Is TEFL Hard to Pass? 9 Secrets to Acing Your Course

Is the TEFL course hard? It can be, but follow our advice and you'll be sitting pretty with a freshly minted TEFL certification in no time.

You’ve got the TEFL bug! Your passion for teaching, working with students of all ages, and equipping others with a skill set that will propel them in their personal and professional lives means you’re halfway to knowing how to become TEFL certified. Well, maybe a quarter of the way there, at least.

And now that you've done the hard work of choosing the TEFL course that's right for you, it's time to pull up your bootstraps and get to work on all those modules. But wait! This has a lot more material than you thought—and those deadlines are coming up quick. You're starting to feel nervous about the workload, and are sweating just thinking about not completing the course since you've already submitted your deposit.

Don't worry—you've got this. You were born to do this! Read on to find out if the TEFL course hard and what you can do to ensure YOU pass (and start your dream life abroad STAT!).

Is TEFL hard to pass?

It is possible to fail a TEFL course. If you have a degree already and are a native English speaker, you will absolutely be able to handle the course load. In fact, according to one teacher, "TEFL courses were initially developed for high school grads, and tend to have that level of material." Keep in mind that grammar lessons can be technical and slow moving—it is harder than it looks to re-teach ourselves the "Why" behind a specific sentence structure!

More often than not, students drop out rather than fail. And those that do fail tend to exhibit behaviors that could affect their ability to succeed as an ESL teacher abroad—emotional instability, a lack of commitment, arrogance. They don't have the one quality all successful ESL teachers have in common.

Time management skills are essential to ensure that TEFL is NOT hard to pass. Especially if you are completing your course on top of other commitments and responsibilities like a full time job or a college degree program, it is essential that you carve out time for your TEFL coursework, follow through on assignments, and meet your deadlines. 

If you commit yourself to the course, have an open mind and a willingness to learn, put in the elbow grease, communicate with instructors, and give yourself the time and space to concentrate on the course for its duration, it’s very unlikely you will fail your TEFL course. Acing your TEFL course is entirely up to you. So, what, then, can you do to ensure that you PASS your TEFL course?

Is TEFL hard to pass? It can be! Stay focused on your goal—teaching somewhere magical—to get you through tough modules.

7 tips to help you pass your TEFL course

1. Be consistent.

TEFL courses both online or in-person—especially ones that are accredited—require the same, if not more, effort as your college courses. One way to battle the lure of thinking "I already speak English so this will be a cinch" is to keep a consistent study and class ‘attendance’ schedule.

Set aside a time each day (or each week) that you dedicate to completing your coursework or listening to online lectures. Break down your online TEFL course into manageable pieces of time, while maintaining a consistent schedule, will help keep on the right path to becoming TEFL certified.

Self-paced definitely doesn't mean cram everything to the end—that strategy is a quick short cut to failing your TEFL course.

The REAL secret to becoming TEFL certified? It’s all up to you.

2. Doing your course online? Connect to a community of other online learners stat.

Did you choose an online TEFL course because of its convenience? Of course you did! Did you choose an online TEFL course because you don’t like other people? It’s unlikely considering where the professional path a TEFL course will lead you.

While online courses are fantastic for accommodating your current lifestyle, they can be isolating. Battle the online course blues by finding someone else who is taking the same course as you, or who already took the course and is now living the dream as an ESL teacher!

Having someone else to bounce ideas off of or dream about your life after your TEFL course will keep you on track and motivated to complete, and ace, your coursework.

4. Doing your TEFL course abroad? Enroll in a country you can see yourself staying for awhile.

Do you see yourself teaching ESL in Guatemala or taking a TEFL course in Prague? Spend time visualizing what your teaching career looks like. You could have a better chance getting a job as an ESL instructor in a country where you took a TEFL course, simply because you’re already there.

Give serious thought to what kind of life you would like to lead as a TEFL instructor, because if you’re happy in your surroundings, that will extend to your happiness as a TEFL instructor—and your ability to become TEFL certified!

Start putting out feelers for TEFL jobs while completing your course to really minimize your transition from "student" to "teacher!"

An online TEFL course doesn’t mean you’re in it alone. Find people to work with!

5. Keep an open mind.

There are a lot of misconceptions about TEFL certifications; from the kind of people you’ll meet in the TEFL world to the best approaches for teaching English as a Second Language, everyone has an opinion. Becoming TEFL certified will require you to keep an open, and inquisitive, mind about not only your coursework, but the world around you.

Why is being a TEFL instructor important to you? What drives the mission of the organization offering your certification? What is life like for the people living in the city where you’re taking your TEFL course (whether it’s online or in person!)?

6. Be flexible.

Class was supposed to be on Wednesday morning at the agreed upon location (either virtually or IRL), but at the last minute was moved to Thursday afternoon across town (or on another online platform). The teacher who agreed to support you in getting your practical teaching hours no longer has the time to mentor you.

You get the idea, plans change and life happens. You’re going to have to be flexible in order to adapt. Keep a flexible mindset and know that plans are going to change—and that you can adapt to them!

7. Be a time management ninja.

There's nothing more frustrating than opening your next module to realize your assignment is due later that night—or worse yet, yesterday! Instead of chasing around assignments and tasks like a chicken with your head off, set up a system from the get-go to ensure that all of your course responsibilities are accounted for.

A notebook calendar or simply a Google calendar can do the trick; simply translate the syllabus and assignments into specific dates and reminders into your system.

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8. Keep your eyes on the prize.

There will be times when your TEFL course gets tough. The material is monotonous, you feel like you already know everything from this lesson, your group project makes you want to barf, whatever. But remember—with great work comes a great reward, and the ability to snag high paying English teaching jobs abroad thanks to your TEFL certificate is the ultimate pay-off.

This is all part of the adventure; it will allow you the mobility to work abroad, will help you secure higher-quality gigs with better pay, and will allow you to sustain a life abroad since you'll be working and traveling. It's worth it!

9. Get excited.

OK, maybe this isn’t a secret. But, if you’re not already excited about acing your TEFL course and setting off (either domestically or abroad) to teach English as a Second Language, then we strongly encourage you to do so!

While it’s easy to get bogged down in the decisions you have to make (Which course? Which country? What to pack? When to go?) about how to become TEFL certified, make sure to take some time to celebrate the fact that you’re taking an incredible next step in your TEFL journey - and we know you’re going to ace it!

You're ready to succeed at your TEFL course!

Don’t get those “back to school” jitters. You’ll totally rock your TEFL course!

Is TEFL hard to pass? Not when you follow our advice! Most certification courses are the equivalent of a five to six credit hour course at the university level, so be ready to work hard. When you put into practice the secrets revealed above, you'll be freshly certified and ready to hit the job hunt in no time! 

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