Useful Links - Aston Language Centre

TEFL Courses
Getting a TEFL qualification need not be a lengthy or outrageously expensive process. Here are some TEFL training schools that offer short courses. And if your life between now and when you want to travel is too busy for attending classes, why not go for the distance learning option? This can also be cheaper than traditional face-to-face training. Prices quoted below were correct at the time of writing.

i-to-i
http://www.i-to-i.com/tefl/
i-to-i offers modular courses which you can take separately or combined according to your interests (Business English, Teaching Young Learners etc.). Prices start at 195 GBP for their core 40 hour online TEFL course. Accredited by the ODLQC (Open and Distance Learning Quality Council).

Global English
http://www.global-english.com
Offer a range of online and distance learning courses starting from about 200 GBP. Also some one week practical training courses in Portugal. Accredited by the ACTDEC (Accreditation Council for TESOL Distance Education Courses)

ITC
http://www.tefl.co.uk/
Training with ITC means a weekend face-to-face course and then an optional distance learning course. You cannot do the latter without first attending the weekend course. It currently costs 210 GBP for the weekend course, and 345 GBP for the two. Accredited by the ACTDEC (Accreditation Council for TESOL Distance Education Courses)

Bridge TEFL
http://www.bridgetefl.com See also http://www.teflonline.com for their online TEFL courses.
The online TEFL course currently costs 160 GBP. Otherwise, Bridge offers face-to-face courses in many countries but these are expensive. Accredited by ACCET (Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training)

TEFL Training
http://www.tefltraining.co.uk/
TEFL Training offers a weekend face-to-face course and a 140 hour distance leanring course. You can take either one separately or together at a discount. There is no accreditation information on their website.

Cactus TEFL.
http://www.cactustefl.com/
Cactus is not a training school itself, but rather acts as a portal to school websites. The Cactus website has an excellent listing of TEFL courses in many countries. The easy-to-use search tool allows you to search by type of course (Weekend/Distance Learning etc) as well as location. In the UK, the prices start at around 200 GBP. Cactus works mainly with Cambridge CELTA & Trinity TESOL providers.

Europa Pages
http://www.europa-pages.com/uk/tefl.html
This is a directory of schools offering TEFL and TESOL training. Entries have a lot of information including weblinks and contact details.

Some acronyms – EFL, ESL, ESOL, TEFL, TESL, TESOL etc., etc.:
EFL: General UK term for English as a Foreign Language.
ESL: English as a Second Language.
ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages.
TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language; English is learned as a foreign language by people who may need English for certain purposes such as business and tourism but who live in countries where English is not an official language.
TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language; English is learned as a second language by people who will need the language for every day life, for example as emigrants to the UK, US or Other English speaking countries.
TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; covers both the above situations, but is mainly favoured by certain UK academic institutions. TESOL Inc. is also the name of the largest English teachers’ organisations.
CELTA: Certificate in English Language Teaching for Adults. Administered by University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES).
DELTA: Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults.
EAP: English for Academic Purposes.
ESP: English for Specific Purposes.
IELTS: International English Language Testing System. Exam for non-native speakers of English developed by UCLES and the British Council.
TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language. Key US exam for students of English