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Welcome to The TEFL Academy South Africa

Are you considering teaching English as a foreign language? 

Believe it or not, many English language learners come to South Africa to learn English. So it’s possible to teach English as a foreign language right here in Mzansi, in a language school or online — not even Eskom can hold us back! But you don’t need to stay here to teach. Becoming an English teacher is fast becoming the favourite way to get out of South Africa (even if it’s just for a little while). 

There are over 1.5 billion English language learners worldwide, so it is easy to understand why the demand for TEFL tutors is enormous, whether you want to teach here at home in South Africa, online or overseas.

If you’re interested in teaching English as a foreign language, you just need a TEFL qualification to open up a world of opportunities.

By getting your Combined Level 5 TEFL Diploma, Online Level 5 TEFL Diploma or Level 3 TEFL Certificate from The TEFL Academy, you’ll be getting a qualification that’s recognised around the world.

Enrol today and you’ll also receive R13100 of additional online learning for FREE, including three top-up courses (Teaching business English; Teaching online and 1:1; and, Teaching young learners), exclusive live access to our weekly one-hour topical webinars designed to support your learning, a TEFL Handbook and a TEFL Resource Pack

If you would prefer to take a Combined Level 5 TEFL Diploma, find your nearest South African Campus where you can complete your 10 hour teaching practice course. 

TEFL is the acronym for teaching English as a foreign language or, simply, English language instruction for non-native speakers. It is sometimes also known as TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) or TESL (teaching English as a second language).

Being a TEFL teacher means teaching the English language to adults and/or children whose first language is not English. This can occur either within the state school system or, more privately, at a language school or with a tutor.

TEFL instruction can be delivered face-to-face, like in a classroom, or online to/from anywhere in the world, either one-to-one or in a group. Students can learn the language generally and/or look to increase their English-language vocabulary for a specific purpose, such as learning business English.

TEFL and TESOL are both acronyms for teaching English to non-native English speakers. Both acronyms can be used to describe qualifications which certify you to teach English as a foreign language. To a large extent, "TEFL" and "TESOL" are used interchangeably.

  • TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language
  • TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Our TEFL jobs are open to anyone who has a recognised Level 3 or Level 5 TEFL qualification. This means that as soon as you graduate from The TEFL Academy, you can start applying for teaching jobs abroad. New jobs are posted daily!

Our TEFL internships are open to anyone who has enrolled on our Level 3 or Level 5 courses and meets the requirements listed for each opportunity. An internship is the ideal way to kick-start your TEFL career whilst receiving a higher level of support than standard TEFL jobs. They are a good way to bridge the gap between qualifying and starting a more formal teaching role.

Our voluntary TEFL positions are a great way to get started with TEFL, helping you to gain valuable experience whilst helping others and receiving additional support. They are open to anyone who has enrolled on our Level 3 or Level 5 courses and meets the requirements listed for each opportunity.

With so much choice and such a vast amount of conflicting information available on the Internet it can be difficult for potential TEFL course students to make the correct choice. The most internationally recognised TEFL courses lead to a level 5 qualification, which is the same level as the CELTA/Trinity CertTESOL. The minimum entry requirement for most well paid jobs, with the best packages, is a level 5 TEFL qualification. The level 5 version of our course leads to a Level 5 TEFL Diploma (168 hours), it's regulated by Ofqual (UK government department) and awarded by Qualifi, a UK government recognised awarding body. A TEFL Diploma is simply a slightly higher level of qualification than a "Certificate". It will help your CV/Resume stand out against other applicants for TEFL jobs. Our Diploma is the highest Level 5 Diploma available, so courses advertised as an "Advanced Diploma" are equal to our qualification. If you are looking for an introduction to TEFL and plan to look for casual work teaching English, such as volunteering, teaching whilst backpacking and some online teaching roles, then we recommend you choose a level 3 course. The level 3 version of our course leads to a Level 3 TEFL Certificate (120hrs).

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Discover the World with TEFL 🌍

  • 205176 TTA alumni A global community of TEFL teachers, working throughout the world
  • 8671 Job board positions We have thousands of TEFL positions from over 1,500 jobs
  • 96 Global course locations We have more course locations than any other TEFL provider
  • 15521 Interns & volunteers Thousands of our alumni complete our paid & volunteer internships each year

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“My TEFL certificate worked like magic in Poland. It opened so many opportunities for me, from working online to working in-class with different schools and also being able to go for all expenses paid Summer Camp holidays. I teach all levels from small kids to teenagers and adults and honestly, I couldn’t have chosen any better place. My advice to anyone wanting to teach English abroad is that you should just go for it!”

The most awarded TEFL provider!

The TEFL Academy has won the Go Overseas and GoAbroad Top TEFL Awards for five years (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023) in a row!

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Why choose The TEFL Academy South Africa

You’ll get the best value TEFL courses, experienced trainers and outstanding student support

The TEFL Academy specialises in accredited Level 3 and Level 5 TEFL courses, and nothing else. We regularly review and update our course content and all of our trainers are English as a foreign language professionals who have qualified as TEFL teachers and have years of teaching experience.

Our friendly Student Services team is on hand to support you throughout your studies. You’ll also get exclusive access to our TEFL Jobs Board with the latest vacancies from around the world.

  • Highest average review ratings of any TEFL provider!

  • GoOverseas’s & GoAbroad’s Top TEFL Course Awards Winner 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022!

  • More jobs & job support than any other TEFL provider!

Find your campus!

Choose to learn at one of our global TEFL campuses

The TEFL Academy has over 70 TEFL courses running every month in locations throughout the world.
Our combined TEFL course will give you the qualification you need to become a confident teacher abroad, wherever you decide to study. Select from the search options below to find the right course location for you.

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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.

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