Award Winning TEFL Courses for Teaching English in Costa Rica

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." -Hemingway

I reached a point in my life where nothing new or exciting was happening. I had found myself in a day-in-day-out routine that never challenged, never pushed, or never taught anything new. As consequence my development ceased. I felt I had so much potential to do whatever I set my mind to, but lacked direction. What was I to do? Look for a change, that's what. Okay, so I knew I loved to travel: check. I knew I loved meeting new people: check. I knew Costa Rica was one of the most beautiful places on the planet: check, check, check. So, I figured traveling to Costa Rica was the most sensible option, but still, what would I be doing in Costa Rica? I searched and searched online looking for different ideas when I saw ITA's website (International TEFL Academy). ITA gave me the idea, but I figured I'd do some research first and check out the other websites offering a chance to go and get paid in Costa Rica. None of them came close to the detail and precision that ITA offered. None. I stayed in touch with one of ITA's advisors, Lindsay (fantastic woman, great, awesome), and got the ball rolling. I got picked up at the airport by David, a driver for TESOL students, had a nice conversation/mini-tour of the place, and got dropped off at my homestay. It was actually happening. I was actually in Costa Rica, in a Costa Rican home, and in love with it all. The family I stayed with was great. Rosa, my host mother, was the kindest and most loving person you could meet. With the way the entire family received me, there was no other way to feel, but at home. Next was my experience with the first day of class. I hadn’t felt nervous about a first day of class since middle school. I still wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But wouldn’t you know, in the first ten minutes of class I had twelve new friends. Twelve instant friends. Twelve unique people all looking for something new in their lives. And the professors, wow, the professors and staff were AMAZING! Luke and Melanie are 100% relatable, 100% likable, 100% totally awesome… and maybe 20% cheesy jokes. We hit the ground running. After the first week of class we were already practicing teaching in a live classroom. And after four weeks of training we were already having jobs lined up. I’ll never forget the time I studied to get my TEFL certificate. Lifelong friends and memories, no doubt. Just know that you will get what you put into the course. I came to be challenged and to learn new things, and got exactly that. Actually, that and so, so, so much more. Pura Vida!

I just completed the July 2016 course. It was great, i met some friends who ill know for life and Costa Rica was the greatest. Im forever grateful i decided to take this course. It really is amazing here. I would recommend this course 10/10. The course itself was fairly intense, but if you are willing to work a bit hard for a month and then reap the rewards its a no brainer. The sites around the school are amazing as well. One month here already and i still feel as if i havent even scratched the surface yet.

I found the International TEFL Academy simply by searching for teaching ESL abroad opportunities online. I came across multiple different schools that offered similar opportunities but decided to go with the Internaitonal TEFL Academy because of their outstanding reviews and all of the feedback their past students left in form of comments or video. They seemed like a company that would take care of you and help you along during the entire process, both of which are extremely important when dealing with teaching in a different country. The class was a 4 week instensive course where we were provided a multitude of different teaching examples and materials. After a week of the course we began our student teaching which is what I believe really set this particular course apart from others offered. This way we were able to do hands on learning and work directly with real students in Costa Rica. Therefore we could better understand what it would be like working with ESL students and teaching in a different country, and we were there to experience it all in person. It was because of the student teaching during the course that I felt prepared enough to go teach directly after I graduated the course. I started applying for jobs during the third week of the course where I simply used the list of ESL schools around the area supplied by the TEFL Academy. The amazing instructors for the course reviewed my cover letter and resume and afterward I simply sent both out to the schools I had an interest in. I currently work for a school named Idiomas Mundiales located in Barva, right outside of Heredia. It has been the most amazing experience of my life. I graduated college right before I made the plunge and moved to Costa Rica to begin the course. I had known that I didn't want to go directly into a desk job and saw the opportunities that teaching ESL would provide, and it has far exceeded any expectations I had prior to the experience. It is very challenging moving to a different country and teaching ESL. Everything is different, and you need to become accostumed to a completely different culture which is no easy task. However, I felt so comfortable because the TEFL Academy means it when they say they are there for you even after the course ends. They're there to support you through the hard times and there to smile with you through the good. I have fallen in love with teaching ESL and being in Costa Rica has made me grow as a person in ways I wouldn't have been able to unless I had gone through this experience. So to any contemplating going abroad and teaching ESL, I highly highly encourage you to do as I did. Go outside of your comfort zone and experience the beautiful world around you. You will never regret an adventure like this.

I was having trouble figuring out where I wanted to do my program. Doug helped me on the phone.. he asked me some questions, I asked him about 400 more and we narrowed it down to 3 places. Costa Rica was one of them... and happened to be a country I had wanted to visit since forever ago. It was decided.
Once I was put in touch with Costa Rica TESOL, I had a million more questions and Georgia helped me through all of it. She booked everything. My transport from the airport to my rental house (which was awesome. Piamonte.)
I had to take a bus every morning from Piamonte to the school... but that was easy. Sometimes I was late, so take the early bus if you want to be on time.
The course seemed intimidating at first. And then we were supposed to teach real students almost right away. This was scary to all of us... but, in hindsight, its so much better this way. You overcome the fear. And then you truly see if this is something you want to do. With lots and lots of praise from your fellow students and the course teachers, you'll succeed. I suggest using the resources as much as you can. Being resourceful goes a looonng way in this country. Be smart.
Towards the conclusion of the course, they found me jobs. I went to interviews... but I ended up moving out to the beach and teaching here at a small private school. And I teach the parents of the students after school. Once you have your TEFL certification, you can really teach anywhere you want.

I chose International TEFL Academy because I was already in the Heredia area and wanted to find a way to stay there. I decided that English teaching sounded like a good option, so I did a quick google search and realized that the best school in Costa Rica was a 10 minute bus ride away from my house! I signed up for the next available class online in just a few minutes, and waited for the date to roll around.

The class was much harder than I expected it to be, but it was worth it. The schedule was intense, but the pressure created a family environment with my fellow students and our teachers. We saw each other every day, lesson planned, ate lunch, went to festival, and taught together for four weeks. I still talk to two of my classmates regularly, and have the others on Facebook. I know that the others keep in contact as well, because I can see their Facebook interactions! hah!
Aside from making great friends, I learned a lot in this course. It was literally a crash course in TEFL for me, as I decided to take it on a whim. However, I felt completely prepared to teach English by the end of the four weeks. We focused a lot on the grammar concepts, which I really liked. As native speakers, we don't realize why we say things the way we do, so it was nice to have a review. This made it easier to teach the material to my students. We also focused on real-world teaching experience, which I loved. I was super nervous before every class, but once class started I sailed through it. The variety of ages and levels presented in our student demographics helped me to learn which group I prefer to teach.

I'm now in Granda, Nicaragua, working as a TEFL teacher with over 250 kids in two different schools. I have twenty classes a week, and it's a bit like living in a tornado -- you never know what will come flying at you next. My coworkers have taken other TEFL courses, but none of them felt as prepared as I did to teach in the especially challenging Latin American public school system. I'm thankful that I happened to be in the right place at the right time and received a wonderful TEFL education.

After years of trying several different careers and living in various countries, I realized what I love to do most is to travel. I did some extensive research and was excited to find that teaching English as a foreign language was one of the best jobs to facilitate traveling. I inquired with several organizations and in the end chose International TEFL Academy, ITA, for many reasons.

From the beginning, they were responsive and available. They were very prompt in responding to my questions and I was happy to speak to a real live person within a day of my requesting information. My advisor was personable, honest, and extremely helpful. She had taught abroad herself and kindly addressed all my concerns and gazillion questions. The live webinars were great for discussions and the Facebook groups were invaluable sources for getting in touch with alumni and other currently enrolled students. Also their website was very informative and the "Q & A" accounts by alums incredibly insightful.

I took the on-site course in Costa Rica. It was an intensive four-week program with a fairly heavy workload. We started the practicum the second week, and although it was intimidating at first, teaching local students of all ages and levels became one of my favorite things about the course. Our instructors were longtime residents of Costa Rica and offered valuable guidance in our job search as well as sound advice for what to expect when we started teaching out in the "real world".

There were certainly some challenging times--especially being in a foreign country and managing an intense course--but overall ITA did an incredible job preparing me for this life changing journey. I have no regrets choosing to get certified through ITA and I'm grateful for the infinite possibilities this credential opens up for me. If you want to travel, enjoy teaching, and are open to the amazing possibilities of life in foreign places, I would definitely recommend taking ITA's onsite course in Costa Rica.

I was lucky enough to have two awesome teachers for this course, both having a different teaching approach but being equally engaging and helpful. They told my class straight up that the course was going to be difficult; it was a six-week course stuffed into four weeks. But they also told us it was very doable, as long as we stayed on top of our assignments. And they were always available after class to help us.

Melanie and Luke taught our classes in the same manner as we would teach our own classes, making us learn firsthand how our own students might react to certain activities and lesson plans. While class is class, there were several times where laughter was a big part of our day. My teachers definitely had a sense of humor while challenging us to create our own lesson plans and pushing us to master what we learned (which meant starting the day answering grammar questions from Luke).

Of course this class couldn't do everything. The teaching practicum is great practice, but it does not nearly prepare you enough for the real world of teaching. Teaching gets only better with practice and I wish we had more time to keep practicing. But unfortunately it is only a four week course.

What I loved especially about this course is that my teachers weren't only mentors, but friends. Melanie and Luke didn't sugar coat things. Not only did they share their personal experiences as examples for situations we might encounter, but they also acknowledge the very real epidemic of culture shock. They explain what it is, when it happens and how to cure it (and according to Luke the real cure is getting a boyfriend or girlfriend native to that country in order to become a part of the culture, learn the language, make native friends and feel a sense of belonging...he ended up getting married to a Costa Rican).

I honestly loved this class and only wish I had the opportunity to learn more. And it's in Costa Rica! Such a beautiful country with friendly people (and awesome host parents!).

For four years, my dream had been to move to Costa Rica to teach English after I graduated college. In July 2014, International TEFL Academy helped my dream come true!
When I first found ITA online, I sent in my information and immediately got a call from an advisor. Over the next several months, he patiently answered all my questions (there were a LOT) and made me feel completely at ease about the whole process. He constantly sent me articles and other references that answered all the questions I had been asking myself. When I finally decided to sign up for the class, he was so excited for me and gave me all the details I needed to take the next step.
After that, the head of the TEFL school in Heredia, Costa Rica got in contact with me to discuss housing and other details. In the months leading up to my arrival in Costa Rica, he stayed in contact with me and made sure all my questions were answered and any issues were addressed.
I arrived in Costa Rica on July 3, 2014. I was advised to get there a few days before the course started so I could get to know the other students in the course. Unfortunately, nobody else got there early, so I wasn't able to meet anyone before the course started on Monday. It was a long weekend alone and it made me want to leave, but I'm so glad I didn't. As soon as the course started I loved it. I loved the people, the atmosphere in the classroom, the instructors, and the excitement that comes with the beginning of any new experience. The course was intense, but English and grammar come easy to me so I didn't find it too difficult. I was most nervous about practical teaching, but that ended up being one of my favorite things! The course required a lot of work, but the instructors were amazing and taught everything in such a fun way that I forgot I was even in class. The four weeks flew by and, surprisingly, I felt completely prepared to teach an actual English class at an actual school. I traveled for two weeks, and then got a job at an English school called Idiomas Mundiales. I teach 25 hours a week, which is considered full-time for a teacher in Costa Rica. I teach Monday night, Tuesday, Wednesday night, Thursday, and Saturday morning, which leaves Saturday afternoon to Monday afternoon for traveling. I'd rather not work Saturdays, but it's really a perfect schedule for me.
I love everything about this experience. I've met some really great people and been to some amazing places. I've also learned a lot of Spanish, which I'm excited to improve over the next few months and then hopefully be able to use it when I find a job back in the States. The hardest part about being here is missing my life back home, but I know coming here was the right decision and I'm so glad I did!