CertTESOL
Is it necessary to have teaching experience for the CertTESOL course?
It is not necessary to have any teaching experience. This is an entry level course to start your TEFL career or enhance your existing skills and you will be trained in the necessary skills. We have trainees with no experience, a little experience, who are Teaching Assistants, and experienced teachers but in other subjects. Everyone will benefit from doing our course.
What qualifications do I need to do the CertTESOL course?
This course is open to anyone with a degree or with an academic qualification suitable for entry onto a degree course/into higher education, such as A-levels. Candidates with relevant transferable skills from their previous employment will also be considered. Native speakers must have a minimum of GCSE English grade C; non-native speakers – see below.
What age is the CertTESOL course for?
You need to be a minimum of 18 years old on the first day of the course and there is no upper limit!
To give you an idea, here are the ages of trainees on our recent courses:
Age Range Number of Trainees
18 – 28 20
29 – 38 11
39 – 48 10
49 – 58 15
59 – 68 4
Do you have to be a native speaker of English?
The course is open to native and all native and non-native speakers of English who meet the course requirements and have the great desire to teach and learn. International applicants are very welcome to join our course. All you need is a good enough level of English in the four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening, with particularly strong, fluent and accurate speaking and writing skills. As a guideline, you should have IELTS 7.
I am worried because I didn’t really study English grammar at school. Will this be a problem?
The course is a practical course aimed at providing you with the teaching skills you will need to work as an EFL teacher. You will cover the basics of English grammar and pronunciation on the course and how to teach them. You will also receive a Pre-Course Study Pack, which is aimed at helping you improve your level of English grammar and terminology.
Do I have to attend every session?
You are expected to attend all ‘input’ sessions and 5 teaching practice sessions. This is a Trinity requirement. If there is a very valid reason or exceptional circumstances for not attending, we will do our best to accommodate, but you should make every effort to come to all sessions. This is a practical course and not one that you can simply get the notes from someone else to swot up.
Which TEFL course should I do?
There are two main entry-level TEFL qualifications you should consider: the Trinity CertTESOL and the CELTA. They are recognised worldwide and if you browse through the UK and international EFL job adverts, you will see that nearly all will ask for one of these.
What is the difference between the Trinity CertTESOL and the CELTA?
There is very little difference in the content and no difference in the resulting employability after graduating. Both are excellent entry-level courses designed to help acquire the basic skills to start teaching EFL. Maybe there are small differences in the emphasis put on the different areas of the course, but essentially the end result will be much the same.
Why do our course and not other ‘online’ courses?
The reasons are very simply explained:
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our course leads to a Trinity CertTESOL qualification.
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most other online courses are not recognised by employers so an online course will not usually allow you to teach EFL in reputable schools.
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there is no ‘live’ teaching practice on those online courses; there is on ours.
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ours is a ‘practical’ course and includes the teaching of classes to ‘real’ students, which together with the observation and feedback by experienced teacher trainers and the continuous reflection and quest for improvement based on the trainers’ guidance during the course, is so important in becoming a competent teacher.
We would strongly recommend you check carefully before paying for an online course or you could find you have to do a recognised course later if you want to get employed.
What’s the difference between EFL, TEFL, ESL, ESOL, TESOL, EAL, etc.?
It is not really something to worry about. The skills you learn on the course are teaching skills and they will give you what is necessary to teach. The different areas mean you will need to adjust the teaching methods and content to suit. For now, all you need to understand is that:
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ESL = English as a Second Language and refers to learning English in a country like Canada, where French and English are spoken; i.e. in countries that have more than one main language.
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TESOL refers to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and often taught where local communities are from other countries.
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English teaching done with students that come from another country/culture but live in the UK – for example, students studying in the UK in an English-speaking school – is referred to as EAL, English as an Additional Language.
Will Ardmore help find me find employment?
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We dedicate a session on the course to job opportunities, career paths in the international education business, and CPD.
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We will also give you advice on where to look and tips on what to watch out for when looking at jobs.
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We offer fast-track applications to our trainees/graduates for teaching positions in the Ardmore Summer Schools in July & August and have a bank of teachers to contact when there are opportunities at other times of the year.
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We receive many requests from abroad and local schools here, which we pass on directly to our ex-trainees/graduates.
Do I need to speak other languages?
One of the main skills you learn on the Ardmore Teacher Training course is how to teach without translation, so it is certainly not necessary to speak another language. If you have learnt another language, to whichever level, it will probably help you with the grammar as you will be more familiar with the terminology and maybe you will have experienced different methodologies as a student. However, trainees with no experience of learning another language are not at a disadvantage.
Will I learn English grammar on the course?
On the course, there are regular Language Awareness sessions in which you will cover the basic grammatical areas of English, but you will focus more on ‘how to teach’ English than being taught the English language itself. You will also have several sessions on teaching pronunciation so you will also learn about this important aspect of language learning. In reality, much of your language knowledge will be developed once you start teaching.
Is there any preparation I need to do?
Once you book onto the course you will receive a Pre-Course Study Pack, which covers basic English grammar and phonology. Although both areas are covered during the course, you will get much more out of the course if you spend some time working through these exercises beforehand.
How much can I earn after graduating?
Earning potential varies greatly depending on the country you are teaching in. As a (rough) general rule, you will often find that when working abroad you will earn considerably more than the local English teachers. This allows you to have a very nice lifestyle and explore the country and culture. In fact in some countries like China or Korea, an EFL teacher can earn more money than they can, teaching in the UK and still easily save 50% of their income. Currently, it is not uncommon to earn around 4,000 US$ a month in the Far East and, depending on which part you are in, save 1,500$ – 2,000$ a month. In the UK it is not the most lucrative career, but it does allow you great flexibility – see Career Opportunities. Those entering into the TEFL world do not usually do so to become wealthy; it is much more common to become an EFL teacher to have rich, valuable, and varied experience while earning.
Here is a link for information on UK earnings.
For UK summer schools, salaries usually start at around £350 per week plus food and accommodation on the residential campus included. Non-residential roles pay more.
What do I do next?
Please complete the Application Form to move forward or contact us if:
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you want to discuss initial thoughts, give us a call or, if you prefer, send an email.
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you want to hear more detailed information so we can organise a seminar – either face-to-face or by Skype/WhatsApp/Facetime.
How much is the course?
Please see the details on the ‘Courses’ pages.
When do I need to pay?
When you pay a deposit we will reserve you a place on the course and send out the Pre-Course Pack that will help you be better prepared for the course. The balance needs to be paid 3 weeks before the start of the course.
Can I pay in instalments?
We very occasionally consider a payment schedule in appropriate cases. Please contact us if you want more information.
