Love is in the air! As we sit at our meals tonight, the conversation starts flowing. You and your loved one might be thinking of taking a break! Or even long-term traveling. You may even be looking to earn a bit of extra cash for a certain wedding fund. Whatever the reason, we have the answer to your question “Which TEFL course is best for couples?”. 

There are many different scenarios, and every couple’s situation is different, so there’s no one answer. The most common scenarios that we get asked are;

• Teaching online together
• Going on an internship together
• Moving to Asia together
• Spend a summer away
• Couples who have children

We’ll now go through each of these and let you know our recommendations for TEFL courses. You may find that your situation is not listed. That’s okay! Feel free to give us a call or you can email in with your query and we’d be more than happy to help. 

Teaching online together

This is one of our most common scenarios for couples. Teaching English online is booming at the moment and a great way to earn money. Whether you are looking to work from home or do a bit of traveling, our recommendations are the same for all teaching online couples. 

Why? Well, if you are traveling and not working for the country you are currently living in, you don’t need a work permit. You are already set up teaching online and are working remotely, so a tourist visa for both of you will do. This is why your choice of a TEFL course will not affect traveling while working online. 

Most couples who look at this direction are first-time teachers, so we recommend the Specialist Online Teacher Course, or if you’d like to get the level 5 qualification, we’d recommend the 310 hour Level 5 TEFL Course. These both include the 10 hours Virtual Course with teaching practice, the Young Learners Course, and the Teaching English Online Course. This covers everything you need to know and will have no problems both finding employment. 

Going on an internship together

Many couples choose the route of internships. It is the easiest and best way for an organization. When you’re planning to move abroad, it can be difficult for couples to find jobs that are close together and close to accommodation. When going on an internship, you can apply together, get placed together, and work closely. Program providers see this a lot more than you’d think! It’s actually very common. 

When choosing an internship, the TEFL courses that suit the country and the type of work (such as Young Learners) are given to you. This is more times than not the 120 hour TEFL Course with some relevant specialist courses. The reason for this is that there’s a lot of training in internships and a high acceptance rate, meaning there isn’t a need for a level 5 qualification. 

Also Read: TEFL Courses Explained: The Different Levels and Certifications

Moving to Asia together

There are quite a few scenarios when moving to Asia and this is mostly to do with qualifications. Let’s go through a couple of routes! 

• If you both want to go to the UAE and have a Bachelor’s degree, you’ll need the 180 hour Level 5 TEFL course. This is mandatory in the UAE unless you have a Bachelor’s of Education. 
• If you’d like to go South East Asia and both have a Bachelor’s Degree but no experience, we suggest doing the 300 hour Level 5 TEFL Course. Couples can be hard to place and bulking up both your CVs with this course means that you’ll open doors your yourselves and have opportunities in all niches, such as exam preparation. 
• If you are set on going to a country that requires a Bachelor’s Degree but one of you does not have one, we suggest online teaching for the non-degree holder and in-county placement for the other. The courses that would be best are the 300 hour TEFL Course and Specialist Online Teacher Course, respectively. 
• If neither of you has a Bachelor’s Degree, you’ll definitely need some help finding employment! Both enroll in the 310 hour TEFL Course, our most comprehensive course, and look at destinations such as Cambodia and Laos (which don’t require a Bachelor’s Degree). 

Spending a summer away

Okay, so you are not looking to make a big change in your lives and just want to get away for a bit of fun. Spending a summer away in another country is every couple’s dream! A lot of couples choose the TEFL route as it’s a nice way to get set up easily and make money while you’re there. You won’t need to save a whole lot of money before you go and it can be quite a spontaneous decision. 

The most popular summer jobs are in summer camps as language assistants for young learners. No experience is needed and they only look for enthusiastic and young TEFL teachers. Many couples that can do this are teachers already and have the opportunity to travel in the summer. 

Even if you are not a full-time teacher, there is not a high requirement for this type of opportunity. The 120 hour TEFL Course is perfect for this. If you’re looking to learn a little more and become an even more awesome teacher, then we would also recommend the Teaching Young Learners TEFL Course. 

Couples who have children

When you have children, your budgeting and expenses go up by a lot! Not only for obvious expenses, but you have to factor in accommodation costs as you won’t be able to house share like most single teachers. 

This is why you’ll need a high-paying job when moving abroad. The highest paying TEFL jobs are exam preparation and business English. These are great opportunities, but the requirements are also quite strict compared to teaching English beginners. You’ll need the IELTS preparation and TOEIC preparation (common in Asia) course as well as the Business English Course. These are all included in the master courses; the 240 hour TEFL Course and the 300 hour TEFL Course, depending on whether you’d like to do the level 5 or not. 

As parents, once you both have the qualifications, try getting some experience online first. This will increase your chances of a nice wage. You might also keep in mind that one of you should fly over first to get set up while the other follows with the children. 

FAQs

Q: Can you do TEFL Courses as a couple?

Anyone can complete a TEFL course and teach and this includes couples. There are lots of opportunities to work together abroad and online. Completing a course together is a  fantastic way to learn as you’ll be able to bounce off each other and keep that self-study motivation going. As long as you are both native or fluent English speakers with a means to work, this is a seriously fun way to go! 

Q: Can you teach abroad with a family?

In short, of course, you can. Like any industry, this can be a little daunting, especially if you have small children. Getting them set up in schools and accommodation for the whole family is no easy feat. Many TEFL teachers do it and it’s so worth it when you do get set up! Just keep in mind that if you have no experience you’ll get an entry-level wage when teaching English abroad, so calculate your expenses versus the average wage in the country of destination. 

You are also better off looking at TEFL jobs individually, rather than a program. Program providers are amazing and really supportive, but for a family, it may be too supportive. Accommodation is arranged for you and rent is supplemented from wages. This accommodation is mostly shared, so it’s not the best route for families. 

Q: Which TEFL certificate is best for couples?

To answer this question, you’ll have to sit down with each other and discuss your goals with the certification. Only then can you both make a decision. There are many scenarios for this and your best bet is to read the above blog and see which scenario you fall under. If you’re still not sure, talk to one of our course enrollment officers today, who will give you both a lowdown of options. 

Q: Which country is best for English teaching jobs for couples?

This depends on your educational backgrounds and goals with teaching English abroad. To teach in most places in Asia, you’ll need a Bachelor’s Degree. You must both have one, so if one does not, Europe or South America are also booming. 

You will also need to keep in mind that in some parts of the world, countries may not be open-minded. If you are a same-sex couple, we advise that you choose somewhere that you’ll be comfortable and safe. There are also some countries that are quite traditional and if you are not married, you may not be able to get accommodation together. This is no reflection on any program providers, it is only an unfortunate fact. Thankfully, this is getting better and better in 90% of the world.