If you want to get into Teaching English online or teaching English abroad, the first step is to obtain your Tefl certification. But with hundreds of different online TEFL courses out there, how do you know which TEFL course is best for you? To help you narrow things down, we’ve put together a list of the best online TEFL courses in 2023. Read on to find out what which courses have made the cut!
What are the best online TEFL courses?
There are a number of great online TEFL courses out there, but which one should you pick? To help you decide, here is a rundown of some of the best online TEFL courses on the market today:
ITTT 220-hour TEFL/TESOL Master Package: Best value
If you’re looking for a course that has it all whilst still retaining affordability, look no further than the TEFL level 5 ITTT (International TEFL and TESOL) 220-Hour Master Package.
Not only does it come with a 120 hour TEFL course, it also includes a 50 hour course in teaching Business English and a 50 hour course in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL).
This is all from a starting price of $349, which makes it one of the best TEFL courses available from a value perspective. It even includes post course job assistance to help you get your first TEFL job! So, after you complete this course you’ll be ready to teach English online and around the world.
Another great feature of this course is that you can tailor the package to your needs and choose what to include. Our advice would be to include tutor support and make sure you choose the option with the practicum. This makes it a little more expensive but that way you’ll be getting that all important teaching practice signed off.
ITTT currently have a special offer on this course, so take advantage whilst it’s still available. You can check this out here. You’ll even get an extra 10% off the price below by going through our link!
If you’re still looking for more, and want something a bit more advanced, ITTT have got you covered. Their 370-hour diploma in TESOL course covers both TEFL and TESOL training. This includes everything from the 220-hour master course above, plus an additional 120-hour course on TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). You can check this deal out here.
ITA 170-Hour Online TEFL Certification Course: Most popular
With over 5,000 students taking the 170-Hour TEFL certification course each year, the International TEFL Academy (ITA) must be doing something right! This part-time, 11 week, level 5 TEFL course comes with 150 hours of TEFL training, plus 20 hours of live teaching practice.
The course features live lectures, webinars and chats, and classes are capped at 20 students. This ensures that you get the help and attention you need during your course. You’ll also benefit from personal tutor support and lifetime job assistance.
Graduates of the International TEFL Academy currently teach English in over 80 countries around the world. So, once you get TEFL certified you can go and teach English as a foreign language anywhere in the world.
The price of this TEFL program is currently $1,399 for a limited time only.
TEFLPros Plus 120 Hour Online TEFL Course: Highly rated + free trial
One of the highest rated TEFL courses online, this course from TEFLPros has great reviews across the board. A highly innovative course, it focuses on quality TEFL training that closely imitates the teaching environment. With over 50 hours of real-life classroom and instructional videos you’ll be well prepared for the reality of the classroom. The course also comes with weekly coaching calls and lifetime job assistance.
Still need convincing? Created by an all female team, this fully accredited course even offers a free trial module. This allows you to see if it’s right for you before splashing out.
DoTEFL readers can also sign up for a free one-on-one strategy session with the TEFLPros team. This is a great session if you want to find out more about the course and a career in TEFL in general.
Teach Away University of Toronto OISE TEFL Certification: University quality
If you’re after a prestigious TEFL certification with university quality, the University of Toronto OISE TEFL program is the one for you. Furthermore, in partnering with Teach Away, the course is offered through a leading teacher recruitment agency. Once you have acquired your TEFL certificate, you should therefore be able to seamlessly transition into a TEFL job.
Teach Away offer a 100 hour course, a 120 hour course and a 150 hour course. You can select the best option for your teaching aspirations.
We’d advise at least going for the 120 hour TEFL course. This is because some language schools will request 120 hours as a minimum. The price for the 120 hour online course is $1,295.00 CAD.
Bridge 120-Hour Master TEFL Certificate: Established reputation
One of the oldest TEFL course providers in the business, Bridge TEFL have a great reputation when it comes to TEFL courses. Their 120-Hour Master TEFL Certificate course is even recommended for undergraduate-level university credits by the American Council on Education. That’s how established their reputation is!
The course comes with tutor support and you can complete it over a period of three months or less. Once you obtain your TEFL certificate, you’ll be ready to get a job teaching online or abroad.
Bridge run frequent offers on their site and you can currently pick this course up for around $330.
The TEFL Academy Online Level 5 TEFL Course: Great flexibility
Giving you up to 6 months to complete, the online level 5 course from The TEFL Academy offers great flexibility. With 168 hours of training, this course could theoretically be covered in 5 weeks if you studied full-time. However, the beauty of it is is that you can do it at your own pace from anywhere in the world.
So, if you want to get TEFL certified quickly you can, but taking your time isn’t a problem either. This means that you can truly fit the course around your schedule.
An added bonus is that the course comes with three free modules. These include; teaching business English, teaching online and 1:1 and teaching young learners. Needleless to say this will help you prepare for teaching English abroad and teaching English online.
At the end of the course you’ll be equipped with a level 5 TEFL certificate, and will receive help with finding TEFL jobs.
There is currently a 60% off sale and course prices start around $200.
Recommended addon
You also have the option of turning this TEFL Academy course into a combined TEFL course. Here you retain the 168 hour online course, and in addition attend a one day long classroom teaching practice session.
This can be done in multiple locations around the world and you’ll receive a separate 10-hour Teaching Practice Certificate upon completion. So, if you want to get some teaching experience this is a worthwhile upgrade.
Premier TEFL 120 Hour Online TEFL Course: Best for TEFL internships
Premier TEFL offer a wide range of TEFL programs and their 120 hour online TEFL course forms the base for the majority of these.
Although it’s arguably not as extensive as some of the other TEFL courses in this list, where it really stands out is as a gateway to some exciting TEFL internships. Just make sure that you purchase a TEFL internship option.
With a TEFL internship option you can forget teaching English online! Once you’ve completed your course online you could be off to start your English teaching adventure in your choice of destinations in Asia, Europe or South America. In this sense, this course is very much your key to unlocking teaching English as a foreign language abroad.
Another great thing about it is that you don’t need to worry about a job search. With a TEFL internship you have English teaching jobs waiting for you.
From this perspective it is one of the best TEFL courses, because you’re guaranteed employment. This is what getting TEFL certified online with Premier TEFL can facilitate.
Other courses to consider
If these courses are out of your budget range and you’re looking for some more affordable TEFL and TESOL training, check out these cheap TEFL courses online that are TEFL accredited instead.
Which TEFL course is best?
All of the TEFL courses in this list of the best TEFL courses online are worthy of their place. In many ways it is hard to separate them. They all offer something unique and that is what makes them stand out.
When it comes down to picking the best TEFL course it should therefore be a matter of personal preference. After all, you have to choose a course that best fits with your needs and circumstances.
Having said that, if pushed to recommend a course right now it would be the ITTT 220 Master Package. Provided you get proactive about obtaining some teaching experience, this course covers all the bases and offers great value. We feel that value is something that needs to be taken into account in current times.
How did we choose these TEFL programs?
At DoTEFL it is our goal to help you find the ideal TEFL course for you. That is why we created this site in the first place!
To identify the best TEFL programs online, we used a combination of reviews taken from the top TEFL sites online (including our own), along with our industry knowledge and feedback from our community. We tried to include the highest rated TEFL courses online, whilst also considering the needs of people coming to TEFL from different backgrounds.
If you think we’ve left out any online courses that deserve to be listed, please feel free to let us know!
Things to consider when choosing an online TEFL course
If these TEFL courses don’t float your boat, or if you’re still wondering which one you should pick, there are a few things that you should take into account.
Firstly, when choosing a TEFL program it is important that you find one that matches your needs.
Secondly, you need to make sure that the TEFL course meets certain industry standards.
Thirdly, you need ensure that it fits with the requirements of any prospective employer or language schools you are targeting.
In order to successfully cover all of these bases you should consider the following:
The length of the TEFL course
In order to meet industry standards your online TEFL course should be at least 120 hours in length. This should include 100 hours of study time plus 20 hours of teaching practice. If 20 hours of teaching practice isn’t attainable then there should at least be some element of it within the course. That way you’ll get at least some English teaching experience. This will help give yourself the best possible chance of getting a TEFL job after you obtain your TEFL certificate.
Is it an accredited TEFL course?
Here come those industry standards again! If you do an accredited TEFL course it signifies that it has been independently evaluated by an external organization to make sure it meets certain educational standards.
An accredited TEFL course should therefore deliver a high level of professional training/ This will help prepare you to be a good English teacher.
The requirements of your employer/target country
There is no point doing a TEFL course that doesn’t match up to the requirements of employers where you want to work. You should therefore do your research and find out what type of TEFL certifications are best suited to your aims.
If you’re looking for online English teaching jobs, click the link to find out about the requirements of the major online English teaching companies.
Is job placement assistance offered?
The reason you are taking a TEFL course is to get a TEFL job afterwards, right? So, if you’re putting in hours of training and making a significant financial investment as well, it can help to know that you’ve got a good chance of getting a teaching job at the end of it.
Some TEFL course providers will guarantee you a job teaching English when you complete the course.
Others will offer you job placement assistance. This usually comes in the form of referrals, recommendations, job guidance and interview assistance. All of which can be a great help in getting a TEFL job.
It’s also worth looking out for course providers who have an established relationship with an employer. This can often lead to employment opportunities as soon as you complete your course.
How much does the TEFL course cost?
It’s important that you pick a TEFL course within your budget. After all, you don’t want to spend all of your money on a course to teach English abroad and then not be able to afford the plane ticket! However, you shouldn’t just go for a super cheap TEFL certification. Like with most things in life, you tend to get what you pay for. So, if you want to take one of the best online TEFL courses you need to be prepared to pay for it.
Online TEFL courses FAQs
If you want to teach English online, most accredited TEFL certifications should be sufficient. However, to find the best course for teaching English online you should look for ones that contain specific modules related to that. For this reason, the 168 hour online level 5 TEFL course from the TEFL Academy is one of the best for online teaching. It has a whole section dedicated to it, which will help you no end when it comes to preparing you for online teaching jobs.
Yes, both English language schools and teaching companies recognize online TEFL courses. You just need to make sure that you do an accredited course from a reputable TEFL course provider.
The main requirement is that you are over 18 years old! You don’t need to hold a degree and non-native English speakers can also apply provided that they have proof of English proficiency. However, it is important to note that some countries and employers may ask for a degree when it comes to applying to teaching jobs.
Yes, you can find a job teaching abroad with an online TEFL certification. You should be able to find a job teaching English as a foreign language in Asia or South America without issue. However, where you teach is of course down to you and your other qualifications.
This really comes down to personal preference and there are pros and cons to both. As a rule of thumb, if you want hands on classroom experience, or if you want to build your network abroad, an in-class TEFL certification might have the edge. However, if you’re after something more flexible and affordable, then you should look no further than TEFL courses online. At the end of the day, both options will give you a certification to teach and undoubtedly aid you in your job search.
Yes, an online TEFL certification will prepare you for the classroom. Even though you might not get that direct classroom experience that an in-class course offers, all the theory and methodology will still be covered. In fact, some of today’s online TEFL programs are so advanced that they can offer live teaching practice. You’ll find some of these courses included in this list! In addition, they also retain the modules of lesson planning and classroom management. This ensures that you’ll be fully prepared when it comes to stepping into the classroom for the first time.
Ready to get started?
Now that you’ve seen our picks for the best TEFL courses online in 2023, we hope that you get inspired to start your own English teaching journey.
By getting TEFL certified you’ll acquire the practical and theoretical skills to feel confident in the classroom, and you’ll be ready to get out there and start teaching the English language.
So, if you have a desire to explore the world and help others, doing an online TEFL course could be just the thing for you. A world of adventure awaits!
The post The 7 Best Online TEFL Courses of 2023 Revealed appeared first on DoTEFL.
