TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. A TEFL certificate is the internationally recognised qualification required to teach English in language schools, academies, international schools, and corporate training programmes around the world. Without a TEFL certificate, the vast majority of employers — particularly in Asia and the Middle East — will not consider your application.
Our 120-hour TEFL certification meets the standard requirement for English teaching positions in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. The 120-hour minimum is recognised by schools in Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, the Philippines, the UAE, Turkey, Spain, and beyond.
TEFL is sometimes written as TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) — the two qualifications are broadly equivalent and accepted interchangeably by employers worldwide. CELTA is a more expensive, Cambridge Assessment-branded equivalent. Our 120-hour TEFL certificate carries the same weight with the vast majority of international school employers.
There are hundreds of TEFL providers worldwide. Here is what sets The View TEFL Academy apart:
Train in one of the world's most beautiful and vibrant cities. Cape Town is a world-class teaching environment with a thriving expat community, strong demand for qualified English teachers in local private schools, and direct proximity to international markets. Our Century City campus is easily accessible by public transport and surrounded by accommodation options to suit all budgets.
Cape Town is particularly popular with South African teachers who want to complete their certification close to home before moving to Vietnam or the Philippines, and with international candidates who want to add South Africa to their teaching journey.
R20,000 ZAR
Location: Century City, Cape Town, 7441, South Africa
Vung Tau is a charming coastal city two hours south of Ho Chi Minh City — and the location of our head office and flagship Vietnam campus. Vietnam is consistently ranked among the top three English teaching markets in Asia. Demand outstrips supply year-round, salaries are competitive, the cost of living is low, and the culture genuinely values English education.
Our Vung Tau campus offers a unique advantage: because we operate directly in the local teaching market, we can introduce graduates to partner schools during the course itself. Many graduates leave with job offers already in hand. The combination of low cost of living and strong salaries ($1,200–$2,000/month) means teachers can save $400–$700 per month in Vung Tau.
£1,200 GBP
Location: 12a Hải Đăng, Phường 2, Vung Tau, Vietnam
Cebu is the Queen City of the South in the Philippines — a thriving hub for English language education. The Philippines has a world-renowned ESL and EFL industry, with English as a de facto official language, making it one of the most welcoming and accessible teaching environments in Asia. Cebu has a large and well-established expat community, affordable accommodation, and a vibrant social scene.
The Philippines is a growing market for foreign TEFL teachers, particularly in private international schools and language academies catering to Korean, Japanese, and Chinese students. Our partner school network in Cebu and Manila gives graduates direct access to vetted positions.
$1,500 USD
| Component | Hours | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Linguistics & Grammar | 30hrs | English grammar systems, error analysis, phonology, pronunciation teaching |
| EFL Methodology & Lesson Planning | 30hrs | Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach, lesson structure, material design, differentiation |
| Classroom Observation | 20hrs | Observe experienced TEFL teachers in action across different age groups and levels |
| Supervised Teaching Practice | 20hrs | Teach real classes (children, teens, and/or adults) under professional trainer supervision |
| Feedback & Assessment | 10hrs | One-to-one feedback sessions, teaching portfolio building, written assignments |
| Career Preparation | 10hrs | EFL-specific CV writing, interview preparation, job search strategies, salary negotiation |
Our job placement support and document legalisation services cover the following markets. Click each destination for a full teaching guide:
| Country | Average Salary/Month | Cost of Living/Month | Typical Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam 🇻🇳 | $1,200–$2,000 USD | $600–$900 USD | $400–$700/month |
| Philippines 🇵🇭 | $800–$1,400 USD | $700–$1,000 USD | $100–$500/month |
| South Africa 🇿🇦 | R18,000–R28,000 ZAR | R10,000–R15,000 ZAR | R8,000–R13,000/month |
| South Korea 🇰🇷 | $1,800–$2,500 USD | $1,200–$1,800 USD | $400–$900/month |
| Japan 🇯🇵 | $1,700–$2,200 USD | $1,400–$2,000 USD | $200–$600/month |
| Thailand 🇹🇭 | $800–$1,500 USD | $700–$1,200 USD | $100–$400/month |
| China 🇨🇳 | $1,500–$2,500 USD | $700–$1,200 USD | $500–$1,000/month |
Figures are estimates for 2025–2026 based on typical full-time language centre positions. Salaries vary significantly by city, school type, and experience.
Job placement is not an add-on at The View TEFL Academy — it is central to what we do. Our placement support is included in the course fee and covers:
Most graduates who complete the Vung Tau course receive job offers from local partner schools before the course ends. For other destinations, the typical timeline is 2–6 weeks from graduation to job offer, depending on destination and availability.
Learn more about our job placement support →
One of the biggest obstacles teachers face is the document legalisation process. Getting your degree, teaching certificate, and police clearance authenticated for an overseas work permit is time-consuming and confusing — especially for South African teachers heading to Vietnam, which is not a Hague Convention country.
We offer end-to-end document legalisation support for teachers going to Vietnam, the Philippines, and other destinations. Our services include:
Learn more about document legalisation →
The View TEFL Academy (trading as The View Academy) was founded in 2020 by experienced EFL teachers and teacher trainers. We are a specialist TEFL training provider with campuses across three continents — Vung Tau (Vietnam), Cape Town (South Africa), and Cebu (Philippines).
Our mission is straightforward: to produce confident, skilled, and immediately employable English language teachers. We do this by keeping class sizes small, insisting on real supervised teaching practice, and maintaining active relationships with schools that hire our graduates.
Our head office is based in Vung Tau, Vietnam — which means we have first-hand, up-to-date knowledge of the Vietnamese teaching market, its regulatory requirements, and what schools are actually looking for in 2025 and 2026.
All of our trainers are experienced EFL teachers. Many have taught in multiple countries across Asia and Africa. When they advise you on what to expect in a Vietnamese language centre or how to approach your first month in the Philippines, they are speaking from direct personal experience — not reading from a script.
We have placed graduates in teaching positions in Vietnam, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Turkey, Spain, and the UAE. Our alumni network continues to grow, and we stay in touch with graduates long after they complete their course.
Email: info@theviewacademy.com
Phone / WhatsApp: +84 962 255 672
Cape Town Campus: Century City, Cape Town, 7441, South Africa
Head Office & Vietnam Campus: 12a Hải Đăng, Phường 2, Vung Tau, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu, Vietnam
Philippines Campus: Cebu City, Philippines
View contact page and enquiry form →
No — a degree is not required to complete the TEFL course itself. However, the majority of overseas teaching employers (particularly in Asia) require a bachelor's degree alongside your TEFL certificate when applying for teaching positions. We strongly advise obtaining a degree before pursuing overseas teaching placements in regulated markets like Vietnam, South Korea, and China.
Our course runs over 4 weeks full-time (Monday–Friday) and awards a 120-hour internationally recognised TEFL certificate. 120 hours is the internationally accepted minimum for most English teaching positions worldwide. The course includes theory, classroom observation, and a minimum of 6 hours of supervised live teaching practice.
Yes. Non-native English speakers with a strong command of English (C1 or B2 level on the CEFR scale) are welcome and encouraged to apply. We have trained teachers from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, the Philippines, France, Brazil, and many other countries. A high standard of spoken and written English is essential — native speaker status is not.
TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) are broadly equivalent qualifications accepted by employers globally. CELTA is a specific qualification issued by Cambridge Assessment English that carries the same market weight. All three are widely recognised and acceptable for the vast majority of teaching positions worldwide.
With a TEFL certificate, you can teach in over 100 countries worldwide. Our graduates most commonly go on to teach in Vietnam, China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, and the UAE. We offer direct job placement support in Vietnam, the Philippines, and South Africa.
Salaries vary significantly by country, city, school type, and experience. In Vietnam: $1,200–$2,000 USD per month (language centres typically pay $1,200–$1,500; international schools pay more). In the Philippines: $800–$1,400 USD per month. In South Africa: R18,000–R28,000 ZAR per month. South Korea: $1,800–$2,500. Many packages include accommodation allowances, health insurance contributions, and contract-completion bonuses.
Yes. Our 120-hour TEFL certificate is internationally recognised and accepted by language schools, academies, government teaching programmes, and corporate employers in over 100 countries. It meets the standard requirements for EFL teaching positions in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and Africa.
To legally teach in Vietnam, you need a work permit issued by the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour. The requirements include: a recognised degree (bachelor's or higher), a TEFL certificate (120 hours minimum), a clean police clearance from your home country (authenticated by your country's foreign affairs department and the Vietnamese Embassy), and your employer filing the work permit application. We provide full document legalisation support and guide you through the entire process.
South African teachers heading to Vietnam need: a SAPS police clearance certificate → authenticated by DIRCO (apostille) → then by the Vietnamese Embassy in Pretoria. You also need your degree certificate authenticated via the same chain, plus your TEFL certificate. For the Philippines, a DIRCO apostille on your police clearance and degree is typically sufficient. We handle all of this for you as part of our document legalisation service.
For graduates at our Vung Tau campus, job offers frequently arrive before the course ends. Our on-the-ground presence in Vung Tau means we can introduce you directly to local school directors. For other destinations, the typical timeframe is 2–6 weeks from graduation to signed contract. Document processing (particularly for Vietnam) takes an additional 4–8 weeks, so you can use that time to prepare while your paperwork is processed.
It depends on where you plan to teach. If you want to teach in Vietnam and want direct placement in the local market immediately after qualifying, our Vung Tau campus is the obvious choice. If you're based in South Africa and want to qualify before deciding on a destination, or if you intend to teach in South Africa first, our Cape Town campus is ideal. Both courses award the same internationally recognised 120-hour TEFL certificate.
All course fees include: tuition and training materials, supervised teaching practice, one-to-one feedback sessions, EFL-specific CV review, interview preparation, access to our partner school network for job placement, and document legalisation guidance. Accommodation is not included but we provide detailed recommendations for every campus location.