The 6-week, full-time Trinity CertTESOL course

You do not need to have a university degree, to speak English as your first language, to speak a foreign language or to have any previous teaching experience.

To be accepted onto this course, you will need to:

– be at least 18 years old

– be educated to the standard required for entry into higher education

– be in good enough physical and mental health to deal with the demands of an intensive training course

– have a minimum C1 level of English. As your level of English will be assessed through the interview, we do not require you to hold a certificate but do accept the following: Trinity ISE III or GESE 10, Cambridge CAE or CPE, IELTS 7.5 or TOEFL 105. In fact, approximately 50% of our recent graduates from the CertTESOL speak English as a second or third language

– demonstrate your ability to cope with the academic demands of the course. There will be a short written assignment to complete following your interview

It is an intensive TEFL course. You will expect to spend around 4-6 hours each day dedicated to the course. This will be online in synchronous or asynchronous sessions (in the first 3 weeks) or in-person with your colleagues attending seminars, training sessions or teaching (in the second half). As part of the course timetable, there will be time dedicated to guided lesson planning as well as reflection and feedback with your tutors and colleagues. You will spend around 10-15 hours a week outside of the course timetable planning lessons and writing assignments. It is important to say that you will not have a similar amount of work to do every night. There are busy and less busy times. Time organisation and management is key! The course is “frontloaded” which means that a lot of the language awareness, TEFL methodology and teaching skills input is done at the beginning of the course in order to equip you in the best way possible for the classroom.

What happens in teaching practice Teaching practice is the heart of the course where you will teach real students. You will teach a minimum of 6 hours and will work in small groups with a tutor who will guide you through each lesson encouraging increased independence as you move through the course. Your tutor will give you support planning your classes, observe the lesson and give you feedback. You will also spend a significant amount of time observing your colleagues, providing you with the opportunity to learn from each other.

Over the 6 weeks you will teach two different groups of students giving you experience of different levels as well as different tutor support. You will also observe a minimum of four hours’ of lessons delivered by experienced teachers. These will include observing your tutors teaching the learners you will work with on the course, as well as pre-recorded lessons.

Teaching practice is where you grow as a teacher. By the end of the course, the aim is that you feel confident planning, delivering and reflecting on your teaching. You will learn from both your tutors and your colleagues and put into practice what you have learnt.

Here at Active Language we have been training teachers on the CertTESOL course for the last 20 years so you are in experienced hands. We care deeply about each teacher`s training journey and we work hard to provide the individualised support and guidance needed throughout the course.

The CertTESOL course will give you the skills and understanding you need to be confident of accessing good jobs and to feel comfortable in any classroom in the world whether it is a physical or an online classroom.

Reputable organisations, such as the British Council, will only accept accredited teaching qualifications and the Trinity Certificate in TESOL is one of the two main qualifications which are accepted worldwide. There are a bewildering number of TEFL, TESOL or CELTA courses available and it can be difficult to see the differences between them.

TESOL stands for ‘Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages’ and TEFL stands for ‘Teaching English as a Foreign Language’ they are generic names for the same thing rather than courses. The Trinity CertTESOL is an official qualification in TEFL provided by Trinity College London. The CELTA is accredited by Cambridge University and enjoys equal standing to the Trinity CertTESOL. There are many other courses available too, though they vary wildly in cost, depth and, importantly, recognition within the profession.

With our Trinity CertTESOL you are getting international accreditation that you can be proud of as well as all that our course has to offer: live tutor time in small groups, teaching practice with real students, a personal approach and on-going, career-long support.

The course is delivered and assessed through five units. The work for Units 1, 2, 3 and 5 is marked by your tutors and checked by a member of the Trinity moderation panel at the end of every course. The moderator externally assesses the work for Unit 4.

The units are as follows and rest assured, the tutors are here to help you every step of the way. A large factor in our high pass rate is the dedication and professionalism of the training team. The tutors’ job is to help you through the course.

Unit 1: Teaching Skills – assessed through your tutors’ evaluations, your teaching journal and reflections. Professional awareness and development are also evaluated as part of Unit 1.

Unit 2: Language Awareness – including grammar, lexis and phonology, assessed through a short exam. Our unique pre-course Language Awareness course will help you prepare thoroughly for the exam, as well as setting you in good stead for teaching grammar, lexis and phonology during your observed lessons.

Unit 3: Learner Profile – assessed through your evaluation of an individual learner’s strengths and weaknesses and a series of planned lessons for that learner.

Unit 4: Materials Assignment – assessed through a written rationale and evaluation of a piece of teaching material and an interview with the Trinity moderator

Unit 5: Unknown Language Journal – assessed through a reflective journal following four hours spent learning an unknown language.

Please click here to download the full syllabus from the Trinity College London website.

Many teachers from outside the EU live and work in Spain very happily,there are,of course, a few things you should be aware of. People coming from outside the European Union (including the Schengen Zone) should make sure they have the correct documentation to cover them for their time in Spain.

The situation changes periodically from country to country. All the information here is correct at the point of publishing. You should check the situation and please do contact us if you have any questions.

Many people come in with just a tourist visa and the length of their stay depends on where they have come from, typically, people can stay for 90 days before any extra visa requirements come into play.

Other people come into Spain with a student visa, which you will need to apply for in your own country before you come. We can supply any documentation necessary to support your application for a student visa. Please do consult with us before you make your application as we will be able to advise and help you through the process. The process can take some significant time, you should apply in good time. With a student visa you can work for up to 20 hours a week. A full-time teaching position is generally 24 hours a week, so 20 hours a week provides a living wage. You can then stay until the end of your employment contract even if (as is usually the case)

A very small number of people are able to enter Spain with a full working visa. This is very unusual and requires very specific skills in certain sectors.

These are general guidelines, please do consult with us before making any decisions and we will help you through the process.

For all enquiries, please contact us at training@activelanguage.net

As soon as you have completed the qualification you’ll be able to start teaching and with the CertTESOL, you should have your pick of the jobs.

There is a huge demand for English teachers both worldwide and online, it is a global growth industry in our connected, international world. Millions of people all over the world need to learn English and there are a huge number of different opportunities and different ways to work. We will help you during and after our courses to be successful in the TEFL job market.

There are two main ways teachers work, often combining the two. Many teachers work in private language schools, teaching adult or young learner students around the world. Others teach online and the online teaching market is the biggest growth area internationally within our profession. Teachers can work online from anywhere in the world, often having students from many different countries. Teachers are increasingly combining work in the physical classroom with online teaching to create their own ideal balance.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded the certified level 5-teaching qualification from Trinity College London that will give you the upper hand when searching for teaching positions worldwide. You’ll also receive a full Trinity Report to give your applications in-depth information. Your potential employers can also contact us for references.

Most people who do the Trinity CertTESOL with us do so to help them find work whether that be their first teaching job or a better job than they currently have access to. An integral part of our job is to help you find the best job for you whether that’s working online, in-class or a

mixture, whether it’s in Spain or anywhere in the world. The Trinity CertTESOL is recognized and accepted by ALL relevant employers.

The Careers Service is there to help you on your journey and is available to you during and after the course, whenever you need it during your English teaching career. During the course you’ll receive guidance on how and where to apply for TEFL jobs worldwide and online as well as the opportunity to talk about your personal situation one-to-one. You’ll get tips on CV-writing to help you prepare a new resume that is fit for purpose, as well as interview preparation and links to jobs.

Active Language is regularly contacted by employers specifically interested in reaching graduates from our courses. We collaborate with these employers and help you find a job by putting you in contact with them.

First, complete our application form. We will check your application and get in touch to organise your interview which will take place on Zoom or in the centre if you are already in the area.

During the interview, we will ask you about your motivations for doing the course, your teaching and learning experience, your plans after the course and your expectations of the course. We will also complete a short language awareness exercise. Our aim is to make sure that the course is the right course for you to do. If accepted, you will receive a full place offer and information about how to secure your place on the course via email.

After paying your deposit, you receive FREE access to our unique online Language Awareness course, which we strongly recommend all trainees complete before starting the CertTESOL course. You will also be sent access to our online pre-course task. This is based on the required reading of the course, Trinity CertTESOL Companion (J, Anderson, DELTA Teacher Education and Preparation 2017). This book will give you a comprehensive background to the five assessed units of the course.

The course price is 1500€, but if you pay in full four weeks before the start date of the course, you will receive a 100€ discount.

You can also apply for a scholarship, as we offer a 750€ scholarship on each of our courses. Read more details about the scholarship programme on our blog.

We can organise accommodation for your three week stay in Cádiz and will discuss your accommodation requirements during the interview. You will stay within easy walking distance of the school, either with other course trainees or with a local resident.

Please note that accommodation cannot be confirmed until the full course fees and full accommodation fees have been paid

The nearest airport is in Jerez de la Frontera, though this is a relatively small airport. If you fly here, you can get a taxi from the airport to Jerez train station and frm their catch the Cercanías train (a local train service) into Cádiz.

You can also fly to Sevilla or Málaga. In Sevilla, there is a bus service which takes you to the central train station and in Málaga, there is a metro which runs from the airport to the train station. You can find details of trains from either city to Cádiz here.

The train station in Cádiz is located on the edge of the old town. If you choose to book accommodation through us, we will send you the address and let you know the best way to get there.