TEFL Trainer Apprenticeship

This review may be a little different. I was already TEFL certified and I’m an experienced teacher. My goal was to observe a top-notch TEFL training program in action so I could become a full-time TEFL trainer in a center in the Philippines.

I chose Vantage as it was recommended by TEFL international who certify some 30+ training centers around the world. Moreover, it’s the top-rated program in Thailand according to some of the major review sites like this one.

One of the first differences I noticed at Vantage was their workshop style of presentation—instead of the lecture approach I had when I did my TEFL. This promoted a lot of discussion with the students and it allowed the lead trainer to share his over two decades of experience on a topic basis. We ended up learning a lot more than just what was in the course book.

Vantage’s curriculum emphasizes the ESA teaching methodology (engage, study and activate), which is an evolutionary development out of the older PPP (presentation, practice, and production) technique. In the ESA methodology, the teacher tries to motivate the students and arouse their interest. Language is studied and practiced and then used freely without correcting comments. A key benefit is that students learn how to communicate successfully without fear of mistakes.
In the ESA method, there is more emphasis on student-led language discovery, eliciting the grammar and vocabulary from students rather than giving a detailed (and often boring) teacher-led presentations.

In the PPP method that I was taught, there is a lengthy introduction to the given topic where the students are given a model how to do/say something and then practice it almost mechanically in written/spoken exercises. It’s effective, but not as engaging, and it’s arguably harder to motivate students to continue their language studies over the long term.

The trainers at Vantage are world class. This is truly a great program and I hope to incorporate a lot of what I’ve experienced into my TEFL classes.