INTO University Partnerships’ division for teacher education, NILE, is joining forces with English UK to roll out an innovative TEFL course.
AccessTEFL, the programme in focus, intends to create opportunities for careers in English language teaching in the UK, combining on-the-job training with a structured CPD initiative.
Designed for those without a TEFL qualification, AccessTEFL will grant TEFLi status to its participants, making them suitable for teaching positions in line with Accreditation UK’s standards.
The scheme will be run by English UK, with day-to-day support, oversight and moderation from teacher training specialists from NILE – Norwich Institute for Language Education, part of the INTO University Partnerships group.
With a legacy of training over 70,000 teachers from around 90 countries since 1995, NILE is acclaimed for its professional development courses in English language teaching.
The rationale for this programme stems from the periodic assessment by Accreditation UK, which recognised the effectiveness of an apprenticeship model in teacher training.
In response, English UK has developed a low-cost qualification route aimed at increasing the quantity of qualified ELT professionals, making the field more accessible, and enhancing the support for new teachers. With the expert guidance of NILE’s teaching professionals, participants will gain vital skills relevant to the UK ELT scene, with their employing schools offering the required mentorship and professional development.
Thom Kiddle, NILE’s Director, stated his anticipation for the project: “We are excited to be working on a new project with the team at English UK – developing and managing a situated and supported CPD scheme, AccessTEFL, for new teachers joining English UK schools.”
“The scheme, to be launched later this year, will ensure new entrants to the profession are supported with structured, focused development activities, observation and feedback while they learn their craft and help accredited English UK members recruit teachers in combination with the traditional TEFLi routes.”
The AccessTEFL programme includes 40 hours of study and 80 hours of teaching practice, allowing candidates to receive mentorship and collaborate with seasoned teachers. The foundational courses cover The English Language, The English Language Learner, The English Language Classroom, and Reflective Practice.
Jodie Gray, Chief Executive of English UK, shared her enthusiasm for the programme’s inception: “We are delighted to launch ATEFL after many months planning. Many ELT centres have been struggling to hire enough qualified teachers to meet increasing student demand, and that could impede the continuing growth of UK ELT.”
“We believe ATEFL is a great way for centres to grow and develop their own staff, supporting people who are keen to teach English in the UK but who do not have a conventional TEFLi qualification. This is an affordable and accessible way for centres to train high-quality staff as part of their staff CPD, and we hope that as many as possible will be able to take advantage of it.”
