NEW: Teaching English for Academic Purposes course

At The TEFL Org, we have always been about accessibility and relevance. We’re always looking at how the market changes, listening to students when they give us feedback, and ready to offer something new when we feel it’s worth doing.

When you come to do a course with us, you should graduate with an arsenal of skills and a clear idea of what kind of teacher you want to be. From our perspective, being a course provider has to be about giving students a range of options in their subsequent careers. That’s why we offer specialist courses for online teaching, for Business English, for teaching young learners and more.

It’s in that spirit that we bring to you our new Teaching English for Academic Purposes course . As always, we’re keen to make our advanced TEFL courses as relevant to the modern job market as possible. EAP very much meets that criteria. Let’s look at who it’s for, what it’s all about, and why it needs to be the next addition to your CV!

EAP: Who is it for?

Millions of international students go through the doors of English-speaking universities and colleges every year. It’s hardly surprising; English-speaking higher education institutions are, in many cases, the envy of the world. From Oxford and Cambridge , to the art schools of London and Glasgow , Yale and Harvard in the USA, Trinity College in Dublin - there are seemingly endless options when it comes to a top-notch English language degree.

According to Study Portals , the “top 1,000 universities offer over 72,500 full-degree study options taught in English”. Naturally, that’s going to attract students from all over, and it shouldn’t be taken as read that their English will be quite ready for a degree course.

You see where we’re going here: you TEFL teachers out there will know there are ample opportunities when it comes to international students. Tutoring can be extremely rewarding - and potentially lucrative - if you have the requisite hours and expertise. 

“Expertise” is where our EAP course comes in. With this qualification on your CV, students looking for help in their studies won’t have to think twice about your credentials. You’ll be helping with essays, presentations and all manner of coursework in no time.

What does the course involve?

So what will you actually be doing on our EAP course? Good question. This advanced TEFL course will take you through everything you have to know in order to teach English for use in academia effectively. That means learning about different types of EAP teaching, the skills most important to students, and designing the most effective lessons for your students. You’ll be qualified and out making money tutoring in no time!

Let’s break it down a little bit more: what does each part of the course involve? First up, you’ll be learning what EAP is all about, who needs it and the key differences between general English and EAP. Then, we get a bit more specific, dealing with an EAP student’s language needs: general vocabulary, academic and subject-specific vocabulary, collocations and phrasal verbs, all of which a student will need for their academic pursuits.

Next up: essays. Whether we’re talking about dissertations or case studies, huge compilations of text or a series of notes, your student is going to need to know how to present ideas in English. Thesis statements, topic sentences, you name it; there’s so much to cover! Then, it’s time for some grammar, including nominalisation and noun phrasing, the all-important passive voice, and much more. Finishing up, it’s all about what you’ve learned, and how it can be used in a teaching context.

This, of course, is a very brief overview. For all the information you’ll need, check out our EAP course page .

The demand for EAP & opportunities 

We've talked a little about international students and how much demand there is for EAP in English-speaking countries, but it’s time for some more stats. Did you know that, for example, in 2021/2022 academic year, the UK hosted 605,130 international students ? Were you aware of the 858,400 international students in academic programmes across the USA in 2022/2023?

As you can imagine, international students often need help with their academic English, but it’s not limited to people who don’t speak English as a foreign language. You could feasibly tutor English-speaking students who need a bit of help writing essays, parsing through complicated academic journals, or maybe need help setting a tone and sticking to the passive voice in their coursework.

It’s not just university students who’ll need help, either. Over recent decades, home learning - through distance courses and the likes of the Open University - has become a big deal. People who have traditionally worked in trades, or are looking for career advancement will often need to pass certain occupational courses. As a teacher of EAP, you can help immensely!

EAP could be vital for your teaching development

If you’re keen to work with students who are extremely motivated, ambitious and eager to learn, EAP might just be exactly what your teaching career needs. With a market that’s constantly growing in terms of demand, you won’t be stuck for options if you can advertise yourself well, and prove you’ve learned everything you need from our EAP course.

Teaching EAP doesn’t just offer learners the chance to do something new, it also opens up your career as a TEFL teacher. Meet all kinds of people with very clear learning goals, network with universities and colleges, find like-minded higher education professionals and help turn academic potential into actual results.

It sounds inspiring, doesn’t it? Get started today!

From today, you can enrol in our Advanced TEFL course, Teaching English for Academic Purposes and, before you know it, connect with students and professionals across the globe. Not TEFL qualified yet? It all starts with 120 hours of top-level TEFL training !