Program Reviews

I enjoyed my TEFL course but it was not terribly difficult. My certificate has certainly made me much more marketable and valuable in China. The market for teachers is so high in China they hire many non-native English speakers, mostly from Russia, and try to pass them off as native speakers. Being a native speaker with a degree and a TEFL certificate increases a teacher's salary by a very large margin in China.

I have always loved traveling, learning about other cultures, meeting new people, and just immersing myself in completely different worlds. After graduating, I knew I wanted to spend some time traveling and living abroad, so I knew that I would have to find a way to support myself while doing that. After graduating with a degree in education, I thought teaching abroad would be the best option for me. When I began my research on how to do that, one word (acronym, at that) kept coming up: TEFL. I enrolled for the online course right to begin right after graduation and I really have no complaints about the entire process. The advisors that I spoke to were extremely knowledgeable and willing to help with whatever questions I have. The course instructor created assignments that took the course readings to the next level and really maximized our learning. Finally, the content taught was valuable and covered a wide range of experiences while teaching and living abroad. While it was a little pricey, I truly believe that the growth I will experience as a human being while living in a foreign country will make it all worth it.

This program was so well put together, you had very clear guidelines, ebook and professor live lessons, i really enjoyed being able to schedule my course around my work schedule at the time. The practicum was extremely insightful and great tool to network too. i highly suggest taking this course it was so reasonable, affordable and useful to me in my job searches. They also provided great job searching tools and alumni facebook groups that we were able to join and gather more "from the field" real life experiences from the specific country you were interested in.

Super helpful staff from beginning to end. My teacher was great and answered all of my questions. The resources they provide for students are unparalleled. I took the online TEFL course. I would say the online course needs to have more in class practice. Nothing can replace in class experience teaching to students. My one suggestion would be to have approved locations where students can complete their practicum hours to get real hands on experience teaching before teachers head to their first teaching job.

I had a great experience with obtaining my TEFL certification. Student affairs was always available to answer my numerous questions about obtaining a visa and a job once abroad. The practicum by far was the most helpful portion of the course for me! Course work and in class experience are very different and it really helped to observe some classes before working online or abroad! Students in the classes I observed eventually relied on me to answer their questions with class work and homework which really helped my confidence in the classroom and is something I will always remember!

ITA is an excellent company to get your teaching certification through. I'm very glad that I used their services. Not only was it a simple process to get the certification, but they support you even after you've completed your program. I think my favorite thing about ITA is the community groups on Facebook in which fellow alumni help provide information about the various locations you want to teach in. All the major areas have their own page, like South Korea, Japan, etc. The website and the information on Facebook really prepared me for my travel to South Korea. Considering I can go live in over 60 countries, it really is a gateway to discover the world. I'm enjoying learning the culture and language of my host country. You should come join the adventure!

I had a great experience with ITA. I like in person classes for accountability and they provided that in the Chicago class. I found the work in the class harder than any class I had taken in college. It was difficult but really rewarding. I ended up teaching in South Korea now for almost 2 years. I will be able to pay off my student loans. Yaay. I also discovered I want to be a kindergarten teacher. It changed my life and I am really happy.

I've been wanting to teach in South Korea for about 4 years now, and I finally plucked up the courage to get a TEFL certification. Although the price is steep, IT IS SO WORTH IT. ITA is responsive, comprehensive, engaging, challenging, and rewarding! I did the online course because I was in my last year of Bachelors and, although the workload was appropriately large, I never felt overwhelmed, and spent 10 weeks learning. I would recommend this program, no question.

After doing Americorps for a year and researching which was the best TEFL School. I decided to do my TEFL with ITA. I did the in person class and it was pretty challenging and intense. I was pretty tired but after that one month. I felt ready to start my teaching experience abroad. I went to South Korea and taught elementary and middle school students for 2 years. ITA was helpful from the beginning until the end. They are honest and provide you with a lot of information. I highly recommend investing in your TEFL with ITA, if you don't have a BA in Education. By doing so, you will gain confidence and feel ready to go abroad.

The title of this review is a little bit misleading. Well, to be honest, a lot a bit misleading. The only reason one shouldn't come to Japan to teach english is if he or she is not open to new experiences and new cultures (which if that's the case he or she probably shouldn't be traveling at all). Japan is a beautiful and rich culture in so many ways, and whether you live and teach in the countryside or the city the experiences you WILL have are abundant.

My TEFL certification, which I received through the International TEFL Academy, has allowed me to be competitive in the job market as well as confident in the classroom while here in Japan. And honestly, the classroom is just one more interesting and often exciting way to learn about Japanese people, culture, and history while making connections you will never forget. (The students, staff, and fellow teachers are also really wonderful about keeping you up to date on local events and festivals which you can't miss out on)!

I worked for two years as an eikaiwa teacher, teaching students anywhere from the age of just 1 year into 90-something years. The conversations I had and the relationships I formed were unlike most of the relationships I made in any job previously. Also, because of the TEFL certification and the experience I gained through my courses and practicum, I walked into my first lesson (and many following lessons) far more confident and prepared than the teachers who came without a certification.

Following my experience working eikaiwa, I have recently started working as a Junior High School ALT. While the classroom experience, class sizes, and working hours are different from the eikaiwa lifestyle, I have already fallen in love with this position. Once again, I'm surrounded by incredibly open and welcoming co-workers and students-- only this time your students make you feel like a rock star (literally). Due to my previous experience in eikaiwa, as well as the aforementioned TEFL experience, the day to day classroom lifestyle has been incredibly smooth and easy for me. My teachers have mentioned how my teaching style is different from other ALTs, but they also think it's really fun and engaging. The methods I use are ones I wouldn't have learned without my TEFL and practicum experience.

Outside of work, life is always an adventure for me. There is always some sort of event or festival happening. There are so many gorgeous sites to see and rich cultural/historical experiences to engage in. Since moving here, I have also been able to travel to several other countries. I have traveled from Japan to Korea, Hokkaido (which, yes, is part of Japan but it's still very different), Australia, and Taiwan. I have plans to go to Korea again, Hawaii, and Thailand this year alone. I'm also able to do all of these things despite still having to pay off loans and student debt from America.

When I originally decided to get my certification, I didn't know where I wanted to go or how long I would want to do any of this. However, I can honestly say that getting that certification and making the decision to come to Japan has been not only life-changing, but it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. If you're considering traveling and you want an enjoyable way to work while you do it then you can't go wrong, and Japan is (in my opinion) one of the best places you can go to start your own adventure. I am so grateful to ITA, my practicum teachers, and the classmates I had during my TEFL course for helping encourage and prepare me for the experiences of a life time. I am looking forward to even more!