This article provides a quick overview on teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) and how to get CPD certification for TEFL courses.
Brief introduction - What is TEFL?
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Put simply, TEFL is designed to help students study and improve their English language in order to be able to get started in teaching career, either in the UK or abroad.
What qualifications do you need for TEFL?
It is not required to have any specific formal qualifications to teach English as a foreign language, however it is of course important to be able to speak English well enough to teach others. As a general guidance TELF will require students to be at least 18 years old and also have completed their studies up to A-level or college standards. If English is not your native language, you may be asked to provide some additional information to highlight your proficiency in the English language.
Do you need a degree to study for TEFL?
You do not necessarily need to have an undergraduate degree to study a TEFL course, and you do not need to speak English as your first language either. There are many TEFL training courses available to students of all qualifications level, and so do not let the fact you may not have a degree put you off learning to teach English as a foreign language.
Find CPD Accredited TEFL courses
There are a whole range of different ways to study TEFL, from fulltime training courses, typically 4 weeks long or 120 hours of learning, through to online courses, distance learning and part time courses that can run over several months. If you are looking for CPD accredited TELF courses to help improve your skills and use towards your annual Continuing Professional Development requirements, please go to either the CPD Courses Catalogue or CPD Provider Directory.
What is CPD certification?
There is an increasing expectation for professionals of all industries and career levels to undertake CPD regardless of job role and responsibilities. Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service has over 27 years’ experience providing CPD accreditation. With members in over 100 countries, our CPD providers benefit from the ability to promote themselves as part of an international community where quality is both recognised and assured.
The CPD Certification Service helps organisations to formalise their structured learning activities, which includes training courses, online and eLearning, seminars, workshops, conferences and events.
CPD UK certification requirements for TEFL courses
The CPD Certification Service evaluate further learning activities to the highest standards. Hundreds of thousands of professionals recognise our CPD Certified symbol as the qualitative benchmark that reflects and sets the standards of Continuing Professional Development. In order for a TEFL training course to potentially be considered suitable for CPD certification, it would be required to meet the following starting benchmarks;
- Educational, information-led and value added learning – no products & service selling
- Clear learning objectives, outcomes and summary of key learning information
- Structured in a methodical and logical approach to knowledge attainment
- Examples, case studies, facts & stats where required to put the learning into context
- Participation embeds knowledge – is there an opportunity for the delegate to interact? Q&A / Quiz / Assessment / Discussion / Reflective notes
- Feedback loop – how are you going to make the learning activity better?
Become a CPD accredited TEFL training provider
We hope this article was helpful. If you are interested in offering training or events suitable for Continuing Professional Development, please visit the Become a CPD Provider page or contact our team to discuss in more detail. Alternatively, if you are looking for a free online CPD record tool to help manage, track and log your ongoing learning, as well as store your professional training records and attendance certificates in one simple place, go to the myCPD Portal page.
