Program Reviews

I would go teach in Ecuador again in a heartbeat. I had an amazing time, people were great, I made some great friends, and had some great adventures.

Now for LanguageCorps: It's not worth the money. If you have extra cash lying around, and you are not interested in doing much work yourself, go for it. Otherwise, I suggest looking up TOEFL certificate programs independently. The cost of the school that I went to was 1,600 if I did not do it through LanguageCorps. It was 3,000 with them. So let's examine where that extra 1,400 went?

There was information before I left provided for me - guidance on the visa process, etc. I still had to do all the paperwork myself (medical vaccinations, police background checks, etc). There was housing when I got there, including meals. This was great that it was set up for me, but I moved out as quickly as I could, because I found (easily) an international hostel in the center of town for only 180/month (which is a bit expensive for what it is, but it's somewhere to start). They did not have job search support, other than a list of places to try. I had to find the jobs myself - I recommend a private school as they pay much better, especially for foreigners. Also, remember that private lessons are flexible, easy extra cash - a $30 advertisement in the newspaper will pay for itself in 3 or 4 lessons.

Bottom line: $1,400 is about 2 1/2 months of more than comfortable living in Ecuador - something I would have loved to have back when I was wishing I could stay longer.

If money is no issue, don't worry about it. If you want your hard earned savings to go toward living and experiencing another country and culture, do it yourself. Be a little adventurous!

Happy travels!!

They take care of you during training and make sure to show you the local sights. The training was very applicable to your day-to-day teaching responsibilities and you also get hands-on experience teaching in a classroom for two weeks. Job placement assistance was a bit weak, but thankfully jobs are plentiful in Thailand.

Overall, it is what it is. However, there was very little support from the main staff in Cambodia and it was not very professional. The people who go there to teach English were not treated well by the main staff nor were we assisted much in finding a job. The webpage says one thing and when you get there, you are given something else. The students who pay money to go over there are ambassadors of our own countries but the staff "promoted" partying with the cheap beer prices in Phnom Penh. If you are looking for a professional setting and a positive one, look elsewhere.

My experience at The Language Corp/Via Lingua CTEFL course can only be described as thorough and rigorous.

This program has several crucial components. The facilitators were engaging and knowledgeable. The materials and methods were covered in detail. The teaching practice was an invaluable part of the program. Outside professionals were brought in for in depth study of English language grammar. I was prepared for the real world of teaching abroad in a way that I would not have expected. I am currently teaching in a language school and teaching privately. The language school uses textbooks. But my education through the CTEFL course has made it possible for me to be able to tailor my private students lesson plans with ease and confidence.

The LanguageCorps Asia program met almost all of my expectations and even exceeded some. The staff were very knowledgeable about Southeast Asia and teaching abroad. The TESOL course was extremely helpful and once I found a job and started working, I found myself to be much more prepared than many other English teachers I worked with because of the course materials and instructors. Everything that you could need to make the transition to a new country was provided during the training, and support was available even after I received my certificate. Good program, good people and if you want to teach in Southeast Asia I would definitely recommend this program.

The first thing that shocked me out of my American grip hold was the location of our housing during the TESOL training. Located on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, surrounded by tent-homes, is where you'll find the Marady Hotel, a strikingly Western comfort-zone in the middle of quite a poor section of Cambodia's capital. The staff is excellent, and always willing to show you around (especially when it comes to the nightlife of Phnom Penh).

More impressive, however, was the dedication of the staff to providing a solid two week course in teaching English, on par with many graduate courses offered in the United States. The staff was incredibly laid-back (we can take for example here just their attire of T-shirts and khaki shorts) which is very helpful when you have a roomful of students who are in a brand new country. They do not teach with intimidation; they seem to truly teach with care. They want you to have a good experience during training so that you will stay and continue to experience all the benefits of teaching abroad. Beyond the regular classroom activities, they also offer weekly gatherings to further break the ice amongst the students and between the students and teachers (for example, an outing on the "Love Boat" - a fantastic little trip one evening down the central river of Phnom Penh singing karaoke and enjoying an Angkor aboard a little wooden ship).

In the classroom, while the teachers may be laid back, they are also quite straightforward. If this intimidates you, then I'd question how ready you are to be living overseas in the first place. Cambodia and Thailand are not your home country, and you will be expected to conform to their rules and regulations, or else you may send yourself home. There are helpful hints and tools (especially when it comes to organizing Visas and creating resumes for teaching English abroad) that the instructors will help you with from beginning to end. If you follow their directions, you should have no problem securing a position as a teacher and acclimating to life in a wonderful new country!

The staff at Language Corps was extremely helpful in answering all my questions before departure. They gave me honest advice about the unique benefits and challenges of working in my chosen region.

The TESOL certification program helped me feel much more prepared to tackle teaching English in a foreign country. If you have little to no teaching experience, I would hightly recommend it.

I really enjoyed my TESOL course. Getting to spend two weeks in Cambodia was really cool and was an opportunity I may have missed otherwise. The courses and teachers in Phnom Penh were great and the weekend excursions were a blast! The last two weeks of training were in Pattaya, Thailand, which is somewhere I would never visit again. It's basically a red light district with some sketchy characters and the beach there sucked. I was expecting more job placement assistance like it had been advertised, but I was disappointed in that aspect. You truly are in control of your own destiny so start applying for jobs when you begin your TESOL course! Other than that, LanguageCorps is a great value for what they offer compared to other TESOL/TEFL programs. I recommend it, but remember you are ultimately in charge of securing your job!

I thoroughly enjoyed my TESOL course with LanguageCorps. It has a great staff which provides every students with lots of resources. They have a good relationship with a number of schools in PP and will provide support looking for jobs in the area after the program. Having the chance to teach in a local university was a great experience. After the first two weeks of basic training you are sent to the country you want to teach in to get situated and start learning the language. If you want to teach in China they set you up with a job even before you get to Cambodia. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in teaching English in Asia!

My experience through language corps was absolutely fantastic! I did the TEFL/ TESOL course in Barcelona. The staff is really great and supportive to help you through the whole course as well as after when looking for jobs. I remember my first class I was so nervous that I almost started to cry, but thanks to this course I learned how to be a confident, organized and prepared teacher. I am currently teaching at a high school near Segovia, Spain and have taken so much from what I learned at Language Corps to use in my classroom. Thanks for everything!