FAQs - Online TEFL Teacher

1 What do I need to do to get a permit to teach EFL in Malta?

SHOW-REPLY

Current regulations state that in order to teach English Language in Malta, a teacher needs to be in possession of a Teaching Permit. This is issued by the ELT Council at the Ministry for Education and Employment, Great Siege Road, Floriana, VLT 2000 (Tel: 2598 2766; email: catherine.bugeja@gov.mt). The permit is only issued to those applicants who satisfy the following requirements):

a. you should be at least 18 years of age when you apply for a permit

b. you should have a Matriculation standard of education (i.e. sufficient for entry into a university and recognised at National Qualifications Framework level 4) if you are under the age of 21

c. you should have a Pass grade or higher in the ELT Council TELT examination or a comparable qualification in English* not inferior to Grade C at Advanced level and which is recognised at level 4 or higher on the National Qualifications Framework.

The TELT examination is currently being offered for FREE

* An A-level in English Literature will not be accepted. An A-level in English has to have a language/linguistics component. If the certificate specifically states ‘English Literature’, then we are informed that the ELT Council will not accept it.

d. you should have a certificate in the methodology of teaching English language to

speakers of other languages which is approved by the Council, such as the ELT Council TEFL Cert or any comparable qualification recognised at a minimum of level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework and which is approved by the ELT Council

NB You are exempted from c. and d. if you possess an international certificate at National Qualifications Framework level 5 in English language teaching to speakers of other languages (such as, for example, the Cambridge ESOL CELTA, the Trinity Cert. TESOL) or a higher qualification from a recognised institution as approved by the Council. These include, for example, the Cambridge ESOL DELTA, Trinity Dip. TESOL, MA TESOL or MA ELT.

e. A SEPTT certificate at Band 3 issued by the ELT Council. The SEPTT exam assumes that all candidates have already undertaken a TEFL methodology course e.g. our TEFL Cert. Course. On request, we also offer a four-hour session to prepare candidates for the SEPTT Examination. If Interested email us at: info@onlineteflteacher.com regarding joining the ‘Preparing for SEPTT’ session.

SEPTT Examinations (a test of spoken classroom English where tasks will assume a familiarity with TEFL methodologies) are run once every month and are a requirement only for applicants applying for a NEW ELT Permit.

The SEPTT examination is currently being offered for FREE, examination dates for 2020 can be found on https://eltcouncil.gov.mt/septt-sessions/ and you can find the application here: https://eltcouncil.gov.mt/wp-content/plugins/download-attachments/includes/download.php?id=1238

f. you should have a valid clean conduct certificate from the Commissioner of Police (issued within the month before the date of application for a Permit)

Please note that you need to apply for a permit no later than 36 months after the date on your TEFL certificate and no later than 24 months after the date on your TELT certificate. NB You do not need to possess these requirements in order to join our TEFL Cert. Courses. Acceptance is at the discretion of the Academic Manager, who may ask to interview you in order to assess your level of spoken English. However, by the time you apply for a permit you will need to satisfy the other requirements.

More info can be found at: ELT Council Malta http://eltcouncil.gov.mt/

HIDE-REPLY

2 Do I need to do both a TEFL Cert Course and a TELT Exam Preparation Course?

SHOW-REPLY

No. You must do a TEFL Cert. Course accredited by the ELT Council of the Ministry for Education and Employment in order to get a permit to teach EFL in Malta. If you have a Cambridge ESOL CELTA or a Trinity Cert. TESOL (or the higher Diploma of both Cambridge and Trinity) you are exempted from doing a Maltese TEFL Cert. Course. Higher qualifications that have a strong teaching methodology component are also sometimes accepted.

If you have an A-Level pass in English (Grades A-C are pass grades) you do not have to do the TELT Exam. However, we recommend that prospective teachers who have an A-Level in English also take the course, as it covers areas of pedagogical grammar, lexis and phonology in much more depth than is normally covered on A-Level English courses (where the emphasis tends to be on literature, an area which is mainly irrelevant to English Language learners). The examination also tests your own proficiency in English.

The course will prepare you more thoroughly for areas of language terminology and awareness (particularly grammar and phonology) which English language learners commonly study or already know.

You do not have to do a TELT Exam Preparation course in order to do the examination, but it is highly recommended that you do. Remember, you must pass the examination if you do not have an A-Level in English (Grades A-C).

HIDE-REPLY

3 What are the main differences between OTT (Online TEFL Teacher)’s TEFL Cert. Course and the TELT Exam Preparation Course?

SHOW-REPLY

The TEFL Cert. Course introduces participants to, and gives practice in, modern teaching methods. The main content of the course focuses on methods and techniques to help language learners communicate (speak, listen, read and write) using real-life, useful language. Participants are also shown ways of teaching communicative grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation in a learner-centred, interactive classroom. They practise these techniques throughout the course. Lesson planning and other areas of TEFL are also dealt with. Some main areas of grammar and phonology terminology are also explored in OTT’s (onlie TEFL Teacher’s) TEFL Cert. course (although these are covered more intensively in our TELT Examination preparation course) https://eltcouncil.gov.mt/tefl-cert/.

The OTT TELT Examination Preparation Course is a course which prepares participants for the TELT Examination held by the ELT Council of the Department of Education in Malta. Syllabus and Past Papers can be downloaded from https://eltcouncil.gov.mt/telt/. In OTT’s course, grammar (mainly tenses and parts of speech), phonology and other areas which appear in EFL course books are covered in some depth. Some writing skills and differences between formal and informal English are also addressed.

A third qualification you need in order to apply for a permit is the SEPTT (Spoken English Proficiency Test for Teachers) Examination. On request, we also offer a four-hour session to prepare candidates for the SEPTT Examination. This examination is held once a month and ascertains that your spoken English is accurate and fluent enough to teach English as a foreign language. It assumes familiarity with TEFL methodologies i.e. you need to have undergone a TEFL training course such as the TEFL Cert. Course. Information and a manual can be found here: https://eltcouncil.gov.mt/septt-sessions/

HIDE-REPLY

4 Is there any funding for Prospective ELT Teachers?

SHOW-REPLY

Both our TEFL Cert. Course and TELT Examm Preparation Course fees may be eligible for funding under the Training Pays Scheme. The scheme offers assistance in the form of a training grant to aid participants with costs related to training. The grant will be awarded to the eligible individual (trainee) after the successful completion of their training. The grant will be equivalent to 75% of the direct training cost excluding VAT.

More information can be found at this link: https://jobsplus.gov.mt/schemes jobseekers/training-pays-scheme

HIDE-REPLY

5 I have heard that there is a high failure rate in the TELT Examination. Is this true?

SHOW-REPLY

The TELT Examination is designed to ensure that candidates have an appropriate knowledge of English grammar and phonology (which they will need when they teach EFL) and that their own competence in written English is sufficiently high to enable them to teach English with confidence.

If candidates do not satisfy these two main requirements, they will find it difficult to pass the TELT examination. As a rule-of-thumb guide, if your level of English is strong enough for you to be confident about passing an A-level in English (barring the literature component), it should be strong enough to enable you to pass the TELT Exam (as long as your explicit knowledge of TEFL grammar and phonology is brought up to scratch).

HIDE-REPLY

6 Do I need to buy any books for either course?

SHOW-REPLY

Your course leader will provide you with an abundant supply of handouts. However, they will also suggest books that you might like to buy – but which are not essential – to further your skills, knowledge and competence.

*click here to see a list of book suggestions