Program Reviews

This course has been a breath of fresh air not only academically but inspirationally. I love how you can take the courses at your own pace with clear and well-organized modules on canvas so you can plan out your lessons and assignments. As a recent grad working a full-time job I have enjoyed the pace at which you can take the course and the support provided through the institution and course tutor. Feedback and instruction have always been extremely clear, I appreciate the attention to detail. Additionally, it has reignited my excitement for intercultural studies and I cannot wait to travel, learn and teach once again. Thank you TEFL!

At 35 years old I was ready to make the scary step of changing careers. All I had to begin this journey with was the vaguest idea that I wanted to teach English as a Foreign Language. After a lot of research and calculating I landed up with the TEFL 150 hour course with CIEE. I am so glad I took this step. Online studying can be confusing and it can be very hard to maintain the discipline and focus required to get through it. This course is so well set up, has clear daily goals and outlines, has a relatively easy-to-use platform and, best of all, has constant support and contact with tutors and staff should any confusion or issues arise. I have already recommended this particular course to friends. I feel like I have gained a solid foundation on what will hopefully be a long adventure ahead of me in this new world of TEFL.

It does take up a lot of your time, but that’s the point. You’re trying to learn something. They are just making sure they hit all the points. It’s a good program. I recommend that when you take it that you make sure you set your time for it since it is like a class and it’s purpose is for you to learn. It’s necessary that you take your time to learn the material as well not just go over it quickly. You will come out of learning more and it will benefit you once you go and teach abroad or just teach in general.

I've been in working and living in South Korea for 5 months, and it's been a wonderful experience so far. CIEE really helped me set up realistic expectations for what the work environment would be like here, what is expected of English teachers in general, and what the biggest uphill battles would be. Even though adjusting to a new culture has come with plenty of big changes, I've felt prepared for all of it, and it really helps knowing that there's a network of folks from CIEE available to talk to and come to for support.

I recently completed CIEE's online, 150-hour TEFL certification course and found it to be a truly thorough educational experience. The course content included theories, best practices, and practical tips in language teaching that every type of teacher and learner could benefit from. During the course, there was ample opportunity for putting what I'd learned into practice, to receive and give peer feedback, and to share in generating ideas with my cohort. And on top of all that, our tutor (with whom we met via video conferencing once a week - one of the course highlights for me) was extremely helpful in providing timely and relevant feedback to help us grow in becoming culturally competent educators who understand how to meet the needs and learning styles of our students. To add to it, the practicum was valuable in getting real-world experience in the classroom through observation and practice. One downside of the course for me was that it was difficult to keep up my motivation for 11 weeks working with a high volume of online presentations in the same format (it began to feel monotonous), but the weekly meetups helped. My greatest takeaway was the cache of practical skills and real examples of lessons, activities, and classroom management techniques that we could use in the EFL classroom to make for a dynamic learning environment. All in all, I feel well-prepared for my teach abroad experience after having completed the TEFL certification, which built on my previous experiences in education and working with youth.

This is my second time going abroad with CIEE and my experience with them has been nothing but positive.

I am in my first year teaching and I did not graduate with a degree in education. Moving across the country during a pandemic to step into something you've never properly done before, is a lot to handle. CIEE was very helpful and communicative with each step of the process. The in-country support is also so valuable and reassuring to have. When confronted with any issue I can go to them with trust.

I thought this was a very enjoyable and impressive program. I completed the 150 hour certification. The course was engaging and it challenged me. I learned way more than I thought I would. The course moved at a good pace and prepared me for various classroom settings. The instructor gave great feedback and was invested. I also felt like there were good opportunities to connect with other people in the course, which can be difficult these days in the virtual world. I highly recommend CIEE for all their programs!!!

This was a good program. It was in-depth and had useful content with lots of ideas for activities, ways to structure classes, and basic principles that can be applied all the time. There are some things that seem obvious once you learn them but are easy to overlook if you are new to teaching. I felt much more ready to teach after finishing the program and would recommend it.

I am a first year teacher with a degree unrelated to education. The program provides you with plenty of useful information that will help you build teaching skills. I was very nervous about teaching at a foreign school without any serious teaching background. I will be honest, I was thrown to the wolves my first day teaching, but the program provided me with enough knowledge to succeed. My first week was a bit rough getting used to things and the responsibility of teaching these young students. It worked out great and I've enjoyed my time in Korea. My favorite thing about CIEE is the continuous in-country support. You can definitely find cheaper ways to teach abroad but I think the extra money is well worth it. I know that if there are any issues or concerns, I have contacts here, which is important if you're going to a new country alone.

This is a great resource for both aspiring and current educators. As a world language teacher, I know how difficult it can be to find satisfying professional development courses. This program exceeded my expectations. I feel this program both helps you to become reacquainted with concepts you've learned in the past as well as provides opportunities for you to gain exposure to new pedagogy approaches. I especially recommend this experience for World Language/ ESL teachers in search of engaging professional development opportunities.