What Qualifications Do I Need To Teach English Abroad

Join a global community of over 200,000 TEFL teachers working throughout the world! Enrol me!

There are a lot of rumours flying around about TEFL and the qualifications you need to do a TEFL or find a TEFL job, so we thought we’d set the record straight on a few things. Deciding to do a TEFL course and embark on a TEFL adventure is a big step and a big life decision and we’d hate for you to be dissuaded from following your dream because of some confusion.

Do I need a degree?

The question on everyone’s lips. You don’t need a degree to do a TEFL course. A degree does not necessarily mean that you are more qualified to be an English teacher than anyone else. In fact, many people who do not have degrees have spent those years working and gaining other useful skills which will help them in the classroom.

However, the one drawback to not having a degree is that you might experience difficulty finding a job. This is not because of any reason except that the governments of certain countries require a person to have an undergraduate degree to qualify for a working visa. If you don’t have a degree, just make sure you know which countries you can legally find work in and don’t get upset when schools in certain countries won’t hire you.

Do I need an English qualification?

If you are a native speaker, no. If you are a non-native speaker your TEFL course provider will ask you your English level. If there is any question as to your level, they may ask for an IELTS or TOEFL certificate as proof. The reason your level of English needs to be high is not only so that you can pass your TEFL course but so that your students can benefit from having you as a model of English in the classroom.

There has been a lot of debate about the preference for native speakers as TEFL teachers, but employers are starting to realise the benefits of having a non-native teacher so the fact that you’re a non-native speaker should not count against you when looking for a job, as long as your English level is high enough.

Do I need a teaching qualification?

No. The TEFL certificate is a stand-alone teaching certificate, meaning that you don’t need to have any experience or background in teaching in order to take the course and pass it. The TEFL course will teach you everything you need to know to be able to teach English as a Foreign Language in the classroom.

It might seem a bit weird that you only need  a minimum of a 120-hour teaching certificate to be able to teach a class full of innocent learners, but this is the way it is. Teaching English as a Foreign Language is totally different from other kinds of teaching so other teaching qualifications will be useful but it won’t teach you what you need to know about TEFL.

Get Social

Follow us on social networks, join our newsletter - get the latest news and early discounts

Sign up to our newsletter

Follow us on social networks, sign up to our e-newsletters – get the latest news and early discounts

Accreditation Partners

The TEFL Academy was the world’s first TEFL course provider to receive official recognition from government regulated awarding bodies in both the USA and UK. This means when you graduate you’ll hold a globally recognised Level 3 (120hr) Certificate or Level 5 (168hr) Diploma, meaning you can find work anywhere and apply for jobs immediately.

Product added to your cart

You have added to your cart:

Request call back

    Please leave your details below and one of our TEFL experts will get back to you ASAP:

    Would you like us to update you on TEFL opportunities, jobs and related products & services?

    Yes, keep me updatedNo, but thanks anyway!

    Thank you! Your message has been sent!

    Register Now

    Download the TEFL World Factbook

      Please enter your details in order to download the latest TEFL World Factbook.

      Would you like us to update you on TEFL opportunities, jobs and related products & services?

      Yes, keep me updatedNo, but thanks anyway!

      Thank you for downloading the TEFL World Factbook!

      If the TEFL World Factbook did not download
      > Click Here To Download <

      Download the Online Teaching Guide

        Please enter your details in order to download our Online Teaching Guide.

        Would you like us to update you on TEFL opportunities, jobs and related products & services?

        Yes, keep me updatedNo, but thanks anyway!

        Thank you for downloading our Online Teaching Guide!

        If the Online Teaching Guide did not download
        > Click Here To Download <

        Download Prospectus

          Please enter your details in order to download our latest prospectus.

          Would you like us to update you on TEFL opportunities, jobs and related products & services?

          Yes, keep me updatedNo, but thanks anyway!

          Thank you for downloading our prospectus!

          We hope you enjoy reading our prospectus, we have tried to make it as useful as possible! Please get in touch if you have any questions.

          If the prospectus did not download automatically
          > Click Here To Download <

          $
          $