Which programme should I choose? TEFL or TESOL, Europe or Global? 1.Insight vs. 2.Primer vs. 3.Direct Access
We want to give our Gotoco'ers exciting, supportive, accessible global work-placement adventures!
As part of our accessibility mission, we only offer projects where most costs & fees are covered through funding that we have pre-arranged. So, there are no fees or fund-raising targets upfront and costs are always covered by governments or local partners, for you this means simply get an offer and come!!
TEFL certification is the core of our programme!
We offer 3x options for TEFL certification. All of these TEFL programmes are part of our "TESOL pathway"
What does that mean? It means that all of our TEFL teacher training opportunities come with global work-placement trips in the TEFL sector! Wow! The difference between options 1,2,3 is that 3 is direct access to the highest level course we offer, whereas options 1&2 are part of a pathway to go and study on that pathway later.
Why TEFL...? We work in the TEFL sector because it gives a fantastic opportunity for our participants to gain exposure to a tangible, well-paid, 'beaten-path' into a brilliant future career in teaching abroad - one of the best adventures you can choose for your life.
What's TESOL...? In simple terms, TESOL is TEFL, TEFL is TESOL, of course it is more complex than that, but you will work that out later. More on that here. fyi: Trinity Cert TESOL is a kind of TESOL qualification - arguably the best one in the world!
Can I get the world's best TEFL qualification? YES! Our programmes are all "TESOL pathways", this means that whichever programme you do, it is our intention that you are guided to eventually do the best possible TEFL qualification with us, the Trinity CertTESOL, and to do so with funding!
It's as simple 1,2,3...
We offer three programme types. The easiest way to understand differences in our three programmes is that the more ambitious you are in your teacher training, the more funding you receive, but the more homework you will have. You get out what you put in, but its perfectly reasonable not to want to do the Trinity right now - dip your toes in the sector with our options 1&2.
You can do our easiest course and get most things funded (but not travel), or you can launch right into our direct access Trinity CertTESOL course and get FULL funding for core costs on all programmes! The harder you try, the further you will go (literally! Options 1 is Europe only, option 2&3 is for all 'far-flung' projects in Asia/Americas/Europe)
I don't know how to choose! No worries, you don't need to choose just yet! Please just apply, get an offer, think about it all, and when the time comes for you to make a decision, then you can choose.
Note: we will assume anyone that all applicants want route 2 or 3, unless they inform us that they are on route 1. When you request a route 2 or 3 programme, we will inform you which route you are being offered during the allocation process. We reserve the right to offer you either route.
THE THREE PROGRAMME TYPES!
1. TEFL Insight Programme (only for 4x week European programmes in Spain and Poland)
This is our lowest commitment programme, it is an insight programme. It is funded directly by universities that partner with us - so you will need to be linked to a university and aware of their funding. If you google X University + Erasmus or Turing of Global + bursary or funding then you will likely find what you need to know. It's really really great for anyone that wants to dip their toes in the sector. If you enjoy this, then we hope you'd come back next year for options 2 or 3.
This is configured as 1-month programmes in Spain and Poland. Participants get real-world TEFL teaching experience, and can study our low-commitment, 'crash-course' insight into the world of TEFL. During the programme you study the TEFL and if you complete the simple tasks then you receive our basic 120-hour TEFL certificate at the end.
If your university is one of our funding partners (see here), then you are eligible to choose this pathway, just get an offer and then let us know you want to take this route. All expenses that relate to your stay on the programme are funded, you just need to pay for the post-programme cultural trip along with all travel costs before and after the actual work placement. If you are on the normal Turing HE grant rate, that funding amount covers the programme costs with no surplus, but if you are on the higher grant (e.g widening participation students) then the surplus will be yours to spend as you see fit.
2. TESOL Primer
We arrange funding for this programme directly, so please just apply and we do the rest for you, as long as you are eligible (more here). You get full funding for all core programme-related costs, including flights/trains.
The TESOL primer is an Ofqual-backed L5 self-led course. Don't worry about the jargon, in summary, it will be a course that you can easily expect to complete during the placement duration and receive a valuable qualification at the end.
Those that complete the programme will be eligible for our career starter opportunity, which means they can do a future project and access full funding for a Trinity CertTESOL upgrade. Your travel is reimbursed once you complete the TESOL primer.
3. Trinity CertTESOL Direct Access
Our Direct Access course is only for the most ambitious Gotoco'ers. It means you can access funding to do any of our global projects, of any duration (minimum four weeks).
With this programme, you immediately embark on the gold standard of all TEFL courses, the one that will clinch you the best jobs at the best schools anywhere on Earth. The Trinity CertTESOL! It is not easy, and if you are in doubt about whether it is for you, you can always choose option 2 to test the water. If you wish to directly do this, we will make an admissions decision on whether to permit it.
Core programme costs, except travel and pre-departure costs (e.g. visas/vaccinations), will be funded upfront. The Trinity CertTESOL course alone usually costs about £1,500rrp, but even that is funded! To access the full funding, you simply agree to postpone your travel reimbursement until you complete the course. We are disbursing public money, so we must achieve value for the tax-payer, so we will only reimburse the travel once people complete the course. We can book travel on your behalf, or issues an earlier reimbursement, if you are from a low-income background and deemed eligible for other reasons, more here. You can also receive reimbursement for pre-departure costs, such as visas and vaccinations, if you are from a low-income background, again more information here.
This course will usually take you six months to complete from enrolment, with lecture each week and occasional homework, including for a period after you return home from our shorter programmes. Our Trinity CertTESOL training partner oversees it all and will brief you on exact commitments. You can read more about the Trinity CertTESOL here.
*To join all of the programmes above, you will need to pay a small commitment deposit that is returned when you complete programme requirements. You should also plan to have some personal spending money for anything you do or buy outside the programme schedule, but meals, accommodation and key costs are all covered by funding!