Teacher training · Trinity College London
Trinity CertTESOL
An internationally recognised qualification to teach English as a foreign language, taught in person over four full-time weeks in Cheltenham. inlingua Cheltenham is accredited by Trinity College London to deliver the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. No teaching experience is required. The course combines classroom instruction with observation of real English classes and assessed teaching practice with real international students — not role-play with your classmates. It is regulated at Level 5, comparable in difficulty to the second year of an undergraduate degree.
- Length
- 4 weeksFull time, in person
- Level
- Level 5Trinity College London
- Experience
- None neededBeginners welcome
- Pass rate
- 97%Across our last 15 courses
Next course dates are being finalised
We are currently working out the best dates to run the next CertTESOL course, and fees will be confirmed at the same time. Dates will be published on this page as soon as they are available.
If you are interested, email us now with the months you would be free and we will contact you as soon as dates are set — and send you a full quotation. Registering your interest costs nothing and puts you at the front of the queue for a course with limited places.
Fees consist of a course fee plus a separate Trinity College London moderation fee. Both figures will be confirmed with the dates.
What the qualification is
TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. The Trinity CertTESOL is an initial teaching qualification, recognised internationally and accepted by language schools around the world as evidence that you can walk into a classroom and teach.
It is aimed at people with little or no teaching experience, and it gives you the core skills and knowledge to teach English as a second language: how languages are learned, how to plan a lesson, how to manage a classroom, how to explain grammar to someone who does not share your first language, and how to hold the attention of twelve people at nine o'clock on a Monday morning.
The course is regulated at Level 5 — comparable in difficulty to the second year of an undergraduate degree. It is not an introductory weekend course, and it is not meant to be.
Our track record
Over our last fifteen courses, 97% of participants who completed the course passed and gained the qualification.
What the course involves
Four weeks, full time, in person at our school in Cheltenham. There is no online or part-time version — this is a course you attend, every day, and the intensity is deliberate.
Classroom instruction
Input sessions covering language awareness, teaching methodology, lesson planning, classroom management and the practicalities of working with learners at different levels.
Observation of real classes
You watch experienced teachers teaching genuine English classes here at the school, then discuss what you saw and why it worked. Watching a good teacher solve a problem in real time teaches you things no handbook can.
Assessed teaching practice
You plan and teach real lessons to real international students, with feedback afterwards. Because we are a working language school with students in the building all year, your practice is not a simulation.
Written assignments
Coursework completed alongside the taught programme, including work on language analysis and on your own development as a teacher. Some of it needs dedicated time outside class hours.
The advantage of training inside a working school
Some teacher training happens in a room hired for the purpose, with trainees practising on each other. Ours does not. inlingua Cheltenham teaches English to international students every week of the year, so the classes you observe are real classes, the students you teach are real students, and the problems you have to solve are real problems.
The daily timetable
Forty lessons a week, Monday to Friday. This is a full working day with homework on top.
| Session | Time |
|---|---|
| Session 1 | 09:00 – 10:30 |
| Session 2 | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Session 3 | 13:30 – 15:00 |
| Session 4 | 15:15 – 16:45 |
| Qualification | Trinity College London Certificate in TESOL (CertTESOL) |
|---|---|
| Format | Group training, intensive full-time programme, in person |
| Length | 4 weeks |
| Hours | 40 lessons per week, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:45 |
| Location | Rodney Lodge, 9 Rodney Road, Cheltenham GL50 1HX |
| Start dates | To be confirmed — published here as soon as available |
| Fees | To be confirmed — contact us for a quotation |
Be honest with yourself about the workload
This is an intensive training course requiring full commitment and focus. Four weeks is a short time to turn somebody with no teaching experience into somebody who can run a classroom, and the schedule reflects that.
Expect a full day at the school Monday to Friday, plus assignments that need dedicated time in the evenings and at weekends. Trainees who try to hold down a job alongside the course generally struggle. Those who clear four weeks in their diary and treat it as a full-time commitment tend to do well — which is a large part of why our pass rate is what it is.
If you are weighing this up, talk to us. We would rather have a frank conversation about whether the timing works for you than have you start a course you cannot give the time to.
Who takes the course
No teaching experience is required. Enrolment is open to anyone with the qualifications for entry to higher education, such as A-Levels. Typical participants include:
- College students and recent graduates
- Professionals looking for a career change
- Teachers of other subjects adding English to what they can offer
- Non-native English speakers who want to teach English in their home countries
- Non-native trainees generally, who are welcome and well supported here
Entry requirements
| Education | The qualifications for entry to higher education, such as A-Levels |
|---|---|
| Teaching experience | None required |
| English level International applicants | Proficiency equivalent to CPE or CAE, IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 600 is highly recommended |
| Availability | Four consecutive weeks, full time, in person in Cheltenham |
Not sure whether your English is at the level required? Tell us what qualifications you hold and we will advise honestly before you apply.
Register your interest
Tell us when you are free
Dates for the next course are being finalised. Email us with the months you could commit four full-time weeks, and we will contact you as soon as dates are set, with a full quotation.
Or telephone +44 (0)1242 250 493, Monday to Friday, 08:00–17:00 UK time. inlingua Cheltenham, Rodney Lodge, 9 Rodney Road, Cheltenham GL50 1HX.
Coming from outside Cheltenham? We can arrange homestay accommodation for the four weeks of your course. See accommodation options.
Common questions
When is the next TESOL course?
Dates for the next course are being finalised and will be published on this page as soon as they are available. Email info@inlingua-cheltenham.co.uk with the months you would be free and we will contact you directly as soon as dates are set.
How much does the course cost?
Fees are being confirmed alongside the dates. There is a course fee plus a separate Trinity College London moderation fee, and we will send you both figures with a full quotation when you get in touch.
Do I need teaching experience?
No. The Trinity CertTESOL is designed for people with little or no teaching experience. You need the qualifications for entry to higher education, such as A-Levels, and four weeks you can commit to full time.
Can I do the course online or part time?
No. This course is taught in person over four consecutive full-time weeks at our school in Cheltenham. That is partly a requirement of the qualification and partly deliberate — observing real classes and teaching real students is not something that transfers well to a screen.
Will I teach real students?
Yes. inlingua Cheltenham is a working language school with international students in the building all year, so you observe experienced teachers teaching genuine classes and you complete your assessed teaching practice with real learners rather than with your fellow trainees.
Can I work while doing the course?
We would strongly advise against it. The taught day runs 09:00 to 16:45 Monday to Friday, and assignments need dedicated time on top of that. Trainees who treat the four weeks as a full-time commitment do considerably better.
I am not a native English speaker. Can I take the course?
Yes, and non-native trainees are a regular and welcome part of our courses — many go on to teach English in their home countries. We highly recommend English proficiency equivalent to CPE or CAE, IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 600. Tell us what you hold and we will advise.
Is the qualification recognised internationally?
Yes. The Trinity CertTESOL is one of the two initial teaching qualifications most widely recognised by language schools worldwide, and inlingua Cheltenham is accredited by Trinity College London to deliver it.
Places are limited when dates open
Register your interest now and we will contact you the moment dates are confirmed, with a full quotation. It costs nothing and there is no obligation.
inlingua Cheltenham is accredited by Trinity College London to deliver the Certificate in TESOL, and by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK. Last updated August 2026.