Chapter 3: Examining Courses, Qualifications and Jobs 37
✓ Classroom techniques and activities: Very often the tutor treats you as
though you’re a foreign student and shows you how to handle warm-up
activities and pair or group work in the classroom.
✓ Lesson planning: You should learn one of the different formats for plan-
ning a lesson so that you know in which order to do things and how to
make your lessons fun and effective.
✓ An opportunity to practise teaching: You teach a mini lesson or part of
a lesson to volunteer students or to your fellow trainees.
The maximum class size should be about 20; a tutor can’t effectively teach
more than that.How much it costs
A weekend course should be a lot cheaper (about 25 per cent of the cost) of
a full certificate in a school, but don’t forget to factor in the cost of accommo-
dation and travel too. In the UK courses cost approximately £200 for 20 hours
training.i- to- i (www.i-to-i.com) has been offering weekend TEFL courses in the UK,
USA, Ireland, Canada and Australia for several years.Signing up for a certifi cate course
TEFL certificate courses come in a variety of packages these days. You can do
intensive or part-time courses or complete a distance course online or by post.You have to be at least 18 years old to do a TEFL certificate in most cases,
which is practical as you’ll be managing people in your classroom. There’s no
upper age limit.Course providers generally prefer to take students with degrees or a good
standard of education (good enough to go to university). Don’t despair if you
don’t have any formal qualifications though. It’s worth speaking to the school
or college in person. If it’s satisfied that you have a good head on your shoul-
ders and a respectable level of English, it may well accept you.Applicants with teaching experience are also favoured. Most schools ask you
to take a test to prove how good your English is, so inform the school before-
hand if you have a learning difficulty that affects your writing. If you’re a non-
native speaker, schools expect you to have an exam pass at advanced level in
English as well.