Buenos Aires TEFL Institute

Program Reviews

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Nick
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Buenos Aires TEFL

Being part of the Buenos Aires TEFL Intensive course over 5 weeks has been a great experience. The 4 weeks TEFL training and curriculum was of a high standard and included a lot of valuable observations in different schools across the city. The school's teaching practice meant I gained the valuable experience to land multiple teaching jobs, both at the school and elsewhere at the school's partners. The 1 week Spanish course was a lot of fun and increased my command of the language. The staff have been amazing and on hand to help whenever needed.

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Sarah
1/5
No, I don't recommend this program

Terrible Experience

I want to preface this by saying that I’ve never written a negative review, but I really felt that this was an exceptional circumstance. We attempted to provide direct feedback to management but were met with insults and direct communication that we may receive poor references. The course covered the necessary materials to teach English, however my concerns are as follows:

1) All online and course materials state the TEFL program is 4 weeks long. We were told in the fourth (and what should have been final) week that we would not receive our certification until we finished the Spanish classes. They scheduled me to teach during the week of Spanish classes and I received no financial compensation for the additional ten hours that I taught.

2) The school promises presentations and interviews with local employers during the professional development day - this did not happen. There is no job placement and you’re left to navigate the job search and interviews on your own. We were emailed a list of contact information for local employers, only after we asked to be provided with it.

3) We were never supervised or observed by Buenos Aires TEFL staff during our teaching practicum. When someone asked why we hadn’t been observed or received feedback, we were told “I never observe new teachers”.

4) An instructor spent approximately 1.5 hours of every TEFL class teaching intermediate level Spanish instead of the TEFL curriculum. This adds up to a significant amount of time and content over 4 weeks. They then told us later that we don't know enough to teach English online.

When we brought these questions forward, we were told we're entitled, unprofessional, and that they remember people who “complain” when employers call for references. After the program ended we were emailed an altered copy of the terms and conditions that had several additions, most notably “if you defame the school in whatever platform you use, the school has the right to sue you”. They claimed in the email that we agreed to these terms before starting the course. I can very confidently say that no, those were not the terms we agreed to. For the reasons I've outlined above, I do not recommend this program.

PS If you decide to do this program, don't stay at the school. The rooms are damp, musty, cold (there's no heating), and our bedroom had mosquitoes. I had a cough the entire 5 weeks I was there, which cleared up as soon as I moved out.

Pros
  • Students were wonderful to teach
Cons
  • No job placement as advertised
  • Changed curriculum with no prior notice
  • Management extremely hostile to feedback
Response from Buenos Aires TEFL Institute

Hello. We do not insult people and most of your review is useless, since it makes no sense. We have been running this TEFL program in Buenos Aires for 14 years.
It is remarkable how you did not pay attention to the available materials to read, both onsite and online.
1. The program is 5 weeks long and it can be read anywhere online regarding our websites https://www.teflinbuenosaires.com and https://buenosairestefl.com
2. Job placement is an essential part of our program and every TEFL session has at least 3 or 4 meetings with different employers. After they participate, they sign a form. I really do not know why are you choosing to provide false testimony against our organization.
3. TEFL Trainees are assessed and observed. You were also and we have a picture of you teaching English and, therefore, being observed by an instructor.
4. Your last paragraph makes no sense since TEFL is an intensive, 130 hour or 5 week program and it is of course an introductory course to teaching. Successful participants get paid during the job placement period.Not before.

We do not know the reason why you chose to provide this comprehensive opinion with false testimony but I can clearly say you have not read the terms and conditions for the course either, available by clicking here https://www.teflinbuenosaires.com/terms-and-conditions

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Will
1/5
No, I don't recommend this program

Poor Course

Was told legal action may be taken if I left a bad review. Was told I would receive negative recommendations to future employers if I left a bad review. The course promises a job fare with opportunities for employment and support - did not happen and was told I was ‘superior, entitled and not a good person’ for politely asking. I felt like the course was designed to exploit well meaning foreigners by cynical course coordinators. Best of luck should you choose this course.

Pros
  • Stratford School weeks experience
Cons
  • Treatment of young and enthusiastic travellers
  • Feeling an exploitative nature within the English teaching classes
  • Misaligned expectations about job placement after the course
Response from Buenos Aires TEFL Institute

No, we did not say those things to you. Job placement is available upon successfully completing the course, not for people just paying for the program and not wanting to complete their practicum. Every month, there are job placement meetings and participants sign a form they did participate, therefore your comment does not make sense. The course is academic and our validation number by TQUK is 4619021. Yes, defamation is a crime in Argentina.
By reading your opinion, we know that you have not paid attention, did not understand the purpose of the program and you chose to provide new users with false testimony. Our terms and conditions are the following https://www.teflinbuenosaires.com/terms-and-conditions
Best of luck with whatever program you may choose in the future.

Default avatar
Alex
4/5
No, I don't recommend this program

Great Instruction, Poor Institutional Organization

First, the positive side of things: The actual instruction in this course is awesome! Our instructor was incredibly knowledgeable, creative, and clearly passionate about language and teaching in general. I always felt supported academically, but also felt challenged to step outside my comfort zone. I can’t recommend her enough. However, the organization and communication within the institute leave much to be desired. Important information was either never given or not well-covered. Communication with administration took ages, especially before the program began. Many people have had severe issues with their housing during the program—I wasn’t even told who I would be staying with beforehand, and was given no way to contact the person or anyone else who could help me. There is also no guaranteed job placement, though there is some assistance. Other people had their programs moved to different months, and were not told ahead of time that this would be happening. From what I can tell, many of the reviews listed here are not real and are absolutely fabricated, which is a shame. Again, the instruction was fantastic and I wish I could recommend the program for that alone; the other stuff, which was not the fault of the instructor, was often extremely frustrating and difficult to work with. Others’ experiences were far more difficult than mine.
Buenos Aires is an amazing city, and I’m thrilled to be here, but please do your research elsewhere about this particular program.

What would you improve about this program?
The communication and structure of the actual institute. Instruction is great, but the rest is severely lacking.
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Pete
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Spanish immersion classes in downtown Buenos Aires

I loved my experience here. The classes are small and the course is well structure. I was placed at the right level of fluency. The system of Spanish instruction is very good, with 6 levels and a placement test. Had classmates from all over the world. Loved my time at Ibero. Everyone was nice and the teachers are excellent. Everything is taken care properly. Thank you for everything.I will and have recommend it to all my friends back home.

What would you improve about this program?
More conversational workshops
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Jenny
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I recommend Ibero Spanish

I found the Spanish school Ibero to be very good. I liked the textbooks, the methodology and everything has been very fun so far. I loved the social aspect from the school. I found the school to be what I was looking for. Thank you very much.

What would you improve about this program?
Maybe the school could organize more conversation workshops but nothing else I can think of.
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Jean
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great school

Ibero Spanish a really nice and welcoming school in Buenos Aires. In the beginning I was a bit reluctant to choose this school but I am very happy that I did. Buenos Aires is such a beautiful city that made me want to learn faster and more about the language and the culture. The city has a charming breath and immersed me in it`s atmosphere instantly. I really enjoyed the fact that the Ibero teachers are ready to help you out with whatever might worry you. No grammar problems are left behind, neither any casual everyday questions unanswered. I feel like thanks to the teachers and the extracurricular activities I have gotten to know this language and culture much more better.Thank you Ibero for everything.

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John
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I liked Ibero Spanish

I recommend Ibero Spanish. The service was nice and efficient. As soon as I registered I received an e-mail with extensive explanation on the school location, person to contact and general information on how to go about Buenos Aires and in general.

What would you improve about this program?
I liked Ibero. I was very pleased with the service. All of my questions were answered and communication was easy and clear. Nothing to complain about. Thanks for the great trip!
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Emma
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Perfect!

I loved the fact that the classes were small. It was an intensive course but the time spent was well worth it. Thank you for everything. Rita and Fede are amazing teachers.I have and will recommend this school to all my friends back at home.

What would you improve about this program?
it was very good
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Amy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Perfect!

Thank you very much everyone at Ibero for all your patience. The course has been great. Everything went by very quickly but teachers are self motivated and teaching materials are just superior. Thanks again for 4 weeks of intensive Spanish classes.

What would you improve about this program?
nada