International TEFL Academy

Program Reviews

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Cody
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ESL academy

I really enjoyed taking this online class. It has great instructors and good material. I highly recommend taking this course if you want to be a certified ESL teacher. This course has all the right material you need to learn about learning how to teach as an ESL teacher. It will teach you how to plan lessons, cultural sensitivity, different learning approaches and much more. The Academy will even help you land a job after you complete the course so I definitely recommend this course. The instructors are great and the support staff are very helpful. This course is affordable and can really build your resume having this certification. I think it is great for students, retirees, or anyone looking to travel to distant countries and teach English.

What would you improve about this program?
I would improve nothing. It was great. I think it was great exactly how it is and I would not change a thing.
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Tiffany Marie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Excellent Course

I am very happy I took this course because it was a great learning experience. This course was very thorough and structured. This course was 11 weeks long and I feel it flies by so quickly. I was very into the material I was reading and the weekly quizzes forced me to retain the information. My teacher was excellent and her instructions on the weekly assignments were straightforward. She would explain what mistakes students tend to make so you know what mistakes to avoid. It leads you to the right direction when you know what not to do. The course requires a lot of writing so you have to be very passionate about learning this material and have a purpose for taking this course or it will feel daunting. I am very excited to become a teacher abroad.

What would you improve about this program?
Although the job search manual includes a lot of information and provides resources such as Facebook groups and other links, I feel like explanations about getting a visa details is still hard to understand depending on where you want to move.
Response from International TEFL Academy

Thank you for reviewing ITA! Glad you had a great experience and thought your instructor was excellent - always good to hear! Don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you ever need help with your job search, particularly if you ever have questions about visas! That can be a VERY confusing topic and we are always happy to help. Your advisor in Student Affairs would be your go-to for any questions moving forward. Happy travels!- ITA

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Alison
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

International TEFL Academy - Online Course

I took International TEFL Academy's online course starting in June 2019. I can't emphasize how helpful it was for someone who had absolutely no teaching background, minus a few workshops or facilitation sessions I've conducted at work. It was really helpful to understand and actually craft lesson plans, review lexis and grammar, and gain tips & tricks for classroom management. Overall, I highly recommend this course for anyone who is ready to travel and earn an income while doing so. Additionally, the online course was great for me, as I work full time Monday-Friday from about 8-5 (which helps me save money to go abroad!). For those waffling about taking an in-person or online TEFL certification, I would say both have their pros and cons. But for an online course, I found this really interactive and organized.

In terms of job search guidance - I haven't really gotten to this portion yet because I just wrapped up the main course and I am not planning on leaving the US to teach abroad for some time. However, ITA's job manual, informational videos about particular countries, links to Facebook groups, Instagram stories for those who are teaching abroad, and the Q&As that they post on social media are already extremely helpful. I've been narrowing down my choices based on a lot those resources, and I look forward to speaking with a job search advisor soon. Overall, if you're thinking about a TEFL certification, I'd highly recommend ITA.

What would you improve about this program?
At the end of the course you have the option to add on two extra weeks for Young Learners and Business Professionals (free of charge!). I was really excited about this, and still think it's beneficial. However, they threw in the two weeks right at the end of the course and made the first week of Young Learners the same week as the final project was due. It was all so much and I stayed up really late to balance everything I had to do while maintaining a day job from 8-6. I'd suggest to ITA that they should communicate that the two extra weeks will be concurrent with the final project and have different due dates than what was in the main course, to prepare online students that it could be a really busy week.
Response from International TEFL Academy

This is an incredibly thoughtful review! Thank you for sharing your story and honest feedback, we greatly appreciate it. Don't hesitate to get in touch if we can ever help you out! You have lifetime job search guidance so when you're ready to get moving on your job search, call/email Student Affairs and they will be ready to help you out! Happy travels! - ITA

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Nicole
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ITA.. The best!

I'm so happy I decided to take my TEFL course through ITA. I feel I am so much more prepared to teach overseas. Their course is informative and engaging and really prepares you to provide the best learning experience for your future students. Highly recommended!

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michael
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

TEFL search program

It's tough deciding, when there are so many programs to choose from. I must have searched for weeks, I talked to recruiters from all over the world. Then, there was the challenge of actually deciding whether to do this whole thing online or do it remotely in a location which was described as intensive. When I finally decided to take an online approach I felt a bit intimidated because I wasn't sure how I would fair. I've always done better in person and sometimes, when material is dense, I can make mistakes which normally would have been trouble shot in a classroom setting. But, I was surprised to get so much extra attention from my professor and she was really compassionate to me in my learning curve to become an ESL certified teacher.

What would you improve about this program?
I would do a bit more in job placement, there are resources but I think that having an assigned counselor whom is willing to reach out to you would be great.
Response from International TEFL Academy

Thank you for taking the time to review your experience with ITA, Michael! Glad you ended up taking the plunge and that you had a great experience with your professor. Be sure to take advantage of your job search advisor here at ITA. You have an advisor in our Student Affairs Department to assist you with every phase of your job search. Just shoot them an email or give them a call and they will be there to make sure you're all set. Happy travels! - ITA

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Bryant
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Teachers Are Students

I truly loved the experience of learning the foundation of what it takes to become an effective ESL teacher. I came in expecting the course to be "easy", but it was challenging. For the money I spent, I am thankful it was challenging because it made me feel as though my money was well spent and, more importantly, my time. If we want to become the best teachers, we have to be great students. In order to go in that direction, we need challenging environments that push us beyond our comfort zones. In life, we are all students and teachers, even if we do not view ourselves as teachers. We teach not only through direct teaching and instruction, but also through modeling. There are always eyes watching us to see what traits can be adopted to include in one's own life. In essence, teachers are always students and students are always teachers.

What would you improve about this program?
I would make sure that the module objectives for each task are explained in greater detail. Right now, it seems they are too vague, which can cause issues with completing tasks.
Response from International TEFL Academy

You're right, this course isn't easy! But we're so glad you feel the course was a good investment of your time, money & energy. Thanks for sharing your feedback about the course, we will pass this over to our Student Affairs Department! Don't hesitate to get in touch if you ever need any help! - ITA

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Tamara
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ITA online course - the right amount of preparation

ITA's online course is based around readings from their coursebook. The coursebook covers different aspects of teaching English as a foreign language and living abroad. There are chapters about culture shock, practical teaching methods, theories/approaches for EFL teaching. I found the websites and links included in each chapter useful and relevant. I have been teaching EFL overseas for several years, and I learned stuff I can use in this course.

This course is a good introduction to the different topics that are important for teaching English overseas. If you never had any teaching experience I think this course would help you get mentally prepared. The assignments that accompanied the weekly readings were relevant and well organized through ITA's online system. The course instructor gave good constructive comments about the weekly assignments, and the staff at ITA were really knowledgeable about issues related to teaching EFL abroad and the job market/culture in different countries.

Response from International TEFL Academy

Thanks a lot for taking the time to write this review, Tamara! Really glad you had a great experience with your class and found the information to be useful and relevant. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you ever have any questions or need help with your job search! - ITA

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Tori
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ITA course June 3rd with Kelli Ryan

I enjoyed this course! I learned a lot about what it's like to be a new teacher and to teach abroad. The classwork was rigorous but also doable and fun! I liked the consistency of the weekly work and that we could work ahead if we wanted to. I would definitely recommend this course to someone else wanting to receive their TEFL certification. Kelli Ryan, my teacher, was very helpful, good at responding, and grading fairly. I struggled with the Grammar unit, but she was able to advise me on how to improve and what textbook I could buy for personal use. In addition, I had never lesson planned or made activities for a classroom because I am a brand new teacher. I learned how to plan for warm ups, presentations, production and homework afterwards! This course was extremely helpful.

What would you improve about this program?
I would like to have seen more real life examples of teachers teaching abroad. I guess I will get that experience in the classroom, soon!
Response from International TEFL Academy

Thank you so much for taking the time to review us! Really glad that you had a great experience with your instructor and your class overall. If you're looking for real examples of other teachers teaching/living overseas, check out all of our alumni Instagram takeovers on our Instagram account - @IntTEFLAcademy - Hopefully this helps! Don't hesitate to get in touch if you ever have any questions! - ITA

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Amelia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best TEFL course you could ever take

I normally never write reviews but I truly believe ITA deserves a glowing review because of how amazing this certificate school is. They are so approachable, helpful, clear and offer a solid network of alumni that help's you take the next realistic steps into moving overseas. This course was easy enough to do well in but hard enough that you actually learned a lot and feel more confident in teaching overseas. It is set up in a easy to use way, consisting of a straight from the text book quiz(s), non critiqued personal opinion peer participation question and a larger homework assignment that is straightforward and doable. The people I have come in contact with have all been very kind, honest and real so you feel cared for and not left in the cold especially with all the questions you have regarding the process of teaching overseas, which can be incredibly daunting. I was doing a lot of research about which TEFL course would be the best and I am so glad I chose ITA...would take it again in a heartbeat if I needed certification. As someone who is always reading reviews, I hope this helps some people who are on the fence take the ITA plunge and get's them started on their overseas teaching adventure! :) good luck and God bless!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Do your research on the country you are going to be living in. Make friends with people from there while you are still at home, try to learn the language, eat the food and just become the most prepared you can be. Also when it comes to this course, buy the physical book and fill it with notes so you can take it with you overseas.
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Erin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

From The USA to My Dream

From my first inquiry to my last week with the program I was impressed. I loved that I has the same support counselor to talk to before diving into the program. My instructor was no different and very attentive to our class. The lessons and practice assignments made my transition as an English teacher much easier. I was well prepared for my first interview and job. The certification has never been rejected and I had many offers before selecting my current school. I can't thank them enough for helping me to change my life/career and to follow my dreams- who knew it was so easy if you just put in a little work!