TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Courses

 
Search for CELTA and Cert.TESOL Courses
 
:: TEFL :: Business English :: Younger Learners :: DELTA & DipTESOL :: TEFL and EducationGuardian :: Contact us

 

TEFL Course FAQs

Our 10 most frequently asked questions

1 What is the difference between TEFL, CELTA and TESOL?
2 What does Cactus Teachers do?
3 What requirements are there to get on the course?
4 Can't I just do a 2-day/one week course?
5 What do you do on a CELTA or CertTESOL?
6 Is it that intensive?
7 Can Cactus Teachers place me in a school when I finish the course?
8 How much is a TEFL course?
9 Is there any way of paying less for a good course?
10 How do I apply?

1 What is the difference between TEFL, CELTA and TESOL?

TEFL is the name of the industry you would be working in - teaching English as a foreign language. In order to gain access to this industry, there are two key qualifications which stand out as being quite special in their international recognition - the Cambridge CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults) and the Trinity College CertTESOL (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). See Jeremy Page's excellent article on this subject

2 What does Cactus Teachers do?

Cactus Teachers acts as an admissions centre for selected, quality training centres and their CELTA or CertTESOL courses. Our list does not pretend to be exhaustive - instead we have concentrated on schools which run regular, consistently professional courses. The schools enjoy an excellent reputation in their own right above and beyond the certificate they provide you with, and many offer recruitment opportunities.


Tasting the Cactus!

3 What requirements are there to get on a course?

You need to be at least 18 (though some schools prefer you to be at least 20). For native speakers of English, ideally you need to have the qualifications which would allow you to access a degree course - i.e. A-levels or an equivalent. Having said that, certain schools may require you to hold a degree, whilst others will consider your application if you just have relevant life experience - so it's always worth checking.

If you are a none native speaker, you will also need to be able to demonstrate your ability to use English to a very high standard - ideally you will need to hold something like Cambridge Advanced English (CAE), Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) or IELTS level 7. If you don't external qualification, the school will be able to test the level of your English, often by providing you with an additional language task to complete.

4 Can't I just do a 2-day/one week course?

You can do, but the amount you can learn in this time is really limited, and the qualification will most probably not be recognised worldwide. Some courses do lead to short term voluntary programmes, which will allow you to travel to somewhere exotic for a couple of months and have a worthwhile experience.

It is also still true that you might be able to secure work in parts of South East Asia with no qualifications, however we feel that you owe it your students and yourself to be properly prepared, regardless of the requirements of the organisation you travel with.

5 What do you do on a CELTA or CertTESOL?

The overall aim of these courses is for you to become a confident, competent teacher of English. Work usually starts around building your language (grammar) awareness, as most of us have problems with this area. Through a series of lesson observations, input sessions on aspects of linguistics, learning materials, classroom management and activities, level awareness, teaching for different age groups, you gradually build up your skills. These are assessed throughout the course via your performance in your teaching practice (TP), which takes place regularly. Your first TP can often come on the second day of the course! The key to success is to absorb the new information you are given, synthesize and reproduce it during the practice lessons. Much of your spare time is spent preparing lessons, where help and support are frequently available.

6 Is it that intensive?

We always say to expect something like a 9 - 5 day, + 3-4 hours of self study in the evenings plus work at the weekends.

7 Can Cactus Teachers place me in a school when I finish the course?

It would be very easy for us to start doing this, but we feel it is much better if you source your own job. We recommend that you decide where in the world you would like to go and do some desk research - the country equivalent of the Yellow Pages is usually a good starting point to find how many language schools there are in your chosen destination. If at all possible, it is infinitely easier to look from within the country, by organising a couple of weeks of accommodation, and possibly setting up a few meetings (phone the school rather than email). Better still, book onto a morning-only language course and stay with a host family. This will mean you are not wasting time whilst you're away, and the family and school may prove a useful source of contacts. (Many of our overseas course providers offer reduced price language courses too).

8 How much is a TEFL course?

Course prices vary enormously on even the best known courses, the Cambridge CELTA and the Trinity TESOL. Cactus approved courses go from under £700 (Cairo) to around £1300 (part-time course in London). Prices vary not only according to the geographical location, but also the prestige factor of the school, which can impact on your job prospects after the course.

9 Is there any way of paying less for a good course?

There is a way, if you are considering voluntary work, and can commit to 2 years of working abroad teaching English. VSO - Voluntary Services Overseas is a longstanding charity which sends people around the world to carry out humanitarian work. This includes the service of teaching English as a Foreign Language, and for candidates who are accepted at interview by VSO, there exists the chance to use £500 of the statutory "materials allowance" to put towards the cost of your course. See http://www.vso.org.uk/volunteering/education_tefl.htm for more information, and contact us to find out how to coincide your VSO & TEFL application.

The Cambridge CELTA course in Bangkok not only guarantees you paid work in Bangkok after your course. It also returns 50% of your tuition fees back to you, provided you stay with the school for the whole year. This is because there is a huge need for teachers in Thailand, and schools have to try hard to keep hold of their teachers. Ask us for more info.

10 How do I apply?

For your information, the application procedure for the CELTA and TESOL is detailed below. The whole process usually takes a maximum of 3 weeks from receipt of your completed application, though courses may fill up as far as 2 months in advance (particularly in the summer). This is why we suggest that you submit your form quickly, given that there is no obligation to enrol.

1 Choose a course location and check the price on line.
2 Download an application form (we've emailed one to you)
3 Complete and return this to Cactus
4 Cactus will review and forward this to the centre's teacher training team
5 Cactus or the school and will arrange an interview time and date with you (face-to-face or over the phone)
6 The interviewer will tell you if you have been accepted at the end of the interview, and you will be offered a place there and then.
7 You decide when and whether you wish to go on the course.
8 Cactus establishes an on-line quote for you.
9 You pay either a deposit or full fees to reserve your place.
10 We send you your pre-course task (if applicable) & confirmation documents, and arrange accommodation and/or transfers (if required)

Telephone: 0845 130 4775
info@cactusteachers.com

Find a course, read more and download
an application form
.
:: London :: Rest of UK :: Spain & Portugal
:: Ireland :: South & Central America
:: Australia :: Central Europe :: Russia
:: Middle East :: South Africa
:: South East Asia :: USA & Canada
Course & Centre Info
APPLY
PRICE
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - United Kingdom
LONDON locations
Charing Cross
(P-T/F-T Cambridge CELTA)
from £845
Oxford Circus (P-T Trinity CTESOL)
£790
Oxford Circus (F-T Trinity CTESOL)
from
£740
Earls Court
(P-T/F-T Cambridge CELTA)
£745
Edgware
(F-T Cambridge CELTA)
£795
Golders Green (F-T/P-T Trinity CTESOL)
£749
Green Park
(P-T/F-T Cambridge CELTA)
£1160
St Giles Highgate
(P-T/F-T Cambridge CELTA)
from
£875

Camden Town
(P-T/F-T Cambridge CELTA)

(former Hyde Park)

from
£849
St Giles Russell Square
(F-T Trinity CTESOL)
£825
REST OF UK locations
St Giles Brighton
(Cambridge CELTA)
from
£875
Brighton&Hove
(Cambridge CELTA)
coming
soon
£890
Bristol
(Trinity CertTESOL)
£1150
Bournemouth
(Cambridge CELTA)
£1,170
Cambridge
(Cambridge CELTA)
£998
Cheltenham
(P-T/F-T Trinity CertTESOL)
£995
Cheltenham
(Trinity CertTESOL & Business English)
£1243
Edinburgh
(Trinity CertTESOL)
from
£845
Hastings
(Cambridge CELTA)
£946
Leeds
(Cambridge CELTA)
from
£750
Manchester
(Cambridge CELTA)
£990
Newcastle
(Cambridge CELTA)
£995
Oxford Central
(Cambridge CELTA)
£800
Oxford North
(Cambridge CELTA)
from
£845
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - Spain & Portugal location
BARCELONA locations
Diagonal
(Trinity CertTESOL)
£933
Carlos III
(Cambridge CELTA)
from £900
$1550
Plaza Catalunya
(Cambridge CELTA)
from
£916
MADRID locations
Felipe II
(Trinity CertTESOL)
from
£838
Plaza Castilla
(Cambridge CELTA)
£915
Madrid Centro
(Cambridge CELTA)
£975
Madrid Serrano
(Cambridge CELTA)
£902
REST OF SPAIN/PORTUGAL
Cadiz
(Trinity CertTESOL)
£933
Seville
(Cambridge CELTA)
£944
Feb:
£920
Seville
(CELTA+SPANISH+ YOUNGER LEARNERS CERT.)
£2,238 incl. accom.
Palma-Mallorca
(Cambridge CELTA)
£958
Lisbon
(Cambridge CELTA)
£870
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - Ireland
Schull, SW Cork
(Trinity CertTESOL)
£986
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - Central & South America
Playa del Carmen, Mexico (CambridgeCELTA)
£971
Bogota, Colombia (CambridgeCELTA)
coming soon
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - Australia
Brisbane
(Cambridge CELTA)
$Aus2600
+Camb.
fee
Perth
(Cambridge CELTA) incl. accommodation
£1,651
Sydney
(Cambridge CELTA)
$Aus2600
+Camb. fee
Sydney
(Cambridge CELTA -part time)
$Aus2600
+Camb. fee
IH Sydney
(Cambridge CELTA)
$Aus2600
+Camb.
fee (£83)
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - Russia - COMING SOON
Moscow
(Cambridge CELTA)
coming soon
£880
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - Central Europe
Budapest
(Cambridge CELTA)
£732
Prague
(Cambridge CELTA)
£825
Wroclaw, Poland
(Cambridge CELTA)
£655
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - Middle East
Cairo
(Cambridge CELTA)
£679
Dubai, UAE
(Trinity CertTESOL)
from
£1050
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - South Africa
Durban
(Cambridge CELTA)
approx. £783
Johannesburg
(Cambridge CELTA)
R 9000
(approx.
£790)
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - South East Asia
Bangkok
(Cambridge CELTA)
$1400
TEFL - CELTA/TESOL - United States & Canada
Denver
(Cambridge CELTA)
$2595
New York
(Cambridge CELTA)
$2545
San Francisco
( Cambridge CELTA)
$2790
Toronto
(Cambridge CELTA)
$Can
2300

 

 

Please read our Terms & Conditions, and Our Privacy Policy

Office hours: Monday - Thursday 9am - 7pm, Friday 9am - 5pm - UK time

UK : 0845 130 4775 (local rate call)
US/Canada : 1-888-270-3949 (toll-free)
US/Canada callers: As we're in Brighton, England (Eastern Time +5),
the best time to call is between 9am and 12pm Eastern time.

Other international callers: +44 1273 725 200 (normal call charges apply)

© Cactus Worldwide Ltd. UK Company No. 3349056. VAT No. 744669201. Travel Trust U0690.