The Alternative There are several ways you can earn your TEFL Certificate: university programs (lengthy), stateside TEFL schools (expensive), schools abroad (not always practical), and the distance PSL TEFL Course. The distance course is most appropriate for those: investing less money. needing less supervision. wishing to study at their own pace. working while studying. not in school recently. choosing not to travel to a distant school location. preferring not to study in a traditional classroom setting. The PASSPORT TEFL distance course originated in 1997 at the Prometheum School of Language (PSL), San Francisco, founded by Kathleen Brown-Barkann, MA TESL. Kathleen is the Academic Director for PASSPORT'S distance PSL TEFL Certificate Course. Intern teaching in your own community is required on the distance course. We will help you arrange your teaching-practice sessions with a local organization that assists immigrants, refugees, or foreign students. Our trainers, each holding an MA in TESL, guide you through the teaching-practice sessions and closely monitor your progress. The modular training is as much interactive as it is independent study. The course is as interactive as you make it because you have unlimited access to your instructor, therefore "distance" is not specified on your TEFL Certificate. Course completion can be done in five or six weeks if you are not working, and the course is given a full-time effort. If you are working full-time, it is possible to complete the course in as little as ten weeks, although most students take longer. You are required to complete the distance program within six months of your start date. This provides solid structure for the student and facilitates rapid communication between student and instructor. As a graduate of this course, you can rely on PASSPORT TEFL for job guidance, general assistance, and future contacts to insure your success in the field.  The Distance Course Kathleen Brown-Barkann, MA TESL Academic Director PSL TEFL Certificate Course Kathleen has been teaching, developing courses, and training teachers for ten years. She taught in Guatemala, Japan and the US. In 1997, Kathleen founded her own TEFL Certificate program in San Francisco. Your lessons will be sent in eight sections, six of which will require teaching-practice sessions of two hours each. Course correspondence with us can be done via email, fax, or postal mail. And additional guidance is just a telephone call away. 1.Theory and Methods of Teaching EFL/ESL. 2. Teaching Listening Comprehension/Resume and Cover Writing. 3. Teaching Pronunciation/Speaking. 4. Teaching Reading. 5.Teaching Writing/Interviewing/Technique and Tips for Finding Jobs. 6. Teaching Grammar. 7. Culture Shock/Selecting Text and Tests for Teachers. 8. Final Assessment and Presentation of Final Projects. As each section is completed, you are required to return it to your instructor. The instructor will review and comment on your work and return it with your next lesson Packet. The section assignments consist of writing lesson plans, objective questions based on the section's assigned reading, and actual teaching-practice. Once your instructor receives your completed assignment, it will be reviewed immediately. Your review and the next section will be sent to you within five business days. There is one book used during the course. It is used as a resource, rather than something that is read straight through. There are several additional reading assignments that are provided with the relevant lesson packet that complement whatever is being studied. There are comprehensive questions at the end of each of the eight lesson packets. At least twelve student teaching hours are required (approximately six sessions). The steps to the student teaching process follow what is being studied in the lesson packets. For example, as the student teacher finishes the lesson packet on Teaching Reading, he/she then teaches an ESL/EFL class on reading. The curriculum was written to encourage creativity. There are very few assignments that simply require a yes/no answer or the repeating back of information that has just been read. Most of the assignments require the student to do a little research and lay out their findings, then interpret them. There is a final exam portion in the last packet. This is definitely the most mundane piece of the course. It is necessary for the student to answer these questions so that the instructor can feel assured that the student is well prepared and ready to start teaching. The teaching-practice sessions will be supervised and approved by a manager at your teaching site. Fees Tuition $785 plus $75 Application/Materials. Register with Passport TEFL and receive the reduced rate of $685 plus $50. Additional Information The Distance Program may be started at any time.