Online TEFL certification, or Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification, is your golden ticket to teaching English to non-native speakers around the world or even online. Think of it as the ultimate crash course in teaching – it equips you with all the tools, skills, and confidence you need to lead a classroom (or a Zoom call) full of eager English learners.

So, what’s actually involved? An online TEFL course will teach you everything from how to plan engaging lessons to managing a classroom full of students. You’ll also get a deep dive into English grammar – even the tricky bits you might not have thought about since school! More expensive online TEFL courses may include hands-on teaching practice, so you can try out your skills in real-life situations. However, most courses do not. Our 168-hour course gives our students the opportunity to produce a demo lesson, but teaching actual students presents a range of issues (e.g. safeguarding and logistics) that make it extremely difficult for most TEFL course providers. If you are looking for actual practical experience, consider a CELTA course or an internship.

But who’s online TEFL certification for? Honestly, it’s for anyone with a passion for teaching and a love for travel or connecting with people. Whether you’re a recent graduate, someone looking for a career change, or just a wanderlust-fueled adventurer, TEFL is your gateway to teaching English abroad or online.

Now, why is it so important? For starters, most employers – whether they’re schools in Thailand or online platforms – require a TEFL certificate. It’s proof that you know what you’re doing, have some background knowledge about teaching English as a foreign language, and have develop an awareness of the key skills that must be developed and honed as you gain practical teaching experience. Plus, even if you’ve never taught a day in your life, a TEFL course will prepare you to teach confidently and effectively. It also opens doors to amazing opportunities in places like Japan, Spain, China, and beyond. And if teaching online is more your vibe, many platforms like VIPKid and Cambly love hiring TEFL-certified teachers.

You might’ve heard of other certifications like TESOL or CELTA and wondered how they compare. TESOL is similar but sometimes refers to teaching English in English-speaking countries, while CELTA is a more intensive program focused on teaching adults. TEFL certification online (especially the best TEFL certification online, which we provide at studyTEFL!) is the most versatile option, perfect for teaching English practically anywhere. 120 hours of training is the industry standard and what most employers look for.

The best part? Online TEFL certification isn’t just about teaching. It’s a passport to new adventures, whether that’s working in a bustling city in Vietnam, exploring remote villages in South America, or teaching kids in your pajamas from the comfort of home. You’ll also gain valuable skills like communication, cultural awareness, and even public speaking.

So, if you’ve ever dreamed of teaching English, traveling the world, or simply doing something meaningful and rewarding, TEFL certification might just be the perfect fit. Got more questions or curious about where to start? Let us know – we’d love to help!

We are a UK-registered online TEFL course provider. We deliver the best cheap TEFL courses online through video and text lessons via our industry-standard 120 hour online TEFL certification course and 168 hour online TEFL certification course. These courses are accredited by OTCAC. StudyTEFL is also accredited by The CPD Group. Our founder and director, Dominic Burdon, is a UK-qualified teacher (PGDE) with 20 years global experience teaching English language and literature. We are a team of instructors mainly from the UK, but mostly residing in different locations around Asia. Each of us is actively teaching and highly qualified with at least a Master’s in TESOL and 10-15 years of English teaching experience.

We market our cheap TEFL courses with pride, knowing that our lessons and overall courses are as good as, or superior to, all other online-only courses out there. We earned OTCAC accreditation first time – meaning our course, despite its ‘cheap TEFL course’ status, far exceeds international standards set by the accreditation committee.

StudyTEFL’s 120-hour TEFL certification courses are 100% accessible from anywhere with internet access. While many cheap accredited TEFL programs require essays, our comprehensive quizzes ensure you develop an in-depth understanding of the content without the paperwork burden. All units in our affordable TEFL certification online courses are supplemented by instructional videos that enhance learning. Some cheap TEFL courses sometimes cut corners on quality, but not ours — try our free units for your peace of mind about our teaching standards. Our online TEFL certification also includes a free TEFL course for Premium Packagae students, adding value to your TESOL certification online journey without additional cost. We offer one of the most complete yet cheap TEFL courses UK-made but globally available.

In terms of trust, we have the credentials (you can verify everything openly online – we are fully open and accountable), but we understand your hesitation: Google “Cheap TEFL courses reddit” and there’s a whole world of confusing comments from fake (TEFL course provider) reviewers and genuine students alike going from the extremes of “Cheap TEFL courses are fine for getting a TEFL job” to “Cheap TEFL courses are terrible and they’ll get you laughed at!” The truth is that no employer is going to laugh at your TEFL certification, but they might not find some certifications credible. StudyTEFL certification is credible, is verifiable, and is reputable. Further, when you make a payment to our site, your money is protected by either Stripe or PayPal (and your credit card provider). We follow UK and EU law regarding our digital products. Read our terms to know your rights.

Technically, a TEFL certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) is used to teach English to non-native speakers in places where English isn’t the first language, while a TESOL certificate (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is for English teachers teaching anywhere. However, both are internationally recognized certifications for aspiring English teachers and are treated as effectively the same thing by most employers worldwide. 

To recap in slightly more detail:

• TEFL certification is mainly for those who plan to teach English to non-native speakers in countries where English is not the first language—for example, teaching in places like Thailand, China, or Spain.
• TESOL certification is a broader term. It applies to teaching English both abroad and to learners living in English-speaking countries, such as immigrants or visitors in the USA, UK, or Australia.

Both TEFL and TESOL certification is widely accepted by employers worldwide and open doors to teaching English online or overseas – our TEFL-TESOL certificates actually read “TEFL-TESOL Certificate”. At studyTEFL, our 120-hour online TEFL course fully equips you for both TEFL and TESOL teaching opportunities across the globe.

From €25 right now, but our prices will rise in the future. Our students consistently say that we provide great value. Be sure to check what you get with certification – all courses include a digital TEFL-TESOL certificate, but paying a little extra gets you QR-embedding, self-print certs, and a verifiable online webpage certificate, among other extras.

You’re in the right place! We offer accredited TEFL courses UK-registered and made by UK-qualified teachers. Our affordable TEFL certification can be earned by anyone around the world, though we do ask that you are over 18 years of age. Simply click ‘Enroll’ (you might see this spelled as ‘enrol’ – it’s simply a UK versus American spelling difference), pay for your course, and then you’ll be redirected to the course enrollment page. You’ll need to click ‘Enroll’ on the course page, then start the first lesson of your course.

Learning involves watching videos, reading the text, and then either re-watching the videos or re-reading the text (or both!) to make sure you’ve really understood the content. After this, you should complete any lesson flows to get the secret password to use in the matching unit quizzes. Lesson flows are guided multiple choice flows that eventually get a bit more complex as the course proceeds (in order to help you visualize a real TEFL classroom environment).

After completing all the units, there’s a final multiple-choice exam with some questions relating to an attached lesson plan. Pass these quizzes and you’ll receive a digital TEFL cert (cheaper courses) or for $10 extra, get 2 beautiful digital certificates and a transcript in your inbox as well as a password-protected link to the online version of your TEFL certificate: the QR code on the certificates links to this online version for verification. You can then self-print your own TEFL certificate to use officially and when applying for jobs. You also get 6 months of extra course access for the $10 extra, but most students don’t need this.

Our cheap accredited TEFL program is 120 hours long -calculated by combining reading time, instructional videos, and comprehensive quizzes. While some students complete this online TEFL certification course faster, we recommend fully absorbing the material to excel in future online TEFL jobs or teach English abroad opportunities. If you dedicated 12 hours a day to your study, you could finish the course in just over a week. If you are already familiar with some of the learning material, are a fast learner, or decide to skip some of the material (which we do not condone) then you could become TEFL certified slightly quicker. However, our material is vast and our quizzes require thought, so please do not expect to pass our course in a day! 

The 40-hour Business TEFL and 40-hour Teaching English to Young Learners courses (normally sold as separate TESOL certification online programs) are time-rated similarly. Students enrolling in these extra courses alongside their 120 hour online TEFL course will have the additional hours applied to their official TEFL certificate (e.g., 160-hour TEFL certificate online), unless they specify that they want the certificates separately. 168 hours is the maximum we can put on a TEFL certificate because that is the limit of our accreditation. Therefore, if a student completes the 168-hour TEFL certification course and then completes a 40-hour Business TEFL course, they will receive two separate TEFL certificates – it also looks more impressive on your c.v.!

Level 3 TEFL courses are OFQUAL-regulated (England regulator only) at 120 hours of TEFL training. Level 5 TEFL courses require around 160 to 170 hours of TEFL training and OFQUAL regulation. Many TEFL companies claim to be Level 3 or Level 5, whereas they are only ‘equivalent’, since without OFQUAL approval in England, they simply are not. Our courses are ‘equivalent’ to Level 3 and Level 5 TEFL courses, but we are not willing to pay the many thousands of pounds annually to get the official recognition of ‘Level’ status. Our 120-hour TEFL course covers all of the same topics, theory, and knowledge as other 120-hour TEFL courses, whether they are Level 3 or not. It’s a bit like trying to highlight the difference between an Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy smartphone – they both share similar capibilities on 99% of checkpoints, but they differ ever so slightly on what they offer for the other 1% of capabilities. Our 120-hour TEFL course is a Level-3 equivalent. Our course speaks for itself in terms of quality, but we are also accredited independently. Employers look for 120-hour TEFL certification in most cases, as do other officials such as education boards. Our 168-hour TEFL course, which we will include on the site soon, is a Level 5 TEFL course equivalent, but this is only really recommended for those seeking positions with young learners. With that said, most teachers find the 120-hour online TEFL course to be sufficient for all of their English teaching needs.

Our Accredited 120-Hour TEFL Course (equivalent to OFQUAL Level 3 TEFL courses) with up to 120 hours of TEFL training that provides well-rounded theoretical knowledge, skill-building, and broader teaching knowledge enabling trainees to function confidently and capably within an English classroom or online teaching environment. Our accredited 168-hour TEFL course (OFQUAL Level 5 TEFL course equivalent) requires a large amount of additional training and learning time to be spent focusing on particular learner groups (e.g. young learners and adult learners). The 168-hour TEFL course that we assembled mostly focuses on young learners (40 hours TEYL), but also dedicates 4-8 hours of time time on adult learners (with 4 hours potentially put towards lesson planning and producing a demo lesson video).

Many TEFL companies claim to be Level 3 or Level 5, whereas they are only ‘equivalent’, since without OFQUAL approval in England, they simply are not. Our courses are ‘equivalent’ to Level 3 and Level 5 TEFL courses, but we are not willing to pay the many thousands of pounds annually to get the official recognition of ‘Level’ status. Our 120-hour TEFL course covers all of the same topics, theory, and knowledge as other 120-hour TEFL courses, whether they are Level 3 or not. It’s a bit like trying to highlight the difference between an Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy smartphone – they both share similar capibilities on 99% of checkpoints, but they differ ever so slightly on what they offer for the other 1% of capabilities. Our 120-hour TEFL course is a Level-3 equivalent. Our course speaks for itself in terms of quality, but we are also accredited independently. Employers look for 120-hour TEFL certification in most cases, as do other officials such as education boards. Our 168-hour TEFL course, which we will include on the site soon, is a Level 5 TEFL course equivalent, but this is only really recommended for those seeking positions with young learners. With that said, most teachers find the 120-hour online TEFL course to be sufficient for all of their English teaching needs.

• TEFL certification
• Fully online & automated tuition
• Digital PDF TEFL certificate (self-printable with QR-code if you pay a little more)
• Online certificates (again, paying that little extra gets you a webpage with verification)
• Free games material packets
• Free lessons pre-purchase
• Text & video content
• Scenario-based lesson flows
• Quizzes instead of essays
• TEFL jobs board with links to jobs and recruiters
• Technical & tutor support
• Lifetime login access
• 14-day full refund for unused courses*

Once you have completed our 120-hour online TEFL certification course with a passing grade, you will receive digital certification (a TEFL-TESOL certificate with our seal). Paying a little extra means you’ll get 2 extra certs and QR-embedding on all 3 certificates, meaning one can be self-printed in A4 size. Our TEFL certification courses are immediately available upon completion. The online version of your TEFL course certification (included with the bundle that costs a little more) can be viewed by anyone with your course completion code and surname 24/7 through our teacher record TEFL verification system.

Most employers hiring for online TEFL jobs or positions to teach English abroad accept our digital certificates as they are, but we also now send two types with the higher-fee version of each course (one with our seal image and one without that includes a QR-code, which scans to your own webpage version of the TEFL certificate). The QR-code version without seal can be self-printed on 250-300gsm card and used as your professional certificate, which saves you a small fortune in shipping costs.

However, some people just love the feel of foil-embossed certificates, so a physical version with embossed seal is available for an additional fee. We use UPS secure courier to deliver our beautiful, gold-foil sealed, embossed, hardback card certificates for your affordable TEFL certificate online (that’s a lot of adjectives to describe a printed card, but we’re always proud of how they turn out!). You are charged only UPS shipping plus a $12 admin fee for this premium version of your online TEFL certification credential.

If DHL or Fed-Ex are offering more affordable rates than UPS to your destination for delivering your physical online TEFL course certificate, of course we are happy to use them instead! Our goal is making your TEFL certification online experience completely satisfying from enrollment through to certification.

When you pass a Study TEFL course online, you will receive a beautiful certificate; however, opt for the bundle that costs just $10 more and you’ll get transcript, self-print cert, QR-code embedding, and your own webpage for ESL certification verification. You also have the option of receiving a hardcopy paper version, but with our self-print style of TEFL certification, there’s really no need to be so extravagant!

Our lower overheads allow us to provide cheap TEFL certification without sacrificing quality. Experience our professional online TEFL course by trying our free units – see firsthand how our affordable TEFL certificate online course maintains exceptional standards despite the lower price – we know that not everyone can afford hefty prices for unknown online TEFL courses.

We achieve our cheap TEFL course rates through minimal overhead costs and an efficient automated system. All of our tutors who support your online TEFL certification journey work as full-time professional teachers, eliminating expensive dedicated salaries – these savings are passed directly to you! While pursuing your accredited TEFL certification aspirations, you might occasionally wait up to 48 hours for responses to messages (shock-horror!), though we typically reply within one working day. Overall, our streamlined approach enables us to offer truly cheap TEFL courses in South Africa, the UK, and worldwide while maintaining the professional standards required for successful online TEFL jobs or opportunities to teach English abroad. We’re cheaper than TEFLmasters, worldtesolacademy, Universal TEFL, and all of the other big players in our TEFL league; however, our content and professionalism is also on par with course providers that charge multiple times our price.

While searching for ‘cheap TEFL courses UK online’ or ‘cheap TEFL courses in South Africa’, for example, you’ll likely encounter “free TEFL certification” offers somewhere on the search pages. Let’s be honest, as tempting as this might first sound, quality education is never truly free. Our free TEFL course (40 hours of study) is indeed complementary, but this TEFL certification online package is for business TEFL and is only available for paying students who have undertaken the 120-hour TEFL certificate course. 120 hours is the industry standard for a reason. Google ‘cheap TEFL courses Reddit’ and you’ll find a number of opinions: some real and some obviously fake. If you decide to go with a free TEFL course, please make sure it suits your needs – both in terms of learning (consider if having no videos or teaching demos is your style) and in certification. Does the free TEFL course provide a free TEFL certificate? Is that TEFL certificate accepted for notarization and apostilling?

Employers are sceptical of 120-hour free TEFL courses because they usually provide minimal lesson- and teaching- quality: companies offering these usually have no genuine care for the quality of their course and simply want to rush you through the process in order to make money placing you in a school that pays them a fee or selling you expensive certificates.

Our advice is to be wary of such companies. When exploring options for the cheapest TEFL certification online, remember that someone invested time, expertise, and resources creating those materials. Be thorough, check out reviews and the quality of the content before paying or investing your valuable time. Even if your goal is simply to fly through the content to get a digital TEFL certificate in your inbox for a pay rise, make sure that ‘TEFL certification free’ doesn’t mean ‘TEFL certificate that employers don’t respect’ or ‘TEFL certificate that looks illegitimate’.

When evaluating online TEFL certification programs claiming to be entirely free, consider what’s missing:

• Is the “free” content in these TESOL certification online programs outdated, irrelevant, or error-filled?
• Will your cheap accredited TEFL certificate look obviously auto-generated, damaging your credibility with employers?
• Is the company offering “free” certification actually a recruitment agency making their profit by placing you in lower-paid teaching positions?

We allow you to try 3 free lessons – we do this because we are confident about the quality of our courses. The free TEFL lessons that we offer should give you peace of mind about our teaching style and the quality of our lessons.

Our affordable yet professional online TEFL course strikes the right balance – quality education at accessible prices. While we offer among the most competitively priced cheap TEFL course online, we never compromise on educational standards. Remember, investing in proper online TEFL certification is investing in your teaching future – when something claims to be completely free, there’s almost always a hidden cost. With the studyTEFL free TEFL course, we require that you buy the 168-hour version – that’s our end goal, to educate you more and, of course, to be somewhat remunerated for it! 

Sure you can! Our online TEFL certification used to have only a 6-month completion window, but that felt too restrictive for those balancing teaching aspirations with busy lives.

Life happens—work, family, chores, and relaxation sometimes take priority over your TEFL certification course. Just relax! We understand that flexibility matters, whether you’re pursuing TESOL certification online to teach English abroad or seeking online TEFL jobs from home. What we call the ‘best cheapest online TEFL certification program’ accommodates your schedule and can be extended beyond a year for a small fee.

As an accredited TEFL course provider, studyTEFL certification is accepted worldwide. Employers can check your completed TEFL status online with your unique certification code. If you need your accredited TEFL certificate for visa purposes, be aware that this may mean paying for a hardcopy certificate (though the UK FCO does offer an e-service), then also paying for notarization (in some cases just a solicitor’s certification) and apostilling in the UK through the government. Beyond producing and mailing your professional, embossed certificate, we do not offer this apostille service ourselves; however, we can offer you advice on which company may assist you. Some places may be able to offer a ‘digital’ service, but this is your responsibility to check. There are numerous agencies that offer both of these services, but it depends on which country requires the certificate.

Yes, if your request falls within 14 days from the course purchase, of course! As a reputable, accredited TEFL course provider, studyTEFL has a 14-day no questions asked (except for ‘How can we improve our service in the future to better serve our students?’) refund policy. Our accreditors require this, but we would offer it anyway, because we don’t want to take someone’s money if they are not satisfied with our course or customer service. We operate within both EU and UK law for digital services, both of which are fair to consumers and businesses. As such, if students have used a digital product, gained from it, and/or downloaded material, the owner is entitled to fair compensation.

Therefore, within ours terms, we set out a scaled deduction policy which we are entitled to enact should students start the course and use our digital material. We offer free lessons and operate with transparency, so please engage with our content in the free lessons and feel free to contact us to ask questions before purchasing to see if our teaching style is a good fit for your learning needs. With that said, we do recognize that circumstances change, and we do our utmost to ensure that any refund requests are met with fairness, kindness, and understanding. Our refund policy is there to protect our customers, but also serves to protect our hard work. We are teachers: we know the value of money and the value of education, so we always endeavor to do the right thing and leave our students feeling positive. Please contact us with any concerns or queries.