Elevate Your ESL Career with TEFL Courses in Nottingham - TEFL Institute

Anyone who has been looking into teaching English as a foreign language will be able to check out the 120-hour accredited TEFL course that we offer people. It’s important to get set up with the right qualification for the job, after all.

The great thing about our 120-hour accredited course is that it is recognised around the world as being the gold standard for ESL teachers. Unfortunately, we hear stories all the time about teachers who try to undertake courses which aren’t accredited – this is a pretty costly mistake and it can set you back a lot of money and time.

If you want to avoid that particular hurdle, then you should take a look at the course we offer. During the 120-hour course, you’ll learn everything you need to know about teaching English as a foreign language.

The TEFL industry is pretty consistent in agreeing upon 120 hours as being the basic requirement for teaching properly. This course aims to do just that, giving you the tools and skills you need to be able to teach English with competency and confidence. It’s a flexible course so you can pick how you do it and what you devote towards the certification. If you want to take your time you can, but it is also possible to be qualified in just four weeks.

You’ll get access to 24/7 learning and full support from a tutor so there’s nothing to worry about. In terms of entry requirements, we don’t expect you to have a flawless grasp of English. If you’ve got a C1 level of English proficiency, and an internet connection with a stable device, then you’ll be good to go with our course. For best results, use a laptop or desktop – it’s a tool you’ll need for teaching anyway.

The courses that we offer are made up of ten different modules. Each module is delivered in a range of different ways – you’ll be able to access text, audio and video content through the course. We want to ensure that you learn at a pace which works for you, and in a way that is suitable for you as a learner. We aim to deliver all of this and more in our course structure.

You’ll become an expert in things like how to plan lessons, deliver content, direct conversations with learners and also the more technical aspects of the English language like the grammar side of things. The course is designed to be helpful to you whether you choose to go out and teach in a classroom or you want to go for a one-to-one style of tutoring.

To ensure that you get the best chance possible at completing the course, we offer you the opportunity to finish it within six months, but it can be done in as little as four weeks. It’s up to you how long you take and what you choose to put into the studies. Obviously, you’ll also have ongoing access to the support of your tutors; so if you ever have any difficulty in completing your course, they will be able to help you get it done.

When it comes to trying to teach English as a foreign language in Nottingham, you have to be aware that there is already a strict requirement for teachers. It’s not a secondary language here so much as a primary one, but with that in mind, you do have a few options at your disposal with regards to what you do and how you do it. Let’s look at them together:

Language Schools:

You have access to the usual selection of language schools dotted around the country. These are open during evenings and weekends, and serve as opportunities for people who can’t enter normal education due to age or other circumstances, so your crop of students is usually adults looking to improve themselves.

Business English is one of the more desirable qualifications nowadays, so if you qualify to teach that to people then you widen your own opportunities by quite a bit in the UK. The only thing you all need to keep in mind is that you’re only likely to get a part-time contract teaching English at a language school, with most capping out at around 30 hours.

Tutoring:

Running your own tutoring business is possible in the UK as it is anywhere else, and if you’re an enterprising sort and like the idea of being your own boss then offering a tutoring service is a good idea. Your best bet is going to be to try and look at growing the business slowly, and visiting students in their houses or making a classroom space for yourself. It is up to you how you choose to do this, but from a business standpoint you’ll need to ensure you register with the government and follow all of their rules about self-employment.

This isn’t going to be an instant process. You’ll be relying on recommendations to get started so developing some strategies to get your first few clients is key. Once you’ve got it all worked out, however, you’ll be able to make the right decisions. Naturally, you’ll need to keep proper books so you can submit them to the government each year to decide what tax and national insurance contributions you need to pay.

If you’re a qualified TEFL teacher, then one of the other options you’ve got available to you is to teach online and connect across the world with students who want to learn English. If you’re good at juggling time zones then you can certainly expand your business without limit, and it can be an easy way to teach English without having to worry about where the students are coming from.

That’s not to say that this is a completely easy way to do things. You’ll need a reliable desktop PC with a good internet connection, and it can be long hours trying to get enough money to live. If you already have a teaching job you need to be careful about how you approach teaching outside of it and you may need to get permission from your employer. Furthermore, the usual requirements of a degree and PGCE may still apply for teaching in the UK. Try not to worry too much, however. There’s a lot of people who teach online and make it work , so you can too.

If you ever want to teach English as a foreign language in another country then you will need to meet all of the visa requirements and think about getting a visa that allows for what you want to do. It’s not any different for life in the UK, but if you’re coming here from other places, the needs you’ll have to meet can vary considerably so it is worth keeping that in mind.

Broadly speaking, you’ll need to ensure that you’ve gone through a criminal record check and have evidence you can work in the UK. The visa process can take a while to get through no matter where you are, so it is worth ensuring that you leave yourself enough time to get things done properly.

The requirements you’ll need for each job also vary quite a bit depending on where you want to work. For example, language schools have a pretty reliable track record at hiring people who don’t have a degree, but some online parts of English teaching require some formal qualifications.

We wholeheartedly recommend that you update your CV carefully once you’ve got your TEFL qualification and take the time to showcase your new skillset. It’ll make a big difference if you can provide evidence of your willingness to get qualified.

Birmingham

As one of the largest cities in the UK, Birmingham can offer a lot to a student and is a good place to work if you’re interested in getting your teeth sunk into British culture.

London

As the capital of the UK there is a lot that London can offer and it isn’t difficult to see why it is such a popular choice with people all over the world. London has so many unique and interesting things to offer, but these are often tempered with a higher cost of living than you might find in some of the other areas which can be a challenge to try and get through.

Manchester

Manchester is one of the furthest big cities up north and that means it does have a lot to offer but it’s also very diverse. A lot of non-native English speakers choose to call Manchester home which is good news for you as a teacher.

The earning potential of a TEFL teacher can vary massively depending on how they choose to go about teaching. The first and most obvious issue will always be that when it comes to things like TEFL, you can’t just get a salaried position at a school because you’re not an English teacher. However, with that being said, you can make good money from language schools and online tutoring. The minimum wage at the time of writing is between £10 and £11, so you should be charging at least that during the peak of your career, but it is ultimately your decision.

You can probably expect to pull in about £1500 each month, and the bigger cities, on average, can cost more than that, so keep it in mind. You’ll also need to put aside a small amount each month for the purpose of paying your tax at the end of the year – unless the language school you work for taxes at source.

• Average salary – £1500
• Rent – £800
• Utilities – £200
• Internet connection – £30
• Local transport – £60
• Milk – £1.30
• Bread – £1.20

The figures provided are a rough estimate and can be subject to change. Living in the UK can be expensive relative to other areas of Europe.