TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. A TEFL certificate is the internationally recognised professional qualification for teaching English to speakers of other languages. It is held by hundreds of thousands of teachers working across Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.
What Does a TEFL Course Include?
Applied Linguistics and English Grammar
Teaching Methodology (Communicative Language Teaching)
Lesson Planning
Classroom Observation
Supervised Teaching Practice with real students
Job Placement Preparation
120 Hours — The International Standard
120 hours is the internationally accepted minimum TEFL qualification. This is required by most language centres, many government teaching programmes, and immigration authorities in countries including Vietnam, South Korea, UAE, and Thailand.
TEFL vs TESOL vs CELTA
TEFL — Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Generic industry term. Used worldwide.
TESOL — Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Same as TEFL, more common in USA/Australia.
CELTA — Certificate issued by Cambridge Assessment English. More expensive, similarly recognised.