Here’s everything you need to know about a 4 week TEFL course before you sign up.
4 Week TEFL Course FAQs
Do I NEED a TEFL certificate to teach abroad?
All of your late night Googling and random chats on IG with that teacher abroad might claim otherwise—that there are ways to get around TEFL requirements and skip the TEFL certificate altogether—but we strongly urge you to consider otherwise. First off, speaking a language natively is not the same as teaching it to others. Do you fully understand why we say: "The interesting, small, rectangular, blue car is parked in my space” and not “The small, blue, rectangular, interesting car is parked in my space?” (Tip: It has to do with the order of adjectives, which is Determiners, Observation, Size and Shape, Age, Color, Origin, Material, Qualifier). Can you explain when to use -ing in the simple present tense? The coin flips both ways: You want to be paid fairly for your English speaking and teaching skills, and schools abroad want to work with actually qualified humans who can help their students level up.
What topics are covered in a 4 Week TEFL Course?
The 4 Week TEFL Course includes 10 individual modules that basically serve as the “Couch to 5K” version of teaching English. It covers real-world classroom teaching tips to assessing student needs and mastering efficient lesson planning. Here’s a sneak peek at all of the topics you’ll cover in a 4 Week TEFL Course: Module 1: Principles of Teaching English as a Foreign Language- How English is used as a global language today.
- English language learner motivations and needs.
- ELT theories, methods and approaches and the influence these have on current trends in ELT practices.
- Learner levels and competencies, with reference to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
- How to be an effective ELT teacher
- Practical classroom management techniques
- Develop your range of teaching techniques
- How to adapt your teaching to cater for different teaching contexts
- Setting lesson plan aims and considering your class profile
- Structuring lesson plans using various lesson plan models for different lesson types
- How to use a syllabus or timetable to structure a series of lessons
- Using a variety of materials and resources effectively
- Which grammar to teach to certain learner levels
- Arguments for and against the teaching grammar
- The English grammar system
- Accuracy-focused and fluency-focused ways of practicing grammar
- What is involved in knowing a word and how words are learned and organised
- Aspects of English vocabulary, including lexical chunks
- Different ways of practicing vocabulary
- Importance of recording and recycling vocabulary
- Challenges learners face with English pronunciation
- Producing sounds, words and longer utterances
- Phonological features
- Class activities and techniques to teach and practice pronunciation
- Difference between receptive and productive skills
- Main principles of teaching reading and listening skills
- Staging a reading or listening comprehension activity
- Importance of extensive reading and listening outside class
- What is involved in being an effective writer or speaker
- Main principles of teaching writing and speaking skills
- Staging effective writing or speaking activities
- Discover a range of writing and speaking activities
- Reasons students are learning English today
- How to adapt your methods to teach young learners and teenagers
- English language examinations and how to adapt for teaching exam classes
- How to adapt to teach Business English and English for Specific Purposes (ESP)
- Planning for your first teaching job
- How to build up a ‘tool kit’ of resources
- How you can develop professionally
- Different ways of improving your teaching
Are 4 Week TEFL Courses typically taught online?
Yup—The course is taught online and can be started any day of the year. The Premier TEFL 120 Hour Advanced Course is actually on sale right now, and once you’ve purchased the course, you’ll have up to six months to complete it (unless you opt to upgrade to lifetime study access).
Should I be worried there’s no training in the classroom?
You’re wise to recognize that a 4 Week TEFL Course doesn’t include real-time, real-world classroom training or observed and graded teaching practice. We recommend that individual students who lack confidence in classroom teaching arrange independent opportunities to conduct lessons in a friend’s classroom or observe classes and take notes. ProTip: Volunteer for a week in Spain as a conversational English teacher. Apply Here! (Be quick, places fill fast.) It’ll take a few days of teaching to get your “sea legs,” but with such a strong base from the 120 Advanced Course Curriculum, you’ll look like a natural in front of the classroom in no time.What’s missing from the 4 Week TEFL Course curriculum?
The 120 Advanced TEFL Course gives you a strong foundation to start your teaching abroad career. It will fulfill most requirements from international schools, language academies, summer camps, and other teaching arrangements for TEFL teachers. However, this course does not give you specialized skills for specific types of teaching gigs that might interest you. For instance, you might want to work with Young Learners—they're so cute—so you'd consider tacking on the 30 hour specialization course. Or maybe you love test prep, and want to become an A+ teacher for students studying hard for IELTS, TOEIC, or other college exams. Have a knack for forecasting growth and economics? Consider specializing in Business English. The last specialization, which we actually recommend that everyone consider taking (it’s a great way to earn additional income while teaching abroad), is to learn the art of teaching English online with a dedicated 30 hour course.
