Challenging and Rewarding

Ratings
Overall
4
Instruction: 4
Support: 4
Value: 4
Academic Rigor: 5
Job Assistance: 5
Review

My experience at ABCi was challenging but overall it was worth it because I got to see what it felt like to be a teacher and now I have a valued certification. If you are considering a career in education this course is a good way to see how you feel leading a class. You can gain student teaching practice and receive observations/feedback without committing to a graduate program.

That being said, volunteering at ABCi is very much like working a full-time job. I often felt exhausted at the end of a day of driving, teaching and attending an input session. If you are an organized and hardworking person, then this course is manageable. If you are anything other than that, then this course will not be easy. There is a high volume of written assignments outside of teaching and preparing lesson plans. Our teaching portfolios were about 2 inches thick of double sided paper once we finished the course. As a longtime procrastinator I recognized early on that I needed to become better at managing my time. Having done so, I was able to enjoy weekend train trips into the surrounding areas and neighboring countries.

Now that I've completed the course I feel very employable in the ESL job market. I learned how to make lesson plans and gained roughly 350 hours of classroom teaching experience. Many people in the program had lined up jobs all over the world before the course was finished. My confidence as a teacher grew exponentially. I worked and lived with a fun and multicultural group of people.

Would you recommend this program?
Yes, I would
Year Completed
2016