TEFL 

In our last post I mentioned the TEFL course which I took in Ireland. Here goes a little bit more information for those who are interested in teaching abroad:

TEFL is an abbreviation for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It is not an organization or approval body. The abbreviation EFL is similar to ESL (… English as a Second Language – preferred in USA) or ESOL (… English to/for Speakers of Other Languages – used by some examination bodies and lately in reference to teaching immigrants in Britain and Ireland. Publishers tend to use ELT, English Language Teaching, yet many American universities still prefer TEFL for their teacher training courses. 

Any school can offer its own TEFL Certificate. The value of the certificate would be determined by the length of the course, the reputation of the school and the qualifications and experience of the trainers. 

ACELS, part of NQAI, is the quality assurance agency of the Dept. of Education & Skills for English Language Teaching. See www.acels.ie  and www.nqai.ie. Since 2005 the CELT (plus minimum Level 7 qualification (degree) is required for teaching in Dept. of Ed. & Sk. recognised language schools in Ireland. The Certificate is also widely recognised abroad and is equivalent to the Cambridge CELTA. 

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have 1) good general knowledge, 2) good learning skills, 3) competence in English and, most importantly, 4) good personal interactive skills.  

 *NB: although you may be awarded the CELT, unless you have a level 7 qualification (primary degree – see www.nqai.ie  - you will not be eligible to teach in a recognised language school in Ireland.  

If your first language is not English you should have a level of English equivalent to C1 on  the Council of Europe Scale.There are 6 hours teaching practice with real foreign students and you will observe at least 6 hours of classes.

As I did the course in Ireland, the information above is related to this country (Language College Irelan)  but you can also take the course in other countries. 

TEFL in Brazil:

http://www.eslbase.com/courses/brazil/

In this website you can find links of institutions that offer the course throughout Brazil.

Good luck!