International TEFL Academy

Program Reviews

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Deidre
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Support before, during and TEFL

Support before, during and TEFL is what I received from ITA. The admissions counselor was attentive to my inquiries. I never felt "pressured" to sign up with the school. Once I began my classes, I received swift and valuable feedback from my instructor helping me to understand points I could improve upon in my lesson planning. Since receiving my TEFL, I have been able to reach out to my counselor for continued support directly while the school has endeavored to grow and support its ever growing alumni. I've not ever felt alone in the TEFL journey or using my TEFL certification.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
There was this little pillowy cookie. I don't know the name of it, but it was literally like what you would think biting into a cloud would be light. All soft, light and airy. And then.... it was gone. Which was also kind of funny!
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Tyler
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Rewarding program and experience

What an incredible experience and an enriching way to experience living and working abroad. The instruction was well thought out and provided the perfect start to living in Thailand. I made friends that 8 years later I am still in touch with, I learned teaching skills that I still use today, and most importantly I gained a deeper appreciation for my own strengths by stepping out of my comfort zone. I was placed in rural Isaan which gave me a community that I will always treasure and allowed me to teach such motivated and intelligent students who were eager to gain English language skills that would further their education. I highly recommend this program!

What was your funniest moment?
Getting caught up in a local parade, joining in the fun and ending up on the cover of the local newspaper in my town!
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onhwa
3/5
No, I don't recommend this program

Neutral review

This company and program is 100% legit with efficient advisors, teachers, workers, etc. I should have done deeper research before signing up for this program because the course I took can be provided by other companies at a reduced cost. The course I took was the 11 week online TEFL course, and it cost a total of $1,099 after discount. Being fully honest, I was quite disappointed with the quality content of the course based on how much I paid. I was required to read textbooks 85% of the time, 5% videos, and the rest being class discussions. One thing about this company that stands out from others is that they help you find a job after completing your course. I am not too sure how helpful they are when it comes to job searching, but I have read both positive and negative reviews on this. If you are considering to sign up for this program, do your research first and know what you are signing up for. My review on International TEFL Academy is neutral.

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Sarang
3/5
No, I don't recommend this program

read before you enroll!

This is a legit TEFL course program, BUT it's one of the most expensive out there.
They are quick to respond to your questions, and they will be there to help you out even once you are finished with your course.
I wouldn't personally recommend using enrolling because there are several courses with the same information that costs less.
Some of the course videos are outdated, but other than that, the course itself is legit.
If you are going to sign up for this course, you don't need to buy the textbook they encourage you to purchase.
Ashely, my TEFL advisor was super quick and informative when we called. There were some misunderstandings and conflicts that arose, but International TEFL Academy was quick to resolve this for me.
Also, I may be wrong, but international TEFL might have some sort of agreement with gooverseas (this rating site).

(I rated 5 for all because I felt neutral about the program)

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Jonas
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ITA Chiang Mai course

I went during Songkran of 2019 and it was amazing (I highly recommend doing so because they may also be running a special at the same time)! Songkran is like their New Year's and it's this HUGE water fight and all types of festivities. I've never been that far out of the country and this was a very pleasant first experience. The staff were from all over the world just like the coursemates you have which adds to the experience (strangely though in my course that specific time there were a lot of Americans, the teachers found that odd as well).

They gave us language and cultural awareness classes and excursions along with our TEFL classes to aid in mobility around the country. They assisted with opening bank accounts, job search assistance during and months after the course while also assisting in searching for housing and even dental work! If you were to teach in Thailand literally the head of the ministry of education is one of your instructors and gives you a stamp of approval if you really need it (no pressure!)

The course itself was quite rigorous given the fact that it's just a month and if it was longer it would not feel as taxing. You feel rather bombarded after the first week and the end of week 3 and start of week 4 feel like pure chaos but that's because you've never made a lesson plan/taught before. Once you have it's beyond smooth sailing. You may get a psudeo-coteacher to help with some kids so that is also nice plus the kids can really take a liking to you rather quickly which makes your job that much easier.

Also for anyone else who is black in the diaspora (I'm African American) I was one of three in the course and to my knowledge the instructors did not make us feel unwanted or incapable of completing any tasks or any feelings of targeted discrimination (subtle/coded or otherwise); any feelings of doubt were coming from the course load itself. Final point on this, I speak AAVE (first) and SAE (second) and re-learning how to "properly" speak English in it's standard British or American format can make you feel as though there is no way you can feasibly teach English because you're default is already strongly dialectal borderline second language. However, I promise if you are someone who can/do already code switch habitually you will be fine and complete the course no problem; code-switch back when you're not at work!

Taking this course has given me friends from all over the world and those from the country I taught in. It has truly transformed my life for the better and has opened doors to opportunities I had not idea existed; also lasts a lifetime. The job search assistance and onboarding and personalized help is still going on with this company and I can still communicate and get proper documentation with my instructors in Chiang Mai still to this as well. I personally recommend this company and hope this review can give you a little more honest insights into the course!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Literally google maps is such an amazing tool when you don't know much already; use it. Get a lay of the land before arriving and search for at least 2 week accommodation before you arrive so you can plan accordingly.
Read my full story
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john
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Awesome Opportunity

I've been teaching with an online company for a few years and haven't had much experience with live students. Lauren did a fantastic job setting me up with a great company here in Taiwan. She streamlined everything and was able to get me in touch with some of the best schools. I'm extremely grateful for her professionalism as well as being a FREE resource. I only wished I would've found this website sooner. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.Thanks, Lauren and Go Overseas for this amazing opportunity.

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Jennifer
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

International TEFL Academy

The International TEFL Academy was very easy to fit into my schedule. I loved how everything was set up each week of doing peer responses, a quiz, and an activity. It is a good mix of lesson planning and learning for the activities. The book used is amazing and easy to understand. The second instructor was good at explaining what was going on each week and graded the homework quickly. I also felt heard through the experience, when I felt like my first instructor was not doing the best, ITA immediately found a new instructor to take over and help make the rest of the class. My favorite thing was that I got an extra 60 days after the 11 weeks to complete the practicum experience.

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Ana
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

TEFL Course review

I am a lawyer by profession. I have spent all my life behind a computer trying to solve urgent problems happening all around the world in the shipping industry. I had never worked with children nor as a teacher before. The course gives you a very good insight as to how a language should be taught. This method is far from the methods used when I was at school. At that time we only learned grammar and literature and never in context . The TEFL course shows you how to teach grammar and vocabulary, always in context, making sure the student is in the centre of the class, learning games that students enjoy.

What would you improve about this program?
Giving more guarantees about finding jobs afterwards.
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Brant
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Challenging but Reward course

The International TEFL/TESOL Course was the best decision for me because it allowed a degree of flexibility that other courses different offer, but, don't let the online nature of this class fool you. The class content was rich and the amount of materials, examples, videos, etc was outstanding. The course instructor I had (Barbara) was excellent in providing constructive feedback, live office hours, and timely with assignment grading. If you're looking for a course that will give you what you need to know to teach English abroad, and more, this is the one.

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Elizabeth
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ITA Final Course Evaluation

International TEFL/TESOL is definitely not one of those certifications they just hand out for a fee. I found the course to be very informative and very challenging. Definitely not an easy A! I feel confident that I am now qualified to teach in just about any environment and that I was properly trained. I would have liked a little more time to complete assignments and take advantage of some of the resources like the live lectures. I may try to go back and rewatch some videos before it's too late.

What would you improve about this program?
I would like more time to access resources such as the live lectures.
Response from International TEFL Academy

We really appreciate this review! You're 100% right - we are not one of those TEFL classes where you just get a piece of paper. You truly have to put in the time and effort to make it happen, so we're very glad that you did and had a great experience! We are always here to assist you along the way, so don't hesitate to get in touch and we'll be here! Cheers to all your adventures! - ITA