Australian Government accredited TEFL Course in Phnom Penh

 

Congratulations, you’ve completed the Australian Government accredited TEFL course in Phnom Penh at Australian Vocational Skills and Education (AVSE)! You’re now certified to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) classes! You’ve laughed at your trainer’s lame jokes, successfully completed the coursework and landed a terrific job teaching English in Cambodia. You’re brimming with confidence, and local students are lining up to learn English from ‘the messiah’.

 

‘You’re dreaming’, I hear you say. Okay, you haven’t jumped through all the hoops just yet, but you’re certainly in the right place. While this is good news, here’s some even better news. The Australian Government accredited TEFL course in Phnom Penh at AVSE (10773NAT) is designed to equip you with the skills needed to hit the ground running as an ESL teacher anywhere in the world. The assumption is you’re currently at ‘zero’, and the challenge is to be at ‘hero’ by the end of the course.

 

 

 

TEFL overview

English is widely used in business, education, social settings, and networking. While French might be the language of love, English is commonly known as the international language. As a result, teaching ESL has become an industry in itself, attracting all kinds of people – high-flyers, the plodders, difference-makers, backpackers, the educational purists, and the academics.

 

Regardless of background or country of origin, fantastic opportunities await people who possess decent English language skills and quality TEFL certification, regulated and accredited by a government. The crucial job that teachers have in society and their revered status, especially in Southeast Asia, dictates that acquiring the skills, knowledge, and certification you need to do the job, is not an area where you can scrimp.

 

The Australian Government Accredited Certificate IV in TESOL (offered by AVSE in Phnom Penh), the Trinity Certificate in TESOL, and CELTA are three examples of high-quality study programmes for aspiring ESL teachers. The distinguishing factor with the Certificate IV in TESOL, Trinity and CELTA courses is that each is regulated and accredited by a government. It’s about quality, accountability and tangible outcomes for teachers and students.

 

 

Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll learn at AVSE’s TEFL course in Phnom Penh.

 

Things you will learn

The TEFL course at AVSE in Phnom Penh will serve as a valuable point of reference as you start your ESL teaching journey. Its aim is to focus on the critical areas where the English language teacher needs to be considered competent, such as:

 

• Understanding how people learn
• Knowing how to present information and concepts to best exploit different learning styles
• Understanding the importance of structuring learning and lesson planning
• Recognising the importance of classroom management
• Knowing how to keep students motivated

 

Module 1 – Introduction to the TESOL Course

• Lesson 1:                 Your TESOL Learning Journey

Module 2 – TESOL Foundations

• Lesson 2:                 TESOL Methodologies
• Lesson 3:                 Lesson Planning
• Lesson 4:                 Presenting Information

Module 3 – Presenting Micro-Skills

• Lesson 5:                 Presenting Vocabulary
• Lesson 6:                 Presenting Grammar
• Lesson 7:                 Presenting Pronunciation

Module 4 – Classroom Management

• Lesson 8:                 Concept Checking & Questioning
• Lesson 9:                 Feedback
• Lesson 10:               Classroom Management & Safety
• Lesson 11:               ESL Activities for Children

Module 5 – Practicing Macro-Skills

• Lesson 12:               Teaching Speaking
• Lesson 13:               Teaching Reading
• Lesson 14:               Teaching Listening
• Lesson 15:               Teaching Writing
• Lesson 16:               ESL Resources

Module 6 – Teacher’s Toolbox – Supplementary Skills

• Lesson 17:               Culture in ESL
• Lesson 18:               CALL – Computer Assisted Language Learning
• Lesson 19:               ESL Testing

Module 7 – Observation and Teaching Practicum

• Lesson 20:               Managing Yourself
• Observation classes (minimum of six hours)
• Critically assessed teaching practice classes (minimum of eight hours)

Module 8 – Last Steps – Finalising Course Requirements

• Final Reconciliation: Assessment Documentation

 

 

Assessment tasks

Assessments will receive one of two grades: ‘Competent’ or ‘Not Yet Competent’. You must achieve a grade of ‘Competent’ with all assessment tasks to be awarded a Certificate IV in TESOL under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). This includes those assessment tasks related to the observation and teaching practice classes. If an assessment task you’ve submitted is deemed ‘Not Yet Competent’, you will be allowed to revise your work and resubmit it without penalty.

 

What will you get for successfully completing the course?

While we don’t hand out gold stars (or gold bars) at the end of the TEFL course in Phnom Penh at AVSE, all being well, you will receive the following Australian Government accredited teaching qualification: Certificate IV in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, 10773NAT).

 

The qualification is comprised of these 12 ‘Units of Competency’:

 

TAEDEL401: Plan, organise and deliver group-based learning

TESCUL401: Develop and apply knowledge of cultural factors affecting TESOL teachers

TESPRN402: Assist learners to improve pronunciation and speech

TESGRM403: Assist learners to learn or improve grammar

TESRES404: Source and develop resources to support learning

TESRED405: Assist learners to develop reading and writing skills

TESSPK406: Assist learners to develop speaking and listening skills

TESASS407: Assess language learning

TESMTH408: Apply a range of TESOL methodologies

TESTST409: Assist learners to prepare for English language tests

TESCAL410: Use Computer Assisted Language Learning to assist learners

TESCHD412: Use creative strategies to assist children to learn English

 

 

 

The assessment and certificate issuance process takes up to 10 business days from the date the final assessment tasks are submitted. The offsite, independent assessment process is central to international recognition. The time between completing the TEFL course and receiving your certificate won’t impact on your ability to secure a teaching job at one of AVSE’s partner schools in Cambodia. They understand the protocols associated with a government-regulated programme.

 

Summary

If doing a quality TEFL course in Phnom Penh is something that has crossed your mind, reach out to the friendly folks at AVSE to talk through your options. AVSE offers a government-regulated ESL teaching qualification that will set you up for a brilliant job teaching English in Cambodia or elsewhere. There’s a lot to learn during the intensive 4-week course, but you’ll get all the support and encouragement that’s needed to successfully complete the study programme. Start your teach abroad journey today!

 

About the writer: Peter Goudge is the Managing Director (and founder) of Australian Vocational Skills and Education (AVSE) in Cambodia and Vietnam. Check out the AVSE website for more information about TEFL courses at AVSE in Phnom Penh, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City: www.avse.edu.vn

 

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Where will you teach after your TEFL course in Phnom Penh?

 

Your TEFL course in Phnom Penh, Cambodia at AVSE will take four weeks. While the course is unashamedly intensive, you’ll have ample time to turn your mind to other issues, such as the general location where you’d prefer to work as an ESL teacher.

 

If you’re a ‘city’ person, your choices are essentially threefold, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. If you’d like to teach in a regional or rural location, Takhmao, Battambang or Kampong Thom might meet your needs. Does living and working near a beach appeal to you? If the answer is ‘yes’, Kep and Kampot are worth considering.

 

 

Settling on a location to begin your ‘teach abroad journey’ has, in my view, three key components. First, research, research, research. Second, rapport with the designated employment person at AVSE in Phnom Penh. Third, flexibility. So, let’s have a closer look at these three components.

 

Research, research, research

It’s true that the TEFL course in Phnom Penh at AVSE comes with hands-on job support, but this doesn’t prevent you from helping yourself. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to contribute to a decision-making process that will determine your immediate fate.

 

Once you’ve decided if you’re a big city, regional / rural or beach person, find a decent map of Cambodia on the internet or at a book store and start pinpointing possible locations. Gain as much information as you can about each location; Wikipedia is an excellent place to start – and it’s free. Next, narrow your choices down to three possible areas. Finally, search on Google and social media for job opportunities and teacher chatter in the three locations that are of interest to you. If you decide to ‘delist’ one of your three ‘definite possibilities’, add a new one and thoroughly check the place out. I’d encourage you to reach out to prospective employers on your own behalf, but make sure the employment person at AVSE is consulted beforehand. Why? You might be doubling up.

 

 

Build rapport with AVSE’s employment person

AVSE’s designated employment person in Cambodia is based at the same location where you’ll do your TEFL training. The employment person will know: 1. where there are teaching jobs available at a given time; 2. how to contact AVSE partner schools in particular geographic locations, and 3. about employment conditions in different parts of the country (hours, non-cash benefits and suchlike).

 

I’d encourage you to build rapport with the AVSE employment person while you’re completing your TEFL course. You can do this by sharing your aspirations (see, ‘Research, research, research’ above), keeping in regular contact, being mindful that he (or she) probably knows the local job market better than you do, turning up for job interviews that have been arranged for you with partner schools, and most importantly, by being flexible.

 

Your interactions with the employment person at AVSE need to be collaborative. For example, you want a teaching job and the employment person wants you to secure a teaching job. It’s your responsibility to ensure the employment person is kept updated on the work that you’re doing to help yourself find a great teaching job. Likewise, the employment person has a responsibility to ensure that you’re kept updated on work that he (or she) is doing on your behalf.

 

 

 

Flexibility

Let’s say that you have done all the right things from the day you arrived in Cambodia. You were a superstar in your TEFL course in Phnom Penh and you followed the ‘Research and Rapport’ suggestions above. Despite doing all the right things, there isn’t a teaching job available in your preferred location – or there is, but the conditions don’t meet with your expectations. What should you do? Grizzling is one option. Accepting that ‘it is, what it is’ despite everyone’s best efforts is, in my view, a far better option. Move on to Plan B, in consultation with the employment person at AVSE; this is where the rapport that you spent time building will bear fruit.

 

Being flexible when you’re looking for a teaching job doesn’t extend to selling your soul. It’s about being realistic, recognising that you’re a new person to the profession and that 90% of vacant teaching jobs at any given time, are in Phnom Penh. Starting a new career path in a foreign country is not a time to have an inflated opinion of where you fit into the picture. If there is a decent job on offer, grab it! Your first teaching job in Cambodia does not have to be your ‘forever’ teaching job. It might be a stepping stone to something better.

 

Summary

I’ve got no doubt that you’ll be a happy person once you’ve successfully completed the Australian Government accredited TEFL course in Phnom Penh at AVSE. You’ll be an even happier when you lock in your first paid job teaching English in Cambodia. While the friendly staff at AVSE in Phnom Penh will be by your side every step of the way, there are things that you can do ensure the transition from your TEFL course to employment goes smoothly. Do some research on cities and towns that might be a good place to work, build rapport with AVSE’s employment person in Phnom Penh – and be flexible. By following these simple ‘pointers’, you’ve got every reason to believe that you’ll be in a terrific teaching job in Cambodia straight after your TEFL course concludes.

 

About the writer: Peter Goudge is the Managing Director (and founder) of AVSE in Cambodia and Vietnam. AVSE offers Australian Government accredited TEFL programmes in Phnom Penh, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Check out the AVSE website: www.avse.edu.vn

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TEFL Course in Phnom Penh – it’s your time to shine

 

AVSE-TESOL offers a brilliant TEFL course in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for aspiring English language teachers. The course involves a time commitment of 150 hours over four weeks and leans heavily towards practical teaching experience. At the end of the four-week study programme at AVSE in Phnom Penh, participants graduate with TEFL certification that’s Australian Government accredited and internationally recognised, the perfect springboard for teaching jobs in Cambodia.

 

 

Over the past decade, more than 5000 trainees have completed AVSE’s Australian Government accredited TEFL course and embarked on a rewarding career path teaching English in Cambodia, Vietnam and elsewhere in the world. Top shelf accreditation, international recognition and more than a decade of training aspiring English language teachers in Southeast Asia help to distinguish the TEFL programme at AVSE in a highly competitive market. Offering everything a TEFL trainee needs in one place to get started on their teaching journey is another distinguishing factor – visa guidance, airport collection, complimentary accommodation during the study programme, a Welcome Party, a free City Tour, hands-on job support, the friendliest staff you will ever meet and the lists goes on and on.

 

Once you have completed the TEFL course in Phnom Penh at AVSE, you will be equipped with the skills, knowledge and certification you need to land that all-important first job as a paid English language teacher. English teaching jobs in Cambodia are available 12 months of the year. Most foreign English teachers in Cambodia work 25 hours a week and manage to save (after meeting all expenses – rent, food and such like) between US $500.00 and US $750.00 a month, without scrimping. The ability to save serious money and get ahead will be all yours – and you’ll do this while leading an expat lifestyle in an exotic country. It doesn’t get any better! Your expat lifestyle will include, among other things, plenty of leisure time, outings with other ESL teachers, friends and locals – and the opportunity to take in the best of what Cambodia and neighbouring countries have to offer. You might be surprised to learn that it only takes six hours by bus (US $17.00) to travel from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. You can pop over to Vietnam for a weekend away.

 

 

So, how can you start this new chapter in your life, teaching in Cambodia? Firstly, you need a spirit of adventure. Secondly, you need to make that life-changing decision to become an English language teacher abroad. Thirdly, you need to settle on a date to make the big move. Lastly, you need to complete and submit the plain-English, online enrolment form to join the TEFL course in Phnom Penh. The enrolment form will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Among other things, you’re asked to provide your name, address, contact details, information about how far you got at school, how did you hear about AVSE-TESOL and suchlike. You will find an enrolment form to join the TEFL course in Phnom Penh at AVSE here.

 

What are the core requirements to join the TEFL course in Phnom Penh at AVSE? There’s no doubt that a university degree (any discipline) will open a few more doors for you as an English language teacher in Cambodia. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t have a degree; it’s not a core requirement for a Work Permit in Cambodia. You need a ‘fun’, ‘can do’ disposition. You also need to be adaptable, keeping in mind that Cambodia is a developing country with a harsh climate – very hot and very wet.

 

 

AVSE staff will reach out to you by email with instructions on what needs to happen next, within three days of receiving your enrolment form to join the TEFL course in Phnom Penh. All being well with your enrolment form, you’ll be on your way to an exciting, new career path teaching English in Cambodia. It’s that simple. What’s my advice? Grab this once in a lifetime opportunity now.

 

About the writer: Peter Goudge is the Managing Director (and owner) of AVSE-TESOL in Cambodia (Phnom Penh), Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City)  and Online. Originally from Australia, Peter has lived and worked in Southeast Asia since 2006. Check out the AVSE-TESOL website: www.avse.edu.vn

 

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