Tips for Choosing the Best TEFL Program
                     HENRY HARVIN EDUCATION
TIPS FOR 
CHOOSING THE 
BEST TEFL 
PROGRAM
• TEFL STANDS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH AS A 
FOREIGN LANGUAGE.
• A TEFL TEACHER WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE 
GETS APPOINTED IN NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING 
COUNTRIES.
• A TEFL TEACHER IS APPOINTED TO TEACH 
CHILDREN IN KINDERGARTEN, PRIMARY 
SCHOOLS, OR EVEN AS A PRIVATE TUTOR IN 
SOME COUNTRIES.
WHAT IS TEFL?
• GENERALLY, NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS 
FROM THE USA, UK, AND AUSTRALIA ARE 
HIRED AS ENGLISH TEACHERS.
• NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS GET HIRED, TOO, IF 
THEY HAVE
⚬ AN EXCELLENT PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH 
COMMUNICATION AND GRAMMAR. 
⚬ A BACHELOR’S DEGREE.
⚬ TEFL CERTIFICATION.
⚬ A FLAIR FOR TEACHING.
ELIGIBILITY TO 
BECOME A 
TEFL TEACHER
IS TEFL 
CERTIFICATION LEGIT?
• Many people think TEFL as a scam because of the considerable 
price difference in the course.
• The disparity in the fees is because it’s onsite versus online 
mainly.
• It is indisputable that online courses are cheaper compared to 
onsite classes.
• For onsite courses, companies have to invest in infrastructure like 
land, classrooms, etc. and provide print outs of study materials, 
whereas, for online classes, such expenses are nil.
IS IT A TEFL COURSE FOR YOU?
• BEFORE FINDING THE BEST TEFL PROGRAMS, YOU SHOULD ASK 
YOURSELF, “IS THIS COURSE REALLY FOR YOU?”
• MOVING TO A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT COUNTRY MAY BE A NERVE-
WRACKING EXPERIENCE INITIALLY BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTIES.
• YOU HAVE TO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A COMPLETE CHANGE IN 
LIFESTYLE MENTALLY.
• IT TAKES MORE THAN JUST A BACHELOR’S DEGREE AND A TEFL 
CERTIFICATION.
• YOU SHOULD HAVE A KNACK TOWARDS TEACHING.
• YOU SHOULD HAVE A LOT OF PATIENCE AND LEARN TO GO WITH 
THE FLOW AS STARTING A NEW CAREER IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY 
IS NOT AN EASY TASK.
• DOING THE TEFL COURSE HAS MANY ADVANTAGES LIKE 
TRAVELING ABROAD, OPENING UP A NEW CAREER, GETTING 
EXPOSED TO MODERN CULTURE, ETC., IT HAS ITS DRAWBACKS 
TOO.
• You should be ready to face the culture shock in the new 
country.
• The language barrier becomes a challenge when you go to 
non-English speaking countries.
• Job contracts are usually short term. So you should be ready 
to backpack and frequently travel to many countries.
• Going to rural areas can make you withdrawn and homesick, 
especially if you are a city lover.
DRAWBACKS
HELPFUL 
TIPS
1. CREDIBILITY OF INSTITUTION
• MAKE SURE THE INSTITUTION IS ACCREDITED AND IS LICENSED.
• MAKE SURE THE GOVERNMENT OR ANY OTHER REPUTED 
INSTITUTIONS RECOGNIZES THIS.
• CROSS-CHECK HOW LONG THE CERTIFICATION PROVIDER HAS 
BEEN THERE IN THIS INDUSTRY.
• GO THROUGH REVIEWS WRITTEN BY PREVIOUS STUDENTS 
BEFORE YOU GET SCAMMED.
• IN THE CONTEXT OF ONLINE LEARNING PROGRAMS, YOU NEED 
TO BE EXTRA VIGILANT ABOUT THE REPUTATION AND 
TRANSPARENCY OF AN INSTITUTION BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO GO 
FOR ONLINE CERTIFICATION COURSES ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET 
SCAMMED THAN THE OTHERS WHO OPT FOR CLASSROOM 
LEARNING.
2. COURSE FEE
• MANY BEST TEFL CLASSES CAN BE FOUND ALL OVER THE 
WORLD, THE COURSE FEE DEPENDS UPON THE COUNTRY 
WHERE YOU LIVE.
• ACCORDING TO TEACH ENGLISH ABROAD, “ANYTHING THAT’S 
UNDER $200 IS SUSPICIOUS.”
• EVEN IF YOU SELECT ONE OF THE BEST TEFL PROGRAMS, 
THERE IS A CHANCE THAT THERE CAN BE HIDDEN COSTS.
3. JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE
• CHOOSE AN ACCREDITED TESOL CERTIFICATE ONLINE THAT OFFER 
YOU PERSONALIZED JOB ASSISTANCE.
• THEY SHOULD HELP YOU FIND OUT WHICH TEFL DESTINATION 
INTERESTS YOU AND PROVIDE YOU ADVICE.
• THEY SHOULD PROVIDE YOU WITH JOB-FOCUSED ARTICLES.
• THEY SHOULD HAVE PROFESSIONAL JOB ADVISORS TO PREPARE 
YOU FOR THE INTERVIEW PROCESS.
4. TEACHER’S CREDENTIALS
• MAKE SURE THE INSTRUCTORS ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED 
PROFESSIONALS WITH AT LEAST A MASTER’S DEGREE.
• DON’T HESITATE TO ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS POSSIBLE ABOUT 
THEIR LEADERSHIP QUALITY, PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE, AND 
THEIR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
• MAKE SURE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO CREATE A LEARNING 
ENVIRONMENT WITHIN THE CLASSROOM AND BUILD A STRONG 
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE STUDENTS.
5. DURATION OF THE COURSE
• THE LENGTH OF THE TRAINING PROGRAMS PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT 
ROLE WHEN YOU CHOOSE THE BEST TEFL COURSES.
• THE STANDARD DURATION OF A TEFL COURSE IS USUALLY 100 TO 
120 HOURS.
• IF YOU ARE AN ONLINE STUDENT, IT DEPENDS ON YOU.
• IF YOU ARE A FULL-TIME ONLINE STUDENT, YOU CAN JUST FINISH 
IT IN A MONTH.
6. HANDS-ON TEACHING EXPERIENCE
• FIND AN EXCELLENT ACCREDITED TEFL INSTITUTE THAT WILL 
HELP YOU TO DEVELOP THE TEACHING SKILLS BY PROVIDING YOU 
HANDS-ON IN-CLASSROOM TEACHING EXPERIENCE.
• IT IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO LEARN TEACHING SKILLS JUST BY 
ATTENDING THEORY CLASSES.
• THIS WILL BE THE ONE ADVANTAGE YOU WILL GET WHILE 
SELECTING AN ONSITE COURSE COMPARED TO THAT OF AN 
ONLINE COURSE.
For more details or any queries regarding the course, visit
HENRY HARVIN EDUCATION