"The Accredited Distance Learning TEFL Course For The Independent Traveller"

Live, Travel And Teach Wherever You Choose

The Distance Learning TEFL Course That Gives You The Freedom To Live Wherever You Choose AND And Earn Money In A Meaningful Profession!

Would it be fair to say that you want to take the distance learning TEFL course that lets you choose between the best TEFL jobs, AND teaches you how to add real value to the lives of your students?

When searching for a distance learning TEFL course, you really want to make the right decision. You want to make sure your investment of time and money is worth it.

Get The Best Possible Start To Your English Teaching Career

A TESOL course is an investment of your time and money so you probably want to make sure that your investment is a good one. 

This is why choosing the right course for you is so important.  The old saying of “Buy cheap, but twice” most definitely applies here.

Without doubt, there is no replacement for observed teaching practice on real language students to prepare you for the teaching environment.

Traditionally, the only way you could gain this real life experience was by attending a 4 week course, typically accredited by either Cambridge/RSA, the College of Teachers or Trinity College. 

These courses are a great introduction to the TEFL world, but not always convenient or accessible.

You may not be able to take 4 weeks off from work or family commitments, or you may simply prefer to work at your own pace, in your own time

So, what are your options?

You could take a short online or weekend TEFL course.  However, there are two reasons we would advise against this. 

Firstly, although the short time it takes to complete this type of course (usually around 20 hours) may seem appealing, the fact is that you cannot possible cover what you need to know with a short online or weekend TEFL course

Secondly, reputable employers around the world require teachers to have passed a TESOL course that was at least 100 hours in length

Even employers in countries where you previously did not require certification are asking for 100 hour + certificates in exchange for better working conditions.  South Korea is a good example of this. 

If you do choose to take a short TEFL course you will have less choice in TEFL job opportunities and have less power when negotiating good working conditions.

To be frank, any school that hires you following a short TEFL course would probably have hired you with no certificate at all. 

You may have picked up some good tips during the weekend or online TEFL course, but the qualification you receive has no real value.

As a general guideline, according to the British Council, your TEFL qualification should meet the following criteria:

  1. Be at least 100 hours in length
  2. Be accredited by one of the following accreditation bodies: College of Teachers, Cambridge/RSA, Trinity College, SIT (US based) or any recognised University.
  3. Give you the opportunity to gain at least 6 hours of observed and assessed teaching practice if you are new to teaching.

Since it's beginnings in 1993, INTESOL has proudly been a pioneer in flexible TESOL training

INTESOL was the first TESOL training provider to offers it’s students the fantastic opportunity to combine supported distance learning with one week of observed and assessed teaching practice. 

Since those early days INTESOL has grown to offer teaching practice at a number of English language schools in the UK and abroad. 

* Teaching practice is optional and not a prerequisite to gaining your accredited TESOL certificate.

Why Study With INTESOL?

  1. INTESOL is accredited by the College of Teachers, the only internationally recognised accreditation body to validate both onsite AND distance learning TESOL courses.  This means that your qualification is respected by employers worldwide giving you the best opportunities and working conditions.
  2. INTESOL gives you the option to achieve 6 hours of observed and assessed teaching practice, as per British Council guidelines.  Teaching practice on real language students builds your confidence in the classroom.
  3. INTESOL is a global company with branches in the UK, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Singapore, Peru, Costa Rica and South Africa.  You have access to a wide network of associated language schools and recruitment contacts when finding a TEFL job.
  4. The 15 years of solid history and continued growth of INTESOL as a training provider means that your certificate will always hold it's value.
  5. INTESOL gives you the opportunity to gain advanced qualifications in English for specific purposes, English for young learners and a Diploma level qualification for students wishing to access high level jobs within the TEFL industry (i.e. Director of Studies in a language school).
  6. Employers proactively seek to employ INTESOL graduates every month.
  7. You can study from anywhere in the world.

You Could Have The TEFL Qualification That Schools Actively Seek

Every month Language School Directors from all over the world purchase our online/distance learning TEFL courses for their staff. A fact that makes us proud.

We're proud because it means that when you're an INTESOL graduate, you have a prestigious qualification that schools don't just recognise, they actually seek it out.

As a course provider, we're only as good as the teachers we've trained. We're very lucky to have some fantastic teachers out there, to whom we owe our reputation.

"You Get Access To A Network Of TEFL Employers Worldwide That Hire INTESOL TEFL Course Graduates Every Month"

As an INTESOL student you could have access to numerous connections we've built with reputable TEFL schools worldwide. Schools that hire INTESOL graduates every month. If you join our mailing list you'll receive job offers as and when they hit our inbox.

We want you to have the best learning materials and support. That's why we've gained accreditation with not just one, but TWO of the UK's most prestigious accreditation bodies....

Accredited Teacher Status

The most widely recognised accreditation bodies for TEFL are based in the UK, backed by the superb reputation that British education has enjoyed for centuries.

There are four British TEFL accreditation bodies that are internationally recognised and respected. These are Cambridge/RSA, the College of Teachers, Trinity College and any national University.

After studying with INTESOL, your online TEFL course will be accredited by the College of Teachers, the ONLY recognised British accreditation body to validate distance learning/online TEFL courses.

So you see, provided your TEFL course is accredited by the College of Teachers you KNOW it will be recognised in the same way as Cambridge/RSA and Trinity College. It doesn't matter if you take your course onsite or online.

FREE BONUS: Embossed Certificate From The College Of Teachers (worth up to £50/$100)

When you successfully complete your INTESOL distance learning TEFL course you'll receive a certificate issued by the College of Teachers, embosssed with their seal, as evidence of your Accredited Teacher Status to show employers.

At the end of your online TEFL course just send us your completed College of Teachers form (in your pack) and we'll take care of the rest. In a few short weeks your College of Teachers certificate will be in your hand.

Quality Assurance Accreditation

We're also accredited as a Course Provider with the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council. The ODLQC is there to ensure that you receive outstanding service as a student. Our full accreditation status was gained after a painstaking process and is reviewed annually.

What Our Students Have To Say
"I certainly made the right choice when I chose INTESOL, so much in fact that I have recommended them to my friends; one friend was so impressed when I told her she signed up for the same course within 2 days." Rob Reeves


"I did it! I am finally done with this course and I learned a lot from it. I especially like the constructive feedback and comments made by Heather on my tasks." Pearl Schulz

"The course was better than I expected. Course content very thorough. Trainer awesome, knowledgeable, helpful. Always on hand and glad to help. Accommodation perfect, could not have asked for better!" Terry Engel

"I received the certificate two weeks ago. Thanks a million. Truly appreciate what you have done for me. The certificate will truly come in helpful. At present, I am teaching in one of the government colleges in NZ and I am thinking of changing to another school. Yours is the only TESOL certificate that I have and I'm sure it will help me in my application." Esther Chionh

"Lynda ... I did my TESOL qualification with you almost five years ago now ... it has paid for itself many times over!!!" Esther Knight

You may be thinking: "This is all great. I've found a recognised TEFL course that schools actively seek, AND I can study at home. But what about real classroom experience?".

The fact is you don't need to take teaching practice to learn how to teach English, but it will certainly increase your confidence TEN FOLD, at least.

If you do want to gain practical experience with REAL STUDENTS we've got the perfect solution, but more about that later.....

OK, What Will You Get When You Enrol In The INTESOL TEFL Course?

  • Evidence of your hard work and achievement with the INTESOL Certificate in TESOL (with grade)
  • Accreditated teacher status from the College of Teachers, including a separate certificate issued by them (worth £50/$100)
  • Course Textbook - The Practice Of English Language Teaching by Jeremy Harmer.
  • Proven techniques that will make you a confident, well-resourced TEFL teacher
  • Thorough preparation for ANY teaching environment
  • Teaching resource pack for your first few lessons (lots of lessons and activities)
  • Easy to follow course material
  • A guide to help you brush up on your English grammar
  • A personal reference for every job you apply for
  • Security of gaining a qualification from an established, well known TEFL course provider
  • First to know when we get new jobs from TEFL employers
  • No extra fees to pay for assessment
  • Free delivery

Are You Eligible For This Distance Learning TEFL Course?

If you want to have your pick of the most sought after TEFL jobs you'd do well to gain your TESOL qualification with a reputable training provider, known for producing skilled teachers.

It helps when you apply for jobs.

To ensure that enrolled students are able to complete the TESOL course successfully, all potential students are asked to apply for entry.

In order to apply you must:

  • Have a good academic background with at least 2 'A' Levels (equivalent to a High School Diploma (US) or Higher National Diploma (UK) )
  • In lieu of the above qualifications, you should have at least 5 years of work experience in any industry OR previous TEFL teaching experience.
  • No previous teaching experience is required.

How Does The Course Work

The online TEFL course consists of 10 modules, with each module being illustrated by practical methods and strategies for use in the ESOL/EFL classroom. At the end of each module you will have a set of tasks to complete and email to your personal tutor.

This simple way for you to submit your assignments means you can study from anywhere in the World!.

With each returned module you will receive an assessment sheet, which allows your trainer to comment on your progress, giving friendly advice and guidance for future modules.

INTESOL uses a carefully structured approach to learning and will help you every step of the way. If you feel you are in difficulties with any aspect of the course you are able to contact us by email, phone, fax or letter.

Courses are available on CD-ROM (PC and Mac Compatible) or paper copy. We offer massive discounts for students that study online rather than by correspondence. We like trees!

How Long Does It Take To Finish The Online Distance Learning TEFL Course?

The online TEFL course will take you approximately 150 hours to finish, although it may be less depending on the speed at which you learn. The number of weeks it will take you to complete really depends on your commitments.

As a general guideline most students complete the course within 3 months.

There are NO TIME LIMITS, so you can take as long as you need.

It's possible that you'll finish the course in as little as 4 weeks if you have the time to dedicate and really set your mind to it.

If you're in a hurry, for example due to an overseas deadline, inform your tutor who will be happy to work with you to achieve your goal.

There are no set start dates or completion dates and the course never expires.

Will You Help Me Get A Job?

INTESOL has connections with hundreds of language schools worldwide. From small independent schools to large chains.

If you contact us when you have graduated from your Cert. TESOL course, it's very likely that we will be able to help you find a job.

However, it's common knowledge in the industry that the best TEFL jobs go to those with the independence to find their own employment. Schools would much rather hire a teacher that has shown this kind of initiative.

Don't worry if the thought of finding your own TEFL job makes you feel a little nervous right now. You're not alone!

Rest assured that by the time you've finished your INTESOL course you'll have all the confidence and knowledge you need.

Of course, you do have the option to take a TEFL course that offers some kind of placement service. But be prepared for these jobs to have less favourable working conditions. Typically less pay and/or more hours.

INTESOL's contacts include language schools in:

Spain, Prague, Mexico, South Africa, Honduras, Peru, Costa Rica, Serbia, Turkey, Italy, UK, China, South Korea, Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, Uganda, Thailand, Nepal plus many more...

Award of Certificate

certificateCertificates are graded as follows:

A1 - Distinction
A2 - Excellent
B1 - Very Good
B2 - Good
C - Pass

Upon successful completion of this online distance learning TEFL course you will receive two certificates:

  • INTESOL Certificate in TESOL
  • College of Teachers Certificate

You'll also be entitled to use the letters 'Cert. TESOL' after your name.

TEFL and TESOL - What's It All About?

At this point you may be wondering: "What's the difference between TEFL and TESOL?"

The short answer: There is no difference! For all intents and purposes they are used to mean the same thing.

The long answer:

"TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) is an original industry term that was created in Europe to refer to the process of going abroad to teach English. These days some course providers use it to describe their courses, but more typically it is used to describe the industry as a whole."
"TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is a term that is more widely recognised worldwide and can relate to teaching abroad OR in your own native speaking country. All of the major accreditation bodies use the term TESOL to describe their awards, hence why our final award is 'TESOL' not 'TEFL."

Course Syllabus

Unit 1: Study Skills
(not assessed) - how best to organise your study time.

Pre Module Grammar
Self-assessed tasks with answers provided to help with Unit 2 The Study of English.

Unit 2: The Study of English
Module 1 - grammar-tasks on the understanding of grammar, tense & structure - to be completed with the use of a grammar book.
Module 2 - phonetics - tasks relating to the phonetic alphabet(given), stress & intonation.
Module 3 - lexis - tasks relating to the presentation of vocabulary, compound words, word stems, language appropriacy & frequency.

Unit 3: The Teaching and Learning of ESOL
Module 1 - basic principles - answers from your own experience, the course materials & handbook on
  1) the blocks which may prevent learning
  2) motivation
  3) communicative competence.
Module 2 - reading and listening - tasks based on exploitation of authentic materials i.e. magazines, newspapers, radio broadcasts etc.
Module 3 - speaking and writing - tasks based as above but with a more productive bias - getting your students to produce language
Module 4 - visual aids - study of all the audio-visual aids available. Production of your own flashcards and aids to be used with a simple flannelgraph.
Module 5 - error - looking at authentic student errors, classifying them, using a correction code, producing remedial exercises and improving your own practice.

Unit 4: Lesson Planning
Module 1 - classroom management - task relating to student teacher relationships and how to achieve genuine communication inside and outside the classroom.
Module 2 - lesson stages and plans - putting all the above into a lesson; timing; warm-up; input; practice and production stages of your lessons.

Observed and Assessed Teaching Practice (optional addition)

One of the great reasons for you to study your online TEFL course with INTESOL is that you have access to THREE accredited language schools in:

London, Nantwich and Great Yarmouth

At each school you can take one solid week of observed teaching practice. A total of 40 hours, with 6 hours of teaching practice being observed and assessed.

During your one week teaching practice programme you will gain experience teaching English to real students, in a real language school setting.

Over the week long programme:

  • You'll observe experienced teachers teaching, learning techniques from longstanding professionals.
  • You'll have plenty of opportunity to practise lesson planning, which in time will become second nature.
  • And most importantly, you'll be observed teaching real students and receive positive feedback and support from your personal mentor.

Upon successful completion of the teaching programme you will receive:

  • A graded certificate showing your final grade for the teaching practice element of the course. This is in addition to your graded Certificate in TESOL and College of Teachers certificate.
  • A performance report for you to show future employers.
  • Personal experience of teaching which you can draw upon during TEFL job interviews. This will increase your confidence in job interview, and it will show.
  • An additional professional job reference from your teaching practice centre.

Why INTESOL Teaching Practice IS Better

Unlike many onsite courses, such as CELTA and Trinity, we do NOT believe in throwing you in at the deep end. The most important part of being an effective ESOL teacher is being a confident ESOL teacher.

We believe that building confidence in the classroom is a step-by-step process that needs to be taken slowly, or at least at the individual pace of each unique student.

With an onsite course you WILL be thrown in at the deep end. As the name suggests, the nature of an intensive 4 week TESOL course is, well, intensive! In order to fit everything into such a tight timescale you will find yourself being thrown into the classroom to teach real students as early as day two of your course.

This begs the question of how effective you can be when you have barely even scratched the surface of learning how to teach. The answer to that question? Not very effective! And that is why large numbers of students taking a 4 week intensive onsite TESOL course will fail.

But YOU don't need to be part of those numbers.

With INTESOL your teaching practice is taken only after you have learned and absorbed ALL of the theory behind good ESOL teaching practice. In your own time, at your own pace.

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. How can you make the most of your practice time without learning methods of how to teach first!?

When you turn up to the first day of your teaching practice programme, you will already know about lesson planning and classroom management. You will be fully prepared.

The INTESOL teaching practice programme is a one-to-one course, which means during the course of your week our focus is on YOU, and you alone. During the course of the week you will be assigned a personal mentor, or mentors, who will be responsible for your progress.

Your first experience of teaching will be taking a short portion of a lesson, typically just a ten minute activity.

We want you to feel good about yourself after that first lesson. Experience has shown us that giving you a short activity to prepare for your first lesson increases your chances of being and feeling a success.

Once your first lesson is out of the way, it's plain sailing from there on.

After your first ten minute lesson you'll build up to taking more and more control of each lesson; your confidence building more and more each time. And remember, you will always have your mentor by your side in case you should need help or guidance.

There's no better way to prepare yourself for the classroom than with practice on real language students. You'll gain confidence in the classroom, AND more credibility with employers. When it comes to interviews you'll be able to talk from experience, something every language school Director will be looking for. You'll also be able to hand them a report on your teaching performance.

Teaching practice is great value at £220 per week, but if you pay a deposit towards your teaching practice programme when ordering your online TEFL course you'll pay only £200.

Don't worry if you're not sure where or when you'd like to take your teaching practice, just claim your discount now and let us know the details later.

How Much Does The Online Distance Learning TEFL Course cost?

Course Fees - CD-ROM/Study by Email £395 $790
*** FREE DELIVERY WORLDWIDE ***
Paper Format/Study by Post
UK ADD £25/$50
Europe ADD £35/$70
World ADD £45/$90

We also give you the option to pay spread your payments over 3 months!

» Prefer to pay by instalments?

Teaching Practice Fee - one week programme £220 $430

Accommodation starts at £85 per week. for more information about accommodation see here.
A deposit of £120 is required at the time of booking your teaching practice, but if you book at the same time as your Cert TESOL or Cert TESOL PLUS you will pay only £100. A £20 discount. The remaining £100 balance is then due to your centre upon arrival.

"In Less That One Month You'll Earn Back The Cost Of Your TEFL Course"

*Prices shown in dollars may fluctuate according to exchange rate

Iron Clad Lifetime Money Back Job Guarantee

We're so sure that you will find employment as a TEFL teacher with this online TEFLcourse that we offer you a lifetime money back guarantee if you can't.

Yes, that's a RISK FREE, LIFETIME job guarantee

It's Time To Get Started

Having read this far you've obviously got the motivation to make this happen, and getting started couldn't be simpler:

  1. Click 'Enrol Now' to submit your online applicaiton for the Cert TESOL course. You have no obligation and nothing to pay until your application has been approved.
  2. Within 48 hours I will advise you by email of the result of your application.
  3. As soon as you have completed your enrolment and paid your course fees your materials will be with you within 7 days. (times may differ for overseas delivery)
  4. When your course pack arrives you'll find everything will be easily laid out for you. You'll have everything you need to get started, including contact details for your tutor and our student support number at Head Office.
  5. You'll work through your first module and return your assignment to your personal tutor. They'll get back to you with constructive feedback and guidance that will help you develop your skills.
  6. Once you've successfully completed all 10 modules you'll be a fully qualified, confident English Teacher and have TWO sought after certificates to show for it. And don't forget, you're now able to use the letters 'Cert. TESOL' after your name. A proud moment!
  7. Next, you just have to choose where you want to go!

We look forward to welcoming you to our long list of graduates and helping you succeed.

Warm regards,


Leigh Hunt
Admissions Manager, INTESOL Graduate and Seasoned TEFLer

Ready for change?

Yes! I'm Ready To Become An Accredited English Language Teacher!

Click here to Apply

p.s. Want to verify our tefl course accreditation? Click here

p.p.s. Don't forget you can choose from SIX UK teaching practice centres and get a discount if you enrol together with the online TEFL course - the 'INTESOL Certificate in TESOL'

p.p.p.s. Got a question? Feel free to contact us

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INTESOL Worldwide Ltd

Registered Office:
4 Higher Downs
Knutsford
Cheshire
WA16 8AW
UK

Registered Number: 05697958

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