Here is a brief descriptive list of the two most widely-available and widely-accepted TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification programs. If you want to teach English in Italy, either of these would be a good way to build the foundations you will need and obtain the qualification that will best serve you in your TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) career.

CELTA

What is it?

CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is a starter qualification for people with little or absolutely no teaching experience. This TEFL certificate course is administered by Cambridge ESOL, part of the University of Cambridge, a school well-known for its high educational standards. It trains participants in the skills needed to begin working as an ESL teacher in any part of the world.  CELTA is accredited at Level 4 on the UK National Qualifications Framework.

Where is it offered? CELTA courses are provided at 286 centres in 54 countries.

CELTA is available in Italy at the following locations:

• INTERNATIONAL HOUSE SAN DONATO MILAN, Milan (Milano) Italy
• TEACHER TRAINING. IT Milan (Milano) Italy
• THE BRITISH COUNCIL, MILAN , Milan (Milano) Italy
• THE BRITISH COUNCIL, NAPLES Naples (Napoli) Italy
• INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, PALERMO Palermo Sicily (Sicilia) Italy
• INTERNATIONAL HOUSE - ACCADEMIA BRITANNICA Rome (Roma) Italy
• THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF ENGLISH Verona Italy

What is the course structure and content?  CELTA can be taken full time over the course of four to five weeks (intensive), or part time from a few months (semi-intensive) to over a year. It introduces participants to the principles of effective teaching and emphasizes the most practical methods for teaching English to adults."There are five main units of learning: Learners and teachers, and the teaching and learning context, Language analysis and awareness, Language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing, Planning and resources for different contexts, Developing teaching skills and professionalism." Each teacher-in-training will teach for a total of 6 hours, working with students on various levels of English proficiency.

What are the requirements? An ideal participant is one who has accomplished a degree of education that is entry or higher level.  CELTA centers accept applicants aged 20 or over who are English speakers with the competencies necessary for teaching students with various levels of ability.  Centres may accept candidates without formal qualifications at this level who can demonstrate the capacity for completing the course successfully. At their discretion, some centers may accept applicants as young as 18 years old.

How much does it cost? Individual centers offer CELTA courses at their established fees. A medium cost might be €1,750. First balance must be paid before starting the course.

CertTESOL 

What is it?

The CertTESOL is theTrinity Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.  It's Trinity College of London's basic teacher training course, designed for those who have little or even no experience teaching English to speakers of other languages. It helps develop basic skills and knowledge necessary to start working as an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher. It introduces the "theory and practice" aspects of modern English teaching to students with different native languages, and is accredited at Level 4 on the UK National Qualifications Framework.

 Where is it offered? CertTESOL is available at more than 100 organizations world-wide.

The CertTesol  2009 is offered in Italy at the following locations:

• BYRON LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, Rome (Roma), Italy
• VICTORIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, Turin (Torino), Italy

 What is the course structure and content? There is an option to study full-time or part-time. There are five units that cover: teaching skills, language consciousness, getting to know the learner, choosing materials and the "unknown language". Participants complete at least six hours of observation and "hands-on" teaching experience.

What are the requirements? Participants must be at least 18 years old, capable of written and spoken English fom an entry-or-higher level of education. Applicants DO NOT NEED TO BE L1(primary language) English speakers, but they must be competent in areas pertinent to teaching the language.

How much does it cost? Each school prices their CertTESOL course independently, but usually about €1,600.  First balance must be paid before starting the course.