Our Associateship in TESOL course is a fully distance learning course which you can study at your own pace, in your own time. The course covers all the important aspects of English language teaching to Adults: Language, Methodology, Learning, and Classroom resources.

Just because you’re studying at home, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be left entirely to your own devices. Once you enrol, we will assign you your own personal tutor who will be on hand to answer questions and help with assignments. You will also have scheduled tutorial times online with your tutor to discuss teaching related topics.

To keep the course as varied and interesting as possible, we deliver it through a series of readings and workbooks, interactive video files, secondary readings, practical and theoretical assignments and live or forum-based tutorials.

Best of all, although the course is designed to take 150 hours, there is no deadline, so you can take as long as you like. However, if your tutor feels you may be slipping behind, he or she will be on hand to give you friendly words of encouragement and advice.

The list of compulsory modules includes the following:

The Theory of Language
This is an introduction to linguistic theory, and provides a solid basis for considering language in the classroom

The Practice of TESOL
TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. This module considers issues like presenting new language, designing practice and communication activities, the classroom environment, the roles of learners and teachers, error correction, among many other things.

Practical Phonology
Phonology has to do with the study of sounds, which has a direct bearing on language teaching. It is essential that teachers understand how the language they are teaching is articulated, and this module provides a basis for understanding the English sound system.

Grammar (Language Awareness)
Grammar is a vast subject. The purpose of this module is both to de-mystify it and to cover the basic elements of English grammar.

Receptive Skills
This module deals with the use of texts and tapes in the classroom.

Productive Skills and Activities for Practice
This module develops upon The Practice of TESOL module, as it deals with how more complex communication activities are designed and used in the modern EFL classroom.

Testing and Assessment
This provides an overview of how to evaluate students’ proficiency and performance.

Vocabulary
This module considers the role that vocabulary plays both in language as a system, and language teaching. There have been some very interesting developments in vocabulary teaching in recent years, and this module will explore these in some depth.

Lesson Observations
One of the most effective ways to learn something is to watch someone doing it well. During the course you will observe a minimum of 8 hours of professional language teaching, via online video. This will help you to gain an understanding of what is involved in all aspects of language teaching.

Lesson Planning
It is important that teachers know how to structure and organise a coherent lesson. This module provides strategies and solutions for lesson planning.

Entry requirements
You must be at least seventeen at the start of the course. There’s no upper-age limit. If you decide to continue on to the Advanced Certificate, you must be able to demonstrate a sufficient level of competence in English – all skills. If you’re a non-native speaker of English, an IELTS score of 5.0 (or recognised equivalent) is essential, although this is only a partial benchmark.