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Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language

The GradCertTEFL is intended for overseas teachers of English who wish to obtain a formal qualification, gain knowledge and skills in teaching English as a foreign language, and develop increased fluency in English.

As well, for students wishing to study the Master of Education (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) but whose English-language proficiency initially falls below the faculty's requirement for general postgraduate study, the GradCertTEFL, which has a lower English-language-proficiency prerequisite, can provide an entry pathway to master's study.

Eligible Australian citizens who are non-native speakers of English may enrol but this graduate certificate is not a recognised teaching qualification in Australia.

The GradCertTEFL connects students with contemporary Australian culture and offers the opportunity to learn English in a native-speaking context. It also prepares students to teach in settings where English is the primary mode of communication and provides an understanding of modern approaches to English-language teaching.

The course produces graduates who are confident in their ability to communicate professionally in English and who are skilled in selecting, devising and using appropriate teaching tasks and materials. Students learn to listen, read, speak and write English in academic settings.


Entry requirements

Intending applicants to the GradCertTEFL can create a customised list of necessary visa documents, including proof of English-language proficiency, by visiting the Visa Application Document Checklists page on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website and selecting their passport nationality and "573 Higher Education" from the pull-down menus.

The faculty's prerequisites for the graduate certificate are:

  • an undergraduate degree from a recognised university

  • English-language proficiency as required by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship for the issuing of a student visa

  • a teaching qualification or at least six months' full-time language-teaching experience (or part-time equivalent)

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Course structure

The program is taught over one semester of full-time study (commencing March). Part-time study is not permitted.

At the conclusion of the course, students who choose to progress to any qualification within the Master of Education (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) articulated program may apply for credit for two units of study.

Core units of study

GradCertTEFL candidates must complete all of the following units of study.

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Further study

Candidates who record a credit average and no failures in the GradCertTEFL are eligible to apply for two units of study credit towards any level of the Master of Education (TESOL) program, however, because it is faculty policy not to count units of study towards more than one degree, they must advise the faculty office they do not wish to graduate with the GradCertTEFL.

Students accepted into the MEd(TESOL) program under these circumstances are not required to provide additional proof of English-language proficiency.

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Fees

Tuition fees vary according to whether the candidate is a local or international student and are reviewed annually. The most up-to-date estimate for GradCertTEFL course fees can be found under Fees & Admissions for the Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language in the Courses Online database. Comprehensive information about payment of international fees is available from the International Office fee-payment page.

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More information

Questions about this program can be sent to the faculty using our online enquiry form, or directed to the course coordinator Dr Marie Stevenson.

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