Q&A About TEFL/TESOL ✅ Ask us anything!
English to me and I'll answer them to the best of my ability. We have a first time watcher Sebastian watching from Cameroon and it is 2:00 a.m. there, wow thanks so much for staying up and watching our live stream, that's awesome.
Watch the live session here
We are actually streaming live on Facebook and also on YouTube at the same time, so wherever you're watching from you can throw your questions at me at any time and if you don't want to miss out on any of our live streams don't forget to like and subscribe so that you always get notifications. I go live every Friday morning my time, depending on where you're watching it might still be Thursday, and then my colleague Liza does her live sessions every Tuesday. If you have already watched our joint session last Friday you will know that she's a non-native English speaking ESL teacher, so if you're also a non-native English speaker you might want to check out her live streams. It's really interesting to get a different perspective from a native speaker versus non-native English speaker and that's actually what our live session was about last week, so I highly recommend you check that out.
Hi Mohammed, Christine from the Philippines, Rahul is also watching from Ukraine. We have Alexander here, where are you watching from Alexander? One thing I want to mention before we jump right in is our special offer that will be available at the end of this session where I will be sharing a 30% off discount link. If you're thinking about taking a TEFL course you might want to wait until the end to get that discount link, because 30% off is the best deal out there right now. Hello Hamza, I hope I'm saying that right. Alma from China has joined us, where in China are you watching from? I lived in China for a while, I love China, it's a great place. Hamza is watching from Morocco, that's awesome, Paul from Palm Beach Florida, I’m jealous I bet your weather over there is nice right now. Here it is really cold as I'm in South Korea, about an hour and a half south of Seoul and it's getting really cold but no snow yet so I’m waiting for that because a white Christmas would be really nice. So, we have a good group here from all over the world, very international, I love that. Like I said, today we are doing a Q&A session on all things TEFL, you can throw your questions at me, but I'm also going to ask you guys some questions and I hope you will answer them for me because I'm a very curious person and I want to know more about you guys as well.
All right, we have some more people watching from the Philippines. Hi Rose and Tiffany, welcome. Alexander, you did the 120-hour TEFL course, congratulations on passing that, that's our most popular course actually. If you're new to teaching then this is definitely the course to get. Patty from Mexico and Maria from Uruguay have joined, we're really on all continents today. Don’t forget I will be sharing a 30% off special discount at the end of this stream, so stay tuned for that. If you have just tuned in my name is Linda and I'm from ITTT. I live in South Korea where I've been living since 2013. My teaching abroad adventure started in China where I taught English before moving here where I have been living and working for five and a half years. If you want to find out more about my adventure and living and working in Asia, check out Linda Goes East on Instagram or my own website lindagoeseast.com. You can check out what I'm personally up to and you can also email me if you have questions specifically about South Korea. I might also do a live stream about South Korea in the future as it’s a very popular destination to teach English abroad.
Alma is in China and asks where I lived in China? I lived in Guangzhou first and then I lived in Changsha in Hunan Province. It was a blast, but the food in Hunan is very spicy and I can't eat that spicy so it was interesting. We also have somebody from New Zealand living in Morocco, awesome we are almost a family, we are a TEFL family for sure. Okay, I have already got a couple of questions.
Muhammad asks how much is the course and how many courses do we have?
So we have a wide variety of courses at ITTT, basically one for every different kind of need. Basically, our courses are divided into three different kinds. We have online, in-class, and combined courses. The in-class course is a four-week course at a training center and we have around 30 different locations worldwide, so you can check out your options on the website. Either one that is close to you, or like many people, you can take the in-class course in the country where you plan to teach afterwards.
The combined course combines online and in-class study. First you complete an online part and then you complete practical teaching training at a center of your choice for between five and ten days, depending on which location you choose. As far as price goes, it really depends on the course so I highly recommend checking out www.teflcourse.net and then you can see all the options. For all course options you can check that out because every course is a different length and has different content, so the prices vary.
The 120-hour online TEFL course, which is the most popular option, is $349 with the tutor option and $239 without tutor support. I'm going to post another link to the online courses specifically because I think especially these days many people prefer online as it's more convenient and we are all trying to avoid traveling too much.
We have another question from Maria. I did the 120-hour TEFL course, is it valid everywhere?
Yes, our courses are accredited and recognized worldwide, although it does depend on the location where you want to teach because some countries have their own requirements depending on certain things like your nationality, your teaching experience, or your age. But yes, all our courses are recognized worldwide and accredited worldwide, so they are valid everywhere. Around the world we work with many different schools and recruiters and they recognize the ITTT brand and they know what we stand for and the quality of our courses. A lot of recruiters and schools that we work with also specifically only hire ITTT graduates because they like our courses and know the value of the content and they think that this aligns with their school values.
Okay, Hamza wants to inquire concerning the duration of the 120-hour TEFL online course.
So with that course you have up to six months to complete it from the day you start. When you sign up you get your login details and then you can log-in immediately and start working through the units. There are 20 units in this course and you can study at your own pace and whenever it suits you, so it's great for people who are working and don't have that much time to study. It also suits people who have a lot of time and are able to study every day, so it's really flexible as there are no set times where you need to be online. Most people complete this course in two or three months, but we also have some really eager students who complete it much faster in like a month or so if they really want to get their certificate fast or they just really enjoy the course. I completed this course in I think three or four months and I was working at the time so I completed a few units per week and then maybe I didn't do anything for a week. It's all up to you and how much time you have in your own life.
Another question from Hamza, how much does the 120-hour TEFL online course cost?
Maybe you tuned in a little bit late, but I will repeat that this particular course comes with two options, with tutor support or without tutor support. With tutor support you can ask your tutor questions at any time if you want to know more about something or you're stuck on something you don't understand. The tutored option is $349 and the untutored option is $239.
Okay great, we have a question from Christine. I'm taking the 120-hour TEFL course at the moment, is it possible for me to teach in South Korea as I'm a non-native English speaker? May I also know the requirements?
Well, South Korea is a great place to teach, I've been here like I said for five and a half years and there are always so many great opportunities. The only thing about South Korea is that to get a teacher’s visa, that's the E2 visa, you need to be from what they consider an English-speaking country and they consider an English-speaking country to be Canada, the USA, Ireland, the UK, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. if you have a passport from one of these countries you can apply for the E2 visa, although you do need to have a job lined up before you can do that. The employer will help you with the visa process so you can find jobs online and apply and then do Skype interviews and then get your paperwork and file for the visa etc.
That's the most common way to get to South Korea, however, there are other visa types that also allow you to live and work in South Korea. I'm not a visa expert so I suggest you contact the Korean embassy in your country and ask them exactly what options you have. For example, my visa is a spousal visa as my husband is Korean and under that visa you can also live and work in Korea. There are also other kinds of long-term visas that you might qualify for that also allow you to work here because people who already have such a visa do get hired by schools even if they're not from one of those seven countries that I mentioned previously.
Okay, there is something from Earnest. I already have an IELTS score but I still want to have a TEFL certificate.
I think that's something that my colleague Liza mentioned last week during our live stream when we were talking about differences between native English speakers and non-native English speakers. She mentioned that if you are a non-native English speaking teacher, having an English language certificate like an IELTS or similar definitely helps. Also, having a TEFL certificate is essential as there are many countries where they require their teachers to have a TEFL certificate otherwise you can't even get a visa. For non-native English speaking teachers, the more qualifications and additional certifications you have the higher your chances of standing out from other applicants.
Maria asks, can you recommend a place to go so we can find different options of hiring around the world?
Sure, if you are an ITTT course graduate you will have access to our lifetime job support service so you can get access to a lot of resources and a lot of unadvertised jobs that you can only find through ITTT. If you are an ITTT grad you can also reach out to us via email and we will send you the info we have via an open job section on our website where you can browse for jobs. Let me find that link real quick for you and then I can drop the link right [here](TEFL certification courses). We also advertise jobs on our Facebook page so that's why I always say you should like and subscribe to the page so that you can see the updates we post. You will find helpful resources, teaching aids, teaching material and jobs as well, so definitely check that out. It's a great page for teachers even if you have not taken a course yet.
Next is Katerine. I've got a CELTA certificate so which course could be next for me?
Great, since you already have a Celta I would recommend a diploma course. We offer a Diploma in TESOL that's an advanced level course that people tend to take if they want to teach for the long term or want to access higher level positions in the TEFL industry. Also, we have specialized TEFL courses for teaching business English, teaching young learners, and for teaching English online. These are three separate specialization courses that you can take that also add to your professional portfolio.
We have another question. This is all new to me as I’ve never done a course like this before, is this course to teach children and adults?
If you just heard about the specializations, we have specialized courses that are specifically for teaching young learners or teaching business English to adults. The basic 120-hour TEFL course is sort of like a standard course so it covers both teaching children and adults of all ages. If you're just starting out and you're completely new to this, this is the course to check out. We also have course bundles or packages, so for example the master package includes the 120-hour TEFL course plus the specialized courses in young learners and business English. So this would cover the basic certification and teaching children and teaching adults, which is also a great option if you're new to teaching.
Minumino asks, would this course help me to teach in Italy?
As mentioned earlier, our courses are all recognized worldwide and internationally accredited so they are valid in Italy. However, it is always going to depend on your personal skill set and your background and nationality, but yes you can definitely teach English in Italy with our certificates. Europe is a little bit more difficult to get into because of EU laws and their immigration policies so it can be a little bit more difficult for non-EU citizens, but it's not impossible. There are programs that place you in Italy to teach and there's sort of a workaround where you can apply for an Italian language course and you get a student visa which also allows you to work. Lots of people apply for this course and then get their visa and then go to Italy and also teach there while also taking the language course. That's maybe an option that's interesting for you. We have more about Italy and all other countries in our FAQ section so I'm going to post the link for that into the comment box right now, it's www.teflcourse.net/faq.
A question from Sebastian. I am a native English speaker and I have one years experience of teaching English in Cameroon. I'm interested in teaching English online, any recommendations and requirements?
I would recommend first if you don't have a TEFL or TESOL certificate yet, get certified. Since you're interested in teaching English online I would also recommend our specialized course in teaching English online. You can find it on our website www.teflcourse.net. That would be the 120-hour TEFL course that I would recommend for you plus the 50-hour specialization in teaching English online. The requirements are always going to depend on the platform that you want to teach with. It's easiest to work for an existing platform and there are so many teaching platforms out there and they all have different requirements. Some only hire British people because they want a British accent and some only hire North Americans because they want an American accent. There are also plenty of platforms that don't really care that much about accent or where you're from, but rather your skills. Check out our FAQ section as it has a lot of information about the different teaching platforms out there. Check that out and do some research and find the one that suits your needs and fits your profile best.
Next question. I'm looking at Kuwait to teach and I've heard it is good there if you're qualified, do you know if this course is okay for teaching there?
So, the Middle East is the highest paying region when it comes to TEFL teaching or teaching English abroad. I don't know specifically about Kuwait but it's in this region so I think they also have high tax-free salaries so that's really awesome. They also offer a lot of benefits to their teachers like paid airfares, visa support, bonuses, paid vacations, and paid housing so that's a really good region to work in. And yes this course is good for teaching there as it is recognized worldwide. We have many people who have taken the course and then moved to the Middle East to teach English so definitely I recommend it.
Okay, now I think I want to ask you guys some questions. I prepared a couple of questions earlier. What I want to ask you all first off is why are you interested in teaching English?
There are so many reasons why people want to teach English abroad. For me it was because in school I was interested in foreign languages so I studied Chinese and then I was like oh I really want to go to China and so teaching English was a great way to go and experience China and also improve my Chinese skills by living there and exploring the country and the culture. So that's how I got into teaching English, but why are you interested in teaching English? I am really interested to know.
We have an answer from nessman99, it's a good way to start a new life and travel the world. Yes definitely, that's a great reason and I think it's probably the biggest reason why most people teach English abroad. I was born and raised in Germany and Asia always seemed super far away, but now living in Korea other destinations are very close and you get to travel to places that you know would be far away and super expensive to travel to from your home country. So that's definitely also something that I enjoy. Starting a new life and living abroad teaching English definitely changes you, you have so many new experiences and meet so many new people, I know it's cliché, but you're not the same person when you come back.
Right then, don't be shy. I want to know why you are interested in teaching English?
Okay, we have another answer. My partner and I want to stay in Kuwait with his sister and she suggested I teach English there. I love Kuwait and would love the long-term experience. Awesome, so if you're set on a country that you want to go to, for me it was china for you it's Kuwait, then teaching English can be a great way to go there. A lot of people that do go abroad to teach English do it for a year or two and then go back home and it's definitely a benefit and an asset on your resume. I definitely agree with what Rami says, I love languages and I enjoy being in front of a group. I also don't mind being in front of a camera. So if teaching sounds like it works for you, why not do it?
Another question I have for you is would you rather teach English abroad or online?
I think many people already talked about travelling so I think most people here would prefer teaching abroad. Oh, and also why? I haven't really taught online yet, but I am thinking about it especially these days because the demand is so high, but I think I prefer teaching English abroad or face-to-face to people as it's just a different kind of experience. I think I like the personal contact you get being in front of actual people but I also like the potential benefits that teaching English online has so I'm curious to know what you guys think.
I’m still waiting for somebody to answer, don't be shy as you all have opinions. Okay somebody answered abroad, let me know why?
Juliana says I prefer to teach English online because it's so convenient. Michael also says online. Irma says I prefer teaching abroad as it's like hitting two birds with one stone, working while travelling. Yeah, definitely, meeting new people and experiencing a new culture, I 100% agree with Irma for sure. Luciana says I prefer teaching English abroad because we have more contact with the students, but I also learned a lot in online classes with technology. Yeah, that is so right, both things kind of have pros and cons so I agree with that. You can teach abroad and then also teach online on the side, a lot of my friends are actually doing that. They top up their salaries as full-time teachers in the classroom by teaching English online on the side. Nesman you said abroad because you get to see different cultures and explore different traditions. That's a good point, especially the traditions as it's really interesting if you live abroad to get to experience the different traditions of holidays from a local perspective and you get to celebrate with them, that's really great.
Jamila says abroad, because she wants to be in Kuwait and have personal contact with students. Yeah, if you move to Kuwait or when you move to Kuwait I definitely want to come and visit as I hear only good things about that region. Alexander says I want to teach because I value other cultures and come from a Spanish-English background. I'm lucky to speak two languages and love to help others. That's also great, if you love helping others then teaching English or teaching in general is definitely a great career choice as you will feel a lot of fulfilment in your daily job.
All right, let me ask you one more question. Because a lot of people want to go abroad, which country would you like to teach English in if you could just pick one and there would be no strings attached, no requirements? Just here's the plane ticket, go and teach. Which country would you choose?
I know it would be Kuwait for Jamilla, but what about the others. What's your dream country to teach English in and why? Maria says I would love to teach English in India. Oh wow, I would love that too, I mean India looks amazing, so colourful and full of traditions and culture. It's also a huge country so also a lot of mixed cultures, it sounds really amazing. Juliana says I would like to go to Japan and South Korea because my friends live there. Nice, are your friends also teaching English in Japan and Korea? Or do you have local friends there?
Japan and South Korea are always very popular destinations and they also offer teaching programs. Japan has the JET Program that places teachers into schools and South Korea has the EPIK Program and the TaLK Program, so they're very established when it comes to programs. The salaries are also good in South Korea and there are a lot of benefits like paid housing. You are also part of the national pension scheme so you pay into the pension scheme, but when you leave Korea you get all of that back because you're not staying.
Luciana says I would like to go to England to improve my English, but also teach English in my own country. Cool, so you want to go to England for a couple of years to improve your English skills and then go back to your country and teach English there? That's what a lot of people do for sure, that's awesome.
Renata says any part of Europe or Asia. Alexander says I want to teach in Europe mostly Spain since I speak Spanish already. Spain is actually a very popular destination for teaching English in Europe. Like I said earlier, Europe is sometimes a bit difficult to get into for non-EU citizens, but Spain is also one of those places that have a teaching program called the Cultural Ambassadors Program that might be interesting to you. They also do a visa like in Italy where you sign up for a language course, but I guess you don't need a language course, but if you do sign up for a Spanish language course you can get a student visa which also allows you to teach or work for a certain amount of hours.
Nesman99 says South America or the Philippines as the cultures are exciting and they are inexpensive. That is so true, South America is also very popular when it comes to teaching, however, the salaries are generally not that high in the region but it is cheap to live there. You always have to think about what you care about more, do you care more about your salary or about the location you're in and the kind of experiences you can have there in terms of culture and traditions?
Okay, Irma says I want to teach in Thailand as I've been reading blogs and joining groups about teaching in Thailand lately. Yes, Thailand is also a really big market for teaching English abroad, some of my colleagues from ITTT have taught in Thailand and some are still there so it's definitely a great place to be as a teacher. Our FAQ section has a lot of resources on Thailand so I highly recommend checking that out.
I have one more question for you guys. Do you want to teach English short term or long term? So do you just want to teach English for a year or two and then either go back home or do something different or are you looking for a more long-term career when it comes to teaching English.
While you're thinking about that I'm going to answer one more question from Nar. My dream is to teach in South Korea but I'm from India, any help on how to get there? I actually had a similar question earlier about a girl from the Philippines. Basically, for Korea to get a teaching visa you need to be either from America, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, or New Zealand. But there are also other visa types that you might be eligible for that also allow you to live and work in Korea, so I recommend reaching out to the Korean embassy in your country to check out those options.
Okay, so do you want to teach English short term or long term?
Maria says short term for sure as I'm 50 already and don't have much time. Oh 50 is not so old, we actually have a lot of older people who take our TEFL courses and move abroad and they love it. Short term for sure, but maybe you want to experience a little bit and go back to your country and be with your family so then I definitely understand that.
Louisiana says I want to teach English long term. Okay that’s great. Maria says are there any jobs for less than a year?
Yeah, so most teaching contracts are for a year and actually a year goes by super fast, but if you want less than a year there are positions like that but it might be a little bit harder to find depending on the location. Maybe you could also do some volunteering as there's a lot of volunteer opportunities that are three months or even one month, really it’s up to you when it comes to volunteering, so that might also be something that's interesting to you. Nadine says long term for sure but also thinking of doing language study wherever I end up teaching. For sure, that's also a great opportunity if you teach English abroad in a different country to do language courses there to learn the language of the country that you're in. It's just a great opportunity because you're surrounded by that language every day so it's a lot easier to learn than if you're in your own country.
Tadashi says short term. Okay, a lot of you are going for short term. Elita says is it easier to get a job teaching younger kids or teaching adults?
I think this will depend on where you want to teach. For example, in Asia a lot of teaching jobs are teaching children because that's kind of how the system works here, there's just a lot of focus on teaching children. A lot of teachers work for kindergartens, elementary, middle school, or high schools in Asia. In Latin America there is a lot more focus on teaching business English to adults. Not to say that you can't also find adult teaching jobs in Asia, it's going to depend on the location where you want to go.
Irma says I haven't decided if it is for long term or short term yet but the actual interaction and the experience will maybe help me decide. For sure, a lot of people think I'm just going to teach English for a year and then go back home and they end up staying for 10 years. Or people think I really want to go to Korea and I want to live there for a long time and then they get there and teach for a year and find that they don't really like Korea that much and move to another place. So definitely you need to experience it first to know if it suits you.
We have had some questions in the comments from our Facebook page that I just want to go over. One was what sort of courses does ITTT offer?
I mentioned before that we offer a wide variety of courses online, in-class, and combined. They range from 50 hours all the way up to 550 hours of study, so it depends on what your goal is and what you want to do.
Another question was in which countries can I teach after completing the ITTT course? Like I said, they are accredited worldwide and recognized worldwide so you can teach anywhere you want, but it is going to depend on your personal portfolio and your background because different countries have different regulations. You always need to do your research on the country you want to go to to know what their requirements are in order to get there.
Another question was how soon after the course can I find a job and how long does it take to complete the course?
It depends on what course you're taking but if it's the standard 120-hour TEFL course you have up to six months to complete it, although most people need two or three months to complete it depending on how much time you have to study. As soon as you start the course you can actually start applying for jobs and tell them I'm doing the course right now or you can apply as soon as you complete it once you have your certificate so you don't have to wait at all.
The last one from our Facebook comments is what are the requirements and documents needed to teach English abroad?
This also depends on where you want to teach as every country has different requirements and they require different documents, but usually it's a TEFL/TESOL certificate and a passport with at least a year left on it. Some countries also require a criminal background check and some countries also need apostle stamps on documents like your degree certificate. But like I said, it depends on where you want to work. Make sure you do your research before you start the process so you know what documents you need and because it can take time to get certain documents organized. It is actually recommended that you start the whole process one year before you want to go abroad so that you know exactly what you need to do and you have time to prepare everything.
Elena says can you get a job teaching English to non-English speakers while living in the UK, Australia, or the US?
Although most people who live there are English speaking, you can actually find jobs because these countries have a lot of immigrants and refugees who need English language training. I actually have a friend who is a teacher in the US for children whose parents don't speak English as a native language, so you can definitely find positions like that.
Ahmad says how can I become a part of this course and what is the fee?
Okay, you just need to be a fluent English speaker and at least 18 years old and that's it. You can go to teflcourse.net and check out all the different course options. They all have different prices and then you can just apply and you can start learning straight away.
One from Elena. Where can you find job postings for ESL jobs? Also, is there an age limit as I'm 18 and going to college but I'm interested in doing this after I graduate?
Actually a lot of people teach English abroad after they graduate so it's great that you know so early and are thinking about this. You really have a lot of time to get all the things you need and do a lot of research. If you take a course with ITTT there is lifetime job support included, so you will have access to unadvertised jobs that our partners share only with us. Even if you're not teaching right away and want to wait for a while, you can hit us up and say hey can you help me? I'm an ITTT grad and I'm looking for a job. With job postings it also depends on where you want to teach, so maybe you're not sure yet where the best place for you is but I highly recommend checking out our TEFL blog and our FAQ section where you'll find a lot of information about the different countries, salaries, cost of living, and the different documents you need to go to those countries. You'll find all of that there and then you can slowly make up your mind where you want to teach. For the TEFL course you need to be at least 18 years old, and also when it comes to teaching there is sometimes an upper age limit because of local retirement laws. Maybe you can't teach if you're over 60 for example, but it doesn't always apply.
Okay, Irma says this discussion has boosted my desire to teach English abroad, may 2021 let me do what I want.
Yeah, I think we're all hoping that 2021 lets us do what we want and go where we want. I'm hoping for that as well as I have spent too many days at home this year, so let's pray that 2021 will be better. I'm positive it will be. But actually I think 2020 was a great year to get ready for 2021, a lot of people took TEFL courses in 2020, especially online courses, because they want to be ready for 2021.
Thank you so much for joining me today, it was really great and now it is time to share our 30% discount link. I think a lot of people have been waiting for that, so I'm posting it right now. It's an apply link so when you click on this link it'll send you straight to the application form and then when you fill out your application you'll see the discounted price for the course that you're choosing. You need to apply through this link to get the discount and also don’t forget that the application is totally free. You get to see how it works and then you can fill out another application so there is no pressure. Some people are watching from YouTube some people are watching from Facebook, but you can also find us on twitter and Instagram and of course our website teflcourse.net.
Luciana asks when will the next live stream be online?
My live sessions are always on Friday at 10:00 a.m. Korean time. My colleague Liza goes live on Tuesdays and she's a non-native English speaking teacher. She has a lot of experience teaching in China and teaching online and she knows a lot of good info about what you need or how to get a job when you're a non-native English speaker. Please don't forget to like and subscribe to our pages so that you get the notifications for when we go live. Also, if you want to listen to our live sessions as a podcast we do have six or seven live sessions already recorded. If you didn't catch this one from the beginning you can re-watch it after on YouTube or Facebook. Let me also share where you can find it on itunes, Google podcasts, and Spotify. If you search for ITTT it's called the TEFL and TESOL podcast by ITTT, so you can find it there and then download the episodes and listen to them whenever you like.
Please join me again next week as I think we have had a really good group here today. Even after this live event if you have more questions just write them in the comments and I'll get back to you.
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