This is our most popular course studied full time over four consecutive weeks.
The aim of the 4-week Certificate in TEFL course in Spain is to thoroughly prepare you for teaching EFL in any overseas environment. On completion of the course, you will better able to prepare lessons for different age groups and levels, and feel confident when selecting materials and activities for your lessons. Once equipped with a variety of teaching techniques and methodologies to engage your students, you will be a effective and more resourceful teacher.
Not only will you have the practical expertise, but you will also acquire the necessary skills to reflect on your classes, and continue to develop as a teacher once the course has finished.
To be accepted onto the course you don’t need to have prior teaching experience or teaching qualifications. This is an initial teaching qualification in the specialized field of TEFL. If you do not hold a university degree, you should hold qualifications for entry to tertiary level education (e.g. A levels, High School diploma, etc.), although exceptions are made with those candidates who demonstrate their suitability for the course through the questionnaire questions in the application form. Non-native English speakers will be accepted onto the course on equal terms to native English language speakers provided that they demonstrate a high command of the language. Applicants need to be at least 18 years old.
Once you have been accepted on the TEFL course, and you have paid your deposit, we will send you a pre-course task consisting of a grammar workbook covering the most essential aspects of the grammar of English with corresponding exercises so you can practice in preparation for the course.
Here is some recommended literature so you take full advantage of the course:
Once you have been accepted on the TEFL course, and you have paid your deposit, we will send you a pre-course task consisting of a grammar workbook covering the most essential aspects of the grammar of English with corresponding exercises so you can practice in preparation for the course.
Here is some recommended literature so you take full advantage of the course:
Please note this is merely a list of recommended reading for those willing to start ahead. The different concepts in the recommended literature will be introduced and revisited often during the course.
On arrival, you will be given an induction session consisting of all sorts of practical information such as: public transport timetables, places of interest, local doctors who speak English, hairdressers, restaurants and shops where English is spoken, opening a bank account, essential and emergency telephone numbers, cell phone information, etc). Plus all our staff will always be there to help you with their extensive local knowledge.
The ITA Barcelona TEFL course is both intensive and demanding. There is lot to be learned about teaching and learning in just four weeks. We are highly committed to producing the best teachers possible and we will be working with you so that your teaching meets the highest of standards. This means that during the course you will be mainly concerned with lesson planning and different areas of the course. So, time for sightseeing may be limited. You will also need to sleep and eat properly to be able to cope with the stress of working long hours. Therefore we recommend you leave any plans concerning extensive tourism until after the course. Having said this it is our experience that if you follow our recommendations you will be able to enjoy both the course and the city life. Very often trainees comment that despite the hard work they found the course to be an invaluably challenging and rewarding learning experience.
This will normally consist of input sessions in the morning and early afternoon followed by teaching practice where as well as teaching yourself you will observe other trainees teach. This will allow you to learn from peers. After teaching practice a critique session is held where both trainees and trainer sit together, exchange constructive criticism and reflect on the different lessons they observed. The onus is on reflection as we believe this to be the most important component of the TEFL course. What really matters, more than a good performance in the classroom even, is for you to be able to reflect on your own and others’ teaching experience and learn from it for your future development.
A typical weekly schedule may look like this:
10.00 am – 13.30 pm: Input sessions
13.30 pm – 15.00 pm: Lunch
15.00 pm – 17.00 pm: Lesson planning
17.00 pm – 18.30 pm: Teaching practice
18.30 pm – 19.30 pm: Critique session
The TEFL course consists of both theory lessons and teaching practice. In the theory lessons an experienced teacher trainer will introduce a number of different methods and approaches. In these theory lessons you will also learn about the grammar and phonology/pronunciation of English as well as reflect on ways to reconcile TEFL concepts with day-to-day classroom practice. Special workshops will also be run to give you an insight into teaching young learners and teaching Business English. Both theory sessions and workshops are designed so that you take part in dynamic activities and discussions where you are encouraged to actively participate and learn ‘through doing’. We can guarantee you won’t be bored!
Pre Module Grammar
Self-assessed tasks with answers provided to help with The Study of English.
The Teaching and Learning of ESOL
1. Basic principles of teaching English• The role of the teacher• The role of the student
2. Teaching strategies • Warmers/Hooks • Giving instructions and setting up activities • Highlighting, clarifying and eliciting information • Teaching and learning activities • Using video and film • Using songs and music • Visual aids • Student error and correction
3. Classroom management
4. Lesson planning
5. Language and skills • Vocabulary • Grammar • Phonology • Reading • Writing • Listening • Speaking • Pronunciation• Idioms
6. Resources and materials for teaching English • Evaluating and exploiting course books
7. Testing, assessing and evaluating general English
8. Introduction to other teaching contexts • Teaching mono and multilingual classes • Teaching business English • Teaching exam classes • Teaching young learners
9. Working in English language teaching • Language schools • Finding a teaching position • Resources • Professional development
10. Teaching practice. Lesson Planning. Observed, assessed teaching & feedback sessions.
You will complete a minimum of six hours teaching practice with real English language students, which is observed by your trainer. You will be graded on different aspects of your teaching performance, and receive an overall grade for the lesson. This practical side of the course will enable you to learn from first-hand experience. It will equip you with the techniques and teaching tools necessary to become a versatile EFL teacher and deal with a range of different teaching situations and environments when teaching English abroad.
As well as learning from your own and your peers’ teaching practice, you will have the privileged opportunity to observe experienced teachers deliver lessons to the very students you will be teaching.
Apart from learning from your own and your peers’ teaching practice, as part of your TEFL training you will be able to observe experienced teachers deliver lessons to the very students you will be teaching. These will normally be your own trainers and you will then have the privileged opportunity to learn from a professional in the field of TEFL doing what they do best: teaching English as foreign language to a group of non-native English language speakers.
As part of your TEFL course you may be asked to step into the shoes of a ‘foreign’ language learner and take a three-lesson course in a language unknown to you. This will give you the opportunity to see things from a students’ perspective, enabling you to identify a number of needs you will need to cater to when teaching your lessons. The unknown language experience is often an eye-opener that sensitises you to learner needs and develops your empathy towards the way students feel in the EFL/ESL classroom.
The theoretical components of the TEFL course are continually assessed – there are no written examinations. You will be set tasks throughout the course, which are submitted for assessment by your tutors. These tasks are graded and returned with comments and guidance for your development. The course sessions are always conducted in small groups with on-going support and instruction, helping to ensure your successful completion of our course.
At ITA Barcelona, we pride ourselves on personalized support and small groups; and we are constantly available to offer individual support and coaching. These two things together mean that your success on the TEFL course is virtually guaranteed.
Upon successful completion of the course you will receive:
Our Certificate in TEFL is accredited by TQUK, a UK-based, awarding body recognised and regulated by Ofqual.
In order to earn your Certificate in TESOL you need to pass both the theoretical and practical components of the course.
Full attendance is also required.
What this means to you, the student!