There are so many teacher training courses out there that choosing one can seem confusing. What should we be looking for in a TEFL course? What differentiates a quality course from a non-quality course? How long should a course last? What's expected of me once I start the course? Are courses accredited or their certificates recognised? We are going to try and answer some of these questions here and help you make your search a little easier.

Duration

When looking for a quality course, you should be looking at a course that is about 4 weeks in duration or 120 hours long.  

Obviously there are differences between full-time courses and part-time courses when we consider length. You could find the 120 hours spread out over a number of weekends. Therefore a part-time weekend course could last 10 weeks if you are completing 12 hours per week. 

The time on a quality TEFL course should be split between input sessions, teaching practice, feedback and tutorials. As a trainee you will need to set time aside after class for lesson planning, reading, observing suitably qualified teachers and written assignments. When class ends, it doesn't necessarily mean you are finished!

Trainer to trainee ratio

There should be a trainer to trainee ratio of 1 to 6 on a quality TEFL training course. On a course of 12 trainees there should be 2 trainers, on a course of 18, 3 trainers and so on. On a course of 6 or less there should still be at least 2 trainers. Usually input sessions will be lead by one trainer with all the trainees. Teaching practice will usually see the group split according to the ration of 1 trainer to 6 trainees.

Expectations

What's expected of you on a course? In a nutshell – a lot! Most quality courses will start with an orientation session (usually the day before the course begins properly). Not only will you get to meet everyone (trainers and trainees) but you'll also be given your first teaching assignment!  

Teaching practice 

All teaching assignments will need a lesson plan. You'll be expected to finish this before you teach and to hand it in before you teach. This will give the trainer a chance to look at the plan and decide if it is okay or needs to be resubmitted. Usually plans need to be handed with any materials (e.g. texts, questions etc.) you will be using. 

Teaching practice will start on day one of the course. Usually everybody will be expected to teach on day one. Teaching practice will be spread out over the course and will consist of guided teaching practice and self-guided teaching. In the guided practice, the trainer will tell you what you will be doing in the each lesson you are going to teach. In the self-guided practice, you will decide (in conjunction with your peers) what will be taught. This will be decided on and negotiated in a lesson sequencing session. 

On a quality course you should be teaching real language learners at two different levels e.g. elementary and intermediate or pre-intermediate and upper intermediate or beginner and pre-intermediate. There should also be a minimum number of students in each teaching practice class (usually about 10). 

If you are not teaching on a particular day this doesn't mean you will have a free afternoon. On a quality course you will be given an observation task and be expected to take a constructive part in feedback. 

Feedback occurs after teaching practice and involves everybody in the group (those who taught, those who observed and the trainer). Here you'll get a chance to talk about your lesson and listen to the comments of your peers and the trainer. It is important to be positive in these sessions and not take feedback personally but as a chance to improve. 

Observing experienced teachers

On a quality TEFL course you'll be expected to observe experienced and qualified teachers By qualified this usually means a teacher who has a qualification from a quality course. 

Usually you would be expected to observe about 6 hours of teaching. When this takes place within the structure of the course will vary from training centre to training centre, but will probably take place in the evening or at weekends. You will be given an observation task to complete when you observe so you won't just be sitting their doing nothing. 

Observations can take three different formats. These are: 

• Observing teachers
• Observing the trainers teach a class
• Observing a video of a teacher teaching

You will be expected to observe classes at different levels. 

Written assignments

You will be expected to complete four written assignments on a TEFL training course. These are usually based on an area of the course. You are often given reading to do (a chapter or chapters) in conjunction with the written assignment (for example from Jeremy Harmer's 'The Practice of English Language teaching'). 

An example of a typical written assignment might be to write about one of the teaching practice students experience learning English paying attention to areas of the language they find difficult and easy. Another topic might be to look at a particular area covered on the course e.g. Form, function and context. 

Usually there is a word limit for the written assignments and trainees are expected to stick fairly close to it. 

Input sessions

You will be attending input sessions which introduce some of the key areas in TEFL to you. You will be expected to contribute in these sessions and be prepared to work in groups and pairs. Getting on with your peers counts for a lot here. 

Sessions you will be expected to participate in will include the following: language analysis, presenting new language, phonology, drilling, form, function and context, concept checking, eliciting, vocabulary, receptive skills, productive skills, classroom management, lesson planning, error correction and professional development.

Accreditation

A quality TEFL course will have accreditation from an external body. Examples of accreditation you should be looking for include: 

• University accreditation – Some examples of accreditation in this area are University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations or Trinity College London International Examinations Board.
  
  
• Local TESOL organizations – examples here include organizations like American TESOL Institute, IATQuO (International Accreditation of TESOL Qualifying Organizations), TESOL or Thai TESOL.

If the course you have chosen is accredited by one of the above organizations, then it is probably a quality course. 

There may well be other independent accreditation bodies especially locally. If you're not sure about the quality of the TEFL course you have chosen, just look at our check list above. If the course has all of the things mentioned above, then it is probably going to be a quality teacher training course.