the standard pace
the short answer
A 120-hour TEFL course typically takes 6-8 weeks at a realistic 15-20 hours a week, though full-time study can bring that down to around 4 weeks. Get an accredited 120-hour or higher course, plan your weekly hours honestly around your job and life, and add a few extra days for tutor marking of your final assessment. These timings are typical for most providers, not guaranteed, and vary by course.
| TEFL hours | 120 |
|---|---|
| Study time | 15-20 hrs/week over 6-8 weeks |
| Cost | Often a few hundred pounds/dollars on promotion |
| Degree | Not required |
| Accepted? | Yes, this is the widely recognised standard |
| Hardest part | Staying consistent week to week |
| Who this suits | Most first-time TEFL students working alongside the course |
step one, always
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typical, not guaranteed
Most self-paced providers give immediate access to the first modules.
Grammar refresher and core teaching methodology.
Lesson planning and classroom management.
Skills teaching, young learners, materials design.
Revision and final assessment submission.
Certificate is issued a few days to just over a week after your final submission.
One hundred and twenty hours divided across 15-20 hours a week lands at roughly 6-8 weeks, which is why most providers design their support, module pacing, and tutor availability around that window. It's a comfortable pace for someone studying evenings and weekends around a job.
If you can study full-time, 25-30 hours a week brings a 120-hour course down to around 4 weeks — see our page on finishing in 4 weeks for that plan specifically.
Finishing your 120 hours of study isn't the same as receiving your certificate. Most providers take anywhere from a few days to around ten to mark your final assessment and issue the certificate, and this depends on their tutor team, not your own pace.
If you're working to a deadline — a flight, a job start date — count the marking window as part of your total timeline, not an afterthought at the end.
One hundred and twenty hours is the widely recognised floor that schools and visa processes check for, which is why it's worth treating as a minimum rather than a target to shave down. Courses under 120 hours exist and are cheaper, but they get rejected often enough that the saving isn't worth the risk.
If you can afford more, a Level 5 / Ofqual-style regulated course goes beyond 120 hours and carries more weight with some employers, while CELTA is a different, more intensive format aimed at career teachers and specific regional markets.
what people actually ask
Yes, if you can study full-time at 25-30 hours a week, roughly 4 weeks is achievable for most providers. Going faster than that, toward 2 weeks, requires around 60 hours a week, which few people can sustain properly.
Then expect closer to 12-24 weeks. That's completely fine for a self-paced course — there's usually no hard deadline, so slower, steadier progress works as long as you finish eventually.
No, certificates don't record your study speed, only that you completed the accredited 120+ hours and passed the assessment. Employers see the same document whether you took 4 weeks or 4 months.
Yes, the final assessment content doesn't change based on how quickly you got there. What changes is how much time you've had to absorb the material, which is worth weighing if you're tempted to rush.
Because course structures, tutor support levels, and marking turnaround differ. Always check the specific provider's own estimate and resit/marking terms rather than assuming every 120-hour course runs on an identical schedule.