Program Reviews

I honestly feel bad for having taken so long to write a review of the Trinity CertTESOL program at Oxford House, as I completed the course in June of 2017. However, the truth of that matter is that I have been too busy working as an English teacher to have a chance to do so, which is exactly what you will get if you put in the time and effort to obtain this certification: solid, full-time employment, particularly if you decide to stay in Prague.

There are dozens of schools in Prague that offer some type of TESOL/TEFL/ESL certification, but if you are looking to make teaching English a career, a new vocation, or simply a means of making money no matter where in the world you find yourself, there are only two options; the Cambridge CELTA and the Trinity CertTESOL. These two certifications are the gold standard for the TESOL industry, and will help you gain employment at the best and most reputable schools in practically any country. When my wife and I decided to leave our corporate lives and move abroad to teach English, we knew that we needed one of these two certifications to be successful, and did a lot of research to find the school that best fit our needs. In the end, our choice was Oxford House and the Trinity CertTESOL in Prague, as they consistently proved to be superior in a number of different ways.

The first thing that set Oxford House apart was their website. Any and all information one might need is readily available in a format that is easy to read, and arranged in an orderly fashion. Second, the responsiveness of the staff was outstanding. If, at any time, we had a question about the school, the course, the requirements, Prague, etc., we simply sent an email to Karin, the course coordinator. She would always respond in a timely manner with just the information you were looking for, and also followed up with us as the beginning of the course drew near in case we had any last minute needs. Lastly, the post-course support offered in the form of visa support and lifetime employment assistance were big selling points. Many of the schools in Prague that we researched had employment assistance that amounted to “You have ‘X’ certification! Just go to the schools with your CV!”. Oxford House has graduates and contacts all over the world, so no matter where you wish to go, they can supply the support and introductions you need to obtain employment at a reputable school. Once we decided that Oxford House was the place for us to pursue our certification, we applied and following our interviews were accepted. That is when we realized what they meant by “Intensive”.

Oxford House tries to prepare incoming trainees for the intensity of the course, but it is hard to describe just how much work and dedication it requires to complete the Trinity CertTESOL. The second day of the course, you are in front of live, adult students of English (yikes!) trying to figure out how you’re going to teach for 30 minutes! Training days are fairly consistent; you either teach in the morning, or observe one of your fellow classmates teaching. After teaching the class, your tutor gives you feedback on what went well, what didn’t, and gives you valuable feedback on how to improve. The teaching time is gradually increased over the span of the course to where you are teaching for up to 90 minutes at a time. The lesson planning guidance from your tutor also lessens as you get deeper in the course, to where you simply tell them your idea and you create your own lessons. This helps build your confidence and you teach you the best ways to craft a lesson plan based on your students. The teaching and lesson planning is only part of the program, however. There are also three large projects that need completed before you are granted your certificate.

The first project is the Unknown Language Journal, in which you spend a week learning a new language (in our case Swedish), and then reflect on the experience. This is not meant to really teach you a language (though I might be able to order a beer were I to visit Sweden), but rather to help you understand what your students are feeling. It is a great exercise in empathy. The second project is the Learner Profile, a pronunciation, phonology, and speech analysis of a student selected from your classes. A recording is made of their speech, and you analyze their language usage, vocabulary, pronunciation, tendencies based on their L1, etc.. While at times overwhelming, this project proves valuable in that it helps you recognize and subsequently address the language learning needs of your student. Finally, there is the Materials Project, where you have to create an original lesson material or highly modify existing lesson material, and then present this project to an external auditor from Trinity College. This is a good exercise for those (like me) who aren’t skilled at coming up with original ideas.

Oh, and did I mention that there was a language examination at the end of the course covering phonology, grammar, tenses, and other assorted English goodies? That’s right, an examination. It can be pretty stressful if you’ve not taken an exam in 20 years!

In the end, this was both the longest and shortest month in our lives, and I’ve not worked this hard at something in many years; but was it worth it?

In the week following our completion of the course, my wife and I had a combined 15 interviews with schools in Prague and received 15 offers. Once we obtained our visas we were teaching week-long intensive courses for two months straight which included IELTS preparation, and have been continually employed ever since. There have even been weeks when we turned down more jobs than we actually worked. If you want to stay in Prague and teach after completing this course, there will be more than enough work for you if you put in the effort. The Trinity CertTESOL program at Oxford House will prepare you for whatever Prague has in store.

The TEFL Cert course has influenced my opinion about teaching and has given me a life-changing experience. After I had finished it, I realised that being a teacher is not only a big responsibility, but also an enjoyable job if you're a creative and sociable person (which I am!)
The tutors have provided me with some great ideas and important tips about how to make lessons useful, productive and, of course, interesting.
In spite of all the intensivity of the course, there had always been a great atmosphere in the class created by the well-experienced and courageous teachers as well as by my friendly groupmates.
I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to teach English. So if you want to jump right into your teaching, come and do it here, exploring the beautiful streets of Prague!

My time at Oxford house was very enjoyable. Not only was I getting a certified qualification I was getting the practice experience I needed to teach in the job market. The teachers were friendly and helpful, and I made some really good friends. The structure threw you in the deep teaching on the first day, but kept everything stress free. I recommend this course to anyone looking for a qualification.

Over the past month I have been overwhelmed with the about of information I have received. Reflecting on it now, it has honestly been one of the best experiences and I am truly grateful to all the tutors for their guidance and support.
When starting the course you feel like you have been "thrown in the deep end" but reflecting on it now, I wouldnt have had it any other way. Within the first week you teach a 45 minute lesson, yes it nerve wrecking but its the best experience one can get.
When preparing for each lesson all the tutors will give you guidance and support. Also there is various course books that you can take materials from.
Overall it is a brilliant facility to work in and everyone is very approachable and friendly. Would highly recommend this course to anyone.

After doing some research on TEFL programs, teaching English overseas, and the Czech Republic, I decided to come to Prague to attend OxfordTEFL for the September 2016 course. I pleasantly surprised by the experience and very satisfied.

The Course: They had us teaching the 2nd day of class. Of course I felt very unready, but the tutors were eager to help us select material and get prepared. As the course went on and we continued to teach, they also gave great feedback and were always willing to offer ideas, look at lesson plans and activities, and pretty much bend over backwards to make sure we were ready to teach. This course is intensive, but it wasn't overly stressful or difficult. If you make sure to do just a little each day, you won't be overwhelmed when deadlines come. And the course is certified by Trinity College, which means your certificate is recognized basically anywhere in the world.

The Staff: Every single tutor at OxfordTEFL is extremely knowledgeable and willing to help. They made the classes fun even when they were difficult. I really felt like they wanted me to become a good teacher.

The Apartment: I stayed in the apartment rented by Oxford on Zborovska street with three other students. It was much bigger than I had expected, with very tall ceilings, a private bedroom for each student, and a large kitchen.

The Extras: OxfordTEFL arranges a free ride from the airport into Prague when you get here. They also let you know about a few fun activities in town, and the pub night the first week of class helps you get to know your classmates really well--maybe TOO well in some cases.

If you are thinking about teaching English overseas, I highly recommend OxfordTEFL. I feel prepared to take on a class of non-English speakers.

I had already received previous recommendations for doing this particular course – my mother was course director for a part-time Trinity Cert TESOL here in my home town and my sister had been with the Barcelona branch of Oxford TEFL. They both gave me, I believe, essential advice if you want to continue in the field of EFL teaching; “pick the right CERTIFIED TEFL course”. I believe I did.

The course itself was not only eye-opening from a linguistic perspective, but incredibly effective at providing a good range of information that could be digested in the space of just a month. What really makes me appreciate the course is that they made it an incredibly enjoyable experience while still being intensive – and the course IS intensive. I knew this going in and I was a little apprehensive. However, it was also the most fun I have ever had while learning which of course made me want to put effort into my studies. This was due to a variety of reasons. First of all, the tutors at Oxford TEFL were outstanding. While they obviously had an element of professionalism about them, the classroom environment was very positive in that it was clear that they enjoyed their jobs, which of course is a great positive-reinforcement based motivational tool for the trainees. I also think that it is quite rare to have a level of report with the tutors that I found on this particular course. They were friendly and accommodating, but certainly were there to give you a kick in the backside or some strong motivation words if you needed them! It was clear that they really did want you to succeed – and that was a nice feeling as a trainee.

In terms of teaching practice, we were thrown into the deep end almost immediately – but that was most certainly a good thing. Teaching was enjoyable and rewarding and I quickly found my particular method and mannerisms. The feedback I received was fantastic and every piece moulded my next lesson, thus I found I continually improved as a teacher.

The 4 weeks I spent on the course, not only gave me invaluable information and teaching experience (and of course a hard Trinity Cert TESOL!) that I can use with my on my TEFL travels, but also some memories that I will cherish for years to come. I highly recommend Oxford TEFL.

TWO THUMBS UP.

Overall, I was very impressed with the course. Oxford TEFL are market leaders in TEFL training and I can understand why. They manage to pack so much into the course and it’s very intense as a result, however, I always felt that I was fully supported by all the staff with regards lesson planning, coursework completion, accommodation and pretty much anything else.

What’s more, the teaching staff really know their stuff! They have a good variety of teaching approaches between them and I always had really productive feedback sessions with them which really helped me grow into the role of a teacher.

can’t stress it enough! If you want to take a TEFL course in Prague, Oxford is the place to do it.

The course was both well organised in terms of progression of content and well thought out in terms what content to employ in such a short period. Having previously worked in marketing I was under the assumption that I was capable of producing excellent English and would therefore be capable of teaching it with ease. How wrong I was!
Grammatical complexities such as infinitive and gerund use were beyond my capacity to explain, and my ability to produce a lesson from scratch was non-existent. The incredibly personable staff were there to assist from day one, taking on our questions and fears (sometimes outside of hours at a pub) and turning them into strengths.

The teaching practice was invaluable as we were put in front of classes of real students in a trial and error approach to learning to teach. Each teaching practice session concluded with an in depth feedback session during which we would work together with our tutors to highlight and maintain our personal strengths, and acknowledge and gain advice on how to improve our weaknesses.
The teachers were all experienced and knowledgeable beyond compare, and as a result I felt safe in the knowledge that I was getting the best education available.

The course also included a workshop on job searching and adjusting our CV and experiences to suit what potential employers were looking for. They even sent out my CV for me to a number of schools in Prague!

The facilities are up to date, with projectors and computers in most rooms allowing trainees the opportunity to experiment with different mediums.

The course was social, fun, exciting, and invaluable. I learned more than I imagined I would and forged friendships that will last for years to come. I cannot find a single flaw in this course, and I would gladly recommend it to family, friends, and strangers alike.