TESOL - Teach English Abroad

Your journey starts here. A career in teaching English abroad is achievable for anyone who has a good knowledge and use of English in addition to a TESOL qualification. Before you start your TESOL training it is important that you have some knowledge of what teaching English abroad entails and what options are available for you to get there. Here we will look at those options and the requirements needed to achieve them.

Different types of Teaching jobs

Recognized TESOL Programs

First and foremost you should choose a TESOL course which suits the type of work you hope to undertake and is recognized in the country or countries you hope to teach. All ITTT TESOL courses are suitable for teaching English overseas in a variety of settings. The typical minimum qualification requirement for employment is a course covering 100-120 hours of study. This can be done purely onsite, purely online or by using some mixture of both.

Is Teaching English Overseas for Me?

All ITTT TESOL courses are open to anyone over the age of 18 years who has a good knowledge of the English language. You do not need to be a native English speaker or have any previous qualification. It is important that you do have a willingness to learn and a desire to interact with new cultures to teach English abroad.

TESOL Course and Training Options

There are three general types of ITTT certification course which can be used as qualifications to teach English abroad. These are online courses, onsite courses and a mixture of the previous two, commonly called combined courses.

The typical features of these TESOL course types will be discussed in detail later, but here are some of the most important distinctions between these delivery methods.

Online courses

1. They may be taken from anywhere in the world where you have a device for using the operating system and an internet connection.
2. They are generally cheaper than in class options.
3. The number of hours of study for an ITTT teaching overseas course varies from just over one hundred to over five hundred.

Onsite courses

1. ITTT has over 30 locations throughout the world where an in-class course can be taken.
2. Courses are typically four weeks in duration and give a 120-hour certification.
3. Are more expensive than online courses.
4. All have real teaching practice opportunities with genuine English language learners.

Combined courses

1. Offer the benefits of online and in-class courses.
2. Are cheaper overall than in-class.
3. Have fewer locations worldwide available for these courses.

Difference between online, in-class and combined TESOL courses

Online TESOL Courses

For a variety of reasons online learning has become the most used learning platform worldwide across all countries and subjects. The teaching of English to speakers of other languages is one such subject area. Online options have two main advantages for some people, in that no travel is needed and they are generally cheaper than onsite training.

All ITTT online TESOL courses are internationally accredited and come with tutor Support.

The course options include:

• 120-hour TESOL Course
• 170-hour TESOL Certification Course with Online Specialization
• 220-hour Master Package Course
• 250-hour Diploma in TESOL Course
• 550-hour Expert Package Course
• 60-hour Specialized Course in Teaching English Online
• 60-hour Specialized Course in Teaching English to Young Learners
• 60-hour Specialized Course in Teaching Business English

Online course details

ITTT 120-hour TESOL certificate course
This is our most popular online TESOL course which meets the requirements of most teaching English abroad jobs worldwide. The course provides a good foundation to the principles and practices of teaching in an ESL setting. The certificate can be issued as either a TEFL or TESOL version.

ITTT 170-hour TESOL certification course with Online Specialization
This course meets the needs of those who wish to have the option of both classroom teaching and online teaching. The course is made up of the 120-hour certificate course, described above and an additional 50-hour certification in teaching English online. The 170-hour certificate can be issued as either a TEFL or TESOL version.

ITTT 220-hour Master Package certification course
This course has three components. It has been designed for those who wish to keep their options open, by studying three different areas of teaching English overseas. The course comprises the 120-hour certificate course which is followed by two additional, 50-hour courses covering the areas of Teaching Business English and the Teaching of Young Learners.

250-hour Diploma in TESOL certification Course
The 250-hour TESOL Diploma is a higher level course which is research based. The course is designed to be taken after a 120-hour certificate and this is therefore part of the 370-hour course, for those who do not already have that certificate. The Diploma uses study and research questions to generate the material needed to take the end of Module tests. It also includes a research essay task.

The Diploma is useful for those who want a higher teaching position, such as a Director of Studies, those who want a higher salary due to their qualifications or anyone interested in finding out more about the theory and practice of teaching with a view to teaching English abroad.

550-hour Expert Package certification course

The 550-hour package is our most comprehensive online course, which has six individual certificate courses for teaching English abroad. Initially you complete the 120-hour TESOL course and then you can take the remaining courses in any order you prefer. The remaining courses are the 50-hour course in teaching business English (CTBE), the 50-hour course in teaching English to young learners (CTEYL), the 50-hour course in teaching English online (CTEO), the 250-hour Diploma in TESOL, and an optional teaching practice component.

Package course comparison

On completion of each course component you can opt for individual certificates as you progress through the 220 or 550-hour package course, or you can receive a single 220 or 550-hour certificate at the end.

Specialization courses

At ITTT we appreciate that there is a huge diversity in the people wishing to teach English abroad. We have created a whole range of specialist courses, which will allow you to expand your teaching horizons and capabilities. A brief outline of our courses is below.

60-hour Specialized Course in Teaching English Online
The teaching of English online is set to become the majority methodology this decade. This ten module course covers all the aspects of online teaching needed for you to feel confident in this type of teaching delivery.

60-hour Specialized Course in Teaching English to Young Learners
This ten module course covers many of the distinctive aspects of teaching Younger Learners. ESL classes for students from Kindergarten to high school age are considered and the needs of these different age groups discussed in detail.

60-hour Specialized Course in Teaching Business English
Many adults are able to undertake English Language learning through their employers. This ten unit course covers the main features of teaching adults in a Business setting. A number of different methodologies are considered and lesson plans are drawn out for each of these methods.

Onsite TESOL courses
When teaching English overseas your classes will be made up of students whose first language is not English and they may have no reason to speak English outside of your class. For this reason an onsite TESOL course will give you an advantage, as all your teaching practice will be undertaken face to face with real language learners. Another advantage of taking a course in a country where you may wish to teach is that upon graduation, you are already ‘in country’ and available for interview for a job teaching English abroad.

All ITTT onsite TESOL courses are internationally accredited.

ITTT has four week onsite TESOL courses in many locations throughout the world. You can find details of the centers using the interactive map below.

For a description of what your course would involve see the graphic below.

Combined TESOL Programs

As some people are unable to devote a full four weeks to a training program for teaching overseas but they still wish to get real teaching practice experience ITTT has developed a range of Combined courses. These courses range from eight days to two weeks on site at a training center. The course is taken in two parts, online then onsite. The online part takes the form of the ITTT online TESOL course and this is followed up within six months with the onsite training and teaching practice.

All ITTT combined courses for teaching English abroad are internationally accredited.

The ITTT Combined course is offered at the following locations.

Teach English Abroad Jobs

On successful completion of your ITTT course (and in some cases even before finishing) you will be looking for employment. There are numerous resources available throughout the English teaching community online and through multiple social network platforms.

You can look for teaching jobs abroad using ITTT resources such as our jobs page. You are also able to receive job search assistance from us throughout your teaching career.

Countries for Teaching English Abroad

To find information about teaching English abroad ITTT has compiled a country-by-country guide to living and teaching English in many countries around the world. The guides are a good introduction to life in each country, plus an insight into their customs and curiosities. Ranging from South Korea to Costa Rica, Singapore to Peru, the guides cover living in some of the most popular teaching English abroad destinations worldwide.

More information here.

To give you an idea of the types of salary and living costs while teaching English overseas, see our infographic below.