Course Structure (CertTESOL)

Course Options

The length of the course is approximately 130 hours.

Full-time courses run Mondays to Fridays (9:00AM to 5:00PM) over four weeks, plus the final weekend of the course.

Part-time courses run on Saturdays (9:00AM to 5:00PM) and Tuesday and Thursday evenings (6:30PM to 9:30PM, with optional supervised lesson planning sessions from 5:00pm) over a three month period.

The Trinity CertTESOL is renowned for being highly intensive, yet highly rewarding. Trainees should expect to work very hard and will need to remain highly focused throughout the course, especially on the full-time programme.

'The course is very intense, but the timetable is well-organised. The experience is very rewarding.'

Pre-Course Support

Pre-Course Self Study Starter Pack

Upon receipt of your payment you will be given access to the online Starter Pack, which we recommend you begin studying immediately. This consists of background information and preparation materials, covering approximately 20 hours of instruction in methodology, grammar and pronunciation. Completion of the Starter Pack is compulsory and ensures that every member arrives at the start of the course with the same minimum level of language awareness. Completion of your Starter Pack will ensure you are well prepared for a short task on the first day of the course, revising key points.

Optional Pre-Course Workshops

Trainees are encouraged to attend our new pre-course TESOL skills and knowledge workshops, providing a solid foundation for success on the course. See our CPD calendar for upcoming workshops.

Introduction to the EfA Trinity CertTESOL
Introduction to Grammar
Introduction to Phonology
Teaching Vocabulary
TESOL Methods and Approaches
Using Technology in the Classroom
Focusing on the ESOL Learner
Career Pathways

Course Content

Input seminar sessions combine TESOL theory and practice to develop course participants’ knowledge of language, teaching skills and preparedness to enter the TESOL industry. Trainers draw on their extensive experience of international ESOL teaching to advise and help trainees to prepare for the practical components of the course. Lesson preparation, teaching practice and reflective feedback constitute the classroom practice which trainees deliver on the course. Trainees are also taught how to effectively use resources such as textbooks, supplementary materials and audio visual aids, giving them realistic expectations about the language learning environments in which they will work on successful completion of the course.

At the end of the course, trainees’ portfolio work is reviewed by an independent Trinity moderator from the UK, who discusses progress on the course with trainees and assesses all submitted work to the Trinity standard.

Every trainee must attend and successfully complete all five of the course units. The work for Units 1, 2, 3 and 5 is marked by your internal course tutors and moderated or sampled and checked by a member of the Trinity moderators panel at the end of every course. The moderator externally assesses the work for Unit 4. The Units are listed below.

Units 1-3

Unit 1: Teaching skills, assessed through:

Tutors’ evaluation of six hours of teaching with real learners
A journal including trainees’ own lesson plans, with self- and tutor-evaluation
A journal covering trainees’ reflective comments following observation of four hours of ESOL teaching by experienced teachers

Unit 2 : Language awareness including grammar and phonology, assessed through:

A test or practical project
Ongoing use of spoken and written English

Unit 3 : Learner profile, assessed through:

The preparation of a simple linguistic profile and needs analysis, including some basic phonemic transcription, of a single learner
The planning of, and reflection on, a one-to-one lesson
The preparation of recommendations for the learner’s future language development

Units 4-5

Unit 4 : Materials assignment, assessed through:

Written rationale for the design and adaptation of one piece of teaching material used on the course
Written evaluation of its use in classroom teaching
Interview with a Trinity moderator to discuss the ways in which materials development is beneficial to the development of teaching skills

Unit 5 : Unknown language, assessed through:

A journal of trainees’ reflective comments on four hours’ tuition in an unknown language from the point of view of a beginner-level language learner, including an analysis of the methods and teaching approaches experienced in the unknown language lessons

Professional awareness, self-reflection and development are ongoing themes on this course. Successful trainees must demonstrate an awareness of the needs of other colleagues in the team, both for teaching and non-teaching purposes, and the value of mutual support in the teaching, learning and training environment. They must also demonstrate an awareness of the need for professional development during and after the course, based on a constructive response to training input and feedback from tutors and peers.

For full details on the course content, download the CertTESOL Syllabus

Learning objectives

Successful trainees will be able to demonstrate the following on completion of the course:

knowledge of the main phonological, lexical and syntactic features of contemporary English
awareness of the learning needs of individuals or groups of learners, and of the motivation of learners in a variety of cultures and environments
ability to establish rapport, create and maintain learners' interest
ability to draw up a range of lesson plans with clear and achievable aims, using appropriate methods for learners with various needs
ability to manage and stimulate active participation among a class of learners and provide a relevant learning context and learning opportunities in relation to their learning objectives
ability to evaluate, use and adapt published material and create simple teaching material, which may include visual aids, audio, video and information / communications technology
broad understanding of the main advantages and disadvantages of various language teaching approaches
ability to evaluate their own effectiveness as teachers and to work cooperatively as members of a teaching team or group
awareness of the need to continue their professional development as ESOL teachers after training in a teaching post and through private study, further training or participation in professional networking events
awareness of the means of identifying a TESOL post after training, including using the media and professional associations, and of the main issues relating to employment in this area that may affect their future security and further professional development