A typical trainee profile might be someone who has already taught young learners but wishes to gain a professional qualification recognising their skills and experience, or someone who has taught adults in the past but wishes to learn the skills necessary to be able to teach young learners. The most important thing is that you are interested in teaching young learners and that you are currently teaching young learners so that you have access to a class that you can do your teaching practice with.

Each course is internally assessed and this assessment is verified by an external Trinity moderator. In addition, trainees are interviewed as part of the moderation process and their suggestions are incorporated into future course design as appropriate. The courses are conducted by a specialist team of Trinity-approved trainers with a wealth of international experience in many fields of ESOL teaching.

The vast majority of people who take the TYLEC course will pass it. However, as with any valid academic course of study, there are occasionally people who do not pass. The reasons that people may not pass include:

• Insufficient time to commit to the course: Some people have not appreciated the time commitment needed and have not been able to devote the necessary time to the course.
• Inability to handle pressure: You will have to be resilient under pressure and stress and be able to work to deadlines. Your learning style has to be such that you can take in information rapidly and then organise your time effectively in order to assimilate it. Returning to the role of student can be a difficult adjustment. This is something to bear in mind in preparation for this course.
• Lack of self-reflection: For success on this course, you must be able to both self-evaluate and accept constructive criticism about the teaching skills that you demonstrate in the classroom. Being objective, taking praise and criticism on board and acting on it is essential for success.
• Undisclosed conditions: In rare cases where trainees have failed to disclose important information regarding their mental, physical or emotional well-being, the intensity of the course combined with their pre-existing symptoms has affected their performance on the course. It is important to emphasise that the TYLEC Certificate course is not going to be an escape or distraction from known problems. Instead it may be an additional burden.

The TYLEC course is useful for anybody who aspires to have a career in young learner teaching. The qualification can open up further teaching jobs, roles in the management of young learner courses, young learner teacher training or young learner materials’ development. Generally speaking, a candidate with a young learner teaching qualification is more attractive than a candidate without one when it comes to recruitment for roles involving young learners, particularly a qualification validated by a recognized exams board such as Trinity College London.

Absolutely! The course is fully online so you are able to take the course from anywhere. The only requirement is that you are able to attend a Trinity Exam Centre (currently present in 60 countries) for moderation at the end of the course.

Yes. It is fine if you are completely new to teaching young learners; however, you must currently have a class (minimum 6 learners) to carry out your teaching practice with. Trainees who have never taught young learners before tend to find the course extremely rewarding as they experience a sharp learning curve.

Unfortunately, if you are not currently teaching young learners you will not be able to take the course. A large portion of the assessment involves reflecting on your day to day teaching with young learners and of course, the actual teaching practice.

English does not have to be your first language but you must be able to demonstrate a high level of English language skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing, whether it is a first, second or other language for you. Your level should be C1 on the CEFR or higher.

Unfortunately, the TYLEC is not suitable for candidates with no teaching experience, as it is not an initial teacher training course. It is designed for practicing teachers who have already completed a Cert TESOL / CELTA course or equivalent.

English for Asia provides two video observations for the first two guided observation lessons. After the first two have been completed, you will need to find 4 more experienced teachers to observe for the guided observation. These do not necessarily have to be in your workplace, but they should be live (non-recorded) lessons.

Applications will be considered on a case by case basis, depending on whether or not the qualification included observed teaching practice.