Frequently Asked Questions
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Are TESOL and TEFL courses different? |
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No, the acronyms are different but basically mean the same thing. For more details see our TESOL acronyms page. |
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Are your courses accredited? |
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They most certainly are. Please check out our accreditation page for ACTDEC and the College of Teachers. |
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In which countries is one likely to find TESOL employment? |
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Almost anywhere in the world! Even countries having no previous British influence have now turned to English.
The enlarged European Union: which now includes the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, etc., provides a very large ELT job market. Many of the old Eastern bloc countries such as Russia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia etc., offer plenty of opportunities for teaching ESOL and generally offer good salaries. Asia offers teaching posts in countries as diverse as Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. Other important areas are of course Africa, South and Central America. Read about employment prospects. |
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The courses are described as modular. What does this mean and why is it important? |
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A modular course consists of a series of self-contained units of study, e.g. Language Awareness, Practical Phonetics, Lesson Planning, etc., that together with other such completed units, count towards a particular qualification.
Course modules and units, continually assessed by different tutors, provide a sound profile of the work individual students are capable of doing, and over a prolonged period of time (150, 250, 450 hours), accurately reflect personal progress. |
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What sort of qualifications and teachers are ELT employers seeking? |
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The days of the willing but unqualified teachers are drawing to an end, though there are still some private schools where any kind of degree or a teaching certificate will do. Such establishments however pay the absolute minimum rate and their teachers are expected to work long and unsociable hours.
For most, however, the minimum TESOL qualification acceptable for first time employment is a Cert.(ES)TESOL, Cert.(TM)TESOL & ACoT(TESOL) or preferably an Advanced Certificate in TESOL. The profession is becoming more and more competitive and applicants wishing to advance their careers are usually expected to gain a senior qualification such as a Dip.(TM)TESOL & DipCoT(TESOL), Advanced Diploma in TESOL or FCoT(TESOL) |
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What qualifications do I need to work in the United Kingdom? |
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Because of their accreditation criteria most institutions in the UK require teachers holding a TESOL certificate, to have had at least six hours observed teaching practice as part of their certificate training programme.
The British Council Accreditation Scheme states that "teaching staff are required to be 'qualified' that is their qualifications meet the criteria." ASAC (the Accreditation Scheme Advisory Committee) "will not consider acceptable courses that do not have a supervised teaching practice component." The hybrid courses leading to the College of Teachers 350-hour Advanced Certificate and, (for teachers with two years' experience), 640-hour Advanced Diploma in TESOL run by Eurolink do meet ASAC's criteria both in terms of course content and assessed teaching practice. |
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Having enrolled on a course, can I contact a distance tutor easily? |
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Yes. Each course is divided into a number of units. We will provide you with the name, photograph, biographical notes and an e-mail address for each unit tutor. You may view a sample or two of distance tutor biographical notes. |
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Is it possible to see some sample course material? |
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Certainly. You can view sample course material taken from each of the various units from five different courses. |
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Will you send course material anywhere in the world? |
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Yes. Distance is no problem. However, a small postage surcharge is made for students in Europe and Outside Europe and is related to the Post Office Air Mail postal zones. See fees page. |
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How important is observed, supervised teaching practice? |
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It's really important for two reasons. First, discerning employers prefer teachers to have had supervised teaching practice. Second, because of their accreditation criteria, most institutions in the UK require teachers holding a TESOL certificate, to have had at least six hours observed teaching practice as part of their certificate programme. If you can possibly afford it the College of Teachers Advanced Certificate in TESOL is the course to choose since the combination of the 275-hour distance learning element followed by a 75-hour practical block of teaching practice makes it pre-eminent in its field. |
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Do I need to be a native English speaker to follow a Eurolink course? |
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No absolutely not. Non-native speakers are very welcome indeed. Should you have any concerns regarding your level of English language proficiency please check out the Scales of Attainment. |
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Which course will be right for me? |
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A good starting point for answering this question is to read through the section choosing the right course for you. |
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Is there a time limit for course completion? |
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No two people work at the same pace, have similar commitments or study time available. You can pace yourself and work as quickly as you wish or take as long as you need.
For all courses we will give you a suggested completion date for the programme. Should you need additional time to complete the course this can be arranged by simply contacting the Eurolink academic registrar who will give you a new completion date. Transfer to a later course is also possible and can be arranged for a small administrative fee. |
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Will I be able to contact other trainees following the same Eurolink Teacher Training Certificate or Diploma course? |
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Long experience has made us aware of the loneliness and uncertainty sometimes felt by the geographically distant learner and the occasional feeling of isolation experienced. One of several methods employed by Eurolink Teacher Training, designed to help overcome any such problems, involves bringing members together through the 'Getting in touch' scheme. Enclosed with your course handbook will be a biographical notes form for participants to complete and return to the Centre. Upon receipt, and with each trainee's permission, these notes are photocopied, collated and posted to the other course members thus providing the means for all course members to get in touch with each other if they so desire. |
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Can I pay for my course by instalments? |
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Yes. Interest free instalment payments are possible.
See fees for all courses. |
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What kind of Certificate or Diploma will I receive at the end of my course? What information will it provide for future employers? |
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View the sample certificates page to see exactly what will appear on your certificate(s) or diploma(s). |
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Can I get a loan to help pay for my course? |
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If you live in the UK you may be eligible for a career development loan from the DfES. |
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Are there any registration, assessment or moderation fees to pay? |
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Yes there are. These are to be found together with the current course fees. |
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How long, in pages of material, are the various courses? | ||||||||||
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How long, in number of contact hours, does each course take to complete? | ||||||||||||||
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Will I need to buy any set books for the course I choose? |
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In many cases, yes. Whilst most of the course content is self-contained, a small number of books will be needed.
It's difficult to imagine an in-depth TESOL certificate course such as that provided by Eurolink Teacher Training which does not require some additional reading. We have however kept the list to an absolute minimum. Ordering books from The English Language Bookshop who always have stocks of any required Eurolink set books is very simple. |
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When can I start a course? |
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You can start any time - any day, any week, any month. We operate a policy of continuous enrolment. |
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How do I enrol on a course? |
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Click on enrol. From here you can choose to enrol online or print a form to fill in by hand and post to us. |
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How can I pay my course fees? |
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You can enrol and pay online using your credit or debit card. Your payment details are secure and your personal information will never be passed on to any third party without your permission. See our privacy policy.
Other payment methods are available. |
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What if I would prefer to follow an online course? |
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Most of the courses listed on this website are also available from Training Link Online. The online-delivered programmes can be viewed at www.traininglinkonline.co.uk |
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Is a correspondence course the same as a distance programme? |
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A correspondence course is a rather outdated concept in which educational institutions offered tuition by post, mostly by exchange of letter. Such programmes have long been superceded by modern technology leading to distance training programmes such as those offered by Eurolink or Training Link Online. |
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Where is the Advanced Certificate or Diploma benchmarked on the NQF? |
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The Advanced Certificate is at NQF Level 5 The Advanced Diploma is at NQF Level 6 |
