ITTT TEFL Reviews

As a young, bright eyed, and adventurous man, I entered into the TEFL program by Compass Education. I was ready to start a new chapter of my life. Was I excited? Yes...yes I was. One of the first things I liked about Compass upon entering the training location is that they had a working air conditioning unit. If you didn't know already, Vietnam is hot as H E double hockey sticks. I came here with a friend, and in our first days we thought we were going die from the heat. The heat... and cheap drinks.

After meeting our instructors, and experiencing the first few days of classes, I felt like I had made a great decision. I will say that a lot of information given to our group proved to be quite useful for me when I began teaching. They answered almost any questions I had about teaching and Vietnam in general. Some questions I asked they would not answer, which is probably for the best. If you are concerned they are uptight and not friendly, I will give you proof that they are not such things. During one of the Vietnamese lessons that they gave us (FOH FREE!) they were kind enough to tell me how to say almost anything I wanted to know. I must admit they hesitated at first to tell me some things, but I was able to get them to tell me by using my undeniable charm upon them. They still to this day help me with all sorts of things.

As mentioned in another review, they did not teach a lot of games, but every now and then they hold seminars that you can learn a ton of games. They still show you a couple games that are useful during the course. While games are fun, they still make sure you are capable of being able to teach a class without games to take up time (yes, I know games can be used as an effective learning tool also).

When it came time for me to do the practice teaching, I felt very capable based off what I learned during the course. Any trouble you have, they take the time necessary to make sure you overcome your troubles. You get plenty of chances to work on your teaching methods.

Aside from the ancient glorious city of Alexandria that humbly nests itself against the Med Sea (and what an ancient spectacle that is), the team at TEFL Egypt were utterly modern, hospitable and attentive to my unique cultural needs. I completed the course having gained a deeper insight into teaching English as a foreign language, however also developed a sense of confidence operating within my element. I met some incredible people and the best part of all was landing a job there and teaching immediately after my course! Without a hesitation, completing this course changed my life both professionally and personally... and I am truly grateful for that.
Mark S.
TEFL Cert. Graduate Feb. 2010.

I took the TEFL course in the winter of 2011. My apartment was a few blocks from the school and was a giant, beautiful flat with a wrap-around patio. The TEFL program set up my housing and placed me with a roommate who would become my closest friend.

The teachers were not only brilliant, but made the class (which, I will say, was challenging) fun and informative. Teaching was a blast. The students were eager to learn and participative.

I managed to find enough employment to stay in Italy for almost a year. I would do it over again, and I recommend this program to everyone.

Go, learn, travel, and enjoy!

I completed the program in December 2010. What I learned at TEFL was everything I needed to be an effective ESOL teacher. Every person I met at TEFL was very supportive and were very knowledgeable about current teaching methodologies. They truly want you to succeed. If you want to teach English abroad do this program. I promise you won't regret it!

The accommodation in Alexandria was very comfortable and any questions I had, Shaimaa was more than happy to answer. The accommodation is far from the city, however, there are plenty of restaurants and stores and the Mediterranean Sea is in your backyard!

I highly recommend this program. You will learn so much while immersing yourself in Egyptian culture.

I did my TEFL in Alexandria in the summer of 2010. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. TEFL Alexandria prepared me for my career as an English teacher. The support staff was amazing. If it were not for people like Shaimaa, who helped me transition from TEFL housing to my own apartment, I would have never made it in Egypt. Another plus with the program, I met my wife there.

The course taught me a great deal. It was fun and interesting. All the staff are very hardworking, friendly and helpful, providing a lot of support. The building is in a safe location with easy access. All the materials are provided and I made many friends. I had a nice time and I am glad I took this course, I am a much better teacher because of it :)

This course is a must for anyone without a TEFL certificate who's looking to teach English in Vietnam.

Unlike the similar CELTA program, which only requires trainees to teach adult learners, this course provides invaluable real-world experience by placing its trainees inside real Vietnamese classrooms with younger learners. And while it places a major emphasis on teaching practice, its theoretical components are very applicable to the classroom environment as well.

The head trainer, Diem, and the rest of the staff are highly professional individuals who want to see trainees succeed. They will push you to step outside of your comfort zone and dig down deep for the best teacher within. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone considering teaching English in Vietnam or anywhere else in Asia.

I now put in my heart that every experience I encountered in my life may it be good or bad, poor or satisfactory is a dot that would connect everything in my existence and therefore my experiences during the TESOL training were taken as advantageous to me.

Memorizing lines or dialogues was not my cup of tea but I realized that in teaching a second language to other nationalities memorizing basic dialogues are vital, and becoming familiar with the procedures would somehow greatly help the teacher in executing the lesson in a more successful and less chaotic manner. That's where I came to know the importance and usefulness of making a lesson plan.

Another good thing about the training was the incorporating and preparing of our own visual aids. I believe that the visual aids helped the students and the teacher enjoy the lesson more and transfer of learning is more memorable and realistic because of the colorful and well researched visual aids.

Practice teaching and demonstrating with classmates and students helped me develop my confidence and knowledge on how to execute the lessons properly. My strategies in teaching had been refined and improved, and much to my amazement I have observed that I was able to deliver lessons that were orderly, worthwhile and successful...

Because of this I could say that TESOL has been of great help to me in all ways.

Participating in the ITTT TEFL course in HCM is a great way to meet people and experience the Vietnamese culture. During my time in the course, training to become a teacher, I made life long friends and had a blast. The course load is what you'd expect (a bit much), but the head trainer is fantastic and makes the class very easy to understand. The course also offers vital experience in the classroom. They have a great way to ease you in and feel comfortable in front of ESL students. I would have not had the success that I have had if it weren't for that. The staff was also great. HCM is full of hustling and bustling and is a completely different culture. They are very helpful getting you used to this new and different culture and in many cases, saving you money. Overall I had a great experience and would recommend not only the class, but HCM as a place to come teach English.

I took the TEFL course at Compass International in Ho Chi Minh City and it was one of the best decisions I made. The staff was great and always helping out the TEFL students. What I liked most about the course were the course instructors. Each part of the course was taught by very specific instructors who were very specialized in their field. When it came time to learn grammar there was a very specialized instructor to teach the subject. When it came time to learn about classroom management there was an instructor who specialized in that particular field. Another great thing about this course at Compass was that they had a Thai instructor come in and teach the students Thai without ever using English, which gave me great insight into what non English speakers would experience when never introduced to the language. The entire staff including their instructors were very professional, very knowledgable and very helpful in finding their students work after graduation. I would highly recommend the course.