Explore TEFL in Pretoria with Our Accredited Courses

While all of the courses that we provide are recognised around the world, the one which is most demanded by employers everywhere is the 120-hour course. If you’re going to go and study to become an English teacher abroad, then you need to get this qualification as a minimum requirement.

The qualification serves to offer a well-rounded and complete education in the nuance of teaching English as a foreign language, and gives you the chance to learn to teach in any arena, be it the traditional classroom environment or an online space. You can complete the course in as little as four weeks, and it is possible to get the qualification and become a TEFL teacher in South Africa or anywhere else in the world.

We are not looking for any special skills or attributes to sign up for the course – we feel that anyone can be a TEFL teacher. All you will need is a device to access the online course, which we recommend is a desktop computer for future work, and a C1 level of proficiency in English. It is literally that simple to do, and we give you a wealth of tools to help you in your learning.

For example, we offer an employer verification page, so prospective employers can look at the authenticity of your qualification, and we also give students access to a dedicated TEFL app which enables 24/7 learning.

The TEFL course we offer is presented to you through 10 comprehensive and well-rounded modules. We encourage you to learn in a way that works for you, so you can view your course materials as video, audio and text-based formats.

We aim to give you a rounded education that will stand you in good stead no matter what. You’ll learn about things like grammar, lesson plans, and how to teach students. Our aim is to make sure that you’re confident teaching whole classrooms or on a one-to-one basis.

On average, it takes four weeks to finish the 120-hour course and get your TEFL qualification. However, we also recognise that you are probably a busy person who can’t afford to spend four straight weeks studying, so we allow all students a six-month period to finish their course. You can study at any point during the day so it’s easy to be flexible.

Furthermore, we have other qualifications available besides our 120-hour course. We want you to have the right skill set for your needs, so we’ve easy to pick what you need.

You can use your TEFL qualification to teach English anywhere in Pretoria or South Africa as a wider location. You’ve got a lot of options at your disposal so it is important to try and look at each one carefully. Some of the possibilities are more accessible than others, but they exist nonetheless. Let’s explore them one at a time.

Public Schools

Public schools are a mixed bag for a TEFL teacher. On the one hand, a large percentage of students are brought up speaking African dialects and English, which means there is potential to teach English as a foreign language. However, the trade-off for that is that you may struggle to get a job in government-run education without a degree and other recognised qualifications.

With that being said, it is possible to get employment in a public school if you’re prepared to work hard. It’s worth doing a proper investigation of the local needs and seeing which job roles are accessible to you.

International Schools

International schools exist to cater to two types of people in most cases – affluent families who live in the area and expats who have come to South Africa for work. These types of schools often have a more global curriculum on the basis that many students graduate and explore the world with their families or move around for work.

With this in mind, the private education sector employs a broad range of teachers and experts, and they offer lucrative compensation for their staff. You can expect a higher salary than other positions, and often other benefits like travel compensation, more paid holiday and subsidised accommodation. The drawback to this is that the entry requirements for positions are extremely tough and the positions themselves are fiercely competitive – you’ll be competing with people in South Africa who have extensive experience and qualifications. However, you may find that there is a position for you on offer.

Language Schools

Language schools are an almost universal concept and exist in countries across the world. They are a little different from normal schools, however. Their primary crop of students are adults who are looking to learn English for work purposes, and they only usually open up in the evenings and weekends. The main focus is often on business English – it is considered a key requirement for a lot of jobs.

The main advantage of a language school is that they have no qualms about hiring a new TEFL teacher. You are likely to be able to secure a job with little issue and it can be an excellent way to not only brush up on your teaching skills but also to build up a CV. The only real trade-off is the fact that, on average, you’re only likely to get a part-time contract equal to 30 hours. You will need to find ways to boost your income.

Tutoring

Running your own teaching business is a good way to bring in some extra cash and it gives you the freedom to pick and choose your own clients and what type of business you have. The only thing to note is that you will need to report your income to the government and pay any taxes relating to that.

One of the many strengths of teaching English as a foreign language in 2024 is that the internet is freely available to you as a pathway to build a career. If you have a strong internet connection and your own resources then you can teach English as a foreign language from basically anywhere in the world and you won’t have any trouble.

Remote work is viable as a full-time career and you might be able to remotely teach in schools, but you’ll need to have whatever qualifications and experience necessary for the job role. With that being said, you can also work freelance and make a proper income.

To teach English as a foreign language in South Africa, you’ll need to follow the normal process for acquiring a visa. You’ll need a job offer prior to your application, and you will need to choose the right type of visa from the list. Most TEFL teachers will need to apply for a general work visa. You’ll need to apply for a temporary residence permit to live in South Africa for the first five years – after that you’ll be able to apply for permanent residency.

It is important to try and tailor your applications for jobs to get an offer to start the visa application. You should rewrite your CV to highlight your TEFL qualification, and if you know about any volunteer positions in your country of origin, it’s worth getting some experience that you can talk about.

Pretoria

As the government capital of South Africa, Pretoria is a popular place with a lot on offer. Culture and business combine at every level, and if you take the time to look around, you’ll see a lot of unique attractions and opportunities.

Cape Town

Cape Town is perhaps the most iconic city in South Africa and for good reason. You’ll be quickly taken with the stunning views and friendly locals – a great place to put down roots as a new teacher.

The amount of money that you can make as a TEFL teacher in South Africa is, as always, dependent upon what you do and how you choose to do it. As you have a lot of unique career options, you also have a lot of earning potential.

Generally speaking, the average salary for someone living in Pretoria clocks in at 28,264.48 R, which is equivalent to just over £1700 each month. The type of work that you do will influence how close you come to this figure, but one thing you will notice is that this doesn’t seem to be a lot of money compared to somewhere like the UK. The cost of living in South Africa is generally a little better and more affordable relative to some parts of the UK and Europe, and it is possible to live comfortably on this salary, especially if you embrace certain tried and tested strategies for living in Pretoria.

The cost of living in Pretoria isn’t too bad. South Africa is a nice place to live and there’s a lot you can do to make your life more comfortable.

Your best bet will be to do things like eating locally and embracing local entertainment. Not only does it help you acclimate to life in Pretoria but it’s much more affordable. You can rent just outside the city and take advantage of cheaper rent – and a commute made much easier by a good public transport system. These are all things which will help you to cut costs down and enjoy a comfortable standard of living.

• Average Monthly Salary: 28,264.48 R / £1700
• Rent: 7,111.11 R / £300
• Utilities (Heating, Water, Electricity, etc): 1,942.47 R / £80
• Internet: 741.38 R / £31
• Monthly Transport Pass: 800.00 R / £34
• Milk: 22.06 R / £1
• Bread: 17.47 R / £0.70

To find the cost of living figures, we use Numbeo.com, the world’s largest cost of living
comparison website. These figures are estimates only and subject to change due to economic fluctuations.