a four week full-time course
CONTACT
Language schools have low or no respect for online TEFL certified teachers. They
have never taught in a classroom so they are a risk.
Even worse, if you have studied at home and want to work in a foreign country, on
top of having a second rate certificate, you will have to find schools willing to accept
it, apply and then probably fly to the country for an interview. Are you willing to risk
spending a lot of money flying to a different country and living there in the hope
that you will get a job offer?
Summary
An online/distance learning course will teach you teaching theory. It is cheap and
you study at your own pace. If you really want to teach abroad, do not take an
online only course. In the long run, it will cost you a lot more than taking a four
week residential course.
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
HYBRID/BLENDED LEARNING
Hybrid/blended learning courses are a half-way house between an online course
The course combines the study time flexibility of an online course during which you
learn the theoretical aspects of teaching and the real-life exposure to teaching in a
classroom environment.
UNRIVALLED,
PROACTIVE,
FAST,
EFFICIENT,
LIFETIME,
WORLDWIDE,
and a residential course.
EBC gives you this option. You can combine the online TEFL TESOL certificate course
with a two week teaching practice module taught in our Madrid training centre.
Pros
Blended learning combines most of the advantages of online and residential learning. You will obtain a qualification at the end of the teaching practice that will help
you get work as it has real teaching practice.
CONTACT
Cons
The online part still has the problem of a lack of immediate response by a tutor to
your questions. The residential part still has the problem of you needing to dedicate
time and travel in order to complete the teaching practice module.
Summary
Blended learning is for someone that wants more than a purely online course but
usually cannot afford the time or perhaps the cost of a 4 week intensive residential.
Blended learning will give you a qualification that will be viewed positively by potential employers as it has real teaching practice.
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
Abbreviated one week or weekend courses

These courses provide the equivalent of a management summary about teaching
English. They are not designed to train you how to teach. They are overview courses.
Anyone who tells you otherwise is not telling the truth.
The course is usually given over a weekend or a few days (usually 1 week). You usu-
ally get 16 to 20 hours of tuition so as you can imagine, you arent going to learn
UNRIVALLED,
anything to the level of detail youll need to be able to teach. Usually theres no
PROACTIVE,
teaching practice either.
FAST,
EFFICIENT,
LIFETIME,
WORLDWIDE,
CONTACT
Pros
Short.
Cons
On a cost per hour basis they are very expensive, usually twice the price of a residential course and often more expensive than a good online course. If you are given
a certificate at the end of it, very few employers will accept it as the number of
course hours falls well below the generally accepted minimum of 100 hours and
theres no teaching practice.

Summary
If you have a bit of time to spare on a weekend and are looking for something to do,
then this type of course may be for you. If you are serious about teaching English
and want to get a qualification that is acceptable then do not take one of these
courses. If, due to personal circumstances, the abbreviated or weekend course is the
only type of course you can do, save your money.
Aside from slick marketing, we have no idea how these courses survive as they are
basically useless if you want to teach abroad.
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
COURSE SELECTION CRITERIA

Here are the main criteria that you should consider when making a short-list of
Now badly do you want to teach abroad
How much can you afford to spend before you get a job
Accreditation by a university or examination board
UNRIVALLED,
PROACTIVE,
References from past students
FAST,
Location
EFFICIENT,
International acceptance
LIFETIME,
WORLDWIDE,
Entry requirements
Teaching practice
Job help
Travel help
Accommodation help
Cost
CONTACT
courses:
If you follow the following basic guidelines you will end up with the course that best
suits your needs.
For much more detail about calculating your budget, refer to our publication How
to get a job abroad teaching English.
Things you won't have to worry about if you choose an accredited four week residential course. These courses (like EBCs) have been checked by an independent,
expert 3rd party educational organisation.
Choosing an accredited course like EBCs guarantees the following:
the quality of the course
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
the quality and experience of your course tutors
the international recognition of your qualification
EBC is also an accredited centre of Chichester College and Anglia Examinations.
The College of Teachers
UNRIVALLED,
The College of Teachers has been in operation since 1849.
PROACTIVE,
FAST,
EFFICIENT,
LIFETIME,
The course syllabus.
WORLDWIDE,
All course material.
The qualifications and experience of our trainers.
The quality of our training centres.
The content of our web site
CONTACT
The EBC International TEFL Certificate course is accredited by the College of Teachers (CoT).
Our accredited status also means that the quality of our course is independently
checked regarding:
FINDING A COURSE
There are many web portals that list TESOL TEFL courses around the world. An alternative is to go to a search engine, e.g. Google, MSN Search etc. and type in a few
keywords, for example TEFL course + the location where you would like to work or
study. This will give you a list of all courses in the area that you are interested in.
Once you have the list, start making a short-list based on the suggested criteria
shown in the next sections.
Be very careful about TEFL portals. You can tell them apart from organisations that
actually run courses because. The PORTAL TEST is to ask the question, give me
the address and phone number of your school in [country]. If they say no, they are
hiding the identity of the school because: 1) it is a bad school or 2) they do not want
you to apply directly to the school because they will lose their commission.
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
They are the equivalent of travel agents but, unlike travel agents, they won't tell you
who your course provider is until you've paid. By then it will be too late to back out
if you find that they've just sold you a course from a provider that you had previous-
They operate on commission, they are pure for profit organisations, they add no
value to the TEFL community. They only cause confusion by creating the illusion of
courses that they run. The in reality is that all they are doing is maintaining a sales
UNRIVALLED,
portal, taking your few hundred USD, GBP, Euros, etc. and then simply passing you
PROACTIVE,
along to the actual school that will train you. Added value or quality? You decide.
FAST,
EFFICIENT,
LIFETIME,
WORLDWIDE,
CONTACT
ly rejected.
REFERENCES FROM PAST STUDENTS

Always ask the schools that you are considering for references from previous course
students. This is by far the best way to check how good a school is.
COURSE CENTRE LOCATION
Becoming an accredited English teacher is as much about finding work as it is about
getting the right qualification. It is difficult to study in your own country and then
start looking for work abroad. For precisely this reason there are many accredited
courses run all around the world. This means that if you are fairly certain of the
country that you would like to teach in, go and do your course in that country. As
there are many accredited training institutions around the world you should have no
trouble finding one that best suits your requirements.
Don't forget that all accredited certificates are internationally accepted so it really
does not matter which one you choose.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
In general, almost all courses (accredited and non-accredited) will accept anyone
from the age of 18 that finished secondary education. EBC has always taken a cynical
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
ALL ABOUT THE COURSE

view of this tactic. Why? How many language schools do you think will hire someone
EBCs entry requirements are probably the highest of all courses. You have to be at
least 21 and either have a degree or 5 years work experience. The reason we set the
bar higher than most is that we know that this student profile is employable imme-
UNRIVALLED,
diately after graduation. We dont want to give anyone who enrols on our course
PROACTIVE,
false expectations of getting employed; it would be unethical to do so.
FAST,
EFFICIENT,
LIFETIME,
The school must include at least 6 hours of teaching practice. The practice sessions
WORLDWIDE,
must be observed and feedback must be provided. Ask for details about the practice
classes themselves.
CONTACT
who is 18 years old and has no degree?
TEACHING PRACTICE
As a point of comparison, EBC gives you 8 hours of teaching practice taught to classes of non-native English speakers. You will teach at least 2 beginner, 2 intermediate
and 2 advanced level classes so that you see the challenges associated with each
level.
JOB HELP
Ask the schools on your short-list what type of job help they give. This is very important as you don't want to be hanging around without work for weeks after finishing your course. Unfortunately the accreditation process does not currently extend
to covering job help. You will get work with an accredited certificate but the more
help your training institution can give you the quicker you'll get working. Make sure
you don't forget to ask what kind of job help they will give you.
EBC's lifetime, job placement assistance programme is unique and unrivalled. It is
proactive, fast, efficient and it will have you working within a few days (or less) of
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
ALL ABOUT THE COURSE

graduating from one of our residential courses or after completing the teaching
If you have doubts, read our How To publication Get a job abroad teaching Eng-
lish. EBC is different because EBC applies for jobs for you.
UNRIVALLED,
PROACTIVE,
FAST,
So far, everyone who has taken our course and then wanted to stay on and work has
EFFICIENT,
done so. This is regardless of what passport they hold. Most people are interviewing
LIFETIME,
within a few days of finishing the course and all who want to stay are working within
WORLDWIDE,
about a week of finishing.
CONTACT
practice option that goes with our online certificate course.
EBC will give you help and advice that quickly translates into you getting a teaching
job abroad with a reputable educational institution.
TRAVEL HELP
You'll need help with flights, transfers and health/travel insurance. Make sure that
the school you choose helps you and advises you about these issues before your
travel.
EBC's central and local staff will help you out with flights, transfers, health/travel
insurance and accommodation.
ACCOMMODATION HELP
It's best to get your accommodation arranged at least 3 to 4 weeks before you plan
on starting the course. Part of your course selection process should include finding
out from your short-list of schools whether they provide accommodation or whether they will refer you to reputable accommodation agents, hotels, hostels etc. and
that they will also provide some type of advice and assistance.
The school that you eventually choose should be sympathetic to the fact that you
are moving to a new country to study and therefore need all the help you can get.
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
EBC offers help all the way regarding accommodation. We have a wide range of reputable accommodation options at affordable prices.
If you want to attend a TEFL course based purely on the fun factor - save your mon-
ey. You'll have more fun and money to spend whilst travelling abroad without the
additional problem of attending a TEFL course.
UNRIVALLED,
PROACTIVE,
FAST,
EFFICIENT,
LIFETIME,
WORLDWIDE,
CONTACT
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND THE FUN FACTOR
Having said that, the fun factor does play a useful role as long as it is secondary to
your learning experience. As the old adage all work and no play makes Jack a dull
boy implies, if your course is all work without any extra-curricular activities to give
you some needed relaxation time, then you may begin to look at your course as
more of a chore than something that you appreciate doing.
In EBC's case, we have to say that the EBC course is intensive and it is challenging,
but we do pepper the course period with extra-curricular activities. Group dinners,
visits to discos, cultural excursion for example to see local dance (e.g. flamenco or
tango) etc.
We have found that these activities, help our students to relax and renew their fo-
cus on the task at hand during the course.

COST
The cost of a course is relative. In general, accredited courses cost more than nonaccredited courses for one simple reason; the course operator has to pay a registration and certification fee on a per-head basis to the accrediting organisation. You
must always check with the accredited schools on your short-list whether the accreditation fees are included in the course fee.
There are cheaper, unaccredited courses but in the long run is it worth it? Would
you pay for a cheap, non-accredited degree? If you wouldn't then my advice is that
ACCREDITED,
EBC JOB SUPPORT
you pay that small amount extra to get an accredited certificate that will open doors
to jobs just about anywhere in the world.
There are even some non-accredited courses that are MORE EXPENSIVE than ac-
credited courses in the same area!!
If you want to compare the tuition fees between an accredited and non-accredited
residential course do the following rough calculation. Compare 90% of the accredit-
UNRIVALLED,
ed course's fee to 100% of the non-accredited course's fee.
PROACTIVE,
FAST,
EFFICIENT,
LIFETIME,
WORLDWIDE,
The EBC course is possibly the best value for money course there is. We are less
expensive than almost all other accredited courses and we provide more support
services than any of them.
CONTACT US TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS
CONTACT
To request a call-back from one of our student advisers, just email us, give us your
phone number or Skype id and we will call you.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Email: info@ebcteflcourse.com
Phone: (+34) 915 553 975
Fax: (+34) 917 702 112
Address: EBC Servicios Lingsticos, Calle Orense 16, 2E, 28020 Madrid, Spain.
YOUR NEXT STEP
If you have not applied, sign up for an EBC course for free by filling out an
application on our web site.
If you have applied, guarantee your place by securely sending your deposit via
our web site.
READY TO START?
EBCs mission is to ensure that you achieve your teaching goals and
get you started on a successful EFL career. We focus on quality
training and getting you a job in the shortest time possible, usually
within a week or less.
The four week, intensive EBC International TEFL Certificate course is a
practical and thorough course designed for candidates with no previous experience teaching English. It is also suitable for candidates with
some experience but no formal training in the TEFL TESOL field.
The EBC online TEFL course offers weekly tutorial and feedback sessions live with your trainer and even better, 6 hours of observed
teaching practice given to real English language learners.
Our EBC hybrid TEFL course is the same as the online course except
that you do your teaching practice with us in Madrid.
EBC is an accredited centre of the College of Teachers and awards
TEFL certificates that are internationally recognised.
EBC International TEFL CertificateAccredited TEFL training courses and jobs
EBC International TEFL Certificate

Calle Orense 16, 2E, 28020
Madrid, Spain.
(+34) 915 553 975 phone
(+34) 917 702 112 fax
Email: info@ebcteflcourse.com
www.ebcteflcourse.com.

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Dr.

TEFL: HOW TO CHOOSE A COURSE

EBC International TEFL Certificate

EBC International TEFL CertificateAccredited TEFL training

HOW TO CHOOSE A TEFL COURSE

EBC TESOL AND TEFL TRAINING

Four week residential courses

Online only courses

Hybrid/blended learning courses

Five day or weekend courses

AWARDS A TEFL AND TESOL CERTIFICATE

OBSERVED TEACHING PRACTICE,

PRACTICE WITH ENGLISH LEARNERS,

COVERS TEACHING TO ALL AGES,

COVERS TEACHING BUSINESS ENGLISH,

centre and dedicate themselves to full-time learning over a 4 week period.

WORRY FREE JOB SUPPORT

FOUR WEEK RESIDENTIAL COURSES

EBC JOB SUPPORT

EBC PREPARES YOU FOR INTERVIEWS,

EBC APPLIES FOR YOUR JOBS,

EBC IDENTIFIES SCHOOLS FOR YOU,

hand where the learning challenges lie at each level.

ALL YOU DO IS ATTEND INTERVIEWS,

EASY TO USE AND TROUBLE FREE,

weeks so the learning cycle is intense and most importantly, fast.

EXCLUSIVE TO EBC GRADUATES

EBC International TEFL CertificateAccredited TEFL training

EBC TESOL AND TEFL TRAINING

AWARDS A TEFL AND TESOL CERTIFICATE

OBSERVED TEACHING PRACTICE,

PRACTICE WITH ENGLISH LEARNERS,

COVERS TEACHING TO ALL AGES,

COVERS TEACHING BUSINESS ENGLISH,

WORRY FREE JOB SUPPORT

EBC JOB SUPPORT

EBC PREPARES YOU FOR INTERVIEWS,

EBC APPLIES FOR YOUR JOBS,

EBC IDENTIFIES SCHOOLS FOR YOU,

ALL YOU DO IS ATTEND INTERVIEWS,

EASY TO USE AND TROUBLE FREE,

take the course.

accredited and include teaching practice classes given to non-English speakers at

EXCLUSIVE TO EBC GRADUATES

different ability levels.

An accredited TESOL TEFL certificate qualification gained through a residential

EBC International TEFL CertificateAccredited TEFL training

EBC TESOL AND TEFL TRAINING

AWARDS A TEFL AND TESOL CERTIFICATE

OBSERVED TEACHING PRACTICE,

PRACTICE WITH ENGLISH LEARNERS,

COVERS TEACHING TO ALL AGES,

COVERS TEACHING BUSINESS ENGLISH,

WORRY FREE JOB SUPPORT

EBC JOB SUPPORT

EBC PREPARES YOU FOR INTERVIEWS,

EBC APPLIES FOR YOUR JOBS,