If you've started researching teaching English abroad, you've probably come across a alphabet soup of qualifications: TEFL, CELTA, TESOL, Trinity CertTESOL, and probably a few more. It's confusing, and it's made worse by courses that push one over the other for commercial reasons. Let's clear it up.
What is a TEFL certificate?
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. A TEFL certificate is the most common qualification for teaching English abroad, and it's what the vast majority of schools in Asia accept. There's no single awarding body for TEFL, which means quality varies, so it's important to choose a course that's accredited and includes at least 120 hours of study, plus some observed teaching practice.
Every TFT programme includes a fully accredited 120-hour TEFL qualification with in-person training. It's recognised by schools and governments across all five of our programme countries, and it's the qualification our teachers actually use in the classroom every day.
What is CELTA?
CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is a specific TEFL qualification awarded by Cambridge English. It's well-regarded, particularly in Europe and the Middle East, and it's often seen as the gold standard. But here's the thing: for teaching in Asia, a CELTA is rarely required, and it's significantly more expensive and time-intensive than a standard TEFL certificate.
If your goal is to teach in Asia for a year or two, a 120-hour TEFL is exactly what you need. If you're planning a lifelong career teaching English to adults in Europe or the UK, a CELTA might be worth the investment. But for our programmes, the TEFL we include is the right tool for the job.
What about TESOL?
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is often used interchangeably with TEFL, and in practice, the certificates are treated the same way by schools and governments. The distinction is mostly academic: TEFL tends to refer to teaching in countries where English is not the primary language, while TESOL is more commonly used in English-speaking countries. For your purposes, they're the same thing.
Which one do you need for TFT programmes?
For all five of our programme countries (Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, China and Japan), a 120-hour TEFL certificate is the standard requirement, and it's included in every programme. You don't need a CELTA, you don't need a degree in education, and you don't need prior teaching experience. The TEFL we provide is fully accredited, includes in-person training with experienced instructors, and meets the visa requirements for every country we operate in.
See all five programmes and the TEFL qualification included"I spent weeks agonising over whether to do a CELTA before I applied. Turns out the TEFL included in the programme was exactly what I needed. I was classroom-ready before I stepped foot in a school."
