23 October 2024

Notarise a TEFL certificate in the UK

Anyone who wants to teach English abroad will first need to get a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate, and then get it notarised and legalised. Find out what we can do to help you take your certificate abroad in our informative blog.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The TEFL certificate is an extremely important document for those who want to go abroad to teach English. Without it, you will likely struggle to find somewhere to teach English overseas.

However, once you get your TEFL certificate, it will need to be notarised and legalised before it is accepted in the country that you want to use it in.

Luckily, we can help you notarise a TEFL certificate, and we can also get your TEFL certificate legalised for you, according to the standards of the country you want to go to. Keep reading to find out how we can help you.

Where can I use my TEFL certificate?

TEFL certificates are recognised worldwide, so basically, you can use them anywhere English is considered to be a foreign language, and we can help you get it notarised and legalised for essentially any country.

With how widespread English is as the language of business, and also as a language that people from different countries use to communicate with each other, it is a tongue that is in high demand, and teachers are always useful.

Please note that if you want to teach English as a second language to people in English speaking countries, that you will need a Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) certificate instead.

How to notarise a TEFL certificate

Although the TEFL certificate’s entire purpose is about teaching people in countries that do not speak English, you cannot just take it overseas as it is and use it as proof of your expertise as it is.

After you have applied for a job and successfully got it, but before you can take your certificate abroad with you to use it as proof of your skills, you will first need to get it notarised and legalised.

A notary such as our resident Notary Public of England and Wales, Nathan Woodcock, can assist you with both the processes of notarisation and legalisation.

Both processes are straightforward, but legalisation can take longer depending on what country you want to go to. This is because whilst most countries use the faster apostille process, some use the longer process of embassy legalisation.

It should be noted that not all countries will need a TEFL to be notarised, so you should first check if it does or not. A notary will be able to tell you this as well.

How we can help

Our helpful team can assist you with planning your notary appointment with Nathan, and also arrange for the legalisation of your TEFL certificate.

To meet Nathan, you will first need to book an appointment. You can do so by calling us, emailing us, or by using our website chatbot. You can meet Nathan at one of our offices in London, Manchester, and Sheffield. However, if you would instead like to meet Nathan at a place of your own such as your home, then you can use our mobile notary service.

For legalisation, we can help with both the processes of getting you an apostille from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and also with embassy legalisation. We offer a standard service and a fast-track option for apostilles, which you can view on our apostille packages page.

Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you with taking your TEFL certificate abroad.

What is a TEFL certificate?

Whilst you may already know what a TEFL certificate is if you are reading this blog, we shall provide some information for those who do not.

Basically, the TEFL certificate is a qualification gained after undertaking a course to become qualified to teach non-native English speakers how to read, write and speak English. It takes a lot of studying and hard work to get.

The certificate acts as proof of your achievement, and you can use it to apply for jobs and show potential employers that you are qualified to teach English as a foreign language.

Your certificate will include the name of the course provider, your name, what you studied, the date you were issued with the certificate, the contact details of your provider, an ID number, and other information which depends on who has issued you with your certificate.

How do I get a TEFL certificate?

To get your TEFL certificate, you will have to carry out a certain number of hours studying a course with the provider of your choice. The exact amount of time it takes will depend on who you are doing your course with, and which course you choose. Please note that you will have to pay for your course.

However, it can take somewhere between 100 to 250 hours to get a TEFL certificate, with 120 hours being the average based on how long many people have taken to complete it. Some may let you complete the course in your own time.

With how varied TEFL courses can be based on the providers, there is no specific curriculum or way of teaching. Therefore, we have chosen to highlight a couple of providers to show you what you may be expected to do.

What do I do if I have lost my TEFL certificate?

If you have lost your TEFL certificate, then you should get back in touch with the provider who awarded you the certificate. You will likely have to pay a small fee for a replacement, which you can then get notarised and legalised.

What are some TEFL course providers?

Some examples of TEFL providers include TEFL Org, which is an accredited provider who offers a 120-hour-long course that includes modules that are based on English language teaching methodology, grammar and awareness, video observation of a teacher, telephone teaching to tutor students remotely, and teaching large classes. They also have tutor support available throughout the whole course.

They have other courses available as well, such as an advanced 200-hour-long course for those who want to do more training.

TEFL UK is another provider with a large range of TEFL courses that take a varied number of hours to complete, from 120 hours to 240 hours. Their course teaches skills such as grammatical awareness, lesson planning, using games to teach, how to teach children, and more.

Useful links to course providers

Some people reading this blog may just be carrying out research before they apply to join a TEFL course. Therefore, we have compiled a list of some course providers that you can look at to see if any of them appeal to you.

Once you have completed your course, you can then come back here and refresh yourself on the notarisation and legalisation services we provide, and use them yourself to take your skills overseas.

A list of course providers includes: