On Tuesday 3 May, SEDA College was proud to announce the successful completion of their first Trinity College London CertTESOL training course. Trainees from this course are now certified as English Language Teachers.
The CertTESOL (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) course is equivalent to the Cambridge CELTA certification, both of which are widely accepted in Ireland. Either of these courses (in conjunction with a university degree) qualifies the holder to teach English to International visa students here in Ireland. Both are recognised globally as leading qualifications in English language teaching.
The 7-week CertTESOL course programme is made up of 130 contact teaching hours. The first 3 weeks are timetabled from 16:30 until 18:30 each day, Monday to Friday. These weeks focus on input sessions relating to Language Awareness & Skills, Unknown Language, Teaching Skills, Learner Profile, Materials Assignments as well as Supervised Lesson Planning & Teaching Practice feedback. The final 4 weeks are scheduled between 13:00 and 18:30, where trainees engage in teaching observations and teaching practice as well as continuing to deepen their theoretical understanding of the teaching process.
The trainees were asked to describe the course in one word and the comments described the CertTESOL as “amazing”, “useful”, “supportive” and “interesting”. Ester said that she sees it as having great relevance to her career and future: “I did this course because I’m super passionate about teaching and professional development, and now that I’ve just finished, I’m planning to be a teacher here at SEDA. I am looking forward to applying all the knowledge that I acquired during the CertTESOL course to provide dynamic, targeted, learner-centred teaching to my students”.
Sara, another trainee, has always wanted to be an English teacher. She says that this course has allowed her to achieve her ambition: “I’ve been living in Ireland for so long and always wanted to be an English teacher. When I found out about this qualification, I thought it matched exactly my plans for the future. Now that I have become a recognised TESOL Teacher, I want to continue in this career and do what I love”.
Giuliana commented that she really liked the timetable of this CertTESOL course as it enabled her to complete this intensive course, while still being able to keep her mornings free for other commitments: “This timetable allowed me to work and study at the same time – thank you SEDA!”
CertTESOL course
SEDA is validated as a Trinity College London course provider for the CertTESOL. Their Teacher Training Programme is taught by an established team of highly qualified and experienced teachers who have taught English all over the world. Their focus is on collaborative learning and the development of critical thinking skills – both for CertTESOL Trainees and for their language students.
The Trinity CertTESOL is accepted by the British Council, Quality and Qualifications Ireland and other international teaching organisations as an initial teaching qualification suitable for teachers working in English language teaching.
Trinity College London describes their certificate course as “a TESOL or TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate designed for people with little or no experience of teaching English, and for those with experience who require an internationally recognised initial teacher education qualification”.
If you are interested in becoming an English teacher, you can obtain further information by sending an email to SEDA Teacher Training Coordinator, email [email protected] .
