Cert TESOL with Trinity London

COURSE OVERVIEW

Are you considering a complete career change or aspiring to teach English in Ireland or abroad? Liffey College’s Trinity CertTESOL programme is your gateway to a rewarding career in English language teaching.

Our intensive four-week programme offers internationally recognised training that equips you to teach English worldwide, whether in traditional classrooms, online or through blended learning formats. The CertTESOL is comparable to CELT/CELTA qualifications.

CertTESOL → RQF Level 5 (UK)
CertTESOL → NFQ Level 6 (IRL)

What You’ll Learn

The Trinity CertTESOL prepares you with the essential skills, knowledge, and practical experience to confidently step into your first English language teaching role. Through a mix of theory, practice, and real classroom teaching experience, you will:

Master Core Teaching Skills: Gain hands-on expertise in the fundamental techniques required to lead effective English language classes.

Bridge Theory and Practice: Apply proven teaching principles immediately in guided practice sessions to build real classroom confidence.

Deepen Language Knowledge: Develop a strong understanding of English grammar, vocabulary, and discourse to explain complex language points clearly to your students.

Curate Engaging Resources: Learn to select and design impactful teaching materials and digital tools for dynamic adult learning.

Assess and Personalise Learning: Acquire strategies to evaluate student progress, identify individual learning needs and tailor your teaching for optimal results.

Promote Real-World Fluency: Help learners go beyond basic communication, enabling them to speak naturally, accurately and confidently.

By the end of this programme, you won’t just have a certificate you’ll have the practical skills, confidence and classroom experience to thrive as an English language teacher anywhere in the world.

Directed Hours 130

Self Hours 70

Awarding Body TRINITY LONDON

Full-time Learners 4 Weeks

Part-time Learners TBC

Course 2nd FEB 2026

Apply Now

€1199 Includes all fees

4 Weeks FULL-TIME

REGISTRATION & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
MODE OF STUDY
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
ASSIGNMENTS
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
LEARNER HANDBOOK AND POLICIES & PROCEDURES

REGISTRATION & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

1- Complete the Online Application Form

2- Interview

3- Registration

Trainees wishing to complete the Trinity CertTESOL course at Liffey College are not required to have any previous teaching experience or training. The course is primarily designed for those with little or, more usually, no experience of teaching English. However, in order to complete the Trinity CertTESOL course at Liffey College you will need to have the following entry requirements.

Be a minimum age of 18 years or over on commencement of the course.
All participants must hold a qualification which enables them to progress to higher/3rd level education (Level 7) in their respective home countries.
Have sufficient educational level to gain entry to the programme.
Have a proficient level of English and English grammar as a native English speaker. For non-native speakers, have a minimum English language level of C1 (i.e., Cambridge CAE, IELTS 7.0)
Have a strong interest in becoming an effective full-time English language teacher.
Agree to attend the full four-week course training module and to comply with all of the course requirements on research and assignments.

The completed application is then assessed by the course Director or a senior member of the teacher training department at Liffey College. During the interview process following the application submission, candidate’s will submit a copy of their academic degree and (where relevant) a copy of English language proficiency certification.

MODE OF STUDY

FULL-TIME (40 Hours Per-week for 4 Weeks)

Classes – Monday to Friday (9:00am to 05:00pm) (subject to change)

PART-TIME (TBC Hours Per-week for TBC Weeks)

Classes – TBC to TBC (0:00am to 00:00pm) (subject to change)

The CertTESOL comprises a minimum of 130 hours of input, guided tasks, assisted lesson planning and teaching practice and is completed on a full-time basis over a minimum of four weeks. In addition, a further minimum of 70 additional hours study will be required for reading, research, lesson preparation and journal writing. (Total Qualification Time: 200 hours).

On-campus (Full and/or Part time Study)
Independent Study – After Classes
Supervised Learning
Technology Assisted Learning
Study groups
Extra-curricular activitiesCertTESOL Assessment units:
- Unit 1: Teaching skills
- Unit 2: Language awareness and skills
- Unit 3: The learner profile
- Unit 4: The materials assignment
- Unit 5: The unknown language
Trainees who complete this course of study with Liffey College will also undertake at least six hours of observed teaching practice in the college with real learners then produce four or five reflective written assignments including a test of grammar and / or phonology for assessment. All of the assignments must be completed to the college set standards, but you will receive ongoing professional guidance and support throughout the process.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

A Blend of Practice and Theory

This course is an intensive and comprehensive commitment, structured to provide a perfect balance between theoretical knowledge and essential classroom experience.

Component	Minimum Requirements	What You’ll Be Doing
Input Sessions	130 Hours	Dynamic workshops, guided tasks, and assisted lesson planning covering planning, classroom management, teaching skills, language awareness, and materials.
Teaching Practice (TP)	6 Hours Assessed	Planning and delivering at least 8 lessons to classes at two or three different levels of English. Each session includes observation by a tutor and peers, followed by immediate feedback and self-evaluation.
Guided Observations	5 Hours	Watching experienced teachers in action while taking notes on teaching methodology and best practice.
Unknown Foreign Language	4 Language Classes	Experiencing language learning from the student’s perspective to build empathy and understand classroom interaction dynamics.
Independent Study	70+ Additional Hours	Dedicated time for essential reading, research, comprehensive lesson preparation, and reflection (journal writing).

ASSIGNMENTS

The five assessed CertTESOL units to be completed and passed, along with the guided learning hours per unit and the respective weightings, are the following:

Unit	Number of Guided Learning Hours (out of total 130)	Assessment Details	Weighting – i.e., marks available to final result
Unit 1: Teaching Skills	74	Pass mark to be obtained for each of the three elements: Teaching Practice (45%), Teaching Practice Journal (10%) and Guided Observation Journal (5%)	60%
Unit 2: Language Awareness (Grammar and phonology)	20	Pass mark of 60% to be obtained for test or exam	15%
Unit 3: Learner Profile	18	Pass mark to be obtained for all sections of written profile	10%
Unit 4: Materials Assignment	8	Pass marks to be obtained in line with Trinity’s external assessment (written work and face-to-face interview)	10%
Unit 5: Unknown Language	10	Pass mark to be obtained for all sections of Unknown Language Journal	5%

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Recommended Reading

These books form part of the required and recommended reading list to help with CertTESOL pre-course tasks, during the course and as part of a core reference library for English language teachers.

Required Reading:

Jim Scrivener

Learning Teaching (3rd edition)

Macmillan, 2011.

Martin Parrott,

Grammar for English Language Teachers (2nd edition)

CUP, 2010.

Recommended Reading

We also recommend the following titles as part of an extended list for pre-course reading.

METHODOLOGY

Jeremy Harmer

The Practice of English Language Teaching(5th edition)

Pearson ELT, 2015

Scott Thornbury

The New A-Z of ELT: A Dictionary of Terms and Concepts Macmillan, 2017

Peter Watkins

Learning to Teach English: A Practical Introduction for New Teachers

Delta, 2017

GRAMMAR REFERENCE

Michael Swan

Practical English Usage (4th edition)

OUP, 2016.

Rod Bolitho & Brian Tomlinson

Discover English

Macmillan, 2005.

Raymond Murphy

English Grammar in Use (5th edition)

CUP, 2019

LEARNER HANDBOOK AND POLICIES & PROCEDURES

Please familiarise yourself with our Liffey College TESOL course handbook, policies and procedures before commencement of the course proper. Each candidate on registering for the course will receive an assigned password to access all course material.

END-OF-COURSE/FINAL EXAMINATION/ASSIGNMENT & COLLEGE CERTIFICATE

Trainees who complete this course of study with Liffey College will also undertake at least six hours of observed teaching practice in the college with real learners then produce four or five reflective written assignments including a test of grammar and / or phonology for assessment. All of the assignments must be completed to the college set standards, but you will receive ongoing professional guidance and support throughout the process.

An external assessor, will be appointed by Trinity College London in order to inspect each candidates’ portfolios and journals and to interview each candidate on their materials project. The assessor’s role is to monitor the course, standardise grading and to recommend the final grades.

CONTACT – Liffey College

Shruti Sharma (EFL – DoS)

Email: dosefl@liffeycollege.ie

Telephone: +353 (0)1 444 444 7

CONTACT – Trinity College London

CertTESOL: www.trinitycollege.com/certtesol

Email: ukandireland@trinitycollege.co.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7820 6100