4 Reasons Why You May Need to Take Another TEFL Course

Are you TEFL certified? Are your teaching skills rusty? Do you feel unprepared to teach on a professional level? Did you take a cheap TEFL class with no practicum? Are you having issues navigating the international job market to get a job teaching English overseas?

Why Retake a TEFL Course?

If any of these questions above apply to you, it might be a sign that you should get TEFL recertified and (re)take a second, higher-level TEFL course.

Can I retake TEFL?

If you don't pass your TEFL course and still want to teach English abroad or online, you can retake your TEFL course. Even if you are TEFL certified, you should consider taking a second TEFL class if your skills are rusty or your original TEFL course did not meet international standards.

Why you May Need to Retake a TEFL Course:

1. Your ESL Teaching Skills Are Rusty

2. Your First TEFL Course Did Not Meet International Standards

3. You took a TEFL Course But Still Lack Confidence & Skills

4. You Want Access to High-Quality Job Search Guidance & Support

Let's look at all 4 reasons in detail:

1. Your ESL Teaching Skills Are Rusty & Need To Be Refreshed

One significant aspect of a TEFL certification is that it doesn’t expire. However, it doesn’t mean that your teaching skills stay sharp forever. Take even just a couple of years off from teaching ESL, and the chances are high that you will not retain many of the basic skills required to successfully provide your students with the quality educational experience they deserve. 

If you’ve lost some of your teaching skills, taking a second high-quality TEFL certification course will help you not only to recapture any skills you may have lost with time but to learn new, updated teaching practices in TEFL. Bear in mind that in a field like English language education in the 21st century, new technologies and teaching methods are changing the teaching of ESL every single year. It may seem hard to believe, but what might have been considered a best practice just a few years ago could be outdated.

If you think taking a second TEFL course is redundant, remember that it is commonly required for teachers in the U.S. and around the globe to regularly take continuing education courses to maintain and develop their skills. It is also a typical requirement for professionals in other fields, from pharmacists and pilots to lawyers and engineers.

Even if you can get hired with a TEFL certification that you earned in the past, if your skills are not up to par, it will negatively impact not only your students’ experience but your own as well. Teachers who feel unprepared or overwhelmed because their skills are lacking are far more likely to quit their jobs.

2. You Took a TEFL Course That Did Not Meet International Standards 

Spend 5 minutes searching TEFL certification on the Internet, and you will encounter a myriad of course options ranging from $39 self-taught classes on Groupon to high-quality courses taught by university instructors that may cost from $1400 - $3000 or even more. 

It can be confusing, and many people seeking to teach English abroad or online do not understand that not all TEFL classes are equal. In addition, they may not realize that employers seek to hire ESL teachers holding a TEFL certification that meets internationally recognized standards. As a result, they take the cheapest class possible without understanding the detrimental impact it can have on their ability to get a good ESL teaching job abroad.

During the past 5-10 years, employers - including schools, language institutes, government programs, and online teaching companies - have become far more strict when it comes to requiring teachers to hold an accredited TEFL certification that meets internationally recognized standards.   

These basic standards include:

• At least 100 hours of training and coursework (equivalent to a full-time 4-week intensive course);

•  At least 6 hours of live practice teaching (practicum) with actual ESL students (since COVID-19, this can typically be completed in a live classroom environment, or virtually). 

• The course is taught by qualified university-level instructors (typically this means holding at least an MA in teaching English as a foreign language or linguistics, a DELTA or extensive professional training and English teaching experience);

• The course employs a curriculum that is accredited and externally monitored by independent, credible organizations in the field. If you want to receive the professional training you need to teach at a professional level and gain a recognized certification that will qualify you for tens of thousands of jobs worldwide, you need to have an accredited 120-hour TEFL/TESOL certification course that meets the standards outlined above.

Read more: Is a 120-Hour TEFL Course Enough to Get a Good TEFL Job?

The chances are high that if you don’t take a course that meets these standards, you will find it much harder to get a job or even an interview, especially if you are applying for top jobs and programs.

It’s also important to note that potential employers typically ask for impromptu teaching demonstrations during the interview process for TEFL jobs. They may also ask you to explain a particular teaching methodology or practice. Therefore, if you are not up to speed in your skills, it will likely show during job interviews and could negatively impact your ability to get hired. 

Taking a second high-quality TEFL course that meets or exceeds these standards will qualify you for more and better job opportunities and better prepare you for the interview process.

Read more: 7 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Your TEFL Course

3. You Took a TEFL Course But Still Lack the Confidence & Skills to Teach English

Taking a substandard TEFL course can not only hurt your opportunities in the job market, but it can leave you with insufficient skills to teach on a professional level. For example, suppose you don’t possess sufficient skills in lesson planning, classroom management, error assessment, or teaching grammar (to name a few). In that case, your students will not receive the educational experience they deserve, and it will be that much more difficult for them to achieve their goal of learning English. 

Bear in mind that learning English can open doors to life-changing economic and educational opportunities for hundreds of millions of students, and they are investing precious time and money to learn English. As their ESL instructor, you owe it to them - even more than your employer - to be prepared to make their investment worthwhile.

In addition, your own experience as a teacher can be severely impacted if you lack the skills and preparation to teach on a professional level. One of the primary reasons first-time English teachers abroad quit their jobs is because they feel unprepared and overwhelmed for the job. Taking a new job in any field can be daunting and overwhelming at times - especially when working in a foreign country. A high-quality TEFL certification should provide you with the skills, training, and confidence you need to successfully manage a classroom and provide your students with the quality educational experience they deserve.

So, suppose you feel you lack sufficient skills, even after taking a TEFL course. In that case, taking a higher quality TEFL course can help provide you with the skills and training you need to provide your students and yourself with a rewarding experience in the classroom.

4. You Want Access to High-Quality Job Search Guidance & Support

Many aspiring international English students take a TEFL class only to find themselves without the support, guidance, and resources they need to actually get an ESL teaching job abroad or online. 

Why? Although there are hundreds of thousands of English teaching jobs that open up each year worldwide, the process of getting a teaching job overseas can be challenging to navigate. Hiring requirements, interview seasons, visa processes, recruiting practices, and many other aspects of getting hired to teach English overseas will vary from market to market and country to country. 

Unfortunately, many TEFL certification providers do not provide the guidance and resources that most of their students need to figure out how to get a job in South Korea or a visa that legally enables them to teach in Spain. As a result, their success rate in finding a good job is much lower, and in some cases, they may be taken advantage of by sketchy recruiters or language schools because they didn’t have the guidance to know any better. 

If you do take a second TEFL certification from a TEFL school that actually provides top-level job search support and resources, you can avail yourself of the best job opportunities and experience a much smoother job search process. 

Here at International TEFL Academy, we put a premium on providing our students with the best possible guidance and resources, including:

✔️ Personal guidance from an experienced Job Search Advisor: Our expert Job Search Advisors are available to speak with you and correspond by email to address all of your questions and to assist you with every aspect of your job search.

✔️ ESL Job Search Manual: All of our graduates receive a 400-page manual containing all relevant information for major job markets around the world, including hiring seasons, academic standards, and the interview process for teaching English abroad.

✔️ESL worldwide school directory:  We will send you a directory of over 20,000 schools & online teaching companies worldwide that you can contact directly regarding employment opportunities.

✔️ Referrals to preferred recruiters, placement agencies, online teaching companies, and language schools: International TEFL Academy enjoys a strong relationship with schools, recruiters, and placement agencies throughout the world. 

✔️ Job interview assistance for International TEFL / TESOL course participants: For students that take our four-week TEFL / TESOL course at an international location, the site director can arrange interviews or provide local contacts for your job search both during and after the training course.

✔️ Engaged alumni community of 35,000+ ITA graduates in 80 countries worldwide. 

Read more: 7 Key Tips for Choosing the Best TEFL School

Why Should I Get TEFL Recertified with International TEFL Academy (ITA)?

We strive to offer you world-class accredited TEFL certification courses, taught by university-level instructors & recognized by employers worldwide. By choosing ITA, you join a highly engaged community of 35,000 alumni and invest in an award-winning TEFL school that invests right back in your training. We won't only help you find a teaching job, we'll find the best TEFL job for you.

The entire ITA staff has lived, traveled, and/or taught abroad and online. We've been in your shoes, and now we seek to empower you to experience the world and make a difference, just like we did.

Here are some key elements of what sets ITA apart from other TEFL schools:

• Award-winning Online TEFL Courses and onsite TEFL classes are offered in 20 locations worldwide;

• All courses (including online courses) include live practice teaching and are taught by experienced university-level instructors who all possess advanced degrees and credentials;

• Top-level accreditation from recognized bodies in the field of TEFL;

• Lifetime Job Search Guidance, including personal, one-on-one assistance from our experienced advisors, as well as access to a life-long alumni support network;

• Proven success: since 2010, more than 35,000 ITA alumni have earned their TEFL certification and our graduates are teaching in 80 countries worldwide and online.

• Recognition as a leader in the field of education:  International TEFL Academy has been a top TEFL course provider winning a wide variety of awards in the field of International Education, including Best Online TEFL Course and Best USA TEFL Course by GoAbroad.com and GoOverseas.com.

In January 2021, ITA was recognized again for the third year running as the "Top Rated Organization for TEFL Certification" & "Top Online Program for TEFL Certification" by GoAbroad.com. In June 2021, ITA took home GoAbroad.com's People's Choice Award after being voted Best Education Organization by study abroad professionals, alumni, and students. ITA first won this award in 2018 when we became the first TEFL school ever to do so.

We look forward to helping you finally realize your dream of teaching English abroad and online. Please contact us anytime with questions. We're here to help!

Go further: How To Get Your TEFL Certification Online or In-Person in 4 Steps