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.