Trinity College London CertTESOL - Your passport to the world

·       Want to travel?

·       Love language?

·       Enjoy meeting people from different cultures?

·       Would like to teach?

Then the CertTESOL is for you.

At ELA-Edinburgh we offer a four-week intensive course that leads to this internationally recognised qualification.  Former trainees work in places such as Spain, Hungary, Italy, USA.

Our highly experienced and qualified tutors will train and support you throughout the course.  You will have methodology and language input sessions in the mornings and assessed teaching practice (TP) with overseas students who are working in Edinburgh in the afternoons.  TP is one of the highlights of the course, and trainees nearly always rate this as their favourite part of the course.  TP students come from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and countries and are a delight to teach. Rest assured that by the end of the course you will have acquired all the skills you need to survive in the classroom in any country in the world.

CertTESOL - Teaching practice 

Still interested? Send an email, or come in and see us in Edinburgh, and we can talk you through the course in more detail. ELA staff are friendly and welcoming and visiting the school will give you the chance to see some of our students and facilities.

Course applicants will have an interview with the Course Director and if you are accepted onto the course, you will be sent a pre-course task and the course handbook to prepare you for the course.  Applications are welcome from everybody who has university entrance qualifications. A first degree is not essential. If you are not a native-speaker you will need IELTS 7 or equivalent. 

There are still a few places left on the next course, which runs from 8^th October to 2^nd November. If Edinburgh is too cold for you at that time of the year, then you can already apply for the May/June 2019 course.

There is of course the small matter of fees, but our prices are amongst the most competitive on the market:  £980 for the four- week course, which includes the interview and pre-course task. There are no hidden extras, such as photocopying, printing, etc.  

There is, however, an £80 registration fee.

See you in October!

ELA-Edinburgh Returns from Russia

ELA-Edinburgh’s teacher trainer, Douglas Matheson, has recently returned from hosting a three-day English teacher training course for the Study Centre Ltd, Moscow.

13 teachers from different schools across Moscow were brought together for the training based at a camp in Litvinovo Naro-Fominsk, in the middle of the Russian countryside. Five sessions over 12 and half hours were provided focusing on improving teaching skills. The group were trained in across a range of English teaching methods in reading, writing, debates, warm-ups and fillers.

The location of the training course was ideal because once out in the country, this bonded the group as everyone was out of their comfort zones. For us it was a chance to showcase what we can provide through one of our experienced and regularly one of our students favourite, teachers. Douglas is also our in-house CertTESOL Teacher Trainer.

The chance to share knowledge and skills, between two cultures, created some new friendships too.

To find out more visit our website

Contact us on email or phone +44 (0)131 226 6182

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Have you got what it takes to be a TEFLER???

If you’re looking for a way to live abroad and enjoy helping people, keep reading: ELA’s Trinity certTESOL courses could be for you.

TEFL can take you anywhere in the world but you have to be up for the challenge.

Where will you TEFL?

Moving abroad into the unknown is sure to get the heart pumping. Most expats vividly remember their first few days abroad and it takes some time for that initial buzz to wear off, if it ever does. As you rise to the challenges of finding our way around your new city, shopping in strange surroundings or figuring out how to get wifi, you will feel a sense of accomplishment out of all proportion to such mundane tasks.

Added to the undeniable thrill of living abroad is the sense of satisfaction that you are there to contribute to local skills and education. Whether it’s in public schools, language academies,

companies or even private homesyou have a unique chance to get to know, understand and help local people. Along the way you will meet characters you would never otherwise have been exposed to, some of these will become good friends.

If these benefits appeal to you then perhaps it’s time to consider if you’re ready for, or content with, your 9-5 office world. Flexibility is certainly a key attribute TEFL teachers must have in bucket loads. Always remember: it’s the students’ lesson not the teachers’! You don’t have to be the expert but you do have to exploit different parts of your personalities with different groups.

Mind your Teacher Talk Time

Flexibility doesn’t just extend to personalities or lesson types. The green TEFLer must also be culturally adaptable. If you expect a mini super-market open from 1000-2200 on every Italian street corner, stay in Blighty. If you have to have your tapas before 9, stay home. ‘Normal’ and ‘right’ are truly subjective matters.

Can you learn to adapt? 

Embrace the strangeness of your new home and learn more about your own as you go!