4-Week TEFL Course in Florence, Italy

Our course is accredited by Learning Resource Network, an Ofqual recognised awarding body, as a level 5 certificate.

The course costs $1595. You’ll pay a deposit of $400 when you enrol and the balance directly to the partner centre approximately four weeks before the start of the course.

Please note:
These prices may be lower if you see an offer listed on our site or have a discount code.

Included in the price of the course are:
– Pre-course support – visa, insurance and documentation advice
– The 4-week, 130+ hour course
– 10 hours of teaching practice
– 6 hours observing experienced teachers
– Expert tuition from certified and experienced trainers
– Accommodation assistance
– Welcome breakfast and graduation ceremony with lunch
– All course materials
– Organised social and cultural events
– Lifetime job support from the partner centre and from School of TEFL
– Deposit refund guarantee
– Add-on Grammar Course
– Lesson plan subscription

This is an intensive, university-level course that requires dedication and hard work! It’s not a ‘shortcut’ TEFL course. However, with your commitment, you’ll emerge from it well-prepared and highly motivated to start your teaching journey.

Yes, you’ll teach actual local ESL students at two different levels for 10 hours. These students will be in small groups.

Yes, the course trains you how to teach both adults and young learners. You’ll learn core teaching skills applicable to all age groups, along with specific strategies for teaching young learners.

During the 4 weeks, you’ll be assessed on the following:

1. Teaching practice – You’ll need to show that you can reflect on your own teaching and put feedback into practice.
2. Personal and professional portfolio – This is a “progress log” where you record your achievements and identify ares for growth.
3. Individual Student Teaching Project – You’ll create a detailed learning plan for one student (including two lesson plans) and normally teach one of the lessons.
4. Group Project – You’ll create a project with some of your fellow trainees aound the themes of teaching and cross-cultural awareness. You’ll then present this project to the whole group.
5. Final written test
6. Attendance

You’ll also have several one to one tutorials with your trainer to talk about your progress and answer any questions about what you’ve covered on the course.

The course is suitable for motivated individuals of all ages and backgrounds who want to teach English in Italy, around the world or online.

The course tends to get fully booked up to two or three months in advance, so it’s best to book as early as you can.

There is an average of 8 trainees on each course.

A laptop for lesson planning is useful if you have one. When teaching or observing classes, you need to wear professional, business clothing (no jeans, shorts, flip-flops or t-shirts). When not teaching or observing, you can wear more casual, but still “semi-professional” clothes.

You don’t need to prepare in any way. However, we would recommend taking our add-on Grammar Course (free when you enrol). You’ll learn grammar on the course, but this will give you a head start.

If you want to read about English teaching before the course, Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener and The Practice of English Language Teaching by Jeremy Harmer are both good options. Again, this is optional, as you’ll learn all you need to know about the theory and practice of teaching on the course itself, but some trainees find it helpful to be familiar with some of the terms and concepts before starting the course.

No – TEFL courses show you how to teach without needing to know the language of your students. If you go on to teach in an English speaking country, you’ll probably have classes of mixed nationality/first language, so using the students’ first language isn’t an option anyway. However, our partner centre does offer free introductory Italian lessons and language exchanges with students!

Our partner centre provides ongoing job search support. During and after the course, you’ll have access to individual job guidance sessions, along with advice on writing your CV, preparing for interviews, and finding suitable teaching opportunities. The partner centre has connections with many schools locally and internationally, and may be able to help you explore openings within its network of language schools, depending on availability and fit.

In addition to the support provided by the partner centre, School of TEFL offers continued career guidance. Before, during, and after your course, we’re here to help with CV writing, job applications, interview techniques, and developing your TEFL career. You’re always welcome to contact us by email or phone for personalised support – we’re here to help whenever you need us.

Included in the course fee are organised social and cultural events, as well as survival Italian language lessons.

Please feel free to ask if you need help with anything else as well – the partner centre team will do their best to assist you or point you in the right direction wherever they can!

To teach English in Italy you’ll need:
– a TEFL certification
– the legal right to work in the EU. This means either being an EU citizen or, as a non-EU citizen, having a visa or work permit (see the questions beow for more on this)
– to have native level or a highly proficient level of English

You don’t need a Bachelor’s degree to teach English in Italy, although many employers prefer it and prioritise teachers who have one.

Some employers will require a clean criminal background check.

You don’t need to be an EU citizen, but you do need the legal right to work in Italy. EU/EEA citizens can work freely, while non-EU citizens must have a visa that allows employment, such as a student visa with work rights. Most private language schools in Italy don’t sponsor work visas.

If you are British or American, you will need to apply for a student visa to work in Italy. With a student visa, you can legally work, normally for up to 20 hours per week. Getting a student visa involves enrolling to study Italian at a local school or university, which leaves you free to teach at language schools or freelance in the afternoons/evenings and at weekends. With this option, you need to factor in the cost of the Italian course when working out living costs and budgeting.

Please note that this method doesn’t guarantee you work, it just allows you to work legally while you are studying. Our partner centre can provide guidance on how to apply for this type of visa and support you during the process.

If you are from Canada, Australia or New Zealand, you can come to Italy on a Working Holiday Visa for a year. You need to be under 30 (35 for Canadians). This visa allows you to work on a contract with a language school.

As long as you are an EU citizen or, as a non-EU citizen, have a valid visa, you can work legally in Italy whether or not you are a native speaker.

The school year runs from September to June and is split into two semesters, starting in September and February. These are the peak hiring periods for jobs in Italy.

Most teaching jobs are in language schools in the bigger cities such as Rome, Naples, Florence, Venice, Milan, Bologna and Bari, but there are opportunities in smaller towns across the country as well, as well as in Sardinia.

The most common type of teaching job is with private language schools. Many language prefer teachers to have a little experience, but there are jobs available if you are newly qualified too, and the more flexible you are with where you choose to live, the greater your chances of finding employment.

Many teachers work on a freelance basis for two or more language schools, as well as supplementing their income by teaching privately. There are also summer schools across the country, which can be a good place to start and get some experience under your belt.

There are also jobs at international schools and universities across Italy, usually requiring two or more years of experience.

The average salary for an English teacher in Italy is between 1000 and 1500 eruos per month. Private lessons typically pay between 20 and 25 euros per hour, depending on the student and region. Many teachers use these to supplement their main income. The salary at summer camps is typically around 250 euros per week.

The cost of living is relatively low compared to many other EU countries, but less so in bigger cities. In many cases, a language school salary may cover basic monthly expenses, especially when sharing accommodation. However, savings potential will depend on your location, housing choices, and overall lifestyle. A studio apartment can cost around 600 to 1000 euros per month, but most teachers rent a room in a shared apartment, which costs around 300 to 500 euros per month.