Who we are
We are an independently owned, award winning TEFL provider and we are passionate about our community.
Meet The Founders
Phil
Phil is the Admissions Manager at TEFL UK. He has over 20 years of experience in the TEFL industry and has worked as an English language teacher in multiple countries including Korea, Taiwan, China and Thailand. Having now settled back in the UK, Phil's mission is to help others succeed and pursue their dreams of teaching English and exploring the world.
When not immersed in all things TEFL, Phil enjoys spending time with his two children and taking part in running events around the UK.
Claire
Claire knows that successful training helps create successful teaching experiences. This will be Claire's 7th year at TEFL UK and she is determined to make it one of the best yet. Claire has won numerous accolades, including an award for Best Education Links to Mainland China from the UK Department of International Trade.
She loves working in TEFL and enjoys interacting with students, tutors and schools on a daily basis. Claire has experience in professional development, teacher training and team building. Her favourite TEFL destination is Spain, perhaps not surprisingly for the great food and weather!
Spotlight on
Rebecca Gilligan, LEVEL 5 COURSE CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR (Trinity Cert, BSc, PGCE, MA TESOL)
Rebecca is one of our Level 5 course contributors and has more than 20 years’ experience as an EFL educator and content developer in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Travel was very much a part of Rebecca’s formative years: visiting family in Egypt, she had first hand experience of the challenges that are faced by language learners and her visits also instilled a lifelong desire for travel.
Growing up in North-West England, it was summer breaks, whilst at University that provided a first opportunity to combine travel and work - as an arts coordinator at summer camps in the USA and working closely with young people that had complex needs, tailoring resources to suit them. At the end of one summer, Rebecca undertook an adventurous road and boat trip into Central America with a camp colleague: an experience that served to solidify not only a love and appreciation for travel but also a desire to help others. This led Rebecca not only into teaching English abroad but also publishing and creating content: firstly in Central America, then Greece and Egypt before settling in the UAE where she lived for 8 years. Her current role as Head of Curriculum has allowed her to travel to South East Asia where she supported and trained future educators in a dynamic and demanding part of the world.
When Phil and Claire, the founders of TEFL UK, approached her to help develop the Level 5 Course, Rebecca was delighted. She saw this as an opportunity to help others with what she has always enjoyed - teaching and travelling. This Level 5 TEFL UK qualification will enable language teachers to not only study remotely but also give them the teaching tools, resources, and knowledge to access incredible teaching opportunities anywhere around the world.
Away from teaching and curriculum development, Rebecca takes every opportunity to live life to the fullest. She enjoys cooking, reading, travelling, DJing, gardening and spending time with her three children (each born in different countries) and two pets.
Masoud
Masoud has almost 20 years of experience in TEFL. He is passionate about teacher training and has been a trainer for the last 8 years. His trainees believe he is very strict, but supportive. He has trained and taught students from different countries including Uzbekistan, Russia, Korea, China, and Iran. He has worked in different positions in EFL contexts; he has worked as the manager of Can-Do Language Academy and also Head of English Teaching Department. He loves challenges; he won the Cambridge English Teacher Competition, the second Best Teacher in Central Asia, in 2022. He adores traveling and is a big fan of soccer. He enjoys camping and spending time in nature in his spare time.
What do we love about TEFL?
The story of TEFL is written by you and unique to you.
In our case, TEFL took us from sitting in a rainy office in Manchester to teaching in a rural town in central Thailand - not many careers can do that!
What is TEFL about?
TEFL is about learning, it’s about communication and about challenging yourself.
Our TEFL journey has taken us to some incredible destinations, allowing us to live and work in Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, Laos, Colombia, Poland, Japan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Republic of Georgia.
The beauty of TEFL is that you meet people from all walks of life and share experiences that are just not possible with other careers.
TEFL offers standout experiences
From teaching monks in Thailand to teaching English to Colombian preschool children, from teaching Japanese business people in futuristic Tokyo to delivering phonics sessions to Chinese kids online from your living room, whatever you end up doing with TEFL, the buzz of supporting others, getting to know different cultures and working everyday with people who are committed to learning your language is something you’ll treasure forever.
We welcome you to our community
Everyday, 1000s of people use TEFL UK for TEFL courses and TEFL job enquiries. We are dedicated to supporting your journey into TEFL.
TEFL is about changing lives for the better
We think that's a pretty awesome thing.
Ultimately, TEFL is about people and helping them to communicate in English in order to improve their life chances, careers and future aspirations. At TEFL UK, our goal is to facilitate this by connecting international communities through English language teaching and education.
About our courses
We believe in preparing students for success in the classroom. We believe passionately that TEFL is one of the most rewarding careers out there and that it’s an honour to encourage and train our community. As such, you’ll find our TEFL courses are crafted by experienced educators who put you at the heart of the learning process. They are designed from the whiteboard up, ensuring you graduate with a wealth of knowledge, leadership skills and lesson planning ideas to help you thrive in the classroom.
About our team
At TEFL UK, we know the importance of getting to class with the right lesson plan! Our team of tutors, IQAs, writers and keyboard warriors are dotted around the world, making us an international bunch with a local feel. We're connected by our love of teaching, travelling and exploring and we take a pride in doing the best work we can every day to support you - our lovely TEFL community.
About our partners
TEFL UK works with Ministries of Education, governments, non profit organisations, private schools and awarding organisations to support English language education on a worldwide scale. Our partners contribute expertise, resources and reciprocal support, helping build stronger communities and improving lives through English education.
We believe in ending extreme poverty whatever it takes
We donate £2 from each and every course sale to Concern Worldwide, an international humanitarian organization dedicated to transforming the lives of the world’s poorest people.
We are also an award winning organization
We are delighted to have gained official recognition from the UK Department for International Trade and the coveted award of 'Best Education Links to Mainland China' in the China Business Awards.
Final thoughts
We love that you are here and thinking about working in TEFL. We’ve loved every minute of our time in this incredible career path and we are sure you will too. We are excited to meet you, learn about your aspirations and promise to do everything in our power to set you up for success!