i to i Tefl Certification Review

Earn a Level 5 TEFL Certification with i-to-i TEFL

A Review of the i-to-i TEFL 180-hour Level 5 TEFL Certification

I To I Level 5 180 Hour Online Tefl

Overall Rating

4.6/5

i-to-i TEFL offers a wide range of TEFL certifications regulated by Ofqual. The 180-hour Level 5 Online TEFL Certification is a decent choice for individuals who want to gain a qualification for teaching English internationally or teaching ESL online.

Pros

Cons

About i-to-i TEFL

Company Background

Established in 1994, i-to-i TEFL is a pioneer, and one of the most-recognized TEFL providers in the industry. It was the first to offer an online TEFL certification, launching its online course in 2001 . The company has awarded TEFL certifications to hundreds of thousands of ESL teachers, both in-person and online.

Based in Leeds, UK, the i-to-i TEFL is comprised of an in-house Academic Director, a team of TEFL professionals, and a Customer Support team. 

i-to-i TEFL offers a wide range of in-person and online TEFL courses, as well as internships in countries where ESL teachers are in high demand.

One of i-to-i TEFL’s greatest advantages is not only its variety of affordable TEFL certification courses, but also in its extensive links to schools around the world. The company has established links with more than 600 schools worldwide. This is useful for those who graduate with a TEFL certification from i-to-i TEFL and want to tap into its school network.

Accreditation

i-to-i TEFL offers a range of accredited courses that are regulated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). Ofqual is the United Kingdom’s governing body for regulating qualifications, exams, and tests. i-to-i TEFL offers a range of Ofqual Level 3 and Level 5 TEFL certification courses. The course we are focusing on in this review is the 180-hour Level 5 online TEFL certification, which is the equivalent qualification to the CELTA (also a Level 5 certification). You can see i-to-i TEFL’s accreditation in the Ofqual register here. This is an important distinction, as i-to-i TEFL is among a select group of TEFL certification providers whose courses are recognized and regulated by the UK government.

Here is what Ofqual states as its responsibilities:

We’re responsible for making sure that:

  • regulated qualifications reliably indicate the knowledge, skills and understanding students have demonstrated
  • assessments and exams show what a student has achieved
  • people have confidence in the qualifications that we regulate
  • students and teachers have information on the full range of qualifications that we regulate
Source: Ofqual

i-to-i TEFL is also accredited by the Open & Distance Learning Quality Council (ODLQC), an independent accrediting body originally set up at the request of the UK government in 1968. It continues to benefit from governmental support and cooperation, though it is now an independent body, and a registered charity.

According to the ODLQC, its Quality and Standards are premised on the following aim:

The aim of the Council is to identify and enhance quality in education and training, and to protect the interests of learners. The Standards set out the Council's definition of quality. Open and distance learning providers who meet those standards are eligible to apply for accreditation by the Council.

A more detailed breakdown of the ODLQC standards can be found here.

Overview of the i-to-i TEFL 180-Hour Level 5 Online TEFL Certification

Course Aims and Modules

The i-to-i TEFL 180-hour Level 5 Online TEFL certification is designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of teaching English as a foreign language or second language, and to prepare you for classroom teaching. This is a self-study online course, which means you can study and complete your TEFL certification at your own pace, as long as you complete it within 180 days of purchasing the course. This is a generous amount of time to complete an online TEFL certification, and most enrollees should be able to complete the course well within this timeframe, even if studying on a part-time basis. If you need an extension, you can purchase extra time to complete the course, though you really shouldn’t need to.

The course is comprised of 10 units, each containing various sections which elaborate on the theme of the unit. Within each unit, there are multiple choice tests you must complete to demonstrate you have understood and retained the topics, themes, theories, and model conveyed in the unit. The unit tests themselves are not very difficult to pass if you have carefully gone through each unit (which you may need to do more than once).

Similar to other Level 5 TEFL certifications, you will be tasked with an assignment that will require preparation on your part. You must submit your completed assignment to one of the assigned DELTA-qualified tutors, who will assess your assignment. You can expect the assignment to demonstrate that you have learned and can prepare an effective lesson plan, applying the models and theories you have learned in the course.

During the course, you will learn to:

  • Develop and structure effective lesson plans
  • Include relevant and engaging content for your lessons
  • Deliver fun and informative grammar classes
  • Adapt your lessons to accommodate younger learners
  • The practicalities of TEFL teaching including managing a classroom

The course units are:

  1. Introduction to TEFL
  2. Initial Lesson Planning
  3. Structuring Your Lesson
  4. Making it Work in the Classroom
  5. Teaching Vocabulary
  6. Teaching Pronunciation
  7. Teaching Grammar
  8. Teaching Young Learners
  9. Teaching the Four Skills
  10. External Resources and Next Steps
The course also includes supplementary references to help you gain a deeper understanding of teaching English to ESL learners. You must score at least 75% in each unit test before you can proceed to the next unit, and you must submit your lesson planning assignment to pass the course and obtain your certification.
I To I Sample Ofqual Tefl Certification
This is sample of the i-to-i TEFL's Ofqual TEFL Certification.

What to Expect when Completing the TEFL Course

Going through the course is not difficult, and the unit tests should be passable to anyone who studies the units with the intention of learning. In fact, the i-to-i 168-hour Level 5 Online TEFL certification is one of the better structured courses we have reviewed. It is an in-depth course. The 180 hours and 180 days provided to complete the course is more than you will probably need to get through it, but do expect to be challenged as you complete the course. It’s likely someone completely new to teaching ESL will need to review each unit more than once to thoroughly absorb the information and pass the unit tests.

By the end of the course, you should be equipped with the knowledge to plan and teach your first ESL lesson. This course places great emphasis on understanding your students and their individual needs when planning your lessons. You will learn a multitude of teaching styles and methodologies for different contexts.

i-to-i TEFL is one of the most recognized TEFL certification providers, so your TEFL certification will be familiar to many ESL employers, as hundreds of thousands of people have earned a TEFL certification through i-to-i TEFL.

The company has thousands of satisfied graduates. As with any other TEFL certification course, you will encounter some naysayers. Remember that this course is an accredited Ofqual Level 5 certification, which means it must satisfy the requirements established by Ofqual for maintaining its accreditation. Unlike many other TEFL certifications, including those with accreditations, i-to-i TEFL’s Level 5 TEFL certifications are accredited and regulated by Ofqual. To attain this status is not easy, and requires a significant investment in course design, and having the course regularly audited.

Who Can Enroll in this Course

This course is open to both native and non-native English speakers, though naturally anyone intending to take this course should have a high level of proficiency in English. Most individuals who aim to teach English internationally in non-English speaking countries will find this TEFL certification satisfy the requirements for the majority of ESL teaching jobs. If you plan to teach in the Middle East, note that most employers require a TEFL qualification completed in-class. In this case, you can enroll in the combined course, which includes an in-class component. This course is also ideal for individuals aiming to gain a qualification to teach ESL online.

A university degree is not required to enroll and earn a TEFL certification. However, many countries do require ESL teachers to have a university degree to be legally employed.

This TEFL certification will enable you to learn various aspects to teaching ESL learners, and prepare effective ESL lessons for different types of ESL learners.

i-to-i TEFL also offers a 240-hour Level 5 TEFL certification, which includes a 60-hour module for teaching One-to-One and Online ESL lessons, and a 300-hour Level 5 TEFL certification, which includes both a 60-hour One-to-One and Online Teaching module, as well as a 60-hour Teaching Business English module. Although these are nice to have, the upgrade will likely not result in an increase in your income. Therefore, we don’t recommend most ESL teachers invest in these, and stick to the 180-hour Level 5 Online TEFL certification.

Price

i-to-i TEFL’s 180-hour Level 5 Online TEFL certification is reasonably priced at under $400. One of the marketing tactics i-to-i TEFL seems to employ is to display high prices for its courses, and then discount them by as much as 60%. It appears the courses are regularly discounted, so in reality, you should expect to pay less than $400 for this course, though i-to-i TEFL lists its regular price at $995. We aren’t big fans of this type of marketing gimmick, but it is not unusual among TEFL certification providers to use it, or some variation of it, and being in competition with the rest, i-to-i TEFL probably is compelled to use what works.

I To I Level 5 180 Hour Online Tefl Landing
i-to-i TEFL always seems to have a campaign running with deep discounts on its TEFL certifications. You can expect to pay less than $500 for the 180-hour Level 5 Online TEFL Certification.

Price Match Guarantee

i-to-i TEFL offers a price match guarantee, which means the company will match the price of competing “like for like” courses. There are some conditions to qualify for the price match, of course. If you are considering earning a TEFL certification which is credible and affordable, you really can’t do much better than this one.

We recommend the i-to-i TEFL 180-hour Level 5 Online TEFL Certification to anyone who is seeking a decent qualification that will be recognized internationally and online for teaching ESL.

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