If you are having problems advancing within the course then there are 4 reasons why you may not be able to proceed to the next section. 

So be sure to check them before going on a tirade like this.

If you look at the picture below you will see that there is a lesson in Topic 2 that is greyed out. Why is that?

There are 4 possible reasons below.

1. You didn't complete all the questions. Go back and check that all questions in the previous lesson were completed.

2. Your grade is not high enough. In that case redo it until it is. And your grade point average is cumulative meaning if your first attempt is a 60% and your second attempt was 80% then your average is 70% which is not high enough to proceed. You need an 80% or higher.

3. You didn't check the box. On the course homepage there are some places where you have to check the box to proceed. If you look in the pic above you will see a box next to the "How did you find this course?" section. Make sure you check it when complete.

4. Your access to the course expired. Access is for 30 days. After that you will have to pay an additional $20 for an additional 1 month of access. Your user role has to be changed and your account re-activated.

On Groupon you will find an array of cheap online TEFL courses ranging from like $10 to over a $100. But are these courses legitimate?

Well, it depends what you mean by legit. If all you want to do is take a cheap and easy course to get a certificate to check the box on some job application then it might work.

But it depends.

It depends on the school you are applying to. Groupon TEFL courses all get lumped into the same category and may have a poor reputation to some because it's Groupon.

And Groupon as a site gets pretty poor reviews.

Groupon currently has 3,795 complaints on BBB.

But if you search some of these TEFL courses on there you'll see that they get good or decent reviews.

It depends what you want and why you are considering taking a course. If you just want a cheap and easy certificate then it might be fine with that. But you are still supporting a large company that's basically just an advertising middle man.

If you prefer dealing directly with a company then Groupon is not for you.

Groupon is a middle man site that connects consumers to businesses. They offer advertising for free to their large user base if you put your business on there so they can get a cut.

What percent does Groupon get of your money?

Well, according to this they will get 50% of your money.

So instead of supporting some large middle man site like Malwart Groupon you can help support a small business like BeauTEFL.

Like many of the courses on Groupon BeauTEFL's course is also pretty cheap and fairly easy. It also contains some instructional videos that will make learning easier. And as studies show people don't read much nor remember what they read online.

Here's an alternative to the Groupon TEFL course called Full Circle

Let's take for example the Full Circle course on Groupon.

You have to wait 10 days after course completion just to download your certificate and if you want it faster then you have to pay an extra $20.

Here at BeauTEFL you don't have to wait to download a certificate. Yes you have to complete the course before you can get the certificate, but as soon as you do you can download it.

BeauTEFL's course is pretty basic. It can be completed within a few days. 

BeauTEFL offers an online TEFL course that you can complete entirely online from the comforts of your home. It is a relatively quick and easy course.

After you create an account, log in and pay you can then start to study. 

What's the syllabus like for BeauTEFL's online course?

After you complete your registration, pay and log in then you will find a course outline. Here’s a look inside at the syllabus.

So you can start with topic 1 and then bit by bit move through the course, but don't forget to check the box when you complete it!

Some students forget this.

Why is topic 2 “teaching methods” greyed out? 

That’s because you have to successfully complete the topic before it and attain a grade of 80% or higher. So if you can't proceed in the course then it's probably because your grade is not high enough.

Is this course hard?

No, and don’t worry if you make a mistake you can do it again until your grade is high enough. 

Here's a comment from the course.

And the other reason people can't proceed is that they didn't check the box! 

Then you see that you will study:

• public speaking
• learning styles
• lesson planning

A teacher basically is a public speaker because you have to stand in front of a group of people and teach them. So what's the best way to do that and how do you keep their attention? 

Do students have different learning styles? And what about lesson planning? Is that hard? How do you do it?

Find out inside!

In topics 6, 7, and 8 you will learn:

• presenting language
• teaching listening
• teaching writing

In topics 9-12 you will learn:

• teaching reading
• teaching speaking (super important!)
• teaching phonics
• grammar

In topics 13 and 14 you will learn:

• teaching with games
• teaching songs
• classroom problems

In topics 15-17 you will study:

• classroom management
• resume writing
• culture shock and then finally you take an exam and…

Receive certification.

Yay!

You did it.

What does some of the course content look like?

Here’s a section from teaching speaking.

And then you answer follow up questions like this…

Sometimes the questions are true or false and sometimes they are multiple choice. 

Some sections even have video tutorials.

What are the benefits of this online TEFL course?

All courses aren’t the same and I can’t speak for all courses, but…

• it’s a quick course
• it’s a cheap course
• you can study at your own pace
• you can study where and when you want (it’s convenient)
• you can add this certification to your resume to help you get a job!

It’s very flexible for you and you will have 1 month to complete the course. 

Is 1 month enough time? 

It’s plenty.

That should give you a good idea of what to expect from BeauTEFL's online TEFL course.

Start BeauTEFL’S 120 hour online TEFL course.

Or read Are online TEFL courses worth it?

Are online TEFL courses worth it?

It depends what you want to get out of the course and on the course. Many online TEFL courses are worth it for many people as they can fulfill the requirements to teach English at many schools abroad or online.

What are your goals?

Do you want to learn a lot or just get a job? 

Is your goal to acquire TEFL certification so that you can get a job teaching English abroad or online? Yes, it is possible that an online TEFL course can fulfill that requirement. At the very least it's something you can add to your resume.

What are the requirements to teach English abroad?

That varies from school to school. But the basic requirements to get a work visa are often:

1. A university degree
2. A passport from a native speaking country

Those are usually the basic requirements, however, even those are not set in stone everywhere. In some countries or places it's possible to teach without those, however that depends.

Is TEFL certification required?

That depends on the school. If you don't have teaching experience then they may be required or preferred by schools. If you don't have experience then it's also something that you can add to your application to enhance it.

So then an online TEFL course can be worth it.

Are online TEFL courses really worth it?

Are there some problems with online TEFL courses?

Yes, there are. Learning online can be challenging if there are no visuals. If you are just reading passages and doing multiple choice then how deeply will you absorb what you are studying?

This is a challenge.

Visuals are the key to learning anything. The course needs to show you what to do. If it is very theoretical then that is also not very memorable. BeauTEFL's course does include some instructional videos.

It's best to learn by watching other teachers. 

So in some sense it would be better to take an in-class course assuming it is a quality one. But sometimes this is not possible because you may not live near anywhere that has this sort of course.

Also online courses are cheaper than in-class courses. In-class courses can vary in price from about $500-2000 or more.

Benefits of online TEFL courses

1. You can learn at your own pace
2. They are cheaper
3. They are more convenient

One of the great things about online TEFL courses is that you can take them at your own pace. If you take an in-class course then you have to find a place to go and then study when they want you to study. But online you can work around your schedule.

Online TEFL courses are cheaper too. Instead of paying as much as $2000 for a course you could pay anywhere from $20-400 for an online course.

It's much more convenient for you. You can work on them when you want and it shouldn't conflict with your schedule.

So here's a recap to if online TEFL courses are worth it or not

They may not be optimum for learning. And some online courses may be better than others. An in-class course may be optimum. But an online course will be cheaper and often faster and this may be all you need to fulfill the requirement.

It might be what you need to "check the box" so to speak.

So if you are looking for a course that's relatively quick and easy then you could try BeauTEFL's course.