Program Reviews

I have a very different perspective of my experience. I am married and we have a 2.5 year old son. My husband took the course in May and I took in June. We have made best friends from this course. The teachers we had were Bill Nelson and Emma Wing, and they were the best teachers we have ever had. Besides making sure we understood the materials (which they did and made sure we understood every little thing) they made us feel comfortable! They connected with each student and we spent a lot of the class laughing and smiling. The town is lovely and I LOVE Arequipans. My son became best friends with the cleaning staff of the school. If you open up to the town and school, you will not be disappointed. I wish I was back in Arequipa now. I recommend not going during the rainy season (I wasn't there for it but 3 months of rain never sounds fun). The Peruvian food is to die for! Try everything! Yes this course is intensive, but if a married couple can do it with a toddler then it can't be that hard! The teachers really care about you. I recommend you get to Arequipa one or two weeks before the course and explore before diving into the class. Do your research about Arequipa before you come though. We didn't no any Spanish and the Peruvians we're extremely helpful and would help as much as they could even with the language barrier. Long story short, don't think about going, do it! You won't regret it I promise!!

I just finished the TEFL course in Florence, Italy. From the moment I decided to take the course, to the final graduation lunch, this program proved to be one of very high quality, very well organized and extremely interesting. Studying abroad for the first time, I didn't know what to expect. Everything was taken care of. The thoroughness of this program is to be commended. The teachers tirelessly gave us the tools we needed through teaching, practice sessions, and life experience. The administration was also supportive and professional. I loved how international and diverse the group of students I studied with were. I really can't say enough good things about it. If you are contemplating TEFL at ViaLingua Florence just do it! You will have an amazing experience and come out of it with a certification and the self confidence to go out there and teach!

I definitely recommend taking the Via Lingua Florence TEFL course because it gave me a chance to improve my second language, English, and that taught me to teach it - something I would have never imagined to be able to do.
Taking this class I understood what my strengths and weaknesses were. I discovered where I needed most help with and I had a great source to get it from: professional and outstanding teachers! They were always present, on-time, very helpful, very patient and always there for me for any reasons I needed them to be. If someone in the classroom had a hard time understanding a concept, or a grammar point, they always offered their time after class for further explanations. They were there if I needed to talk to someone, or just to clarify a misunderstood concept previously explained in class.
The class sizes were small, max 7 to 8 people. I found it very efficient having a small class because there was the possibility to have a better one-to-one student teacher time and also this made team work easier and more fun.
In this month course I met so many awesome people who I am still very close to. There was such a bond among us that it felt like they were my second family : they were always there for me to give me either encouragement or advice or help. I would hangout with them during our breaks, we had lunch together and sometimes we studied together.
By taking this class I also learned to work in a team. I have always worked individually, so getting used to working with others was something new for me. It was hard at times because we all had different ideas and we didn’t always agree with each other, but that helped us find a common ground, a solution that we could all compromise with. It’s all about talking and sharing what we think is best, without getting mad or frustrated with one another.
An activity in the TEFL program that I found evolving and useful was the Capstone project, which gave me the chance to bond with my teammate and visit the culture of Florence together. ☺
Taking this course taught me how to prioritize and gave me responsibilities to follow through. It was a challenging course, but I found it rewarding when I actually began to see results after a couple of weeks.
The Via Lingua Florence program at the Istituto Americano is also located in a perfect location: right in the center, next to the Hard Rock café, easy to reach and also near to many Panini stands and restaurants. Sometimes I would also bring my own lunch and ate it on the school terrace with its colorful flowers and from where one enjoys a beautiful view of the Cathedral and the mountains in the distance.
Finally it really gave me joy knowing that I managed to follow though and earn a Via LinguaTeaching Certificate that is recognized by many well known educational institutions, and that will allow me to teach in different parts of the world!

There was such a great atmosphere at the school and with our diverse group. It was always new and exciting to come to class and learn from the best, growing and developing day by day (some days more than others)
Not only did my teaching improve, but I saw communication skills take shape that I know I will be able to put to excellent use whatever I do. Learning to teach as part of such a select, supportive group meant that we motivated each other all the time. I am definitely prepared for the future thanks to Via Lingua
Don't change a thing and keeping up the good work!

One of the first things people should know about Via Lingua is that it pays former students for Go Overseas Reviews. As a former student myself, I just received an invitation by email yesterday to become a "Correspondant" and write this review for $100 scholarship. This is what prompted my review today. So take any positive reviews you read with a grain of salt. They may actually be paid advertising rather than real reviews.

I received a TEFL certificate from them years ago and was able to find a position teaching in Turkey afterwards through my own leg work. Via Lingua's lifetime assistance promise is totally non-existant. After the program, I was told to give them a resume to begin that process. I did. Followed up after awhile. Never heard anything back.

All in all, I found the program to be adequate, but barely. I'd recommend looking around at some other options.

Not a great course. It is far too structured and they don't allow any room for creativity. You are graded directly on how much the instructor's like you and how much you copy their style. Additionally, the job support is not as advertised. Not many people are able to find jobs after finishing the course. For the money, this is not a good buy. Vastly over-priced. Don't sign up with Via Lingua.

I have been teaching at Extreme in Arequipa, Peru for three months. This is my first teaching job and it has been a great experience! I took the TEFL at Extreme in January and I learned more about English grammar than I knew existed. Each student in the TEFL program attends 120 hrs. of class along with observations of English classes in progress and Student teaching observed by the TEFL teacher and the teacher of the class and given positive and critical feedback. The students are fun and curious about both the English language and the teachers. Most of my students are students and young professionals. They are easy to relate too and fun to teach. Peru is a rapidly developing country, and while you still can't drink the water, cellphones and computers are very common. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru and has a fun active nightlife. The scenery is beautiful and the food is really good. I am very glad that I came to Extreme.