The table below shows the cost, duration and accreditations of the leading providers of 120 hour TEFL certificates in 2022. The prices in brackets are the current promotional prices at the time of writing.
| TEFL Course Provider | 120 hour in person cost | 120 hour online cost | Duration | Accreditation |
| Bridge TEFL | NA | $710 ($310) | Typically 6-8 weeks | ACCET, ACE, AQUEDUTO |
| International TEFL Academy | $1,395 – $5,000 location dependent | $1,499 – $1,999 | 4-12 weeks | TQUK/Ofqual |
| Premier TEFL | NA | $125 | 3-6 weeks online | TQUK/Ofqual, ACDL |
| i to i TEFL | $180 | NA | 2-6 weeks | TQUK/Ofqual, ACDL |
| The TEFL Academy | NA | $530 ($265) | Up to 6 months | TQUK/Ofqual, DEAC (US) |
| Cambridge CELTA | $1,750 – $1,950 | $1, 650 – $1,850 | 4 weeks intensive (part-time options) | Cambridge English, TQUK/Ofqual |
| Trinity CertTESOL | $1,359 – $2,799 location dependent | NA | 4 weeks intensive (part-time options) | TQUK/Ofqual, Trinity College |
TABLE KEY
ACCET = The Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (US)
ACE = The American Council on Education AQUEDUTO = The Association for Quality Education and Training Online
ACDL – Accreditation Council for Distance Learning
DEAC = Department of Education National Accreditor
CELTA = Certificate in Teaching English To Speakers of Other Languages
CertTESOL = Trinity Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Ofqual = The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England.
TQUK = Training Qualifications UK, an approved awarding organisation by Ofqual
How To Choose A TEFL Certificate In 2022
Have you noticed how if you google anything to do with TEFL certificates you get the same few websites appearing on the front page of Google? The vast majority of people are relying on these results to guide them through choosing the correct TEFL certification.
The problem? All of those websites are secretly trying to warm you up into buying their own TEFL certificates. This means that all of their advice is geared towards selling you their course and not necessarily in guiding you towards the TEFL certificate that is best suited for your needs.
That is where this site comes in. My name’s Tim James and after 20 years in the TEFL industry I want to guide you through the process of getting the right TEFL certificate for you under your belt.
You won’t find any of those glossy brochures of kids and teachers smiling in far away lands as though they have found utopia. No, you will just get my solid real world advice and information about what the best TEFL certificate(s) for you are.
We are going to start with some of the basic questions about the TEFL industry, before we dive into the murky world of choosing the best TEFL certificate for you…
What Is A TEFL Certificate?
A TEFL certificate is a certificate issued by an organization that provides training to people who want to teach English to non-native speakers in countries where English is not the first language, e.g. a born and raised American citizen teaching English abroad in Taiwan.
These certificates vary greatly in terms of quality and prestige as the industry is largely unregulated. There are companies out there that run TEFL certificate courses and the certificates are largely worthless, i.e. the course content and delivery is sub par, the certificates are little known to employers and the the training doesn’t provide a good platform to launch a long standing TEFL teaching career.
On the other hand, there are a handful of excellent course providers that provide rigorous and effective courses that will benefit you hugely. Not only will you be confident when you walk into the classroom, employers will recognize the name on your certificates and you will more than likely make the interview short list.
In a nutshell, a TEFL certificate is a piece of paper that can both open, and close doors, so be warned. That said, choosing a TEFL certificate it is not a one-size fits all decision. You need to pick the TEFL certificate that suits your purpose.
Afterall, there is no point in spending a small fortune on a TEFL course when you only plan to have a go at teaching for a few months. You may as well just do a cheap online course for $50 to give you a bit of foundation knowledge and then just dive right in and get some experience. You can always do a better TEFL certificate later.
In contrast, a higher end, in person TEFL certificate will set you back $1,000 or more for a well respected certificate which you would be proud to put on your CV. This would take you at least 4 weeks of intensive in-person study with real teaching practice based at a training center. These are commonly sold as 120 hour courses with the CELTA and CertTESOL generally seen as being the gold standard of TEFL certificates.
Personally, as someone who is head of an ESL department at an international school I would not take any other TEFL certificate seriously.
None of the others have the same level of credibility and rigor associated with them. However, not everybody wants to work in an international school, so, many other type of TEFL certificates exist to suit other people’s purposes.
What Does TEFL Mean?
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. If you are a TEFL teacher it means that the you are teaching in a country where the first language is not English, for example, a Canadian citizen born in Canada would be a TEFL teacher if they were teaching English in Japan.
TEFL is often confused with ESL. ESL stands for English as a second language. The difference is that a student can be in an English speaking country, for example, in America, but English is not the student’s first language and so they are learning English as a second language.
In more recent years though, the ESL acronym has been dropped in favour of the acronym ESOL as it was realized that many of these so called ESL students were actually learning English as a third or fourth language. Therefore ESOL, English for speakers of other languages seemed a more accurate description.
Personally, I am a bit old school and I prefer the term ESL. I don’t think anyone has ever really lost any sleep over whether they were a teacher of ESL or EFL, and I can’t imagine any student gives a damn either!
There is a subtle yet important difference from a teaching point of view though and that is that the EFL student does not get the opportunity to use the language outside of the classroom, they may only ever speak English when they are in the classroom with yourself.
On the other hand, the ESL/ESOL student may be forced to speak English on a daily basis, indeed, this may be why they are learning because they have no alternative but to learn English if they wish to function in society properly.
This can mean that:
a) they improve in English much faster because of the immersive environment, but also…
b) they may wish to learn more practical language that is going to help them immediately rather than academic language.
You really do need to get to know your students and what they want/need at the beginning of a course to make sure you are satisfying everyone’s expectations.
Finally, then, at my former private school in the UK, my department was wrongly called a EFL department, wrong because English is not a foreign language in England, but then in my current job I am head of an ESL department, technically wrong because English is a foreign language in Thailand and so it should be an EFL department rather than an ESL department, and because many of our students are trilingual, speaking Mandarin also.
I hope that has cleared things up for you then! If not, don’t worry no-one really cares just try and get a certificate under your belt because it is important that when you walk into a classroom you do know what you are doing for the sake of the students and your own sanity.
Read my guide to what TEFL teaching is really like based on real life experience here.
Where Can You Teach With TEFL Certification?
With a TEFL certificate you can expect to be in demand around the world. There are currently over 100,000 TEFL teachers in China which has the most TEFL job openings, but: Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Spain, France, UAE, Czech Republic all offer a plentiful supply of jobs.
This is not about to change anytime soon either as there are an estimated 1.5 billion English language learners scattered across the globe many of whom would prefer to learn with a native speaker face to face.
However, online teaching should not be overlooked as an avenue for teaching TEFL also. In fact, there are now TEFL certificates geared solely towards teachers wishing to teach exclusively online. Read my guide to getting started with teaching online here.
The advantage of this is that you could either remain in your home country and ‘sit out’ the pandemic there, or when the time is right you could go to a country with a lower cost of living and then teach online from there.
VIPkid are one of the main employees of TEFL teachers online and they specialise in providing teaching services to young learners in China. They currently employ a staggering 65,000 TEFL teachers and are set to grow further as more and more Chinese get online.
The bottom line is there is a world of opportunity out there for TEFL teachers, apparently there are as many as 20,000 new TEFL jobs listed each month. I am tempted to say ‘so what are you waiting for?’ but I guess the answer might be ‘for a vaccine, restrictions to lift etc’… but you get the idea.
Statistics come from: source 1, source 2.
How Do You Get A TEFL Certificate?
This should be a fairly straightforward process if you know what you are looking for. Whichever TEFL certificate company you sign-up with will take you through the process step by step.
The real problem is most people do not know which course provider to go with. You see, TEFL certificates are not created equally and some are created with different purposes in mind.
As there is no overall regulatory body for TEFL certificates, anybody, and I mean anybody can set themselves up in the TEFL business and start offering certificates for whatever price they like. The real regulators of the industry are therefore the employers, after all, they only employ teachers that in their judgment will allow them to get the job done effectively.
So, which TEFL do most employers prefer?
Generally, they will want to see that you have done a 120 hour certificate with at least some practice teaching and that the course is accredited by a respectable body, such as Ofqual.
Ofqual are a government body in the UK and their job is to assess, audit and verify that a course is legitimate and that at what level it operates at. To be Ofqual certified requires ongoing commitment from a company and is a very positive sign.
The gold standard is a course that is accredited by OfQual at Level 5, this is essentially at foundation degree level and will get your TEFL career going nicely. The main players offering 120 hour certificates with assessed teaching practice are the Cambridge CELTA and the Trinity CertTESOL.
These courses, require you to physically attend a training center for at least four weeks. Obviously it is not possible to get real teaching practice from behind your computer. However, several companies now offer TEFL certificates that cover the theory side of TEFL only in 120 hour, or longer courses.
These newer courses are what are mainly being sold online nowadays. Whilst they do not have the highly valued teaching practice element they do offer a route to gaining some understanding of teaching TEFL and have become accepted by many employers on the basis that they are Ofqual accredited at level 5.
Companies that are also accredited by US regulatory bodies that are taken seriously and are completely legitimate are: The TEFL Academy, International TEFL Academy, Bridge TEFL.
It is also a great sign if the course earns you credits at a reputable university, for example, the Bridge TEFL earns you credits with at least seven different universities on the pathway to gaining an M.A. TESOL, which is really useful if you think you might be in the industry long term.
At the very top of the TEFL certificate tree, however, is the CELTA certificate. It is the most highly respected certificate out there for entry level teachers and can be done face to face or via a blended learning option.
As they have a strong reputation they are not cheap at around $1,800, however, you will find yourself getting shortlisted for more jobs with this under your arm.
The downside of the course though is that it is primarily for teaching adults whereas many new teachers will find themselves teaching children and teenagers. They do have an add-on option for teaching kids but that will cost you more money on top of an already expensive initial fee.
If the CELTA price tag is a bit much for you and you do not like the sound of the intensity of the course then you can do just fine with any of the other Ofqual certified courses listed in the table at the top that are 120 hours long.
You won’t get the benefits of having done teaching practice on your course but you will have a certificate that will get you in the job market.
What’s The Easiest And Cheapest Way To Get A TEFL Certificate?
The table below shows the lowest priced TEFL certificates that are accredited and from reputable companies. They are all online options and the prices in brackets are the current promotional prices being offered.
| TEFL Course Provider | Cost | Duration | Accreditation |
| Bridge TEFL | $280 ($154) | 40 hours, flexible | TQUK/Ofqual, ACDL |
| International TEFL Academy | $1,799 | 4 weeks intensive, includes real teaching | TQUK/Ofqual |
| Premier TEFL | $439 ($125) | 3-6 weeks | ACCET, ACE, AQUEDUTO |
| i to i TEFL | $299 ($180) | 120 hours over 2-6 weeks | TQUK/Ofqual, ACDL |
| The TEFL Academy | $530 ($265) | 168 hours self-paced, 6 months access | TQUK/Ofqual, DEAC (US) |
As you can see the current lowest price TEFL certificate is the 40 hour Bridge TEFL certificate. If you know you are only going to be teaching for a short time or just as a one off thing then this would probably be your best choice being the cheapest and shortest option.
Go ahead and do that if that fits your needs but remember these certificates don’t get you teaching experience and they are not all at Ofqual level 5, so they may be of limited value if you are wanting to apply for more competitive positions.
What Are TEFL Certification Requirements?
To be accepted onto a TEFL certification course you generally need to be a native English speaker (NES) or at native speaker level. Some course providers might ask you to prove this if you are not a native speaker and they may wish to see an IELTS certificate or other similar certificate as proof of your English being at a high enough level for the course.
You will also need to be over the age of eighteen. Other than that, so long as you have got the money in the pocket you are good to go!
Can I Do A TEFL Certificate Without A Degree?
TEFL Course providers do not require you to have a degree in order to do a TEFL certificate. However, some countries will require you to have a degree and a TEFL certificate in order for you to get a working visa. For this reason, investigate the requirements of the countries that you anticipate working in.
In years gone by you could get by with fake degree certificates or by paying the right people at the various immigration departments, however, in reality, more and more countries are requiring teachers to have a degree.
I have known several teachers who have had to leave Thailand after many years of teaching here with just a TEFL certificate but are now unable to do so without a degree. This seems all the more stupid when the country is short of TEFL teachers – go figure!
Many countries do not require you to have a degree to teach TEFL though, such as: Peru, Mexico, Cambodia, South Korea, Spain, Italy, and Russia just for starters. Don’t let the whole ‘not having a degree’ thing put you off. The world wants and needs good TEFL teachers. Rest assured, if you do a decent TEFL certificate you will be in demand!
What Is A TEFL Qualification Equivalent To?
TEFL courses that are the gold standard of the TEFL industry are accredited by Ofqual and are at level 5 of their 9 point scale. This means they are at the equivalent level of an undergraduate degree. Therefore they do require quite some time and effort to complete.
There is a bit of a scam going on with TEFL certificates and accreditation at the moment though. Everyone knows the best certificate is the CELTA caertificate which is four weeks of classroom based learning and contains actual teaching experince.
This course is at level 5 of the Ofqual scale which means it is at a university level of complexity. Other TEFL certificates are now claiming that their courses are equivalent to a CELTA because they are also at level 5 of the Ofqual scale.
This is simply not true, yes, they have the same Ofqual level, for the content they do offer, but they do not offer any face to face teaching experience, or classroom based learning that a CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL offer, and they do not have anywhere near the same reputation.
So, how they can claim they are ‘equivalent’ to a CELTA is beyond me. I feel they are deliberately trying to mislead people by saying they are ‘equivalent’ to CELTA.
How Much Does It Cost To Get A TEFL Certificate?
TEFL courses range in price from $20 to $2,000 depending on what is included. Generally speaking employers want you to have a 120 hour certificate which includes teaching practice. These courses tend to be in the $1,300 to $1,900 range and are for those teachers looking to build a genuine career in TEFL.
Is A TEFL Certificate Worth It?
Am Ofqal, level 5, 120 hour TEFL certificate with assessed teaching practice will put you at the front of the que for the higher paying TEFL jobs in your preferred part of the world which means they are definitely worth completing.
Not only that, but, you will enter the classroom with the confidence that you can actually teach a good lesson whilst enjoying yourself at the same time and you can be sure that it will be accepted by immigration departments around the world.
Completing a decent TEFL certificate will also give you confidence in speaking in front, of others, a chance to make long lasting friends and give you the means by which you can go and work abroad in a new country. Honestly, without gaining my original TEFL certificate back in 2003 my life would have terribly different and probably much poorer for it.
Look, if you have gotten this far down the page you clearly have a desire to give this a go. Don’t hold yourself back anymore? Back yourself, get a decent TEFL under your belt and go out there and explore some of this world and have some new experiences – I dare you!
Also check out: What is the best value for money TEFL?
Which TEFL Certificate Do I Recommend?
Great question. As you are now aware there are a great many factors to take into consideration. However, this would be my ‘rule of thumb’ advice:
Future Career Teacher
Take a CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL if you are sure you want to develop your TEFL teaching career into something more significant, or if you enjoy challenging yourself. Decide between the two based on convenience of centre location and price.
Volunteering
If you are volunteering for a few months and just want to build a bit of practical knowledge then go for i-to-i’s course created just for volunteers, it is $299 and Ofqual certified to level 3. Not as high as many other TEFL certificates but you won’t need that level for your purposes.
Pure Online Teaching
Honestly, you could start doing this with no TEFL at all. You could just sign-up at italki.com and give it a go. However, you probably wouldn’t know where to start so I recommend the Premier TEFL 30 hour certificate. This should give you enough hints and tips to get you started. There are other options but this s just one that I have done which covered the essential adequately.
The Backpacker TEFLer
So you just want a way to earn a few dollars as you travel around for a few months/couple of years. In this case, I would suggest doing a certificate from The TEFL Academy . Accredited in the US and UK, their courses offer the option of being able to bolt on extras at a later date.
For example, you could add on Business English, or young kids teaching later. Importantly though, you will be able to earn your certificate, albeit without hands on teaching without breaking the bank. You’ll get your teaching experience on the job instead which can be more fun!
The Cheap Charlie
Hey, we have all been there, there is no shame in choosing on price. Get yourself in the game with the $154 Bridge TEFL course and get your time as a teacher off to a flying start.
That’s the end of my guide to TEFL certificates. I hope you found it useful! You may also be interested in How To Be A Good Online Teacher here.