HYBRID Online/ 2-week residential TEFL / TESOL CERTIFICATE COURSE

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Many people have either personal or professional commitments that do not allow them to take the full 4-week residential course. We therefore offer a flexible TESOL / TEFL course option of distance learning combined with two weeks of face-to-face instruction. The final certificate awarded is the same one that trainees receive on the 4-week intensive course. The main feature of the hybrid course is the flexibility it offers teacher-trainees. You can work at your own pace on the distance-learning element, allowing you the time to read and absorb the materials before starting the 2-week face-to-face tutorial session.

During the online phase, you work on a number of modules, which will be able to download using a password we will issue you. If downloading files is a problem for you, we can either e-mail or post them to you. The distance-learning component requires an estimated total of 70-90 hours of study. Normally, trainees take between two and three months to complete this TEFL / TESOL online phase, although it varies from person to person. You will be assigned a personal tutor who will guide you through the modules and provide you with feedback on each of the tasks you are required to do. You will also have the possibility of corresponding with other students on the hybrid course so you can learn from one another. Online forum discussions between trainees and course tutors will also be available in an effort to foster the interactivity that is often missing in other distance learning courses.

You can join and start the hybrid TESOL / TEFL course whenever you want. You also have as long as you like to complete the distance-learning phase. Once this is completed, you inform us of which two weeks you would like to take the residential course and conduct your TESOL teaching practice. We will do our utmost to satisfy your requirements. You have the unparalleled opportunity to choose between Prague and Barcelona as your required location for the residential part of your course.

Course Aims

For the INTESOL Certificate of Educational Studies in TESOL, the overall aim is to provide a thorough TEFL / TESOL course, which includes a balance between the theory and methodology of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), and to thoroughly prepare you for teaching in any overseas environment.

Who Can Apply

To be accepted onto the course you do not need to have prior teaching experience or teaching qualifications. This is an initial teaching qualification in the specialized field of TEFL / TESOL. The minimum requirements are a university or college degree although exceptions are often made with those candidates who demonstrate their suitability for the course through the questionnaire questions in the application form. Such suitability must be demonstrated by anyone willing to be accepted upon the course. After you complete and send your application, your answers to the TEFL / TESOL related questions are thoroughly revised and if you are accepted you will receive a call from us inviting you onto the course. Non-native English speakers will be accepted onto the course on equal terms to native English language speakers provided that they demonstrate a high command of the language. Applicants need to be at least 20 years old.

Pre-Course Task

Once you have been accepted on the TEFL / TESOL course and you have paid your deposit we will send you a pre-course task consisting of a grammar workbook covering the most essential aspects of the grammar of English with corresponding exercises so you can practice in preparation for the course.

Here is some recommended literature so you take full advantage of the course:

• The Practice of English Language Teaching, J Harmer, Longman (this is the set book for the course)
• Learning Teaching, J Scrivener, Heinemann
• Teaching English Pronunciation, J Kenworthy, Longman

Please note this is merely a list of recommended reading for those willing to start ahead. The different concepts in the recommended literature will be introduced and revisited often during the course.

Arrival and Orientation

After we meet you at the airport you will be given a welcome pack consisting of all sorts of practical information on how to get about in the city (map, public transport timetables, places of interest, local doctors who speak English, hairdressers, restaurants and shops where English is spoken, essential and emergency telephone numbers, cell phone information, etc). In addition, our student coordinator will always be there to help you with their extensive local knowledge.

A Challenging Course

Due to the flexibility built into the hybrid TESOL / TEFL course, you will be able to work at your pace and in your own time. However, we are highly committed to producing the best teachers possible and we will be working with you so that your teaching meets the highest of standards. This means that during residential block of the course you will be mainly concerned with lesson planning and teaching practice. As such, time for sightseeing may be limited. Therefore, we recommend you leave any plans concerning extensive tourism until after the course. Having said this, it is our experience that if you follow our recommendations you will be able to enjoy both the course and the city life. Very often trainees comment that despite the hard work they found the TEFL / TESOL training course to be an invaluably challenging and rewarding learning experience.

Weekly Schedule

This will normally consist of lesson planning sessions where with the assistance and guidance of your tutor you will prepare lessons for teaching practice. Then you will teach a lesson to real students where as well as teaching yourself you will observe other trainees teach English as a foreign language. This will allow you to learn from peers. After teaching practice a critique session is held, where both trainees and trainer sit together, exchange constructive criticism and reflect on the different lessons they observed. The onus is on reflection as we believe this to be the most important component of the course. What really matters, even more than a good performance, is for you to be able to reflect on your own and others’ teaching experience and learn from it. At INTESOL we are committed to promoting the figure of the ‘reflective practitioner’.

A weekly schedule may look like this:

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (Teaching Practice days):

10.00 am – 12.30 pm: Input / Theory sessions
12.30 pm – 13.30 pm: lunch
13.30 pm – 15.30 pm: lesson planning (supervised by personal tutor)
15.30 pm – 16.00 pm: preparation for teaching practice
16.00 pm – 17.30 pm: teaching practice
17.30 pm – 18.30 pm: Critique session


Wednesday and Friday:

10.00 am – 18.00 pm: Input / Theory sessions, Workshops and Lesson Planning

Course Outline and Contents

The TEFL / TESOL course consists of both theory lessons and teaching practice. In the theory lessons an experienced teacher trainer will introduce you a number of different methodologies and approaches in TEFL / TESOL (ARC, TBL, TPR, PPP, TTT, The Lexical Approach, Communicative Language Teaching … ). In these theory lessons, called ‘input sessions’, you will also learn about the grammar and phonology/pronunciation of English as well as reflect on ways of reconciling theory and methodological principles with day-to-day classroom practice. Special workshops will also be run to give you an insight into teaching young learners and teaching Business English and how to adapt the general methodological principles to these specific situations. Both input sessions and workshops are designed so that you take part in dynamic activities and discussions where you are encouraged to actively participate and learn ‘through doing’. As a result, we can guarantee you will not be bored. Additionally, you will receive input on ‘professional development’ and you will learn about career paths in TEFL / TESOL as well as ways of keeping abreast of new developments in the TEFL / TESOL world (symposiums, conferences, workshops, ELT magazines and websites, literature, etc).

The main components of the course are:

1. Study skills
2. The Study of English

• grammar
• pronunciation: phonetics, stress, rhythm and intonation
• lexis

3. The Teaching and Learning of ESOL

• basic principles: motivation, leaning styles, communicative competence
• reading and listening skills
• speaking and writing skills
• visual aids
• errors and error correction
• teaching young learners
• business English
• testing

4. Lesson Planning

• lesson stages and plans
• lesson delivery
• classroom management

Classroom Practice

You will complete a minimum of six hours’ teaching practice with real foreign language students, which is observed by the trainer. This will be followed by feedback by the tutor and trainee. You will be graded on different aspects of your teaching performance, and receive an overall grade for the lesson. This practical side of the course will enable you to learn from first-hand experience about the particularities of the TEFL / TESOL classroom. It will also equip you with the technique and teaching tools needed to become a versatile TEFL / TESOL practitioner and deal with a range of different teaching situations and environments when teaching English overseas.

Observation of Experienced Teachers

Apart from learning from your own and your peers’ teaching practice, as part of your TEFL / TESOL training you will be able to observe experienced teachers deliver lessons to the very students you will be teaching. These will normally be your own trainers and you will then have the privileged opportunity to learn from a professional in the field of TEFL / TESOL doing what they do best: teaching English as a foreign language to a group of non-native English language speakers.

Assessment and Grading

The theoretical components of the TEFL / TESOL course are continually assessed - there are no written examinations. You will be set tasks throughout the course, which are submitted for assessment by your tutors. These tasks are graded and returned with comments and guidance for your development. The course sessions are always conducted in small groups with on-going support and instruction, helping to ensure your successful completion of our course.
At INTESOL, we pride ourselves on personalized support and small groups; and we are constantly available to offer individual support and coaching. These two things together mean that your success on this course is virtually guaranteed.

Upon successful completion of the course, trainees are awarded a TEFL / TESOL certificate with one of the following grades:

A1 - Distinction
A2 - Excellent
B1 - Very good
B2 - Good
C – Pass

Course requirements

In order to earn your Certificate of Educational Studies in TESOL candidates need to pass both the theoretical and practical course components. In addition, full attendance is required. This means you need to attend all scheduled input sessions and teaching practice slots. Exceptions can be made in case of illness certified by a doctor, in which case trainees normally have to make up for missed inputs or teaching practice. This is normally arranged between the trainee and trainer or course director always with the trainee’s and the school’s best interests at heart. Your overall grade will be an average of your partial grades: both theoretical and practical.

TEFL / TESOL Qualifications Obtained

Successful candidates will receive the internationally recognised Certificate in TESOL and the INTESOL Certificate in the Methodology and Teaching of English as a Foreign Language. You will be notified of your grade and issued your INTESOL certificate on the Friday of week four of the course. This will allow you to present your prospective employers with proof that you have completed a TESOL / TEFL course straight away. This will be issued together with a personalized reference letter where details of both course structure and your own particular performance in the different theoretical and practical components will be outlined. The College of Teachers Certificate normally takes a few weeks to be sent to your address after The College receives details of successful candidates.

Course Dates and Fees- Residential Block

2007 Course Dates

Fees

Hybrid course: 995 euros (approx. $1205)
Deposit: 150 euros (approx. $180) -this is deducted from the course fee

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Please note that course fees do not include accommodation

Be advised that hybrid TEFL / TESOL courses can fill up quickly especially in the summer months. By paying your deposit, you are securing your place on the course. If you pay the full fee within 20 days of being accepted, you will receive a discount. See special offers and discounts for these and other advantageous opportunities.

After the Course

Once you have earned your TEFL / TESOL certificate you will be in a position, if you are flexible, to start work immediately. Schools all over the world recruit throughout the year. Depending where you want to go and work there may be particular periods of time where recruitment is highest. Our job advice service will provide you with all of the necessary details regarding the best time to apply for jobs, average wages, etc. It is our experience that trainees who are persistent and follow the recommendations given by our Job Center generally find work teaching English overseas in their preferred location in a matter of weeks. Possible outlets are private language schools, in-company teaching, state and public school teaching, summer camps, one-to-one teaching …

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