Hard work and intense, but very rewarding.

I was first introduced to the ABCi program through a friend who had completed the course in the previous rotation of trainee teachers. He had generally good things to say about it, and having always had an interest in teaching I decided to apply. The application process was relatively simple, and the office always replied to my emails swiftly. Having been accepted I was anxious to get started. In the first week trainee teachers observe the senior teachers conduct the standard ABCi project week, and from there the course has a steep learning curve. Trainee teachers begin teaching in their second week of the course, which seems a bit sudden. However, with the support provided by the senior teachers and other trainee teachers you should find yourself picking up the skills needed to teach relatively quickly. In my opinion most people who come to the course ready to put in the work and with some level of determination should be able to pick up the skills needed to complete the course.

The real work begins once trainee teachers start the CertTESOL component of the course. On top of waking up around 4:30-5:30 every day and teaching until the school day finishes (which in is Austria is around 1 o'clock) you'll be asked to complete 2 hours of input sessions in which you learn the core components needed to complete as CertTESOL. This seems like a lot of work, however this is the nature of the course. The staff are sure to warn all applicants that the course if not a holiday, and I can confirm this. Trainee teachers should be ready to put in the work needed to hand in assignments on their deadlines. One of the things that helps a lot is the fact that fellow trainee teachers who are completing the same assignments live together. Therefore they able to support one another if they find some assignments too difficult or confusing.

In summary I found the course to be very rewarding. There are few things that ABCi can do to improve the situation for trainee teachers, but it is important to remember that they are an ever expanding non-for-profit organisation, which of course means there are some issues. Nevertheless, they seem to be striving to make life as easy as possible for trainee teachers. The course is not a walk in the park, but it is very rewarding and is a brilliant first step into the teaching world.