A lot of work, but worth it for an internationally-recognsied teaching qualification.

The ABCi course in Austria is an incredibly thorough and intensive teacher education course that will put all student teachers through their paces and leave them with excellent practical teaching skills, a wealth of experience on how to handle younger learners and the knowledge necessary to go out and start teaching without the support of a supervising tutor.

There are a number of different ways to attain the Trinity College CertTESOL qualification, either intensively in four weeks or part-time over a longer period. ABCi takes the best of both programmes by offering an intensive programme with a longer duration, meaning that student teachers are able to get a huge amount of practical experience in the classroom over the duration of the course. This is not for the faint-hearted, however. The schedule is full of training, observations, project work and actual class teaching in Austrian schools, schools which often require getting up very early to get to a school for a 09:00 start.

But for everything you put into the course, you get much more out. The more time you research and plan your own development as a teacher, the better you’ll be able to use these ideas in class and then reflect critically on how successfully they were used. There’s also the energy and fun of working with motivated Austrian students as well!

In terms of accommodation, student teachers are billeted in dorm-style accommodation. While, this is simple, it does mean that support and friendship are always close at hand.

The training itself is run by experienced trainers who are strictly vetted, with each CertTESOL trainer having to be approved by Trinity College London. This not only ensures a quality training programme, but also that the trainers have a focus on continuing to develop best practice to support the needs of students and student teachers.

In short, this is a thorough and intense programme. It will train you how to teach and give you an internationally respected and recognised teaching qualification. If you’re looking for a light working holiday, this isn’t for you; but if you’re willing to work hard to learn and share your experiences with others, you’ll find it a most rewarding experience.