Receiving my TEFL certification has opened many doors for me in the world of teaching as well as becoming an entrepreneur in the expatriate world. My time during the TEFL program was challenging but also very rewarding. It gave me the exact tools needed to feel confident to teach abroad.
After graduating from the TEFL program, I continued to travel for a few months and then one week before my flight home, I canceled my return trip and decided to stay in Germany. I wasn't ready to end this amazing experience. However, after traveling for another four months, I was faced with that very scary question of 'NOW WHAT?'. I was in Germany with no place to live and not one single job lined up. This was when I really sat down and turned my daydream plans into a reality! I started my own language academy for private teaching called Speakeasy Language Academy. We assist and promote teachers to legally and professionally teach privately around the world. A few years later, my partner and I started a second company called Expat Launcher that offers full-service assistance to expats looking to move to Germany. We are truly their one-stop shop for all things abroad. We assist with services like apartment search, registering, health insurance, and visa process just to name a few.
I truly believe that if I didn't take the TEFL program, my life would have still had one amazing year of traveling the world, but I would have gone back to the states and continued in the corporate world. This would be a dream for most, but I wanted something completely different. I have been very fortunate to live, teach and work aboard for the past 4 years. The best part is that we get to help others that want to do the same.
A few things that have impacted my life would be teaching young learners. It is amazing to watch their eyes light up when they understand something you've taught them. It is a very special gift and something that I hold dear to my heart. Also, my travel adventures have made me grow as a person. In the past year alone, I've had the pleasure of 18 trips to 2 different continents, 5 new countries, and roughly over 100 cities, towns and villages that I've thoroughly explored.
Some of my favorite moments since receiving my TEFL would include traveling around Egypt for 5 weeks, scuba diving in the red sea and taking a sailboat along the Nile for 4 days. Another amazing journey was volunteering in South Africa, where I got to hold and bottle feed lion cubs and watch them as they went from drinking milk to eating meat. I walked side-by-side with elephants and lived with wild animals all around us.
My advice to anyone considering taking the TEFL program would be to do it! Opportunities will present themselves throughout your life and yet only a few people jump on them. Don't question yourself and do what makes you happy. You can always go home if teaching abroad isn't for you.
Response from International TEFL Academy
Hi David,
Thanks for taking the time to write this detailed review and share your feedback. As mentioned in previous correspondence a few months ago, ITA does our best to assist every single graduate with his/her job search - no matter if you’re a native English speaker or a non-native English speaker. It is entirely up to each employer (or entire an country for that matter) if they want to hire someone. ITA as an organization does not set hiring standards for specific schools nor do we have any say in what credentials school’s require.
We also do not guarantee jobs for any English teachers (native or non-native). As you mention in your review, all non-native English speaking students are also thoroughly educated by ITA of the added challenges they may face teaching abroad. We do require all non-native students who plan to enroll in an ITA TEFL class to take a test to ensure his/her English skills are high enough to succeed in the course and ultimately teach the English language. We talk with every student who plans to enroll in one of our TEFL courses, native or non-native. We do this because we don’t want anyone enrolling in a course and wasting their time & money if they aren’t a good fit for the class.
In regards to your job search, it looks like our Student Affairs team has communicated with you 25+ times to assist you with your job search. We’ve worked with you on your resume, a letter stating that you completed the course so you could begin applying to schools before you received your certificate, and in addition to our job search resources available for all students; a list of a few schools in Santiago directly that do hire non-native teachers when we found out that you were having issues finding a job. Another point to note is that the best way to find a teaching job in Chile is by interviewing and applying in-person upon arrival, especially as a non-native teacher. So as previously discussed, because you were emailing schools in-advance instead of applying face-to-face in Chile, you likely saw this impact your opportunties.
We absolutely support each and every one of our alumni (non-native English speakers or not). We are always happy to communicate with you further on your job search, so always feel free to get in touch and we will do our very best to assist you.