In-person TEFL Course in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The course is Australian government accredited under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF – RTO: 45373, Course: 11245NAT), giving graduates a Certificate IV in TESOL. This certification is equivalent to CELTA and the Trinity CertTESOL.

The course costs $1,657. You’ll pay a deposit of $550 when you enrol and the balance directly to the partner centre approximately two 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 25 days / 150 hours +/- Australian Government accredited course
– 6 hours of teaching practice classes (actual classes with feedback on the first 4 hours)
– 6 hours observing experienced teachers (actual classes)
– Expert tuition from certified (specialist) vocational trainers
– Referral to local accommodation options to satisfy all budgets
– Early access to secure, purposely designed Student Learning Portal
– Welcome dinner and drinks
– Interactive cultural immersion workshop conducted by local staff
– Interactive employment workshop conducted by AVSE’s designated Job Placement Administrator
– Hands-on job support once you have finished the course
– Post-course support – guidance with long-term accommodation, career pathways, visa issues, employment contracts and a lot more
– Job support 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 for 6 hours.

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.

In the first 3 weeks of the course you will be assessed on your 6 hours of teaching practice, and on your reflections of observing experienced teachers. The assessment of teaching practice includes the production of detailed lesson plans.

In the fourth week, you’ll be assessed on a portfolio of teaching and testing resources, a short research project and a completed workbook, amongst other things. There is no final exam.

Our partner centre employs qualified assessors working under strict Australian Government compliance standards to ensure that you are ready to teach as soon as you’ve completed the course.

The course is suitable for motivated individuals of all ages and backgrounds who want to teach English in Cambodia, 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 12 trainees on each course.

You’ll need a laptop. If you don’t have one, our partner centre can hire one for you on request for the duration of the course, for a very reasonable fee and a refundable deposit.

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 casual 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!

Our partner centre provides job search support that includes help with creating a CV tailored to the local job market, mock interviews, and guidance on employment conditions and agreements. You’ll take part in input sessions during the course and have access to the partner centre’s experienced team for advice throughout.

In addition to the support offered by the partner centre, School of TEFL provides continued guidance and career advice. Before, during, and after your course, we’re here to help with CV preparation, job applications, interview tips, and building your TEFL career. You’re welcome to contact us by email or phone at any time for personalised support – we’re here to help whenever you need us.

Our partner centre can help with the following:
– Airport pickup and accommodation check in
– Arranging Khmer language lessons
– Laptop hire
– Accommodation for extra nights
– Motorbike or bicycle hire
– Tour and flight bookings
– Laundry services
– Visa extensions
– Local SIM cards
– Help opening a local bank account

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 in Cambodia, you must:
– be 18 years of age
– have a government accredited TEFL qualification
– pass a basic health check as part of the process to obtain a work permit
– have a passport valid for at least 12 months
– produce a clean background check within the last six months

A Bachelor’s degree is not a requirement.

To enter Cambodia you need either a T Class visa or an Ordinary Visa E Class.

If you don’t plan to teach in Cambodia after the course, a T Class visa is sufficient. It’s valid for 30 days and can be renewed once for a further 30 days without leaving the country.

If you plan to stay and teach in Cambodia after the course, it’s best to enter on an Ordinary Visa E Class. These are also valid for 30 days and can be obtained from a Cambodian embassy or at the port of entry. They can be extended once for one, three, six or twelve months. If you extend for six or twelve months, you’ll be able to leave and re-enter the country as many times as you like, and open a bank account in Cambodia. When you secure a teaching job, employers in Cambodia often assist with the process of obtaining a work permit and extending your visa. This depends on the school’s policies and your contract.

If you enter Cambodia on a T class visa, you may need to leave the country briefly to obtain an Ordinary Visa E class prior to transitioning to a Work Permit.
For example, some teachers take a day trip from Phnom Penh to the Vietnam border. This typically costs around $120, including the visa.

The government fee for a Work Permit and related visa extension is US $540.00 +/-. Typically, this is a shared cost between the employer and the employee.

Our partner centre provides guidance and support related to the visa process during your course, and you can read our more detailed information about visas here.

You should bring your degree certificate (if you have one) and background check with you.

Please see our information about background checks for more info.

Yes, it is possible to teach in Cambodia as a non-native speaker.

Most full-time English teaching jobs require 20 to 30 classroom teaching hours per week. Working hours are mostly during the day, from Monday to Friday, with at least one day off per week, depending on the employer. Evening and weekend classes are quite rare. Paid holiday and sick leave also depend on the employer. Teaching contracts can be up to 12 months (renewable) and you’ll typically need to commit for a minimum of 3 months.

The majority of job opportunities are in Phnom Penh, with a minimum commitment of 6 months, in international schools and privately owned English language schools. Private tutoring is also possible. There may be some opportunities in regional cities and in more rural locations.

A typical salary for foreign ESL teachers is between $800 and $1200 net per month.

Many teachers find that the cost of living in Cambodia is low enough to allow them to save a good portion of their income, depending on their lifestyle and spending habits.