Teacher Certification
If you’ve completed one of the Oxford Mindfulness Teacher Training Pathways or a recognised MBCT training pathway and would like to apply for a teacher certification, find out more about the routes and criteria, access resources and make your application on this page.
If you have any queries, please reach out to our team via email at admin@oxfordmindfulness.org who will be happy to support you.
Teacher Certification Routes
There are two routes to gaining Teacher Certification: The Trained Teacher Certificate and The Certificate of Competence. Find out more about each route below.
The Trained Teacher Certificate
The Certificate of Competence
The Trained Teacher Certificate validates that you’ve completed the required level of training we (Oxford Mindfulness) believe is necessary, as a minimum, to teach mindfulness and that you’ve taught at least two courses under supervision. It doesn’t involve a ‘Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teaching Assessment Criteria’ (MBI:TAC) assessment. Your teaching videos won’t be assessed by a trained MBI:TAC assessor, however, your supervisor / mentor will have seen samples of your teaching and will be asked whether they support your application. Please note that the Trained Teacher Certificate doesn’t certify your level of competence.
The Certificate of Competence requires a full competency assessment which involves submitting recordings of you teaching an MBCT course. These recordings are viewed by a highly trained assessor, who will assess your teaching based on the ‘Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teaching Assessment Criteria’ (MBI:TAC). The Certificate of Competence is awarded if your teaching is assessed as ‘Competent’ or above in a minimum of five domains with no more than one domain rated at ‘Advanced Beginner’ and none at ‘Beginner’. This assessment is an internationally recognised process and assessments are made by highly experienced teachers who have themselves undergone lengthy and rigorous training in how to assess reliably.
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The Trained Teacher Certificate
The Trained Teacher Certificate will show that we (Oxford Mindfulness) consider you to be fully trained to teach MBCT i.e. you’ve completed all the stages of our Foundational Teacher Training and have taught at least two MBCT courses under supervision / mentoring from a trained supervisor / mentor.
Why apply for the Trained Teacher Certificate?
The Trained Teacher Certificate is not a Certificate of Competence and doesn’t replace it. Competency Assessment based on the MBI:TAC is a rigorous process and not every trainee will need this level of certification (it’s usually only required if teaching mindfulness in a clinical / healthcare setting or if requested by an employer). In countries where MBCT has only recently been introduced, it will take some time before Competency Assessment is available in the trainee’s own language and takes into account cultural sensitivity. In the meantime, trainees can apply for a Certificate ‘to hang on the wall’ which validates the quality of their training and their experience of teaching.
Requirements
You need to have completed the Oxford Mindfulness 12-month Teacher Training, taught at least two courses of the same type (e.g. 2 x MBCT, 2 x Mindfulness for Life or 2 x Finding Peace in a Frantic World) under supervision / mentoring, and write reflective statements on what you have learnt through supervision / mentoring and through teaching. Your supervisor / mentor will be asked to support your application. For more information on the application process, see the resources below.
If you have any queries about applying for Teacher Certification, please email us.
Trained Teacher Certificate resources:
| Handbook | The handbook contains full details of the application process. Please do not proceed to the application form until you’ve read this. | Open |
| Portfolio Template | You’ll be asked to upload a portfolio to your application using this template. | Download |
| Supporting Statement Template | You’ll be asked to upload a supporting statement from your supervisor / mentor to your application using this template. | Download |
| Guiding Ethical Principles | As part of your application, you must confirm that you’re committed to adhering to our (Oxford Mindfulness) Guiding Ethical Principals and any other code of conduct relevant to your professional context. | View |
Certificate of Competence
Please note: we’re currently only offering Competency Assessment to trainees on the Oxford Mindfulness Training Pathway.
Requirements
The requirements for applying for formal Competency Assessment are set out in the MBCT International Training Pathway (Segal et al., 2018). Before applying, you’ll have taught at least two MBCT courses as an apprentice, with regular ongoing supervision / mentoring of your teaching from an experienced MBCT supervisor / mentor. Your supervisor / mentor may advise you to gain more experience of teaching before applying for a formal assessment.
If you meet the pre-requisite criteria and you are assessed as ‘Competent’ or above in a minimum of five domains with no more than one domain rated at ‘Advanced Beginner’ and none at ‘Beginner’, you’ll be awarded a Certificate of Competency to Teach MBCT from Oxford Mindfulness.
Certificate of Competence resources:
| Handbook | The handbook contains information on how to formally apply. Please do check this process to ensure you are eligible to apply. | Open |
| MBI:TAC Summary | A summary of the MBI:TAC is available on this page. | Open |
| MBI:TAC Addendum for Online Delivery of Mindfulness-based Programmes | Courses taught online and submitted for assessment must comply with this document. | Open |
Criteria for teacher certification:
| Requirements | Trained Teacher Certificate |
Certificate of Competence |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher Training | Completed one of the Oxford Mindfulness Teacher Training Pathways | Completed a recognised MBCT training pathway |
| Teaching Experience | Taught or co-taught a minimum of 2 MBCT* courses under supervision / mentoring | Taught or co-taught a minimum of 2 MBCT* courses under supervision / mentoring |
| Assessment | Your supervisor / mentor, who has seen evidence of your teaching (video footage or real-life teaching of a selection of practices, inquiry and cognitive exercises), will be asked whether they support your application. You will also be assessed on your written reflective statements on what you have learnt through supervision / mentoring and through teaching. |
The recordings of your teaching will be assessed by a trained assessor using the MBI:TAC |
| Fee | £250 | £595 |
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