Your most Googled Questions about Online TEFL Courses – Answered!

Written by William Davies Published 2 June 2022 ~10 min read

So, you are searching for an online TEFL certification and you need one that is flexible and fits your budget. While there are many TEFL courses to choose from, your time is precious. To help you out, here’s a roundup of some of your most googled questions about online TEFL courses. You'll have the knowledge to make the perfect choice to begin your TEFL journey in no time.

Below are some of the most Googled Questions about TEFL Courses

What TEFL course should I do to teach online?

To teach English online you will need a minimum of 120 hours of accredited TEFL training. Whether your TEFL course is done online or in class, it really doesn’t matter when it comes to online teaching. This will give you the freedom to be hired by some of the biggest employers in this industry. There are three key types of online teaching platforms to choose from. Firstly, there are platforms that give you set teaching hours and supply you with students. Secondly, you can work for a platform that allows you to set your teaching hours - and they will still supply you with students. Thirdly, there are platforms that you can join where you control your teaching hours and also attract your own students. This option is the most popular for freelance English teachers who want to use well-known online learning spaces to deliver their lessons. Not every platform will require that you have a minimum of 120 hours of TEFL certification. However, in this ever-increasingly competitive market, the more teacher training you complete the more students you will attract, and it will be reflected in your salary too. Additionally, you can bolster your resume with our 30-hour Teaching Online Course if you want to stand out among the saturated market. 10 hour teaching practice

How long does it take to get TEFL qualified? - This is also one of the most Googled Question

Typically, completing 120 hours of TEFL training takes three to six weeks. For longer courses such as a Level 5 180-hour qualification, six to ten weeks is a common completion time. Our courses are entirely self-paced so you can complete them as quickly or as slowly as you need. All certifications come with six months of course access that starts from the day a course is booked. Extended study time is available for those people who want to review their course material in the future.

Which TEFL Courses Are Accredited?

First off, what does it mean for a course to be ‘accredited’? If something is ‘accredited’ it is “officially recognized or authorized” by a reliable and official body. Thankfully, for you, our courses are accredited and internationally recognized. In fact, we're an accredited distinguished member of the Accreditation Council for Distance Learning and is an approved training center with Highfield Qualifications as well as Training Qualifications UK. We're also ranked in the top three certification providers by GoAbroad and GoOverseas in 2020. Some of our courses are even English Government-regulated. With a fully accredited certificate, you can depend on your highly regarded qualification to maximize your job opportunities and salary potential. By obtaining an accredited TEFL certificate, you have a passport to roam and teach wherever and for however long you desire. While you can get started with an accredited 120-hour Advanced TEFL Course, we think Premier TEFL’s 180-hour Ofqual regulated Level 5 Course is the best way to launch your TEFL career. Also Read -

What Does Regulated TEFL Training Mean?

We have courses that are government regulated by Ofqual (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation), which is an English Government body. Ofqual is responsible for regulating qualifications in the UK, and deems our 180-hour course to be Level 5 and CELTA equivalent. To put it in perspective, a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) or a foundation degree is also Ofqual level 5. An ordinary three-year degree is only one level above with Ofqual Level 6. This means that our Ofqual Level 5 courses are recognized as the same level as a diploma of higher education, a foundation degree, 2 years at university, and the CELTA and Trinity CertTESOL qualifications. This reaffirms the high standard of the regulated Level 5 Ofqual TEFL course. Not only is it of high quality, but you can also purchase it with a low budget and complete it within six to ten weeks, rather than two years of study like the foundation degree. While a CELTA is also recognized by Ofqual at Level 5, it can cost thousands of dollars. Why spend that much money when you can get a course recognized by the same body as the same level for a far cheaper price? You have three options when it comes to choosing government-regulated courses with us. These options are a 180-hour, 240-hour, or 300-hour TEFL Course. Each is English Government-regulated, includes DELTA-qualified tutor support and 6 months of study time. However, the 300-hour course comes with 4 additional TEFL Pro courses. The 310-hour Hybrid course comes with live teaching practice to develop your teaching practices in the classroom, as well as TEFL Pro courses.

How Much Does a TEFL Certification Cost? - One of The most googled questions about TEFL

“How thick is wall?” Jeremy asks. “It depends,” Mark responds. TEFL certification costs will vary according to the provider and the level of quality or hours that it offers. The price of courses can range from a $100 online TEFL course to a $4,000 intensive CELTA course. Sometimes, less is more (within reason). You don’t have to spend thousands to become a qualified ESL teacher. We have many accredited courses on our website that vary from $185 to $500 depending on the deals on a given day. While there’s no single accreditation framework for TEFL courses, you can investigate to see whether course providers have been accredited by reputable bodies. Did I mention that we have Government-regulated courses that are accredited by Ofqual? Just checking. CELTA courses (which are Ofqual Level 5) can cost between $1,500 and $4,000. However, you can complete a course that is a fraction of the cost but recognized as Ofqual Level 5 by the same body. Like our 180 hour TEFL course. Additionally, if you want to spend less money and become TEFL certified as soon as possible, you could take the 120-hour Advanced TEFL Course. While you could complete this in as little as three weeks, it is still accredited by Highfield and ACDL. When paying for a TEFL course, you need to complete a checklist to ensure that you’re getting everything that you’re paying for. TEFL course scams do exist, and that’s why you need to be careful. These are the things you should consider:

Is it a minimum of the recommended 120 hours?
Who is providing the course?
Is it accredited? If so, by who?

How to get TEFL certified for free?

Is anything in life really “free”? Who paid for your breakfast? The food that you converted into energy to complete daily tasks at home or the workplace? I’m overreaching. But there’s always a catch when a TEFL certificate is “free”. If a provider is giving away TEFL courses with no strings attached, it’s probably too good to be true. For example, some companies and websites will offer you TEFL training online for free, however, there’s no certificate at the end. This renders the training almost useless, as you could have spent time learning AND becoming certified by an accredited provider. Remember, if you don’t recognize the provider, your potential employer almost certainly won’t. However, there are other companies that will offer you free TEFL certification as an incentive for you to work for the company. Companies are willing to provide training and support for those who are not yet qualified to teach English as long as they progress through the application stage. One example of these companies is English First. EF is a big name in the TEFL scene, with over 50 years of experience in over 50 countries. They will sponsor your TEFL certification if you apply to work for them and successfully complete the interview. To apply, you must be a native speaker, have a Bachelor's degree, and commit to a one-year contract. Remember, EF isn't the only company that does this, so be sure to explore your options. You'll see jobs advertised on TEFL sites and general job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn where free accredited TEFL training is provided along with job placements.

What qualifications do you need for TEFL?

While job requirements will vary from one employer to another, there is a standard blueprint that you should consider for getting into TEFL. Here are your basic requirements:

A TEFL Certificate

Let’s start with the obvious one. Most employers will expect their teachers to have a TEFL certificate of at least 120 hours. If you want to maximize your earning potential, you could opt for higher-level certificates rather than the traditional 120-hour course. However, it isn’t impossible to teach English as a foreign language if you don’t have a TEFL. There are plenty of opportunities that are volunteer or lower-paid positions where you’ll still have a meaningful experience. Otherwise, if you don’t have a TEFL, employers may want to see that you have previous teaching experience. The opportunities are there, but they’ll be more limited without a TEFL.

English Proficiency

This is an even more obvious one, but it’s something you need to consider, especially if you’re a non-native speaker. If you’re a native speaker, you don’t need an English degree. But, you might need to prove that you’re from a country where English is the official language, such as the UK, US, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, Australia, or New Zealand. For some countries like Japan or South Korea, this is a strict requirement. If you’re a non-native English teacher, you’ll be required to submit evidence of your English prowess. This could be in the form of an IELTS exam certificate or citizenship from a country where English is the official language.

Degree

You don’t necessarily need a degree, however, your opportunities will be far greater if you have one. For some countries, having a degree is a crucial step for the visa process. For others, it's a standard requirement to work for an employer. There are countries all over the world that have opportunities for you to work as an English teacher without a degree. In Asia, you can teach in Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar without degrees. If you have South America in your sights, you can teach in Argentina. Want to teach in Europe? How about Germany or Romania? Each country is an option without a degree. These are just a few examples, and each of these examples is available through our Premier TEFL internships. Outside of our programs, you could teach in China, Costa Rica, Greece, and many more countries. Here are 12 countries that you can teach in without a degree. As for teaching online, the market is saturated with English teachers. However, it’s still a viable option. There are many companies where you can teach online without a degree. But beware, if you don’t have a degree, you’ll face more hurdles during the visa process, and your salary potential will be far less.

Most Googled Questions about TEFL - Is TEFL Course Hard?

It depends on what you consider ‘hard’. Some people may find TEFL courses as a necessary evil to teach abroad. Whereas others might find it challenging but informative. It goes without saying that the more hours the TEFL course has, the longer it’ll take to complete. The higher-level TEFL courses will require more attention to detail, and detailed answers, and some might even need in-class experience to qualify. The truth is that it is possible to fail a TEFL course. But, you are provided the information you need to pass before you take the assessment. As long as you are committed and you are disciplined enough to put in the hours, you should pass without any problems. At Premier TEFL, you have 6 months of study time (which can be extended) to work around your schedule and current job. Not only this, but you have the option to resubmit assessments if needed.

Start Your TEFL Journey Today

Now you have the relevant information, you're well on your way to start the TEFL journey! Remember the key points; you don't have to spend thousands to be TEFL certified, and you don't have to spend months either. 120 hour TEFL qualifications are enough to open an array of opportunities around the globe. However, you'll get more bang for your buck with a 180 Ofqual Regulated TEFL Course. While it's more expensive, it's far cheaper than other options and an excellent investment to maximize your potential salary. Don’t forget you can get our free FAQs of Online English Teaching Guide.