Is Doing a TESOL/TEFL Certificate Really That Easy?

Let’s find out! Rach puts our advice to the test. Is doing a TESOL Certificate a viable work online option?

You may have noticed we heavily promote the benefits of getting a TESOL/TEFL certificate as a way for people to get started as digital nomads. But first what is a digital nomad? Everyone has a different idea!

But for us we believe being a digital nomad is having the freedom to work from anywhere in the world, whether that is from your home, or while you travel the world.

Find out why life as a digital nomad isn’t just for hipsters and IT gurus.

Here are 9 Reasons Why Teaching English Online is Perfect for Digital Nomads, but here’s a quick recap:

  • You don’t have to have experience
  • A TESOL/TEFL certificate can be completed at a reasonable price
  • A TESOL/TEFL certificate can be completed in a short period of time while you plan your new life
  • There are lots of ESL jobs out there
  • Earn up to US$26 per hour, or even more if you work for yourself
  • You don’t need a degree
  • You’ll have more time to pursue other dreams and goals
ESL TESOL Certificates for Digital Nomads

Now to be upfront, neither of us have any teaching ESL experience. We have instead worked for years on the other side of things, recruiting teachers for positions all over the world including China, Thailand, Chile, Korea, Japan and France. And of course for positions online!

We know what schools want in an applicant, we know what a good resume looks like and how to help candidates get the roles they want. But honestly, we have no real idea what it is like to try and manage the time to get the TESOL/TEFL course completed while having other commitments. And as much as we have been told by graduates that the TESOL/TEFL course wasn’t too difficult, we really have no idea! We also don’t know what the recruiting process is like as a candidate when it’s time to actually try and find a job.

ESL TESOL Certificates for Digital Nomads

We get a lot of questions from people who are just itching to start their digital nomad adventure who are considering getting their TESOL/TEFL certificate and teaching English online.

The most common ones include:

  • Will it take forever to complete?
  • Is it worth the money?
  • Will I actually get a job when I finish?
  • Do I need to have any teaching experience?
  • Don’t I have to go to university to be a teacher?
  • Will I get help from my TESOL provider if I need it?
  • What if I haven’t studied for a long time?
  • Do I really need the TESOL certificate to get a job?
  • Should I do it online or face to face?

So we decided one of us was going to do the TESOL course to see what it’s really like!

We talked to our friends at eTEFL Online about the common questions we are asked and they agreed that one of us had to give the course a go to see how easy and worthwhile it is.

They kindly offered to sponsor me (Rach) to do their accredited 120 Hour TESOL/TEFL course!

It’s an internationally recognised online TEFL course and is the industry standard for TESOL certification. 

You could be working online, either from home or from anywhere in the world before you know it!

I know from a recruiting perspective that there are companies out there who take on candidates without a TESOL certificate, but most commonly that is for people who are already teachers. A lot of companies don’t even require a TESOL certificate to get started!

So you can start applying for jobs once you are enrolled, and have your ESL focused resume and cover letter sorted out.

I start my TESOL/TEFL course next week and will be keeping everyone up to date with how I go. My main goals are to answer the questions we get asked most often, and to gain some insight into what it is like for people wanting to become digital nomads who do a TESOL certificate.

We have decided to set some guidelines for the completion of this experiment, as we want to make it as realistic as possible for other prospective digital nomads. The guidelines include:

  • I am going to get no special favours from the eTEFL Online team, I am going to rely on their amazing tutoring and mentoring.
  • I am going to squeeze the course in around my other commitments which include all the normal things like home life, work and exercise.
  • I don’t have any special flash equipment, just a laptop and WiFi.
  • I aim to forget everything I know about the industry when studying and then use that information when searching for a job

This is really exciting! I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it, so you can see that it could be the right way for you to become a digital nomad yourself!

Further reading:

Part 2: Is Doing a TESOL/TEFL Certificate Really That Easy?

Part 3: Eliminating the Excuses

Part 4 – I Can Speak English, But Can I Teach It??

Discover Why Teaching Online is Perfect for Life as a Digital Nomad!

23 comments

  1. Hallo Jody

    Please advise what the price for the packages for South Africans. I see on other sites from iTELF (Nadine) there is prices from R 1950 and R 2650 ? Do you only give the dollar options?

    Kind regards

    Alicia Wichmann

    1. I would also like to know hey because I’ve seen different packages from as little as 2000 to 5000 something. Pls give me a package option for 120 hours in Rand.
      Thank you

      1. Hi Thenjiwe,

        eTEFL Online have 3 different packages and according to the currency exchange rate at xe.com right now, the equivalent prices are as follows…
        1) Standard Online – normally costs $297, but after 15% discount it’s $252 which is around ZAR 3,549
        2) Professional Online – normally costs $397, but after 15% discount it’s $337 which is around ZAR 4,748
        3) Complete Online – normally costs $497, but after 15% discount it’s $422 which is around ZAR 5,945

        Compare what you get with the other TESOL courses with what eTEL Online have to offer.
        With each of the 3 eTEFL Online packages, you also get a Standard course for free that you can share with someone else.
        Also, with the Complete Online Package you also get your resume re-designed to focus on the ESL industry, a customised cover letter, a customised video introduction script and interview practice with appraisal report. Plus you’ll receive extra support

    1. Thanks for getting in touch Oliver.

      eTEFL Online have 3 different packages and according to the currency exchange rate at xe.com right now, the equivalent prices are as follows…
      1) Standard Online – normally costs $297, but after 15% discount it’s $252 which is around ZAR 3,549
      2) Professional Online – normally costs $397, but after 15% discount it’s $337 which is around ZAR 4,748
      3) Complete Online – normally costs $497, but after 15% discount it’s $422 which is around ZAR 5,945

      The minimum age to do the course is 18.

  2. Hi. So I could work here from South Africa?Would I still get international students ? I watched a webinar but can’t seem to find it where they mentioned the payment in dollars .Would I still be paid in dollars ?

    1. Hi Karin,
      Yes! You certainly can work from Sth. Africa, teach students in China and get paid in US$. Online teaching is huge and more recruiting companies are popping up every day!

  3. I did the 120 hours TEFL course online and got my certificate, however, I cannot find work anywhere as I do not have a BA degree. I wish I new before doing the course that I need a degree. Could you perhaps recommend companies that hire without a degree as you mention in your ad that you do not need a degree. Thank you in advance for your reply.

  4. Good luck.I want to do it as well.Is there any guarantees that you would get work.Financially i am a bit cash strapped so i need a job after i completed the course.

    Please e mail me the application forms.

    1. Hi Andre, we sent you an email about it. Just a note to everyone, there are no guarantees for any job as it depends on the requirements that the recruiter is looking for. On saying that, we do know of people who have finished the course and have quite quickly picked up 2 part time Online teaching jobs with different companies.

      Also, there are no application forms to send just click on this link to eTEFL Online, select the type of course that you would like to do and make sure you enter the PROMO code JUSTESL15 to get 15% discount and the chance to win a full refund for the total cost of the course… Competition closes on 14th December 2018.

      Good luck!

    1. Hi Arti,

      There are no application forms to send just click on this link to eTEFL Online, select the type of course that you would like to do and make sure you enter the PROMO code JUSTESL15 to get 15% discount and the chance to win a full refund for the total cost of the course… Competition closes on 14th December 2018.

      Good luck!

  5. Is getting a TEFL certificate worth it? It really depends on your situation. If you plan to teach full-time in a country that requires a TEFL certificate, I would definitely get one. If you plan on teaching abroad for less than a year or part-time, then it’s a good idea but not totally necessary.

    And Happy New Year!

    1. Quite true Donovan. Did you hear of the recent changes in China? They announced that from December 2018, ESL/EFL teachers now require a TESOL certificate (even online teaching)

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