Finishing your degree - TEFL

It is close approaching that time where third year students will be finishing their degree, but it is also advisable for first and second years to explore all the options an English degree can provide you with. A popular choice amongst graduates is the Teaching English as a Foreign Language option which gives you the opportunity to teach English all over the world to students of all ages in a foreign country. There are many different routes into doing this but the most popular is the TEFL course provided by many online courses or colleges throughout the UK.

You will have to pay for the course, but they are often reduced throughout the year so if you keep an eye out you can pay for the course reasonably cheaper than the original price as low as £50. To complete the course as an online course it usually consists of 150 hours study time, with final assessment usually including an assignment and a test. There are many different online providers of the course and this may vary from each one. The most important thing to consider if completing the course online is to ensure that the website you are choosing to do the course with have certified by an awarding body and provide an official accreditation or certificate for the course as you will need to have this to work abroad.

Another way of completing the course is the classroom option which is usually run over the period of one or two weeks in which you will be in a classroom environment taught by a teacher, or if you choose the intensive course option this will involve long classroom teaching hours usually over one weekend.

For more information see:
www.go-tefl.com
www.tefl.com
www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/working-overseas/1028/guide-to-teaching-english-as-a-foreign-language-tefl/

Finishing Your English Degree – Postgraduate Options

It is nearing the time when our third year students are close to completing and graduating their English degrees. The next few weeks are a precious time to receive the accreditation that you are looking for, but once you complete your degree, the question of what to do next is constantly looming. There are many postgraduate options available from further study, to entering the world of work. We shall be exploring some of the options that are available over the next few weeks, for when you are at the end of your degree.

Further Study – Academic

If you feel like you want to continue your chosen subject, in our case English, then looking at postgraduate study options is a great opportunity for you to do so. As English is a foundation degree, the opportunity for studying an MA or PhD can become very open as you may wish to choose a different subject to specialise in, for example journalism.

Studying a MA

Before one chooses to do a PhD they will usually go down the route of studying a Master’s degree first in their chosen field of study. This can be completed in on year of study, but may vary in different universities so it is important to check the course information for each individual university you are considering studying with.

Studying a PhD

This is usually the next step in becoming an academic if this is the route you choose to take.  PhD’s are studied over a number of years usually between 5 and 7, and will require you to undertake a vast element of research and produce a lengthy account of your findings. PhD’s are much more difficult to gain, and you must present a new idea to the university of your choice that you wish to research in order to be expected.

Further study is a great route for someone who wishes to make their way through the academic ladder especially if you wish to work as a lecturer or within academia.

Further studying funding becomes more complex at this level in comparison with an undergraduate degree. Check out www.gov.uk/funding-for-postgraduate-study for more information, or as always check with the specific university you wish to study with and they will be able to provide more information.

For full course information and applications see www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/postgraduate