Before you embark on the beautiful journey of teaching English as a foreign language across countries, you must first earn TEFL certification. Without question, it is vital. After all, you wouldn’t take your automobile to an unqualified mechanic or your teeth to an unregistered dentist. If qualified, you would only expect one of your schoolteachers to be in a classroom. You get the picture. A highly-accredited, widely-accepted TEFL qualification differs significantly from one earned from a cheap source that promises TEFL certification at a low cost. However, given the current situation, many TEFL courses are only offered online during Covid-19.

Of course, this is beautiful, but with so many false promises and dishonest vendors, it’s understandable why some businesses are sceptical about online certification. Also, do online-trained TEFL teachers possess the practical, in-person abilities necessary to lead a class? We say yes!

Do companies place a premium on online TEFL courses? Let us discuss it.

Are online TEFL courses recognized?

To put it briefly, yes.  Suppose a TEFL course is accredited (more on this below). However, the main facts are as follows: employers will see that you put in the effort if your TEFL qualification is from a credible source, is suitably authorized, and lasted at least 120 hours. After all, the popularity of remote education has only expanded in recent years.

Distance learning is recognized as valid as in-person training by large universities. People have duties outside education or may want additional assistance, necessitating distant knowledge, particularly online. Appropriate TEFL certifications earned from online providers are accepted to answer the question. When it comes to TEFL certification, quality is everything.

Should TEFL training include a practicum?

Some providers will advise you that a practicum, or assessed in-person teaching practice with native English learners, is required. Only if you have this experience will online TEFL courses help you acquire a job.

That is just rubbish. Online courses must involve something other than a practicum to be valid. Many online courses include much classroom practice and practical advice to help you get started. Meanwhile, practicum-based solutions can be reasonably priced. FOR EXAMPLE, the TEFL Institute of Ireland ‘s 120-hour Advanced Online course costs roughly $1,000 less than a course with a practicum yet provides comparable job market results.

Why would tens of thousands of learners study with online TEFL course providers each year if a practicum was required for a TEFL job? And how can they quickly obtain work teaching English abroad and online?

What to look for when studying TEFL online 

Employers respect quality online TEFL classes, as we’ve discovered. What should you look for while choosing an online TEFL course? What differentiates a substandard qualification from one that will impress potential employers?

Accreditation

Choose a service with a proven track record if you’re looking for a high-quality online TEFL course. This indicates that a respectable external body, such as Ofqual, the British Accreditation Council, or the Distance Education Accreditation Commission, has stamped the TEFL course provider’s validity and value. If your TEFL training provider has a high degree of certification, it implies their courses have been approved by the industry’s best. That process requires time and a thorough assessment of class materials for a course provider so that you and employers may be confident in the course’s quality.

If you require clarification or the accreditation does not appear correct, please conduct a web search to see if the company is advertising accreditors that A: exist and B: are relevant in the field.

Reviews

Another strategy to develop trust in a TEFL course provider is to read reviews. Because many of their former students have gone on to become teachers, market-leading TEFL businesses will prioritize studies on their websites. Companies want you to see more than just the reviews they want you to see; use platforms such as reviews.io, Trustpilot, and Google Reviews to discover whether the course provider has a high rating among its graduates.

International reputation

The international reputation of a TEFL course provider is critical. But how do we tell if a company is well-known worldwide? The devil is in the particulars. Is there evidence of past students working overseas from a course provider? Does a corporation work with overseas companies or government programs? It’s worth investigating whether a TEFL course provider has a favourable story about teaching abroad. If they completed a course with a company and could obtain work in another country, it would imply that the organization’s reputation is vital, especially if there are several examples.

When are online courses not recognized?

Of course, every rule has an exception. When we assert that companies recognize online TEFL courses, we must include a qualifier: quality is essential.

On Groupon, TEFL classes are advertised at low prices. But why are they so cheap? The cost of a hard copy certificate can easily outweigh the course cost.

A low-cost TEFL course will not impress an employer as much as a 120-hour or more approach with an established and recognized TEFL training provider.

While these Groupon TEFL classes aren’t always bogus, some dodgy “course” providers are out there. Unfortunately, TEFL scams are widespread.

When a TEFL provider is not what they appear to be, the teaching will be substandard, the course materials will be wrong (if a system exists at all), and there will be either a lack of accreditation or misleading promises about it.

A suspicious website that has been around for a while (it’s easy to check the age of any site), no reviews on well-known review sites, rock-bottom rates, and unsubstantiated accreditation claims are all classic red flags. A TEFL scam will, at best, provide you with a qualification that companies will not recognize; at worst, you will be handing payment information to a bad actor who may take more money from you than you were willing to part with.

How to choose the best online TEFL course 

Welcome to all of you TEFL-curious first-timers! But which path…? That’s a great question. For example, are you working full-time or on leave? Do you have to choose between university and your next step? Is it school first, then life?

Do you need childcare and prefer flexible study hours? Are you a novice or looking to expand your TEFL credentials?

There’s a lot to consider. However, the fundamental issue is locating the finest course provider. You’re looking for a TEFL company with all the essential credentials, teacher assistance, time flexibility, and reasonable costs. Fortunately, there are several choices. But what is the crux of the matter? Online courses are valid, provided a reliable, accredited TEFL company offers them and meet your prerequisites!