Program Reviews

ITA gives you all of the information you need to be a fully capable TEFL teacher overseas. When I first registered for the course, I was intimidated by the thought of standing in front of a classroom, expected to have lesson plans drawn up, ready to teach a class. Now, I have all the confidence and knowledge in order to be an effective teacher. Registration was very simple and the instructors are more than qualified with higher level degrees and years of TESOL experience. I was willing to pay the higher cost for this school because it delivers a high-quality product and is internationally recognized unlike some of the cheap, generic online programs from other schools. I am very happy I decided to go with ITA.

La certification TEFL a permis d'avoir beaucoup plus d'ouverture dans le monde du travail. C'est pas évident d'apprendre une langue étrangère aussi efficacement. Il y a aussi cet excellent site qui donne des cours d'ukrainien intensif par skype. Les cours sont adaptés pour chaque niveau, avec des professionnels très qualifiés. Je souhaite bonne chance à tout le monde qui veulent s'y aventurer. N'hésitez-pas, TEFL est très recommandé.

TRANSLATION:

The TEFL certification made it possible to have much more openness in the world of work. It's not easy to learn a foreign language as effectively. There is also this excellent site which gives intensive Ukrainian classes by skype. The courses are adapted for each level, with highly qualified professionals. I wish good luck to everyone who wants to venture there. Do not hesitate, TEFL is very recommended.

The course is 100% worth it. In 4 weeks you are able to gain so much knowledge and practice teaching ESL. The program gives you options of housing and lets you fill out a form with your preferences (definitely recommend staying with a host family). My host family was everything I could have hoped for and I still go and see them even after moving out when the course ended. They set up transportation at the airport for you, making your journey a lot less stressful upon arrival. It is definitely an intense and challenging course, but it is absolutely worth it. The first week can feel a bit overwhelming, but you get used to the work load and pace of the course. The practicum teaching and feedback sessions are super helpful. Melanie and Luke break down lesson planning for vocabulary, grammar and skills lessons so you are fully prepared when the course ends. They are very helpful through the job search process. They also provide information about other countries if you are looking to move somewhere else after the course ends. Between your classmates, instructors and alumni you are able to have such a helpful support system. This course completely exceeded my expectation and I recommend it to anyone considering getting their TEFL certification.

This course was absolutely fantastic. The material and instruction was extremely comprehensive. The tutors were always there to assist with any issues during the course. The marking/grading time frame from the tutors was extremely admirable. The assignments were always returned back with extensive feedback in a short period of time. This in turn made it easier to progress on the course as it meant we were able to make improvements in time for the next assignment.
The course was extremely intense, more so than was expected. However, I saw this as a positive as it meant we were more prepared to go into teaching ESL after the course. The program provided by the tutors was known throughout the local ESL community. This became evident during my interviews for work at various institutes, they shared the same view that the tutors were doing a successful job of preparing ESL Teachers for the field.
I am extremely happy that I took this course instead of one off the internet. I feel that it simply would not have been enough to be able to successful teach ESL. Whereas the course at TESOL COSTA RICA provided week on week practical sessions that were reviewed and developed upon. Due to the practical side of the course and constant feedback provided from this, the course simply could not be beat for preparing a teacher in my opinion.
If you want to take the most comprehensive TEFL course and be prepared for the ESL market then I would highly recommend taking this one!
Pura Vida!

This course was absolutely amazing!! Your in-class time is split between two incredible teachers, with different teaching styles that only work to create a diversified learning experience. There is a lot of hands-on and practical teaching experience you will not find in an online class, that is crucial to becoming familiar with real life teaching. You will learn everything you need to know about correct English grammar, and how to teach it. Luke and Melanie (the 2 teachers), and other staff are with every step of the way. Do not go into this class thinking it will be a vacation, it is not. During the month of class there is not as much time to travel around Costa Rica as you might expect. There is a lot of work, but it is very manageable. After graduating this course, I not only feel very prepared to be a successful English teacher, but based on the strong reputation this school has in the ESL world here in Costa Rica, I feel like I have an advantage over other TEFL students. After graduating this course, I took a little vacation to Nicaragua, but now I am back here teaching at a local English school and can't wait to see what my future has in store for me!!

I remember a year and a half ago sitting behind a desk and being so unfulfilled with the way I was spending my life. I need a change, some excitement, an adventure! After doing some research I decided I would start with the International TEFL Academy due to the amount of free resources available just on the website alone.
I was put in contact with Michael who was like an angel sent from heaven. He answered every single question I had, plus gave me a ton of encouragement, plus shared his own experience teaching abroad. Because he provided such great help, along with all the resources I was given I knew this is the place I had to use to peruse a new path.
Before I knew it I had signed up for my TEFL certification class and had decided Prague would be my destination of choice. The online course was INCREDIBLY convenient and fit into my busy schedule perfectly. The information I was given on Prague, along with my own research, really helped prepare me for my future endeavour.
Knowing that for the rest of my life I can use the TEFL Academy as a resource and source of guidance is amazing and is really one of their best features! Literally, one of the best decisions I ever made was following a crazy whim and choosing this company to help me get there.

This was an amazing experience and continues to be even after graduation! Everyone on staff was more than helpful, direct and upfront. All of the assignments were clearly outlined and although the work load challenging it certainly was doable. I think what I appreciated most was how enthusiastic the staff was about training us and their ability to give helpful advice at the right time and with one-on-one interactions if we had a question, problem, or were just feeling overwhelmed.

Everything you know about democracy, first-world country and common sense needs to go out the window while in China. Be open to the 180 degree change of life that you will experience from the time you step off the plane. I say these things because I was blown away at how I was not prepared for China. Despite all that I read, I was still in shock. Teaching in China is another experience: their expectations for English are high. Be prepared to train on your own because they do not offer it. Thank goodness for the coursework with International TEFL Academy. You, as a native speaker, will be thrown into a classroom and will be told to teach. It's trial by fire. The good thing about these situations were that I learned that I spoke too fast. I also learned that the students did not speak English very well. Instead of me teaching them, WE taught each other.

Ah ITA, you guys are good. I had already heard/read great things about their TEFL programs before signing up, so I didn't have to be seriously convinced. However, my initial contact call reaffirmed everything I'd heard and boosted my confidence in the program more-so. I initially was focused on the one-month intensive in-country TEFL program, but after speaking to a person in the office about what I was hoping to achieve with the certificate, I was told to go for the (less expensive) online program.

I really enjoyed the pace of the class, and the fact that the instructor took the time to respond to all of our comments. The weekly group-chat assignment also made it feel like more of a "real" class. Bonus: the instructor was also very familiar with Taiwan, so offered some great advice personally before I even set foot in the country. Coupled with the informational video chats held pretty frequently and live-streamed, I felt quite prepared jumping into the job-application process.

When I did begin to look for jobs, Christie with the Student Affairs team reached out right away and was nothing short of a huge help. She answered all of my questions honestly and promptly, and led me in a straight direction towards job success. After sending her a very late-night email with a contract from a prospective (now current) employer that was time-sensitive, she responded sooner than I could have hoped. Her confidence in the contract/employer and perspective as a "third party" gave me the confidence to take the leap and accept the offer - which I'm extremely glad I did today.

There are many programs like ITA. However, the professionalism and personality behind the organization was a win-win in my eyes. Like anything worth doing, I had to work hard and stay very organized/focused. But my journey from the first call with ITA to where I am now, months into my dream of teaching abroad, would have been MUCH more difficult and convoluted had I not taken the steps towards success with them.

I can definitely call Istanbul the city that never sleeps. Since the first days of my new life in Istanbul, I was amazed by how wonderful this place was. Walking around in day and night, crossing between the two continents on the vapur! all provided moments of peace. Even though the city experienced political and security concerns, it was always easy to find safe spots and happiness. I lived there from 2013 to 2016 and met the friendliest, most welcoming people ever.
The course was one month and was my first interaction with Turkish students. It helped me understand the difficulties I would face eventually in my actual classes and the trainers provided useful management skills and tips.