The Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL) is an initial teaching qualification designed to equip new and developing practitioners with the basic knowledge and skills they need for teaching English language.

The Trinity CertTESOL covers a comprehensive introduction to contemporary theory and practice of contemporary English language teaching. It provides an insight into the challenges facing learners and teachers in the classroom, with an emphasis on professional awareness and development.

The CertTESOL is rated at Level 5 on Ofqual’s Regulated Qualifications Framework, a comparable level to the second year of an undergraduate degree.

Career prospects

The CertTESOL is suitable for aspiring teachers from any background who are attracted to the English language teaching profession. A career in TESOL offers teachers opportunities to work at home and internationally and to experience life in different cultures.

The Trinity CertTESOL is accepted by the British Council and other international teaching organisations around the world as an initial English language teaching certificate.

Testimonials

The CertTESOL is one of the best courses a teacher could do. It changes everything you know and if not then it adds more to it. It is hard but it’s worth doing it and every single step you make you gain something without any question. All the tutors in the course are excellent and always there for you at anytime and that was one of the reasons I chose to do this particular course. Efthychia Vrouva (2020)

The [CertTESOL] course assignments are designed in such a way that are educational, helpful and insightful for even the most experienced teacher. Our tutors were approachable and always available to answer our questions. I was looking forward to the days of the course to learn with friends in a fun way! I definitely recommend the course to any teacher who is interested in improving their skills whether experienced or not! Denise Theodossi (2020)

The CertTESOL course was by far the most rewarding teacher training experience I had ever received. It was a demanding course, but the guidance and support offered by the highly professional course tutors enabled me and the other course members to achieve our goals.  We received consistent and frequent feedback on our performance, which meant that we were always aware of our progress and any necessary changes we needed to make. Marianna Antonopoulou (2020)

Content and assessment

The main course content is delivered and assessed through five 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:

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 take-home assignment.
• 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.

Unit 4 : Materials assignment, assessed through:

• written rationale for the development of one piece of teaching material.
• interview with a Trinity moderator to discuss the above and the ways in which materials development is beneficial to the development of teaching skills.

Unit 5 : Unknown language, assessed through:

• a journal covering trainees’ reflective comments on four hours’ tuition in an unknown language from the point of view of the beginner, including an analysis of the key aspects of methods and classroom management that affect the learner positively and negatively.

Professional awareness and development are ongoing themes. Successful trainees must demonstrate an awareness of the needs of other colleagues in the team, teaching and non-teaching, 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.

The QUALIFY course

The QUALIFY CertTESOL course is part-time over 12 timetabled weeks and delivered online.

The course uses a blended learning approach combining a printed coursebook, Moodle (asynchronous) and Zoom (synchronous) so you can attend the course from any location.

Synchronous Zoom input sessions are held 2 days per week and each last 2.5 hours. They are normally on weekday mornings.

The assessed teaching practice (Unit 1) can be classroom based, online via Zoom, or a mixture of both. This could be with your own learners and/or we can arrange suitable classes for you (there needs to be at least 5-6 learners in a class and at 2 different CEFR levels, e.g. A2 & B2).

As part of the course, we will cover continuing professional development and career paths, including advice and support on finding teaching work overseas (e.g. UK summer schools) and/or online.

Entry requirements

• Minimum age: 18
• Education and qualifications: enough for entry to higher education
• Excellent competence in spoken and written English: C2 (CEFR)
• Equipment: you will need an internet-enabled device (ideally laptop or computer) and a good internet connection to follow the course.

Course fees

€1,500 (includes Trinity examination fees and all materials). Payment in instalments can be arranged.

Course dates

28 November 2024 - 30 March 2025