The Trinity Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL) equips candidates with the basic skills and knowledge needed to take up a first post as an ESOL teacher. It gives an introduction to the theory and practice of contemporary English teaching and an insight into the challenges facing the learner and the role of the teacher.

The CertTESOL is accredited in England by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority at Level 4 of the National Qualifications Framework. It is accepted by the British Council as an initial TESOL qualification for teachers in its accredited teaching organisations in the UK and in its own teaching operations overseas. Credits are also awarded towards degree programmes offered by the Open University in the UK.

The course involves a minimum number of course hours (100 hours of input over a minimum of a 130 hour programme), with a minimum amount of teaching practice with genuine learners of English and a range of written and practical assignments to be completed to well-defined standards. All course providers (training organisations) are rigorously assessed and externally validated by Trinity. They are monitored carefully over all their courses.

The main course content is delivered and assessed through five units. The work for Units 1, 2, 3 and 5 is marked by your internal course tutors and moderated or sampled and checked by a member of the Trinity moderators panel at the end of every course. The moderator externally assesses the work for Unit 4. The Units are:

Unit 1 : Teaching skills, assessed through:
Tutors’ evaluation of six hours of teaching with real learners
A journal including trainees’ own lesson plans, with self- and tutor-evaluation
A journal covering trainees’ reflective comments following observation of four hours of ESOL teaching by experienced teachers

Unit 2 : Language awareness including grammar and phonology, assessed through:
A test or practical project
Ongoing use of spoken and written English

Unit 3 : Learner profile, assessed through:
The preparation of a simple linguistic profile and needs analysis, including some basic phonemic transcription, of a single learner
The planning of, and reflection on, a one-to-one lesson
The preparation of recommendations for the learner’s future language development

Unit 4 : Materials assignment, assessed through:
Written rationale for the development of two pieces of teaching material
Written evaluation of use of these in classroom teaching
Interview with a Trinity moderator to discuss the above and the ways in which materials development is beneficial to the development of teaching skills

Unit 5 : Unknown language, assessed through:
A journal covering trainees’ reflective comments on four hours’ tuition in an unknown language from the point of view of the beginner, including an analysis of the key aspects of methods and classroom management that affect the learner positively and negatively

Professional awareness and development, are an ongoing theme.  Successful trainees must demonstrate an awareness of the needs of other colleagues in the team, teaching and non-teaching, and the value of mutual support in the teaching, learning and training environment. They must also demonstrate an awareness of the need for professional development during and after the course, based on a constructive response to training input and feedback from tutors and peers.