1. Do I need a visa to do the course?
EU citizens don’t need a visa. Non-EU nationals can stay in Spain for up to three months as tourists.
2. Do I need health or travel insurance?
Personal health and travel insurance is recommended, although EU citizens can receive free treatment for basic emergencies.
3. How can I make travel arrangements?
The easiest way to get to Cordoba from outside of Spain is to fly to Malaga, Seville or Madrid. Seville is 45 minutes from Cordoba by train, Malaga is 55 minutes away and Madrid is less than two hours away. You can also enquire about our ‘airport transfers service‘.
4. How can I arrange accommodation?
Spainwise can arrange accommodation in Cordoba as follows:
Single room in shared flat: €400 for 4 weeks
Single room with en-suite private bathroom in shared flat: €500 for 4 weeks
Contact our course manager
5. Are the course fees refundable?
See our Terms and Conditions
6. What does the pre-course assignment involve?
Once you’ve been accepted on a Spainwise Trinity CertTESOL Course and you have booked your place, you will be sent a pre-course assignment, which can be done online. This assignment is not a test and will not be marked but will be referred to during the course.
The objective of this assignment is to make you (more) aware of the terminology and broader issues related to English Language Teaching and the study of English grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.
There are 20 components to the assignment:
- The History of English & Methodologies
- The Common European Framework for Languages
- Grammar (Level A1)
- Grammar (Level A2)
- Grammar (Level B1)
- Grammar (Level B2)
- Grammar (Level C1)
- Grammar (Level C2)
- Lexis (Metalanguage)
- Lexis (Functional Language)
- Lexis (Word Formation)
- Lexis (Spelling)
- Lexis (False Friends)
- Lexis (Words & Pronunciation)
- Phonology (Sounds)
- Phonology (Stress)
- Classroom Management
- Characteristics of a Good Teacher
- Trinity Exams for Students of English
- Cambridge Exams for Students of English
7. What are the main course components of the Spainwise CertTESOL Course?
There are FIVE main components:
- Teaching Skills
The Spainwise Cert TESOL course is a practical, ‘hands-on’ course. Trainees are divided into working groups at the start of the course and each group is assigned a practice class of students and a teaching practice tutor. After each teaching practice session, trainees have feedback sessions with their tutors. We conduct continuous assessment of teaching practice, based on your classroom teaching, your reflections on your own teaching and your observations of experienced teachers.
- Language Awareness and Skills
Although non-native English teachers are usually more comfortable with learning and teaching the grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation needed in the classroom, native English speakers are often concerned about these challenges. The language awareness input sessions are designed to overcome any concerns you might have and help you to become more knowledgeable and confident when dealing with these issues.
- Learner Profile
As part of the course you will conduct a case study of one of your students. You will analyse their background and the challenges facing them, give them a one-to-one lesson, and make recommendations for the student’s future studies.
- Materials Assignment
Another component of the course involves you creating your own original material to use with your students in the classroom and evaluating it afterwards. You will also present this material in the assessment interview conducted by an external course moderator at the end of the course.
- Learning an Unknown Language
Whether you have experience learning a second language or not, trainees find this part of the course (where you participate as a learner in four hours of lessons at beginner level in a foreign language you have never studied before) really interesting. Finding out what it’s like to be a student on the receiving end of language teaching can open your eyes to what you can improve about your own teaching.
8. How much work will I have to do on the course?
Most trainees find the 4-week intensive course very demanding as they need to attend the Spainwise Teacher Training Centre for 8 hours a day for four weeks in a row. Most days, it would be necessary to do a couple of more hours of work at home too. You are strongly recommended to make sure you have no other commitments during the period of an intensive course.