Evaluating a TEFL Course: Part 3

Evaluating your Primary TEFL Course Trainer

Some schools will have only one primary teacher for your course, though other experienced teachers will help with the observed teaching practice, and other schools will have several teachers, who will teach you different components of the course.

Either way is fine, but you should probably ask or know the answers to following questions about your primary instructor.

Why?

Because the author of this website once had one of his teacher-trainee students hired fresh out of the TEFL certification course to provide teacher training at a competing school. Would you want that teacher, who had never really ever taught a class on his own?

If you can, ask your teacher-trainer directly, via email or telephone, these questions:

1. What are your qualifications [education, certification, etc]?

Though TEFL Cert and CELTA are courses designed to be given to high school graduates, it would be nice if your instructor has a relevant degree and really understands how teaching and learning works.

Preferably a teacher-trainer should have a MATESOL or at least an M.Ed. and some sort of TEFL certification – PGCE, a DELTA or something similar.

2. How much and what kind of experience do you have?

A minimum of six to eight years in a least two countries, preferably teaching kids and adults in a variety of settings would be preferred.

This way they can help you more and will have a deeper and wider understanding of the problems teachers face. Ask specifically about number of years and number of countries.

3. Does your experience include a variety of students in a variety of
school settings? Tutoring? Ask specifically if you are not told.

Have they ever taught in the type of setting(s) you expect to teach in? If so, they can give you much better direction and advice.

4. Do you enjoy teaching? Why or why not?

Believe it or not, there are teacher-trainers who do NOT enjoy teaching. They teach as a way to travel and see the world and to live overseas.

Don’t take a course from one of these people, or you too will end up with a bad attitude in the classroom. It is better to learn to ENJOY your work. After all, it is a positive change in your life that you are considering.

5. What do you enjoy about teaching?

Listen closely for if they REALLY like teaching or not

TED’s Tips™ #1: It is the author’s very strong opinion that your teacher-trainer should have at least six or eight year’s experience in at least two countries, in at least two or three different settings (language school, public school, university, tutoring), with kids AND adults, and some sort of formal education in Education or a DELTA, ideally a master’s degree.

You want you to get the BEST, but sadly teacher-trainers with those credentials are rare.

TED’s Tips™ #2: DON’T buy slick marketing, beautiful websites, impressive looking and sounding curriculum. Buy the BEST teacher-trainer you can find. Bottom line: it is that teacher-trainer who is going to make YOU a good teacher.

What’s up in China? Learn what kind of jobs are on offer if you would like to Teach English in China

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