Everything you need to know about TEFL certification cost
Even if you are a native speaker, just because you can speak English really well does not qualify you to become an English teacher you will need to consider the financial outlay necessary to gain TEFL certification For majority of teaching jobs offered abroad, it is essential for you to have a credible application with a college degree and a teaching of english as a foreign certificate. So, if you are planning to teach English abroad, a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) is a credible and bankable investment, especially as it is a mandatory requirement for the better jobs.
So, what is TEFL?
TEFL is an English teaching certification that creates great opportunities for English speakers to work overseas and increases their potential to earn a higher salary at some of the most prestigious and prolific institutions, schools and universities. However, before becoming TEFL qualified, there are certain aspects and questions that you need to take into consideration before you make the decision of investing your valuable time, money and future prospects in getting a TEFL certification. In this article, we will walk you through all basic aspects that you need to take into consideration while debating over the fee structures, the benefits and the downfalls of taking a TEFL certification course.
First of all, you need to ask yourself some very basic, yet all the more necessary questions:
- What type of course will be more convenient for you, an online or an on-site?
- If you are going for an on-site certification, where do you want to get certified? Your native country, or the country you want to work in?
- How much time are you willing to spend on this course, a full month course or a part time?
- How much can you afford to pay?
Courses:
While choosing how to get TEFL Certification, it is essential to know how much time you are willing and able to put. In order to make sure it is easy for everyone, there are several online an on-site TEFL courses, the only difference being, online courses are flexible and do not require you to put in a fixed number of hours, on the other hand, on site courses are more effective, intensive and require a greater interaction and involvement level.
The course length for online courses ranges from 20 to 120+ hours. These courses cover a variety of teaching materials and methods.
For beginners, a 20 hour course is likely to suit all your requirements, however, if you are planning to land a high paying job, we suggest you cover at least 100+ hours, and 120+ hours to make your prospects even brighter, with 100 hours of instruction and 20 hours of practice teaching.
Costs:
If you are looking for a quality course, be prepared to pay around $1,000-$2,500 USD. Although the prices vary and you will have to shop around to find the perfect, cheap TEFL certification. Online courses are usually less expensive, however, credible courses will still cost you around a good amount. For instance, CIEE charges $1,000 USD and UOT charges $1,295 for a 120 hour course.
If you are looking for an on-site course, the costs will depend on the country you appear in. For instance, in Chicago you pay around $1,995 and elsewhere in the US, the costs can run up to $2,500. There are some low cost countries where you can save a great deal of money, for instance, in Mexico, on-site classes are around $1,500.
In order to find the right price and a cheap TEFL certification, you need to do a great deal of research, and find the perfect online or on-site certification that suits all your needs and requirements.