What you need to know about using your TEFL overseas
Teaching English overseas with a TEFL qualification is becoming a popular option for many people who are looking to relocate. The chance to immerse yourself in the local culture through language can be a wonderful, rewarding and exciting experience. With this surge in popularity, a host of issues have come to light when qualified TEFL tutors are attempting to use these awards overseas. What are these issues and how can they be resolved?
What needs to happen to my TEFL before I can use overseas?
Before you are able to present qualifications overseas for a work permit, they must first go through a process of authentication. This is called legalisation, or attestation. These stages are necessary and must be completed in the country where the documents were issued.
The purpose of legalisation is to verify your documents as genuine to whoever you are presenting them to overseas. This includes checks on the awarding body and their authority to issue qualifications. This authority is granted by the government of that country, so just because a company is listed as “accredited” this does not automatically mean it will be recognised by the government.
As you are likely to want to use your TEFL overseas, you’ll need to feel confident that you won’t experience any issues in having your qualification accepted.
What issues might I experience using my TEFL overseas?
While there are a range companies offering TEFL courses, not all certificates issued will meet the requirements for legalisation purposes. This can be due to the wording on the certificate, the legal status of the awarding body in the country or the award level itself. As there is no singular “official” TEFL organisation or regulator, this makes it difficult for students to find definitive answers. This is where we can help, and all we require is a scan of your certificate.
Having your documents rejected can cause delays and means your money goes to waste, which is exactly what you don’t need when relocation is already so costly and time-consuming! Having a close working relationship with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and London Embassy Network, we are able to check your documents directly with consular officials for you if necessary. This will save you time and give you peace of mind that you are dealing directly with the experts.
To those unfamiliar with the processes, it can seem like a minefield of misinformation. If you’re looking to start a course and are unsure which to choose, we recommend speaking to people who have successfully relocated to the country in which you would like to teach, and ask about the requirements there.
I’ve already got my TEFL, can you help me legalise it?
If you’ve already completed your course, we can legalise all your documents for you. Do be aware however that legalisation requirements are not fixed across all countries. An example of this is China, where each province is self-governing, causing differences in their individual legalisation processes. The issuing country as well as the destination country will issue, as well as handle, documents differently, so each factor in your personal circumstances needs to be taken into consideration.
You may have been in touch with other companies who have been unable to handle your TEFL legalisation for you. Don’t worry, it still might be possible to process your award. Before you start looking for another course, get in touch with Vital Consular. Don’t feel as if you need to delay your plans to relocate when your existing qualification might be perfectly acceptable, and we give a 100% acceptance guarantee on all of our services,
How can I get started?
If you need any further advice on your legalisation, all we need is a scan of your document. If you received a digital certificate, just send that over to us via email. This will enable us to give you an individual quotation and advise if there are any further steps required to process the document. Get in touch with one of our friendly team of specialists today. You can WhatsApp on mobile, use our live chat system, give us a call on +44 (0) 330 088 1142, visit our site at www.vitalconsular.com or via e-mail at sales@vitalconsular.com.
