How hard is a TEFL course?

[Mariann]

How hard is a TEFL course (just a basic one) in general?

[Lucas]

It depends on the course provider. The most basic courses are online with no practicum. A 100-hour course costs around $300 and you can complete everything in three weeks if you study full-time. Trinity CertTESOL, CELTA, TESL Canada, SITTESOL are intensive courses and there are also local 4-week courses, of which the standard and difficulty varies among course providers.

[Mariann]

Thanks Lucas, I'm thinking about an online course, that can't be too hard, right? (I've got no other option, living in the middle of nowhere...) I'm sure I can do a weekend course at a later time in addition to my online certificate. Thanks again for your reply.

[Lucas]

Hello,
It depends on the course provider. The course should not be easy and you should practice lesson planning, which can be overwhelming to those who are looking for a quick and easy certificate. Also, instead of a weekend course, you need to take a practicum module where you observe a real class and spend some hours teaching.

[Alex Case]

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. A basic TEFL course is a 100 to 120 hour course with at least 6 hours of observed teaching practice. Anything less is like calling an hour course in first aid a "basic nursing qualification"

The easier the course is, the harder your first job will be

Having said that, it is more a case of dedication than intellectual strain, with the possible exception of learning grammar rules and the phonemic script. The dedication needed is also why you need classroom hours

[Mariann]

Thanks to both of you. In my case I think I'll be fine with just a basic 80 hour online certificate for the beginning. I'm not a native speaker and I only want to test and challenge myself. I'm becoming a british citizen next week and I think I should speak the language perfectly ( or really well...) ILA Scotland is funding my studies up to £200 so this online course (£195) is gonna cost me nothing basically. And hopefully in the future I'll be able to benefit from it, wherever life takes me. Thanks again for Lucas & Alex