July 2011.
Teaching English as a Foreign Language was certainly a popular occupation for travel fanatics at that time. The TEFL industry was growing and the famous acronym was becoming familiar to more and more people around the world. Although the typical TEFL abbreviations were quite commonly known concepts, TEFL courses weren’t as accessible as they are today. In fact, the idea of teaching abroad while travelling the world, or indeed teaching online and living a nomadic lifestyle, seemed very out of reach for many people. The TEFL Academy opened its doors with the aim of increasing the accessibility of the TEFL course in the market and helping people achieve their dreams of living and working abroad.
Read more: TEFL Abbreviations and Acronyms Explained
Ten years ago. Ten years might not seem like a long time in the greater scheme of things, but so much has happened since that day. The TEFL industry has significantly improved for students and the jobs market has increased globally, with a higher demand for TEFL teachers recorded in recent years than ever before. The TEFL Academy has had a part to play in the growth and success of the TEFL industry over the last ten years, and in honour of our ten year anniversary of changing lives all over the world – let us look at ten reasons to celebrate this milestone.
We are the world’s leading TEFL provider
We are ten years old and the world’s leading TEFL provider – not bad for a tweenie! Not only that, but we were the world’s first TEFL course provider to have received accreditation from government-regulated awarding bodies both in the US and the UK. Our course is regulated by Ofqual and awarded by Qualifi, plus our Level 5 TEFL course is DEAC-approved as meeting the criteria for Approved Quality Curriculum status.
While that is a bit of a mouthful, what that means is that we are accredited by international bodies. More importantly for our TEFL trainees, our TEFL qualification is recognised all over the world.
We have trained over 100 000 TEFL teachers
We are changing the world, one teacher at a time.
What started as a trickle of teachers in 2011 soon become a flood as our reputation as a credible TEFL course provider grew. By March 2014 we had our first 10 000 students signed up to take our TEFL course, then 50 000 by September 2018, and 100 000 by April 2020. This means we have trained over 100 000 TEFL teachers and sent them out into the world to make a difference teaching English.
We are everywhere
It’s possible to do a TTA TEFL course 100% online, which means you can do it from the comfort of your own home, or wherever you might be currently hanging your hat. Or you can do it online with an additional practical component face-to-face at one of our campuses. No matter where you are, there is sure to be a TTA campus near you. We now have over 70 campuses in 17 different cities all over the world, from Adelaide to Montreal to York.
In fact, we have more course locations than any other TEFL provider.
We have a world-class team
That’s right, all of our TEFL trainers are qualified and experienced TEFL teachers themselves. After all, who better to train you in the art of teaching, than teachers themselves. Their knowledge and experience mean they are the best people to advise you on your TEFL journey. Our team provides support for every TTA student from the moment they sign up until they secure a job (and for many years after if you fancy becoming a Brand Ambassador)! Any questions or queries and one of our trainers is just a click away.
We created the TEFL Learning Centre
As we grew, we understood there was a need for an increased level of support for our trainees. As a result, we put together a learning and resources hub – the TEFL Learning Centre – filled with blog posts, articles and information about all things TEFL – from the basics of TEFL, to lesson planning tips and classroom resources, to jobs and career prospects. In our mission to spread true and factual information regarding teaching English as a Foreign Language, this resource is free and openly available online.
We wrote the book on TEFL
But we didn’t stop there. We literally wrote the book on TEFL! In 2020 we published the world’s first definitive guide to teaching English in countries around the world, the TEFL World Factbook. From Algeria to Zambia, you’ll find everything you need to know about teaching conditions, salaries, visa requirements, top tourist destinations, and even the weather in your chosen destination.
We have more job opportunities than any other provider
We guarantee to put you in the best possible position for employment upon completion of our TEFL course. As we mentioned above, we only offer accredited courses that are recognised worldwide. Plus – our TEFL course is highly regarded by industry professionals, meaning we have established links with reputable recruiters all over the world – they love us! With thousands of jobs listed on our jobs board in countries all over the world, you won’t be long finding your dream job. We offer ongoing job support from CV assistance to interview prep and career guidance, our team are always on hand to help you along your TEFL journey!
We have taken the online teaching world by storm
2020 saw the world change in a way we never expected. The world shut down, closed her borders and everyone stayed at home. But The TEFL Academy rolled with the punches. We took the opportunity to expand online. Our online bookings went through the roof as we showed people all over the world that teaching English online was the answer. We ramped up our online offerings and created specific resources to help our TTA students become the best online teachers they could be.
When many teachers-in-training were disappointed when they had to give up on participating in the practical aspect of their course, we developed the 10-hour Teaching Practice course. This course gives you real experience teaching a lesson in a virtual classroom. So even when we can’t practice teaching face-to-face, we can do it together online. Besides, there really is no better way to prepare for teaching English online than, well, teaching English online.
We have won awards
2020 was also the year that saw us win the Go Overseas award for Overall Top TEFL Course Provider. But this shouldn’t be surprising, considering our average course rating from our students is 4.9 (out of 5) from almost 4 000 online reviews – we must be doing something right!
We are bringing education to children in remote communities
Taking this mission one step further, in October 2020, The TEFL Academy proudly announced our partnership with United World Schools, which will bring quality education to communities that need it most. We have just completed our first primary school build together in Kanpur, Nepal, which will educate the young children of the area who previously had no access to education. By breaking the cycle of illiteracy, these children will be able to lift their families out of poverty. We have funded the building of the school as well as the first year of schooling and additional resources, and we can’t wait to welcome our first 150 students.
Our Kanpur school building project is flying along! Take a look at these images @teamUWS has sent us from the site
In just a few short weeks, the build will be completed and we are so excited to share more footage with you when the time comes
#TTAxUWS #TeachTheUnreached pic.twitter.com/84DihQFT4b
— The TEFL Academy (@TEFLAcademyUK) May 7, 2021
To celebrate our ten-year milestone, we’re giving back even more. For every TTA purchase made during this time, we’ll be donating €10 to our UWS project to go towards school resources and supplies.
What’s more, there are plenty of opportunities for you to win as well! There are going to be a whole bunch of competitions online to give you chances to win amazing prizes. €1 000 worth of flights and ten TTA top-up courses worth €120 each are up for grabs over the next couple of weeks so make sure you are following us on social media to enter – you have to be in it to win it!
Ten years. A lot has happened since July 2011, and no doubt there is more to come. But one thing is sure: we couldn’t have done any of this without our amazing TEFL trainees, who continue to teach, enrich, and inspire.
The post 10 Reasons to Celebrate 10 Years appeared first on The TEFL Academy Blog.
