Why Get TEFL Certified?
This guest article was written by Bridge Education Group. Bridge has more than 35 years of experience in English teacher training. The organization offers accredited TEFL courses, articles, teaching resources, webinars, and more.
Teaching English as a foreign language can open the door to new opportunities and experiences. A TEFL certification can help you prepare for the classroom, grow professionally, and teach with more confidence. Here are 10 strong reasons to get TEFL certified.
1. Qualify for TEFL jobs
Teaching English as a foreign language offers a wide range of job options. You can teach in public schools, private schools, or online. Some teachers work locally, while others move abroad. Many also choose a digital nomad lifestyle and teach online while traveling.
Most employers require at least a 120-hour TEFL certification from an accredited organization. Even if you plan to teach independently as a private tutor, business owner, or marketplace tutor, TEFL can still help. It prepares you for the classroom and gives you credentials you can use to market your services.
Quality TEFL/TESOL certification like the 120-hour Master Certificate should provide a solid background in English language teaching methodology and effective lesson planning. The 120-hour Master Certificate is an online, self-paced, interactive course that is tutor-supported and includes job advising modules.
If you’re looking to stand out from other job applicants or apply to TEFL jobs in competitive regions, the 150-hour Bridge International Diploma in English Language Teaching (IDELTOnline™) provides graduate-level online certification and can be used as a pathway to an advanced degree in TESOL. This university-affiliated course is led by a master’s level instructor and focuses on an in-depth study of English language learning theories and methodologies while providing practical training in curriculum design and effective teaching practices.
2. Start your journey abroad
One of the biggest reasons to get TEFL certified is access to the global opportunities that arise from certification. For teachers looking to live and teach abroad, there are several lucrative options. You can work for a public school, an international school, private and government language programs, or a language institute. Schools, institutes, and programs, which offer the stability of contract work as well as the opportunity to teach in a classroom environment, typically require a TEFL certification, as do online programs.
Another option for ESL teachers is to become a digital nomad, teaching online while traveling and immersing yourself in new cultural experiences. Digital nomads teach English online in several ways: You can be an online marketplace tutor, freelance with online language companies, or teach online independently as a teacherpreneur. An online TEFL certification helps teachers stand out in online marketplaces and programs and provides independent teachers with the credentials to market their services. Many countries offer digital nomad visas for qualified remote workers who want to live and work in a foreign country.
3. Adequately prepare for the classroom
The ESL classroom can be challenging due to language and cultural barriers. A quality TEFL certification equips teachers with the tools needed to maintain rapport with students while helping them meet their educational goals. Among the myriad topics teachers will learn from a TEFL course are:
- Classroom management skills
- How to motivate students
- Effective ways to track student progress – and how to remedy a lack of progress
- How to create lesson plans
- How to provide feedback and correct student errors
- The top methodologies for teaching EFL
These skills are essential to ensure that your students are meeting their language learning goals.
4. Increase your confidence
Earning a TEFL certification is a great way to ensure a strong educational foundation in EFL learning theory, so you are confident in your instructional strategies.
David Leach, originally from the U.S. and now teaching English in Japan, completed Bridge’s 120-hour Master TEFL Certificate.
“I was looking for a general, all-purpose certificate that is widely accepted,” he said. “The course gave me a lot of ideas for presenting new material to students at various levels, and a lot of good ways to review previous material so the students don’t forget it. Additionally, thanks to the writing assignments, I have a new collection of lessons I can use in adult classes. Finally, it also gave me insight into why the textbooks are organized the way they are. Now, I can look at the textbooks we use and understand some of the thinking and philosophy that went into designing them.”
5. Continue your professional development
If you are already an EFL teacher, you probably understand the value of continued professional development. These courses help teachers sharpen existing skills and learn new ideas, methods, and materials. Targeted training certifications like Bridge’s SpecializedCertifications and Micro-credentials provide instruction and resources to further develop your skills in niche topics.
You can showcase your skills with a Teaching English Pronunciation Micro-credential. You can also move into a new niche with a Teaching Business English Specialized Certification. Niche certifications can also help you pursue higher-paying jobs. Examples include the Teaching IELTS Exam Prep Micro-credential and the Teaching TOEFL Test Prep Micro-credential. If you are a marketplace tutor or run your own online teaching business, this type of specialized training can help. A digital badge can strengthen your credibility and help you grow your portfolio of private students.
Beyond the employment benefits, targeted training will improve your instructional skills and strategies, making you a more effective teacher and better able to support your students’ language learning journeys.
6. Improve your cultural awareness
A TEFL certification will also prepare you to optimize the cultural exchange opportunities you’ll find within any EFL classroom. Whether you’re teaching online or in person, being able to identify, collaborate with, and embrace many cultures is a key part of the job. Students who want to learn English can be found all over the world. A quality TEFL certification program will explore cultural competence, build self-awareness, and provide teachers with practical knowledge and strategies for teaching cultural competence to their students.
7. Better understand the motivations of your students
Language learners come with a wide variety of experience levels and reasons to learn. Young students are often supplementing their regular schoolwork. Adult learners tend to seek TEFL instruction to make career advancements. Many students take ESL courses to pass a language proficiency test and obtain a visa or get accepted into a degree program. TEFL certification will familiarize you with the different reasons students seek to learn English and help you identify which teaching strategies are best to use in each case.
8. Connect with other teachers and industry professionals
Joining a TEFL program means gaining access to a community of teachers and educators all over the world. The benefits of a TEFL network may include finding jobs, gaining teaching advice and ideas, locating accommodation in a foreign city, or simply enjoying the support of others working in the same industry. These communities of practice are an incredible resource for teachers of all experience levels.
9. Build an independent teaching career
As previously mentioned, the online English teaching market is booming and provides opportunities for teachers to become their own bosses. For teachers ready to build an independent online English teaching career, membership to a program like the TeacherpreneurAcademy provides resources and support through workshops, info sessions, and the Succeeding as an English Teacherpreneur Specialized Certification. Academy members learn the practical skills needed to thrive as business-minded educators through continuous learning and mentor support and instruction.
10. Make a difference in the lives of your students
Have you given thought to what your legacy will be? Teaching English, whether in person or online, has a lasting impact on the lives of your students. And you’ll learn and grow from your experiences as well. A TEFL certification opens doors to new professional and personal experiences, making it a worthwhile investment.
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About The Author
Savannah Potter
Savannah is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience as a content creator, editor, and journalist. Currently specializing in culture writing with a focus on the digital nomad revolution, she enjoys finding where culture, business, and technology meet. Early adopter, coffee aficionado, people person.
