The TEFL Institute review: the $365 Ofqual-regulated Level 5 TEFL Diploma (180 hours)

$365, shown against an “original price” of $655 with a countdown that we’d ignore: the price was the same on October 7. You can pay in full or in two interest-free payments, the second 30 days later. On the two-payment plan, the terms say you can’t pass Module 3 until the balance is paid.

Included: six months of study time, two 60-hour Level 5 Awards (online and one-to-one teaching, and teaching business English), 26 hours of free live Zoom classes, job coaching seminars, the jobs board and an enrolment letter. That’s a lot for the money. The provider’s own non-regulated 120-hour course cost almost the same when we first checked, which makes the Level 5 the obvious pick between the two.

There’s a three-day free trial with access to sample modules. Use it.

The diploma has ten units, each with its own credit value on the register. Grammar is the biggest at 30 guided hours, then vocabulary, learners’ needs and teaching methods, reading and listening, writing and speaking, pronunciation, materials, lesson planning and online classroom management, teaching adults and teaching young learners.

A typical week might be three evenings: a unit’s text and videos on Monday, a podcast on the commute, then the module test on Thursday. Multiple-choice questions are marked automatically. The open-ended written answers go to an assessor after every three modules, and the terms commit to returning marked work within three working days. That written feedback is the real difference from a cheap certificate: someone reads your lesson plan and tells you what doesn’t work.

This is the part most buyers skim and later regret. Each assessment allows two free submissions. A third costs $35, and assessment fees aren’t refundable. Fail all three and the course is recorded as a fail.

Deadlines are strict. When an assessor asks you to resubmit, you get five working days as standard. Miss a deadline without arranging an extension first and, under the terms, the course is failed. You get one free 10-day extension; after that, extensions cost $35.

Access has a hard ceiling. Six months are included, and you can buy extensions, but total access stops at 18 months. After that, it’s suspended permanently and your progress is lost.

None of this is unreasonable for a regulated qualification. But if your life is unpredictable, plan for it: start when you have three clear months, and email before a deadline, never after.

The refund window is short too: 14 days, minus a $35 fee, and only until you reach Module 3 (terms as read on October 7).

Like most online Level 5 courses, this one has no observed teaching practice. If you want some, the provider sells a 190-hour hybrid version that adds 10 hours of live virtual practical training. Otherwise, the 26 hours of Zoom classes are the closest you’ll get to watching teaching happen.

The obvious question is why pay $365 when i-to-i’s 180-hour Level 5 was on sale at $189 the same day. Both are regulated Level 5 qualifications, so an employer who asks for “Level 5” will accept either. The difference is in what surrounds it: here you get two extra 60-hour awards, 26 hours of live classes and the written feedback process described above. If those extras matter to you, $176 is a fair premium. If you just want the qualification on paper, the cheaper one does the job. Whichever you pick, check the register number on the provider’s page against the Ofqual register before paying.

People who want the qualification that better-paying schools ask for, without paying for a classroom course or travelling. Self-disciplined learners who can write coherent answers and meet a five-day resubmission deadline. Non-native speakers with C1-level English, which is the stated requirement.

If you’re only teaching on an online platform that asks for 120 hours, Premier TEFL at $175 covers it. If you want a classroom, an in-person course like Essential TEFL in Bangkok gives you real students.

i-to-i TEFL also sells a 180-hour Level 5, on sale at $189 on October 30, 2026.

The TEFL Academy offers a 168-hour Level 5 course, shown at $297 in an October sale.

The TEFL Org is a UK provider with frequent sales, priced in pounds.

ITTT has 120-hour online courses from $249 and in-class courses.

See every option in our TEFL certification ranking.

Look up 610/1571/4 on the Ofqual register so you know exactly what you’re buying, then take the three-day free trial and write one practice answer. If the format suits you, block three months in your calendar and enroll.