Program Reviews

I found this TEFL course well organized and very well structured; it is easy to follow, even for those without any prior teaching experience. The assignments and activities are effective in reinforcing the learning and preparing you for actual classroom situations. It is a very good introduction to lesson planning and learner engagement as it equips you with knowledge, guidance, and confidence to start your TEFL journey. The skills developed are useful, the learning is fun and the knowledge acquired can lead to local and international teaching opportunities. This course provides an enjoyable introduction to the profession of teaching and the chance to make a difference.

At 52 and post-retrenchment, I'm finding myself having to do a big career gear-change in life.
Yes, retrenchment can be pretty damn terrifying, but you can also see it as the universe delivering a much-needed kick in the backside to get you out of a comfort zone that, in hindsight, wasn't all that comfortable.
It's good to have a bit of a stretch when you've been mouldering behind a computer screen doing the same thing for 30 years - and I've found the TEFL Academy programme has done a masterful job of putting me through some career-rebirth burpees for the past six months. Yes, there's been plenty of gear grinding and rapidly elicited expletives along the way, but, hey, "no pain, no gain".
Just like a good run or gym workout gets the endorphins pumping, this course has fired up some neurons that have been parking off in serious couch-potato mode since my school days. And that has felt Eina!!!! But then also... Fantastic!!!!!
A big win for the course has been the responsive, friendly and very helpful student support. That's vital if you're doing training online. So a big thank you to Phillicia Bekker, Bianca Stellenberg, Pranisha Govender and Charnelle Frazer for patiently and expertly handling all my queries no matter how mundane and to Ashleigh D, Brigid S, and Claire H for their useful feedback that helped me to get the most out of the assignments.
The instructional videos did a great job of showing the theory's practical application and navigating the assignments. Mairead O' Connor is a super star teacher whose passion for the profession shines through with each succinctly crafted explanation. She has such a calm, reassuring demeanour that I'm sure she could get a horde of rabid zombies working in pairs and producing the first conditional with little more than her lyrical Irish brogue, a gap-fill worksheet and some crayons.
My course also included a classroom session run by TEFL trainer Luan Dreyden, which I feel was the highlight of the entire programme. Luan took the 10 units of theory content that I'd been wrestling with for the past 6 months and distilled them into a witblits 10-hour one-shot without so much as a single "erm", "um" or "ah". This was an expert at work, and before the day was done, she had me and about 20 other quietly terrified (well, at least I was) TEFL newbies delivering our first lesson in a very engaging yet supportive environment. This one session alone was worth the entire price of admission to the course. The 10-units of theory built the engine. Luan installed the spark plug.
I realise my TEFL "engine" is nowhere near Luan's Ferrari V-12, but thanks to this programme, it will get me out the garage (grinding gears and all) and onto the road to new possibilities, a new me. And for that I'm very grateful to everyone I have met on my TEFL journey so far.

This course is highly recommended, not only for possible career opportunities. This course taught me beyond just training how to teach, it broadens one's perspective on people, culture and how language influences community and one's self-esteem. I met many lovely peers aswell. We built a healthy amazing community. The in-person lecture was my highlight of this course, it was very informative on every topic of education, teaching and job searching. It also heightened many skills, like time management, communication, confidence, and socialisation.

Studying with The TEFL Academy has been a transformative experience. The course was well-structured, balancing theory with practical application, and provided clear and interesting materials that were easy to follow. I appreciated how the program integrated modern tools and teaching trends, including AI, which made the training feel relevant to today's classrooms.

The course certainly gave me confidence to teach English online and the practical resources will help me start building my own TEFL business. The focus on professionalism, student engagement, and entrepreneurship set it apart from other programs I considered.

I would highly recommend The TEFL Academy to anyone serious about teaching English, whether freelancing, working with platforms, or starting their business. It's a foundation for long-term success.

I believe this program has me well prepared to step out into my next phase teaching English while living abroad in Thailand. I hadn't given much thought to how different it would be to the classrooms I've taught in before but this opened my eyes. There is an enormous amount of learning materials and guides to support me beyond this training and the support from tutors when required was prompt and thorough. The additional materials and resources available will be a great tool for me now that I have stepped back into the classroom as a teacher again and I encourage anyone considering kr currently studying to take every advantage of what's available.

The course serves as a comfortable and challenging introduction to the TEFL industry. The course was structured and optimised to provide all the information required to get started. Despite being online, the course finds creative ways to make sure its students are exposed to the necessary practical scenarios and knowledge. The support from the course correspondents(assignment markers etc.) was excellent. Assignments were marked timely, and the markers always provided in-depth feedback.

The presentation and flow of the content is exceptional, and the wide variety of activities interspersed throughout created a thoroughly engaging experience.

This course can be completed easily within the six-month access window, even with limited free time.

Overall, I had a great experience with The TEFL Academy and felt they earned those five stars. The course was well-structured, and when I encountered any issues, the support team was incredibly responsive with a quick turnaround. The feedback on my assignments was clear and genuinely helpful for my development. My only slight niggle was the occasionally "casual" choice of resources, which felt a bit silly at times—but in a light-hearted way that kept things from being too dry! Highly recommend!

The course is straight forward, with instructions on how to navigate the platform and the course. Not only is it interactive (with the embedded videos), but its end-of-unit tests help learners consolidate what's been learnt on every unit. I also found beneficial the assignments given at the end of units 5 and 9. They actually give you the opportunity to apply everything you've learnt throughout the course, thereby challenging you to show your commitment to completing a goal for yourself (completing the course)

However, I expected to see some information on classroom management strategies for ESL teachers.

Completing the Level 5 TEFL certification was an incredibly rewarding experience. The course was well-structured, comprehensive, and provided a strong balance between theory and practical teaching skills. I especially appreciated how the modules covered real classroom scenarios, lesson planning, grammar instruction, and student engagement techniques in a clear and accessible way.

The content was detailed without being overwhelming, and the support from tutors was excellent throughout the course. Feedback on assignments was constructive and helped me improve both my confidence and teaching ability. I also found the flexibility of the course extremely convenient, allowing me to study at my own pace while balancing other commitments.

By the end of the certification, I felt fully prepared to teach English professionally, both online and abroad. The qualification has significantly strengthened my CV and opened up new career opportunities. I would highly recommend this Level 5 TEFL course to anyone serious about teaching English as a foreign language.

I'm a certified (USA) English teacher with eighteen years of teaching experience. Admittedly, I wondered about TEFL and how challenging the course would be, considering my educational and professional background. I was pleasantly surprised. From the introductory on-boarding unit, I could tell that this would be a thought-provoking experience that challenged me in new ways: refreshing! The layout of the units was logical, but the format of the text could get dull if there weren't graphics or videos on that particular page. Overall, though, the content was interesting and presented in an encouraging way. I appreciated how the assignments scaffolded the learning for us, with the first assignment providing a ton of guidance and gradually, more autonomy by the last assignment. I will say: if you are brand-new and have never taught before or written a lesson plan, the second assignment can seem daunting. BUT, there are plenty of model lessons, both written and video, as well as the course units, to guide you along the way. Don't give up! It's a real sense of accomplishment when you finish and submit the finished product. Also, Student Support is professional, prompt, and helpful. I recommend the TEFL Academy Level 5 Course to anyone who wants to expand their understanding of teaching English as a foreign language and of the field of teaching in general.

A side note: life can be hectic when you have a family and other obligations that keep you from finishing the course within the six months they allot. I had just moved to Europe and had to adjust to a new way of life, namely getting my children where they needed to go via public transit. There was no way I was going to be able to finish in time! But TEFL Academy sends an email reminder a month before your course deadline and offers extensions. Life happens!