AccessTEFL - our teacher training programme
AccessTEFL is an on-the-job teacher training programme for English language teachers.
Teachers who complete the AccessTEFL programme will be qualified to teach at any British Council accredited centre in the UK.
The programme offers more teaching experience than other TEFL training routes at the same level. It offers a low-cost way for teachers to gain a recognised qualification and allows them to earn while they train.
About the programme
The training programme includes:
- self-guided study
- at least 80 hours of teaching practice
- self-reflection tasks
- lesson-observation
- feedback and mentoring from experienced teachers
Teachers have a maximum of nine months to complete the training programme, which involves building a teaching and learning portfolio. During this time teachers can work with more than one language centre.
AccessTEFL is awarded and certificated by English UK. Portfolios are moderated and approved by NILE.
Who can train through Access TEFL?
AccessTEFL is for English language teachers who have already completed some TEFL training.
To join the programme, teachers need to have done a TEFL course that lasted 30 hours or more.
They also need either to have a degree level qualification or some previous English language teaching experience.
Information for language centres
Any British Council accredited centre can recruit trainee teachers through the AccessTEFL programme.
Teachers who complete the programme will have an AccessTEFL qualification, equivalent to TEFLi. That means they can employed as a trained teacher under Accreditation UK rules.
The guidance for trainees will be available by the end of June 2024. We plan to open trainee applications in June 2024, to support teacher recruitment ahead of summer 2024.
Information for trainee teachers
By completing the AccessTEFL programme you'll be qualified to work at any British Council accredited language centre in the UK.
You'll earn while you train and gain confidence by training in a real teaching environment.
UK language centres will start promoting AccessTEFL opportunities in June 2024. If there is a specific language centre that you would like to train with, we encourage you to contact them directly to express your interest. Check the list of English UK members to find an English language centre.
