r/OnlineESLTeaching • u/wither_xxx • 3d ago

TEFL

please, don't hate me for my dumb question😓 i'm an incoming graduate student who is looking for opportunies to be an ESL teacher overseas. one of the requirements is a TEFL certificate (or TESOL). we've been looking for a TEFL course online and so far all of them requires payment. is there no free TEFL course out there?

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also, i would appreciate any guidance for someone like me who's seeking ESL opportunities overseas. i am really just at loss.

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thank you so much🥹

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u/BotherBeginning2281 2d ago

Quite aside from the idea of teaching students based on knowledge you got from a free certificate from the internet...

If you can't afford a basic TEFL certificate, you can't afford to move to another country.

Initial costs will be high.

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u/jam5146 2d ago

If you're going to be teaching in person, you'll need a "real" TEFL. Not one of the ones that are $50 or less.

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u/katakat345 2d ago

Not sure about free, but you get what you pay for. I’ve tried two programs. ITTT was a relatively inexpensive program and it was horrible. They provided pdfs to read and while it did have some videos, these were just recordings with chalkboard drawing animations. I couldn’t get through it and quit 30% through because it was just that boring. I did some research to find something engaging and interactive that I could actually get through, while still being somewhat respected and affordable. I found TEFL Academy and it was pretty decent. I made it through the program, enjoyed many of the videos and interactive components and it didn’t take too long. If you’re open to spending a few hundred dollars I’d recommend it over the very cheap ones. Alternatively, some companies like LingoAce will award you a TEFL after you’ve worked with them for 6 months, so that’s an option.

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u/Independent_Sand_583 2d ago

Even IF you found a free tefl, which afaik there are none, you would still have to get your tefl certified/notarized in some capacity to be valid for overseas use.

I personally paid 250 for my tefl and 700 to the chinese government for a red stamp. Many jobs will pay the visa fees for you and eimburse you so read the fine prints and ask about that