Part three in my series of FAQs for people at various stages of their careers.
Do I need a TEFL qualification to teach in international schools?
If you will be teaching your own subject (e.g. geography) rather than English as a Foreign Language, it is generally not necessary to have a TEFL qualification to get a job in an international school. Your level of qualifications and experience in your own country will be the most important thing, plus your knowledge of the qualifications that the school is based around (e.g. IGCSE or IB) and the materials that they use. If you have no or limited experience of teaching people with English as a foreign language, it can nevertheless be very worthwhile to take a TEFL course. This is true even if you have experience and/or training of teaching ESL (immigrants etc) in your own country.
I want to stay in my own country and switch from school teaching to TEFL. What should I do?
First of all make sure that it really is what you want to do, because moving into TEFL almost always means a drop in salary and job security. There are also usually other routes into teaching adults if avoiding kids is your reason for switching, e.g. a PGCE in FE (further education). If you do decide to make the move, you might find it possible to get a summer job with no further qualifications, but you will need to do a TEFL certificate sooner or later.
I’m a primary school/ secondary school teacher in my own country. Do I need a TEFL certificate to teach abroad?
Any native speaker with a degree can get a TEFL job, so on those terms you do not need extra qualifications. The best jobs for people with no TEFL experience will almost always ask for a TEFL certificate, however, even if you will be teaching the same age range as now. From my personal experience as a teacher trainer, primary school teachers in particular find the difference in approach needed when teaching EFL a real shock and so get a lot out of TEFL training.
I’m a primary school/ secondary school teacher in my own country and I want to carry on teaching kids when I move abroad. Is there any point taking a TEFL certificate, as it is mainly about teaching adults?
Yes. The basic techniques of TEFL (eliciting, controlled speaking practice, sensitive correction, adapting materials, focus on student needs, etc) are the same for kids and adults, and you will be able to concentrate on these better by practising on adults as there will be fewer or no discipline problems. Unlike other teachers who then go on to teach kids instead, there is probably no point in you taking a further qualification such as the Cambridge Young Learner Extension to the CELTA.
As I basically already know how to teach, will a weekend or online course be enough?
No. Because you are used to another way of teaching, observed teaching practice will be at least as useful for you as for complete teaching beginners. In fact, people with no experience tend to do better at the beginning of the course as people with (different) teaching experience struggle to adapt. If you want to get anywhere near your present job conditions by working for a decent school, they will also expect you to have at least a certificate-level qualification.
Can I expect to get an A on a TEFL certificate, given my teaching experience?
Getting an A is extremely rare and they tend to go to people with specific TEFL experience or people who find themselves particularly suited to the ways of teaching that are taught on the course. Although people with experience of other kinds of teaching often struggle at the beginning of the course, most end up with at least a B, as long as they are willing to adapt.
More on these topics:
Courses for Teaching English to young learners FAQ
Previous parts of this series
University degree but no teaching qualifications or experience
TEFLtastic 