What counts as teaching practice on a TEFL course?

Teaching practice can mean observation, peer teaching, a simulation or assessed lessons with real learners. Ask which one a course actually includes.

A course may contain worthwhile activities without providing the evidence a particular employer requests. The solution is not to dismiss everything except classroom attendance. It is to describe the actual activity accurately.

Five activities that should not be merged

These distinctions are an editorial framework for reading specifications. They are not a proprietary accreditation system.

Two named qualifications give concrete reference points

Cambridge states that CELTA includes six hours of assessed teaching with adult learners at at least two levels, alongside other course requirements. Trinity describes six hours of supervised teaching with real learners within CertTESOL. CELTA TRIN

Do not reduce either qualification to that single number. The assessment structure, moderation, other coursework and authorised provider requirements are also part of the award.

Equally, matching six hours alone does not make every other certificate identical to either named qualification. A receiving employer may define equivalence more specifically.

Online does not mean unobserved

Live teaching can be delivered and observed online. Conversely, a classroom workshop may involve only other trainees. Cambridge explicitly offers multiple CELTA delivery formats while retaining teaching practice. CELTA

The useful comparison is therefore the activity and assessment, not a simple “online versus real” distinction.

Ask whether attendance is synchronous, what time zone applies, whether learners are supplied and whether your own teaching is assessed in real time or through submitted recordings. These details change both practicality and evidence.

A separate practice product needs its own checks

The TEFL Academy's inspected observed-practice offer describes a separate 46-hour certificate route, including six recorded lessons and prerequisites linked to its Level 5 training. The page lists a UK promotional £95 price. This is a provider claim and dated offer, not automatic inclusion in every diploma purchase or a guarantee of employer equivalence. TA3

When comparing an add-on, determine whether you must already have access to learners or a teaching role. Buying assessment access is different from being provided a placement. Also check who obtains consent for recording and what privacy protections apply.

The evidence to retain

Keep the named award, practice specification, learner context, teaching duration and assessment method together. A certificate with only a total course-hours figure may not answer an employer asking specifically about observed practice.

A useful record says what you did, not merely that the course was “practical.” It might distinguish observed teaching from observation hours and independent lesson planning rather than summing them into one number.

Choose the route after identifying the requirement

When the target explicitly requires CELTA, CertTESOL or a documented equivalent, send the exact alternative specification to that receiver. Do not treat an affiliate's comparison table as the receiver's approval.

When observed teaching is not an immediate requirement, it may still be valuable development. That is a separate purchasing decision from whether the additional expense is necessary for a particular application.