Program Reviews

The TEFL Heaven Internships Thailand program was extremely helpful in preparing me for teaching English my first semester. TEFL Heaven provided invaluable in person classroom experience and followed through with their guaranteed job placement.

Not only did I learn all the skills I needed throughout the three week course, but the TEFL Heaven programs are an excellent place to meet other people and network with other soon to be English teachers in Thailand! After completing the program, you will undeniably have made lifelong friends and travel buddies. I can't imagine having come to Thailand alone after completing the program. Additionally, TEFL Heaven makes an effort to place trainees in small groups in their teaching locations, so you will have some familiar, friendly faces nearby, and probably at your school.

Thanks TEFL Heaven!

TEFL Heaven was a beautiful experience. The location, the curriculum, and the people made it magical. I felt accomplished and ready to get into a Thai classroom after graduation. The content of the curriculum had a flow, starting from the basics of teacher etiquette to the depths of English grammar and discipline techniques. The environment was serious, yet so fun and playful. It has been a month since beginning my teaching career. The highlight of my teaching thus far has been the students, the energy that they bring, and the relationships that I have fostered with them, already, within 3 weeks. It's fascinating...the relationship is quite different than anything I have experienced. I don't speak Thai, and they don't speak much English; so there's inherently a sense of distance between me and my students. However, despite the lack of "real" communication, I feel as ever connected with them. It is authentic as it gets. My relationship grows through gestures, eye contact, smiles, and the words I have taught them. It is rewarding and TEFL Heaven really prepared me for that, and I am so ever thankful.

TEFL Heaven is the best program you could choose when it comes to TEFL training. The benefits from this course really are invaluable to your teaching career and you will draw things you learnt from TEFL into your teaching every single day. Not only do you get to train on a paradise island, you also get to make friends for life. You're surrounded by like-minded people who are there for you to lean on as they are in the exact same boat as you are. These will be the only people you know in the entire country; living in a country foreign to your own can be lonely sometimes so it's paramount you make some friends- with TEFL Heaven, these friends will be like your family. The classroom experience TEFL Heaven provides really is invaluable; every single day you will be planning lessons, activities and games and presenting them to your peers and trainers which is a huge confidence boost and readies you for teaching. The trainers are fantastic and are constantly on hand to offer advice both in teaching and living in Thailand in general, they are so helpful. You get thai lessons on the course which is super important; I couldn't get by in my town if I didn't know basic Thai (like ordering food, asking how much things are and directions for taxi drivers). The guaranteed job placement is a relief as it takes the complicated job search away from you and your agency will help with every step of visa and work permit process so it really is easy.

English camp is where you get thrown in at the deep end, but trust me when I say this is what you need to be ready for your classroom. It is overwhelming at first but when your nerves calm you realise TEFL have given you the tools and knowledge to succeed which is really reassuring. I use game ideas, classroom management techniques given to me by TEFL Heaven every single day, without this course I would never have had a chance of being a good teacher.

Thank you TEFL Heaven!

I had originally had written good review of the course. Yes the course was good but the job placement was totally horrendous and appalling. I had requested before and during the course that I was looking for a coast location which I know can be hard but there were placements at the Via school and I had not been considered which I was very upset and insulted by. I had no other choice but t head to San Luis Potosi. I was sent to a city called San Luis Potosi were other previous students were sent and only lasted the maximum 3 months. I was given false information by my course coordinator for example I was told the beach was only 2 hours away when it was 7 & nature was close by when it was 4 ours away!! I found this awful. The city itself is a ghetto and nothing to do and I was working beside 2 strip clubs. I did not feel safe and was extremely lost and lonely. I was there along with 4 other girls and guess what we have all left!!! This place is not for single women and I do not have the trust or confidence to go back to my coordinator and ask for something else. God knows where I would be placed. This was hugely disappointing and I am in the process of following this up more further and getting some justice for the disappointment I endured. I have got something else off my own back in a beautiful location. Watch out for false information if you do this course and are applying for a job though them.

This is and awesome TEFL course that I highly recommend. Audra was my teacher and she does an excellent job of making things fun as well as informative. I came from a teaching background, but Audra definitely took my core skills and improved upon them while teaching more specific TEFL teaching techniques. I only didn't enjoy the host family experience, but you can choose to just rent your own apartment or stay in a hostel. You can find a 1 month stay for less than $500 and many places have free wifi areas to lounge in so if I was to go back in time that is what I would do.

I have recently completed the 140 hours TEFL Course in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This month long course opened my eyes to the methods of great teaching.
The course is intensive but the support I received made it manageable. The teachers and the staff were highly competent and supportive and the program was rigorously planned and structured. Their feedback helped me to improve my teaching to a great extent. We were a small group of 10 and all got along well and have been a great support to each other.
Puerto Vallarta is one of the best cities in Mexico and having the backdrop of a vibrant, energetic city with beaches on your doorstep while you study certainly means you always have something to look forward to after a hard day of teaching or working on a project or lesson plans.
The course was challenging but extremely rewarding. I would highly recommend this course to anyone!

This was a very comprehensive course. The teacher, Raúl, is an expert.

I'm glad I didn't take any other one.

I received a letter from them upon completion with an excellent mark.

They let us teach at their academy during the course.

I cannot say more than that this is worth every penny. I may go back with my girlfriend so that she can do it as well.

Alan the director is a wizard. He is always smiling and happy. He can get you a job in many places around the world. Great people.

First of all, Puerto Vallarta is a BEAUTIFUL place worth visiting for any reason. It's the best, though, when you can visit such a place and get something tangibly beneficial out of the experience. VIA provided me with a very comfortable learning environment with down to Earth teachers and real life students to teach. All while living close to the beach and taking in the delicious food and culture of this coastal town.

The most promising part about VIA is that they are on the up and up. I got to work with Raul Gonzalez, who is an experienced, world-traveled teacher with an abundance of insight toward the career of teaching abroad. Raul is writing new textbooks for the entire program and has a vision to turn VIA into one of the best TEFL academies in the world.

I am still fresh out of the program and have not begun teaching abroad yet. Director Alan Davalos is well-connected to potential schools, particularly in Mexico, and found opportunities for my classmates before the course was even over. I, however, am interested in teaching further south in Colombia. Alan has assured me that he will work with me every step of the way to finding a good job and I am confident that we will.

My experience with Vallarta Academy was fantastic. Raul is an instructor with a great deal of experience, and he's eager to share it. He also is willing to answer any questions, including those about scenarios, countries, and what unexpected things that you can expect in this new experience.

One thing that was extremely important to me about doing this program was the ability to get in front of actual students for real experience. That was something that would not be available with domestic and online certification courses.

Studying in Puerto Vallarta was an outstanding experience. The TEFL team & teachers are amazing & helped with everything we needed, my class mates were brilliant and all in a beautiful location. The course itself taught me a lot (turns out I weren't as good as English grammar as I thought!) not only to teach English but how to deal with all kinds of situations, and I developed so many skills including public speaking.
I highly recommend this school, the teachers made it a special experience to teach the locals.
Plus there is amazing taco's next door ;-)
Thank you TEFL Heaven PV!