Whilst online TEFL courses cannot be compared directly with 4 or 5-week intensive courses, they do enable you to gain a useful insight into TEFL, and in countries where there is a lower minimum requirement for the qualifications of teachers, these courses can serve as a 'passport' into teaching. Online courses give a short introduction ideal for helping to orientate potential teachers who may be going off on a very short term teaching mission, where teaching English is not designed to provide a sustainable source of income, or where teaching might take place on a casual basis.

Various good quality online TEFL courses are offered through Cactus TEFL. All these courses consist of a minimum of 10 modules, focussing on different areas of EFL including Student Motivation; Teacher Roles & EFL Methodology; Teaching of Grammar, Reading and Writing; Classroom Management and Lesson Planning.

Some of these courses are externally validated by reputable accrediting agencies. They can also include a section on finding work in the UK and abroad, and provide you with useful publications as well as web sites that you may find interesting throughout the course. Even though the course providers cannot guarantee work they will help and guide you through the process of applying for a TEFL position.

Two basic online courses can be completed in approximately 40 hours, although the pace will vary and depends on your individual input. These basic 40 hour online courses can be upgraded to either a 60 hour online TEFL Diploma course that includes an additional grammar module or a 70 hour online diploma course to include a Young Learner or Business Endorsement. Upgrading your course will increase your chances of finding work and make you more confident as a language teacher!

Combining Online TEFL Courses with Other Programmes

It's quite common to take an online course as pre-course preparation for a full-time 4-week course, or similar. This will put you ahead, and help to 'soften the blow' of the intensity of these courses.