TESOL: How long?

As TESOL courses come in a range of different shapes and sizes, the answer to this common question will vary depending on the one you choose. In order to meet the needs of all our trainees, ITTT has developed a set of unique courses that should cover every situation. As you will see below, each individual TESOL course has its own contents of study and its own overall timescale.

Which TESOL course can be completed in the quickest time?

If you are looking for the quickest turnaround when it comes to your TESOL certification, a short-format, introductory online course might be the way to go. At ITTT we have a 60-hour TESOL course that provides our fastest and most convenient route towards TESOL certification, although this option does come with caveats. Around the world many employers will expect their job applicants to have completed a minimum of a 100 or 120-hour course as these are long enough to cover all the basic skills and knowledge that first-time teachers require. Short-format courses are typically aimed at people who plan to teach on a voluntary basis or as teaching assistants. It is theoretically possible to complete this option in around a week if you are fully committed to your study.

Will a longer online TESOL course provide more benefits?

In order to meet the widely accepted minimum study length that is attached to most mainstream teaching jobs, we would recommend our 120-hour TESOL certification course. This is our most popular online option as it covers more than enough content to satisfy the majority of employers and to prepare you for everything that your first few days and weeks in the classroom will have in store. If you want to get your teaching career moving at pace, this option can realistically be completed in under two weeks. However, in order to get the most out of the training we would recommend somewhere around the average completion time of six to eight weeks.

What about in-class TESOL courses?

In contrast to our online courses, the in-class TESOL option has a fixed timetable that runs for four weeks straight. The theoretical content of the course will be largely the same as the 120-hour online course, with the addition of observed teaching practice that will allow you to practice everything you have learned in a real ESL classroom. Trainees who choose the in-class course will have dozens of great locations to pick from, in every corner of the world. Upon completion of your studies you should be fully prepared to set foot in your very own ESL classroom.

What about specialized and advanced TESOL courses?

On top of the courses mentioned above, ITTT also provides a number of specialized and advanced online courses that are designed to add extra weight to your teaching knowledge and job applications. We currently have three 60-hour specialized courses that can be completed in as little as a week if you are able to study full time, although three or four weeks is probably the average. These are: the course in teaching English to young learners (CTEYL), the course in teaching business English (CTBE), and the course in teaching English online (CTEO). Our advanced-level course is the online Diploma in TESOL which can be completed in around a month if you are highly motivated, although the average is around eight months.

Are there any time limits for completing a TESOL course?

As we have already covered, the in-class TESOL course runs on a fixed schedule of four weeks. Within this timeframe you will complete all sections of the training. Our online course options are completely different as they do not have any fixed schedules. Every trainee gets to decide for themselves what pace of study to go for. However, in order to ensure you are still familiar with the early parts of the course by the time you get to the closing stages, there are maximum time limits for each course. Our 120-hour course must be completed within six months of the start date, while the Diploma in TESOL has a maximum limit of one year.