Program Reviews

Taking THE VIA LINGUA TEFL COURSE in the ALC Of Marrakesh was without shadow of doubt the one RIGHT choice I am not regretting !
Thanks to all the teachers who made it easy for me to grasp and put in practice so many TEFL aspects From pedagogy theory to classroom management. I would highly invite anyone who has the passion for teaching english to take this road.
Having the via lingua certificate will definitely help you become a good teacher.
ALC Stuff from Director, Head coordinators, Teachers, to administation will just help you have the best unique experience in life. The feedback, constructive advices and the monitoring that you will get will only make of your VIA LINGUA Course experience a unique and mindblowing one ! Just go for it !

Lessons at ViaLingua Istanbul were a necessary compliment to traditional professional development that I receive as an overseas contractor. The coursework and teaching practicum were sometimes as challenging as the activities I had completed in college, but they enabled me to harness and develop skills not yet mentioned by other reviewers:
* enhanced active listening
* improved ability to give instructions
* clearer board work, confidence in presentation
* ability to conduct Need's Analysis and customize deliverables
* working/communicating effectively as a team
* demonstrating good decision-making
These are lessons not taught in traditional classrooms - a good foundation to have for future leadership positions. I highly recommend this course!

The location is fantastic and the staff is courteous and caring. Everything is pretty straight-forward, meaning you won't have to deal with any unexpected events. The material covered in the course is incredibly helpful and will prepare you for any teaching position in the future. No matter how much you already know about teaching or how well experienced you may think you are, there will always be new things for you to learn and improve on. This TEFL course was challenging in terms of the workload, pressure to perform and any material that may be new to you, such as grammar rules and how to be able to teach them to students from all backgrounds and levels. I highly recommend this course if you're looking to actually become a good teacher and are not simply trying to get just any TEFL certificate. This course is well worth the investment!

The most exciting and rewarding experience in my life .
Everything was great, the location, the school the staff, just everything!!
From day one , you feel that you are a part of warm supportive family, with Ismail being the father and head of this family, you can count in Ismail regarding anything.
Teachers were extremely competent and highly professional; they make you understand and study language in a new light that adds up to your knowledge and teaching style and methods .
The school lies in Istanbul, my favourite city in the entire world, you can explore Istanbul while studying this program, and visit the historical places and discover the great legacy left by this city's rich history . Not to mention enjoying the delicious cuisine .
Thank you Vial Lingua for making my CTEFL program as special as it was .

The 130 hours with Via lingua in Istanbul were really comprehensive to all ideas, methodologies, and pedagogy related primarily to teaching English to all age groups. With the successful completion of this training, I have confident feeling that I have achieved all the goals I have set and walked through for four weeks of intensive theoretical and practical lessons, which actually developed my teaching skills and enriched my knowledge of the task of teaching English as a foreign language from all aspects that will help me in my future journey in this domain that I love so much.
In addition to what was said above, this course gave me the opportunity to develop several basic English language skills, the first and the most important one from my personal perspective was the skill of speaking and communicating effectively. All the training sessions were based on an active and systematic approach that encourages all trainees to participate and get involved with the subject of the lesson. I admit that all the trainers played an essential role that deserves all thanks and praise; most of them were able to provide all the trainees with full confidence, which unleashed our knowledge and linguistic abilities and enabled us to keep up with the training with all confidence and effectiveness. Another thing that I have learned throughout the intensity of this training course, is how to be more organized, punctual, flexible and able to work in a team without being under any kind of pressure or surfacing any sort of difficulty. I improved my communication skills with others, the thing that had enabled me to lead a group of students competently in several teaching practice sessions.
Before having this course, I had some teaching experiences in some countries; I used to teach without any previous academic training and without being conscious of my mistakes during the teaching process. After I had this course and immediately after my first teaching practice session I had become more aware of what I was doing and how to fix that in a professional way. After each teaching practice, my teaching skills and abilities have witnessed huge and clear development in term of my classroom management (including the students and the class activities) and my teaching performance.
Honestly, Via Lingua in Istanbul is a good place to boost and improve your teaching skills and many other skills as well.
It was a wonderful experience with wonderful people!
Ibrahim LHADAF

Via Lingua Florence was a great experience that I would change nothing about. I honestly can not believe how much I learned during my course. All of the instructors were extremely knowledgeable and truly cared about the material they were teaching us. Between the courses and the teaching practicum, I was able to transition easily into my own classroom. I strongly recommend that anyone who is interested in teaching English abroad choose Via Lingua Florence for their TEFL certification. Not only will you be well prepared to teach English as a second language, but you will also have the opportunity to spend a month of your life in one of the most beautiful cities on earth.

I completed the TEFL certification program in August 2017. The fact that the course was located in Florence, Italy, made a great experience even better! From the first day of class, it was clear that the instructors had high expectations of the students, and that we students were facing four weeks of serious work and learning. However, it was also clear that the course was being taught by outstanding professionals. The organized schedule provided to students on the first day made it evident that much time and consideration had been given to designing a schedule that would maximize learning during the four weeks of the course. I felt from the very beginning that I was getting a great return on my money and time!
I entered the program with many years of teaching experience, however, I learned something new every day of the TEFL course. Ironically, I found the teaching practice to be the most challenging part, as the communicative method of teaching was unfamiliar to me. However, the teachers always provided constructive feedback, and time was always provided for reflection and analysis of teaching practice and learning experiences. Both the instructors and the administrator of the Vial Lingua Florence program were highly professional, experienced, knowledgeable and supportive.
Via Lingua Florence also devoted several sessions to the topic of employment. The instructors surveyed our desired locations and types of employment. The school provided a database of language schools with contact information. Instructors provided assistance in the development of CVs, and question-and-answer sessions were also very helpful. Short of actually securing a job for me, I felt that Via Lingua provided more than adequate employment support.
For anyone wishing to teach English to foreign speakers, I would strongly recommend taking the TEFL certification course through Via Lingua Florence. After completing the course, I feel so much more confident in my abilities, and I know I will be a much better teacher to my students!

After several years of helping Italians improve their English, I was eager to learn more about teaching methodology. Via Lingua's TEFL course in Florence, Italy, did not disappoint me! I discovered the "communicative" method of teaching which is innovative and stimulating for both ESL students and their teachers. My favorite part of the course was the actual teaching experience. At first, planning lessons using this new methodology was challenging, but the knowledgeable and supportive teachers helped me acquire new skills and by the end of the month I felt confident about them. I strongly recommend this course...highly qualified teachers and the unique location of Florence guarantee an unforgettable and worthwhile experience!

The instruction I received from Via Lingua not only taught me the methodology essential to teach language to someone who doesn't speak a single word, but also gave me the opportunity and freedom to practice my skills in a conducive environment. The professors are patient and understanding, and the administrative side is very well-organized. I would recommend the certification here to anybody interested in learning to teach english to foreign speakers.

To provide context, this was a mid-career break for me. I wanted to travel and learn a skill, so I decided to get certified to teach English even though my previous career path was not in education and I was also not decided if I would actually go into teaching. However, the skills learnt can be applied to many aspects of a job, not just as an EL Teacher.
It was definitely a great choice to take the course at Via Lingua Florence. Florence was amazing with its picturesque buildings and rich history, the school is located in the heart of the historic centre and I got to walk to school everyday surrounded by so much art and culture. The teachers and team at the school were very supportive, sincere, and genuine. Never once did I feel like I was the odd one out being the only Asian face on site. The workload might seem intimidating at first, but it was given out and worked on in chunks so it was manageable, and you will feel really proud of your achievement at the end of it.
The classes were relevant, grammar (once a hated subject) became my favourite, which speaks volume of how enjoyable it was, and I was being taught how to make it enjoyable for my students too.
The constant feedback given for our participation in class, for teaching practices and for our general progress was really clear and constructive. You also get to evaluate yourself in a journal so you can keep track of your improvements.
I was very fortunate as I had awesome classmates from different parts of the world whom I got to work with, which made the whole experience very enriching as you learn from each other. The classes draw many interesting people with many interesting stories to tell, so that was one of my biggest takeaway from this experience.

After completing the course and doing a bit of travel around Italy, I did a short volunteer stint teaching English in Thailand to University students. The course equipped me with the structure to make my limited time with the students more fulfilling.

As said the course doesn't only teach you how to teach English, but provides you with skills you can apply in any job - presentation skills, public speaking, planning and communication strategy etc.

I would give a 100% yes if you are considering on taking the course.