Our Winchester TEFL course takes place full time over 4 weeks or part-time (2 evenings per week, plus alternate Saturdays) over a 16 week period. It is a Trinity CertTESOL course and fully accredited by Trinity College London
Unlike many courses which have little real value, the CertTESOL (Trinity Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an internationally recognised qualification which opens doors to the best TEFL jobs in the UK and abroad.
It is fully accredited by Trinity College London and accredited at Level 5 on the UK National Qualification Framework.
The British Council (a branch of the Foreign Office which aims to promote British culture and the English language) has this note on their website regarding working with them:
Not all teaching posts have the same requirements. We therefore explain the duties associated with the job and the skills and experience we’re looking for, plus any other qualifying criteria in the vacancy information. However, for standard teaching roles at entry level, we are looking for candidates with the following:
Cambridge CELTA or Trinity Cert. TESOL, or the precursors to these (e.g. RSA Prep. Cert or CTEFLA).
Here's the link if you would like to check this and read more about it.
https://www.britishcouncil.org/jobs/careers/english/teachers
Serious language schools worldwide generally have the same policy.
(the full-time and part-time courses have exactly the same syllabus)
The Winchester TEFL course components consist of five units of learning: teaching skills (this is naturally the weightiest unit), language awareness, creating a learner profile, a materials assignment (which is externally assessed by a Trinity moderator) and a unit which involves learning an unknown language, so that trainees can experience and learn from being on the other side of the classroom. There is no final exam. Your work for all units except the materials assignment will be assessed by your trainer.
You will be able to teach for a minimum of six hours, and this will be continuously assessed. Each teaching session will be followed by constructive advice and suggestions and you will also have the opportunity to observe lessons given by our experienced tutors.
You will be asked to complete two written assignments, one creating a learner profile and the other an evaluation and adaptation of materials. These two assignments bring together much of what is covered in the teaching skills and language awareness components of the course.
You will complete two coursework assignments: an observation journal (based on the guided observations of experienced teachers) and one unknown foreign language journal.
Language awareness and phonology tests will be given at the end of the course.
I was thoroughly stimulated by this course and enjoyed it immensely. I am now capable of producing a well-thought out, appropriate and stimulating lesson that will help students of English to achieve their linguistic aims.
Alison Hedger, April 2015
