Program Reviews

When people are trying to find an educational program, it's really hard to determine if the program is actually worth the time and money. I was debating this when I signed up for the TEFL International course in Tokyo and I came to realize that it was definitely worth it. The teachers' methods are all about communicate language teaching as opposed to strictly teaching grammar rules and formulas, and they really helped us to look at teaching from the students' point of view. Aside from covering all the topics that are essential to teaching English, the teachers themselves were kind, friendly, passionate about teaching, and genuinely interested in helping their students succeed. I really enjoyed this class and am so grateful to Larry and Dave for their lessons and support. I've yet to apply for jobs, but the course has provided me with everything I need: teaching strategies, experience to discuss with potential employers, my own lessons plans and activities to present at interviews, and of course, a valuable certificate. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone interested in teaching English anywhere in the world!

A great instructor is hard to come by, so I felt like I struck gold with Dave and Larry. I've never felt so nurtured in a classroom. They were very kind and helpful in sharing their expertise with the class, after all they have both lived and taught in Japan for the past 30 years.

If you have any hesitance or reluctance in coming to Tokyo or if you've never been here, fear not! Dave and Larry are at your beck and call with answering any questions you might have about life in Tokyo. I was very nervous about taking the leap and leaving home, so I emailed Larry several times leading up to the program. He was very helpful in preparing me for this trip and my time in Tokyo.

Of course while they provide a comfort zone for your life in Tokyo, what they are really doing is helping you prepare as much as possible for success through this rigorous program. There is quite a bit of work, but the classes and assignments are very well thought out and meaningful. I felt so well prepared for the following interviews and felt comfortable speaking with the different schools and companies, understanding the jargon and responding like a TESOL professional.

I also was able to take with me the 60+ combined years of experience teaching English in Japan that Larry and Dave shared during class. They have some great stories that bring insight and life to what you should expect in a future classroom.

During my time there, I decided to do some volunteer work at a language cafe in exchange for room and board in Shinjuku to save money (via workaway.com). I had class all day and worked 15 hours a week at night and I managed to be successful at both, so don't be daunted by the workload. It is very doable. My sleep suffered, but this was due to my inability to say no to the city and invites from new friends to go sight-seeing. Some of the friends I made were older students I taught as part of the course!

Tips:
-Do not procrastinate on work and at the very least skim the day's notes after class. At the end of the program when it's time to take your test, it will feel like a year has passed with all the information you've covered.
-Team up with your fellow classmates in studying and working together on assignments. It's so much more fun. I also learned a lot from my peers, as some of them had previous teaching or tutoring experience.
-Get there early (and caffeinated if that's your thing)! Some of the material can be dry, but very necessary. Don't waste time, because there is a lot of material to cover and it is all very helpful. You are only hurting yourself by missing any information.
-Have fun (though it is impossible not to with teachers like Dave and Larry)!
-Come in with an open mind. Don't let Tokyo scare you. Don't let strangers scare you. I can't believe the friends I've made during my short stay so far. Japanese people have been very helpful in me getting around when I was lost or wasn't sure about something.
-Study some Japanese. (You really don't need any, so don't worry.) I came with some hiragana memorized and the general greetings. I wish I had studied a lot more. I got by with the help of English signs, strangers, my hand gestures, friends and Dave and Larry, but it would have been nice to be a little more independent.

Just some last bits about the people. I felt at home with these instructors. It isn't a large company so you get that family-run business feel and get as much one-on-one time as you need. They are very accessible and make themselves available if you need anything.

I had a fantastic experience with TEFL International Tokyo. Larry and Dave have a wealth of knowledge and experience that was helpful to me throughout my time. They have an excellent attitude and enthusiasm that is infectious, and their knowledge of teaching in Japan is incredibly extensive. Their job support was one of my main selling points, and they have an excellent track record in that regard as well. The course is the perfect length, being only a month long, and provides plenty of material that will prove useful in the world of teaching any kind of English in any kind of setting. Along with material, they provide plenty of opportunities for you to hone your teaching style. We performed one-on-one lessons, small group lessons, children's lessons, and university lessons; all hands-on experience. I would highly recommend this course to basically anyone who can afford it. It is worth every penny.

My only negative about the experience had nothing to do with the course itself, but with ITTT TEFL. ITTT TEFL's communication was so poor and suspicious with me initially that I didn't even believe the course and location were real. They were reluctant to give me any factual information about the location and contacts, to the point where I had to send friends of mine already living in Tokyo out to find the location. If at all possible, find some other way to contact Larry and Dave, via Facebook, email, or otherwise.

So here's the deal: ITTT serves as sort of a hookup to bring students in to the school, but the actual school is run by Larry and Dave. ITTT won't tell you even where the course is, and it makes the whole operation seem fake. I emailed Larry directly, and he told me the address within the day. I suggest that when asking about details you contact them directly. Aside from that, the course itself was flawless. All of us did very well, and none of the work was particularly stressful for any of us. I had a job lined up before I came, but Dave gave me some very useful pointers on visas and teaching in Japan generally, helped several of the other trainees with their applications, and directly referred one employment opportunity to us that happened to pop up during the month. Some of the other reviews I read complained that the practical teaching was only one-on-one or one-on-two, but this has apparently changed. We each taught 2 one-on-one lessons self-arranged, 6 one-on-one-or-two lessons through the school, one full class lesson at a university, and a section of a full class lesson at a preschool.

Larry and Dave are two great guys who really love their craft, and I would recommend the course 100%.

I entered this program timid, intimidated by the social mores from a country I didn't fully comprehend, and doubtful in my ability to teach English in a foreign country. And I left with more confidence in my teaching abilities. The teaching practice and the observational hours were critical to my growth, and I wouldn't have made any progress without them. The classes were lively and involved. I don't know how to show my appreciation to the instructors, staff, and my peers for creating such a unique learning experience that altered my perspective of Japan.

Please accept my heartfelt gratitude.

Thank you.

After I was teaching English in China, I wanted to move to South Korea to advance in my teaching career. In order to get a position in teaching English in Korea, I needed to be TEFL qualified. After a bit of research, I found ITTT's courses and decided to try out their 120-hour online TEFL course with tutor support. I found the material interesting and challenging but was able to pass each test with good marks. After I completed the course, I quickly found a suitable job position in my dream location in Korea! I enjoyed the courses at ITTT so much that I decided to do their two specialized programs also, Business English and Teaching English to Young Learners. I'm very happy with the opportunities I was given after I became TEFL certified by ITTT and can highly recommend their courses.

Seeing as there’s already a number of highly detailed reviews, I feel as though I have not much to add. Simply put, if you are after an exceptional course offering, look no further. Dave and Larry know their stuff and are hilarious to boot. Tokyo may be a long way away for most people who are fluent in English, but trust me - it’s worth it, and if it’s what you’re looking for and you play your cards right, you can find employment in Japan with the remainder of your tourist visa.

I highly recommend iTTT's 120-hour course. I chose to go without the tutor and videos, and I passed with 94.75% testing rate. I think the videos would have been nice to watch, but I'm on a budget. The mix of of the unit subjects kept the course interesting and easy to "digest." The content was interesting and it was presented very well. I feel like I can walk right into a classroom anywhere in the world and present a fun, effective English class thanks to this course.

Thank you so much Dave and Larry (as well as everyone part of the TEFL Tokyo family!) for all of the experiences I have had over the last month doing the TEFL International TESOL course. I have now sadly left Japan, but it's thanks to you and everyone at Hi5 English school that my time with you was an absolute pleasure.

The course itself is an interesting analysis of both the english language and how english should be taught to foreign speakers, and includes aspects such as the history of teaching methods, the psychology behind a student's progress in the classroom, the international phonetic alphabet and the intriguingly universal human language of supra-segmentals (which is just a fancy word for tone of voice, for example how you can laugh at the right part of a joke in any language just from the sound of the punchline). In this way, the broad range of the course means that it isn't just interesting to linguists and educators, but that people from all fields could also add their own interpretations.

The actual teaching I did for the course was also really enjoyable, my Japanese students were almost without exception engaged and -in the case of the little kids- adorable! I even received presents from a few to thank me for my time spent with them, which was particularly sweet.

As for the team running the course I could not have been luckier. Despite the fact I was the only student doing the course for the month of March I had plenty of great company and good times! I was even invited to go to the school's annual ski trip to Nagano which was a particular highlight, and the school usually has extra-curricular events, such as the big Easter egg hunt planned for April. TEFL Tokyo is also about a 5 minute walk from beautiful Mizomoto park, a breath of fresh air in what can sometimes be a stifling concrete Tokyo, and I was lucky enough to eat my lunch under blooming cherry blossoms there as often as I wanted to.

So all in all a great place and amazing people, which I would highly recommend! In fact I've begun bugging my older sister to come and do the course once she's finished her degree (so you may need to prepare for another member of the Rais family!).

Thank you again to Yuko, Vincent, Raymond, Olivia, Sean, Derek and especially Dave and Larry for such a lovely experience.
If I were to do the TESOL course again, I would do it at TEFL Tokyo (2nd conditional!).

A resident of Granada (Spain) for the last ten years, I recently found myself in the fortunate position of receiving guaranteed English teaching work opportunities, via Spanish friends and colleagues. Obviously these offers depended upon me having an appropriate teaching qualification, leading to my initial search for course providers.

Unfortunately the few local providers I could find were either fully booked up for classroom based courses, had ceased to exist for one reason or another, or didn't have courses available for several months. Whilst my initial preference would have been a classroom based course, the need to get started promptly lead to me looking at online course options. After doing a little online research, I happened across iTTT.

I chose the 120 hour TEFL/TESOL course and as someone new to learning teaching methodology, found the course materials to be clear, concise and highly informative. Likewise, the video lessons were also very helpful. Tutor support was prompt and very helpful when required, pointing me in the right direction whenever I had any questions, doubts or uncertainties.

Having now successfully completed the iTTT TEFL/TESOL course, I have been particularly impressed by the teaching resources they have made available, along with the offer of ongoing support and advice, should I ever require it.

Overall, I was initially sceptical about how effective and supportive an online course provider might be, but I have to say, I have been very impressed with iTTT. From how they dealt with my initial enquiries, their support throughout and upon successfully passing my course, the resources and ongoing support they offer which I wasn't expecting. Very good value for money and I feel a lot more confident, as I now take my first steps into English teaching.