Native and near-native speakers of English who come from a variety of different backgrounds, life experiences, and stages in life. All of them are adults. Some have experience teaching in other fields; others already have experience teaching English for private language schools abroad, but need and want to improve upon or update their teaching skills. In some cases, English teachers with experience need a certificate to help them find work or remain competitive with other applicants who are looking for jobs. All are interested in travel, meeting new people, working with students, and learning about different cultures.

Absolutely not! You need to be a native or near-native speaker of English. Many near-native speakers of English, who speak English as a second language, often have a better grasp of teaching English grammar than many native speakers of English.

The Weekend TEFL Certificate course is currently offered about six times a year. If you'd like further information about this intensive and engaging learning experience, contact us.

Yes, the Online ICAL TEFL provides 120 hours of teacher training with an experienced English teacher trainer living in Italy.

The onsite course is an intense and engaging 20-hour course (Friday - Sunday), which is completed in three days. It gives you the opportunity to collaborate with other students in a classroom environment. It also provides an opportunity for you to receive feedback from your peers and your teacher trainer on two required teaching presentations.

The ICAL TEFL course can be started and completed from anywhere at any time and it is a flexible and effective self-paced option. The online course doesn’t include traditional "in the classroom" teaching practice, but it allows you to work on modules with an experienced teacher trainer living in Italy who provides feedback and suggestions on written assignments you complete.

If you need more than a 20 hour course or would like more teacher training hours, we suggest signing up for both the Weekend TEFL and the Online ICAL TEFL Certificate courses which are both taught by the same teacher trainer.

Contact us for details about course content and a course schedule. Our onsite courses are offered in collaboration with the Europass Teacher Academy in Florence, Italy. To Enroll in any onsite course, it is necessary to fill out an online enrollment form. Onsite courses are held at the Europass Teacher Academy and this is the address:

Via S. Egidio, 12 - 50122 Florence (Italy) Tel. +39 055 247 9995

For more info: + 39 347 378 8169.

Yes, hotel information is provided upon request. Contact us for a list of hotels.

Bring an empty A4 European binder with lots of plastic sleeves; where you can insert the work you do during the course. In the end, you'll be able to walk away with your TEFL certificate and your teaching portfolio!

Enroll on the ICAL TEFL website. Upon receipt of your enrollment form, you will be required to pay for the course through PayPal. As soon as you have enrolled, you will be contacted about starting the course within a day or two. The Online ICAL TEFL course can also be paid for in person (in Florence, Italy).

Send us a message through any of our contact forms and we will send you additional information and more details about any of the courses. We will also provide you with answers to your questions.

Buy yourself a good grammar textbook with an answer key and familiarize yourself with it. We suggest anything written by Michael Swan, such as:
How English Works: A Grammar Practice Book with Answers by Swan, M and Walter, C;
Grammar in Use by Murphy, R; or any other grammar books written by Diane Larsen Freeman or Betty Azar.

Some other helpful books for beginning teachers include:
Teaching by Principles: An Interactice Approach to Language Pedagogy by Brown, H. Douglas;
Learning Teaching by Scrivener, J.,
Teaching English as a Foreing or Second Language by Gebhard, J.G.

If you'd like to teach somewhere abroad consider purchasing Susan Griffith's book Teaching English Abroad. It provides an excellent overview on working conditions in specific countries and gives tips on teaching English in Europe and on other continents.

Yes, definitely. In most cases, private language schools will no longer hire a teacher without certification.

A TEFL certificate will allow you to teach in private language schools. It will also help you find work as a free-lance teacher, offering private lessons in person or online.

If you attend the Weekend TEFL course, information will be provided regarding job postings and how to find employment opportunities. You can also check the www.tefl.com for other teaching opportunities. In short, we will assist you in any way possible, but we cannot guarantee job placement and neither can any other teacher training organization.

It's definitely easier finding work teaching English in Italy if you hold a European passport or have Italian citizenship. There are language schools that will hire non-European citizens, but you'll have to work a little harder to find these jobs. Also, don't expect things to happen as easily for you as they might in your own country.

If you are American and are able to pursue Italian citizenship through a relative, it is definitely recommended and your life will be a lot easier. Italian citizenship can be granted through grandparents and/or great grandparents providing you can provide the required paperwork to your closest Italian consulate. If you have more questions about eligibility, consult http://www.myitaliancitizenship.com/ for Italian citizenship questions and answers.

When looking for jobs in a specific city or region in Italy start your search with the Italian yellow pages or pagine gialle.
Where it reads, Cosa: type: scuole di lingue
Where it reads, Dove: type: city or region (e.g., Florence or Tuscany OR Genova or Liguria)
Print out the listing and visit each school in the city or region that interests you. Bring your CV/resume with you and ask the director if they are hiring English teachers. Italians prefer face-to-face contact and presenting yourself to each school, in person, will work much better than sending your CV by email or snail mail.

You should expect to work anywhere between 20 to 30 hours per week in a language classroom. Remember: As a language teacher, you also need time to prepare your lessons and recuperate from student teacher contact. Teaching more than 30 hours per week will affect the quality of your lessons and time for preparation.

Teach the English you know. If you are an American and write "center" in this way--do that. If you are from the United Kingdom and write "centre" in this way--do that. Don't try to teach American English if you're British or teach British English if you're American. It can be very helpful to teach your students the differences, when you know them, but stick with what you know and feel most comfortable with.

• TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) - Teaching English to learners who live in a country where English is spoken as a first/native language (e.g., England, Australia, USA).

• TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) - Teaching English to learners who live in a country where English is not spoken as a first/native language (e.g., Italy, France, Spain).

• TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) - refers to both TEFL and TESL.

We suggest contacting and volunteering a certain number of teaching hours (10-20 for examples) at private language schools, cultural associations, or any other organization or educational institution where English language lessons are given and or provided in the community where you’re living. If you have any other questions not answered here, please contact us through our contact form.