Specialist Certificate in TESOL with Cambridge Teaching Knowledge (Foundation) for Secondary/High School Teachers
Overview
Rationale
This 109-hour Specialist Certificate in TESOL with Cambridge Teaching Knowledge (Foundation) is designed to support secondary/high school English teachers in their professional practice.
The Specialist Certificate in TESOL with a Cambridge Certificate in Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) will benefit certified TESOL teachers as they will have access to a wide range of opportunities such as working in public or private secondary/high schools, private language schools or centres, and summer schools.
Aims
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Acquire and apply their knowledge of and skills in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at the secondary or high school level;
- Draw on and extend their repertoire of teaching approaches, methods, and techniques to enhance their learners’ language skills and communicative competence; and
- Plan and deliver effective lessons with the use of relevant resources and appropriate technology to engage large classes of learners.
Duration
This course comprises:
Phase 1: Four-week (96 hours) residential school at RELC in Singapore
a) 3-week (72 hours) Specialist Certificate in TESOL
- 20 in-person seminars/workshop sessions
- 4 asynchronous online study/consultation sessions, including 1 micro-teaching assignment per participant.
b) 1-week (24 hours) Cambridge TKC (Teaching Knowledge Course) Foundation
- 8 in-person seminars & test practice sessions
- TKT Module 1 Test
Phase 2: In-country Lesson Observation for Formative & Summative Assessments (2 days; 12 hrs per participant)
- One lesson observation with feedback for formative assessment
- One lesson supervision with feedback for summative assessment, to be conducted in-country, at the course participant’s secondary/ high school.
For private fee-paying course participants, special arrangements will be made for them to conduct lessons for their formative and summative assessments.
Delivery
Structure
Module 1: Background to Language Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century
Module 2: Teaching Grammar, Vocabulary and Pronunciation
Module 3: Teaching Listening, Reading, and Viewing
Module 4: Teaching Speaking, Writing, and Representing
Module 5: Preparation for Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test (Module)
Module 6: In-country Lesson Observation & Supervision
Admission Requirements
For private fee-paying applicants:
The requirements for admission to the course are:
- A bachelor’s degree, preferably from an English-medium university
- Little or no ELT experience
- With a B2 (CEFR) level English language proficiency (Common European Framework of References) or its equivalent.
Note: Applicants without a B2 (CEFR) level English language proficiency may be required to take the RELC English Selection Test.
Application Details
Closing Date :
- 2026 intake: 16 July 2026
- 2027 intake: 17 July 2027
To apply for this course, please submit the following documents to our email address at sa@relc.org.sg.
- Application Form (completed and endorsed)
- Health Declaration and Medical Form* (completed and endorsed)
- Officially certified copies of the applicant’s certificates of degrees/diplomas
- Officially certified copies of the applicant’s transcripts. Where a transcript is in a language other than English, it should be accompanied by a certified translation into English. (In the absence of a transcript, a certified statement on the degrees/academic qualifications achieved with a listing of subjects studied and subject examination results is required.)
- Two reference letters (The two reference letters can be from an academic staff who has supervised you or a current/previous employer.)
- Officially certified copies of current/valid IELTS or official TOEFL results for applicants from non-English medium education systems
*Note: Only for applicants not residing in Singapore. Applicants not residing in Singapore will be required to undergo a medical examination in their home countries as part of the application process.
Fees
Year 2027 Course Fees
To be updated by end of June 2026.
Year 2026 Course Fees
Registration Fee: SGD 90.00
Course Fee: SGD 2,810.00
All course fees and registration fees listed are inclusive of 9% GST.
Note:
• All fees are subject to change without notice;
• RELC does not accept any responsibility for accidents on journey to and from Singapore or in Singapore, or for the loss of baggage and other personal belongings in transit or in Singapore;
• RELC will also not be responsible for taking out air, travel and personal accident insurance for students; and
• Students are expected to incur additional costs for miscellaneous learning materials.
Payment of Fees
• The registration fee must be submitted together with the application form and supporting documents
• Fees are payable before the commencement of the course
• An administrative fee of SGD 54.00 (inclusive of GST) will be imposed for payments made in cash
(i.e., Applicants will have to pay an additional SGD 54.00 (inclusive of GST) if they wish to make a payment in cash to RELC).
• Participants are responsible for all bank transfer charges and must ensure that the final amount received by SEAMEO RELC matches the amount stated on the invoice.
• Enrolment will only proceed once we have received proof of the transaction (e.g. a copy of the transaction receipt or a bank statement showing the transaction), confirmed receipt of funds, and received a completed Health Undertaking Form, duly filled out by a registered physician in your country of residence. Please note that the Health Undertaking Form will be issued only when we send the Letter of Offer.
Refund Policy
• The registration fee is strictly non-refundable
• Cancellation of enrolment must be made in writing
• An Administration Fee of SGD 160.50 (inclusive of GST) will be payable if the notice of cancellation/withdrawal is made less than 5 calendar days from the date on which the payment is received
• Full course fees paid are non-refundable if the notice cancellation/withdrawal is made after 5 calendar days from the date on which the payment was received
• Withdrawals after the course has commenced will not be eligible for refund.
Graduation Requirements
To complete the course successfully, the candidate must satisfy the below criteria.
- Satisfy class attendance requirements
- Attain a satisfactory standard in required course work
- Complete all assignments including planning and delivering lessons for observation, supervision and assessment by trainer
- Take the TKT Module 1 test
Award
The course will lead to the award of a Specialist Certificate in TESOL by SEAMEO RELC and a Cambridge Certificate for TKC Foundation by Cambridge Assessment.
