Award-Winning TEFL Certification In Prague: The Language House TEFL

The course is very demanding! You'll be at school when you teach from 9 AM to probably 9 or 9:30 PM. It's a lot of information, but you learn a lot. You get 9 teaching lessons, which is more than most schools. You get a really supportive staff as well who can help with the demanding course load. I'd say pay for the extra orientation the weekend before the course starts, and let them do your housing for the course. It's so much easier. Plus the orientation weekend is the time to make friends. It really is a lot of work (sometimes overwhelming), but I left the school feeling really prepared and galvanized to teach. It was hard, but I feel very confident in my abilities to teach.

I worked in the IT world for over 25 years before deciding that IT work and the cubicle life were not for me. I knew I wanted to explore the world and find a career that would have a positive impact on the lives of others. I did the "Strengths Finder" assessment and it pointed at a career in teaching. I'd looked into teaching English in the past so this all resonated with me. That is when I began researching the best TEFL courses. The Language House in Prague was at or near the top of several different review sites. After watching several of their videos, I knew this was the course for me, so I applied.

I can say that from the time I sent the first email until now, the staff have been super helpful and attentive. Chris Westergaard and the rest of the staff have answered emails at all hours of the day and provided extra hours for review of grammar and teaching methodology. One of the things that they stress on the website and at the school is how strong their graduate community is. I can attest to this being the case. During the monthlong course, a number of alums used The Language House copiers and other materials to prepare lessons and talking with them confirmed the "extended family" sense of community they foster.

As for the course itself, I can say it was the most intense classroom experience of my life. I have a BA in history and I don't think I worked as hard for any of that as I did while working to earn my TEFL certificate. I felt a little "hamstrung" by the fact that I was about 28 years removed from academic coursework. I had to relearn how to take notes and prioritize my nights. But, it all paid off in the end. I've talked to other recent TEFL students from other courses and I believe The Language House offers one of the most comprehensive and preparatory TEFL certificate courses you will find. Many other courses offer up to 6 hours of practical teaching experience. The Language House requires teaching nine lessons with actual students plus teaching two hour long 1 on 1 lessons. This is much more than most other TEFL programs offer or require.

If you really want to earn a TEFL certificate and become an English teacher, this should be your first choice. All of the teachers and observers have passed through the TLH course and so they know exactly how rigorous the course is to go through. They have also spent years in the trenches after the course teaching English here and elsewhere so they know from experience what makes a good English teacher.

Lastly, I would add that Prague is an amazing city and having the course here only makes the whole experience that much cooler. I give the course and the staff two enthusiastic thumbs up.

I attended The Language House in August 2013 and have since had great success in my English teaching career. Chris and the rest of The Language House staff are very knowledgeable and better yet, they keep an engaging learning environment! The program features a variety of lectures and group-based discussions paired with 13 hours of practical teaching experience. You will walk away with effective teaching strategies and a solid foundation in classroom management and lesson planning. I opted for the Young Learners and Teens extension certificate which opened up more job opportunities for me. Not only does TLH have an extensive alumni network- they are up to date on the trends of the TEFL job market in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Attending TLH in 2013 was a great post-university decision for me. Getting my TEFL certificate allowed me to live in Prague and travel around Europe for a few years before attending graduate school in Edinburgh. I have since worked in developing ESOL programming in Zambia and Scotland and have received offers to teach across the world. I have recommended TLH to a number of people and I will continue to do so!

The course is exhausting, and incredibly intense, but I was prepared for that, and I left the course feeling so prepared to teach ESL. If you're serious about being an ESL teacher, this course is excellent! The staff are all amazing, and put in a lot of effort to make the classes and overall experience fun and enjoyable, even though you're feeling overwhelmed by the course. The extra teaching practice offered through their course is definitely valuable, and it has improved my overall teaching ability. In terms of job support, they've been assisting me with applying to work in Korea since months before I took the course! They put me in contact with a recruiter in Korea almost immediately after I registered for the course, which I was so thankful for! All in all, I highly recommend this course, just be prepared to work hard! ;)

It's easy to take an online TEFL class or find the cheapest place that will certify you, but when it comes to being prepared to actually Teach English as a Foreign Language, The Language House is where to go. It's an intense 4 week course but by the end you feel ready to go out and teach for a living. They still keep it fun by arranging activities and reminding you that you're in an incredible city. TLH takes care of it's students and has a great network in Prague and around the world, there's a constant stream of job offers for graduates. I would recommend anyone looking to teach abroad to get their TEFL certificate at The Language House.

I had an excellent experience with The Language House! I took the TEFL course in May and with their support and assistance was easily able to find full time teaching work in Prague. The course was demanding yet effectively prepared me to begin teaching immediately in a way that no online course ever could. In addition to the instruction, we were also shown around Prague and received assistance with finding housing and other tasks necessary to live in a new country. I remain very close friends with the majority of my TEFL course as well as my instructors. I would highly recommend this course to anyone considering a TEFL program.

I decided to come to Prague and go to TLH on a whim, not really knowing what to expect. I met my classmates, and thought, "man we're just a bunch of young 20-somethings, fresh out of college." The course itself is super intense, but it finishes quickly. The amount of information given to you is a little overwhelming, but you get exposure to teaching English almost straight away. I had no background teaching English, accept for a two week stint I had in China about two years before I was in Prague in 2016. The good news is that you don't need any kind of background. I majored in anthropology in college, and never in me dreams thought I would end up here. Anyways, if you don't have any experience with teaching, don't worry. They will teach you EVERYTHING you need to know. And then they'll stick with you and help you be successful. And they'll remember you, even if you're gone for a full year. When I finished the course, I still had one more year of college left, so I returned home to Michigan to finish my education. Earlier this year, I decided to actually move to Prague, and I have been enjoying my time here ever since. The staff at TLH even remembered me, even after a full year had passed! They even remembered my name! Crazy! When I made the jump across the pond, I had the same fear you're probably having right now, "Am I going to be able to find a job?" Well, let me reassure you, that is not going to be an issue. If you search hard enough and send out enough emails, finding employment in Prague will not be hard. Also, the community here is so supportive, and they will help you find a job! Additionally, the Czech Republic is in the dead center of Europe, so anywhere you want to go in Europe (or even the world, really) is easily assessable. I actually just returned from a weekend trip to Berlin, and resume my normal work week tomorrow. Saving money is not really difficult either, so don't worry about that. Traveling around Europe is cheap. I paid about 38 euro to and from Berlin and 25 euro a night at a hostel. Cheap and easy. I hope you come to Prague!

Okay, so I blog, so its going to be sort of a "bloggy" review. If you don't like to read, sorry not sorry.

Where do I start?
I moved to Barcelona, Spain and after my Spanish classes and learning that my only source of income as an American in Europe will be to teach English, I decided to better my skills by getting certified. Now I could have just looked for a program in Spain. And, in fact, I did! I learned about The Language House, in Prague, 7 months ago through a friend, and decided to compare the programs available to me here in Spain to The Language House. Let me tell you, Barcelona has my heart but the TEFL programs do not compare. First the value I was getting with The Language House, as far as resources, housing, experience, and in-depth skill development blew other courses I found out of the water. Second the price! The price was cheaper compared to my runner up in Spain. The runner up tried to price match, but I still went with The Language House and I am glad I did. I truly did extensive research when I was choosing a TEFL program. I conducted interviews! Like you want me at your program, sell me! (There were many reasons for that, which I will not go into details on. LOL!)

The Staff
The first person I talked to was the owner. I was in Prague unannounced during one of my "interviews". I recall the doors being closed (the school had just finished a course, thus the school was closed), and talking to Chris W, who was in New York. It was around 4am, not sure what he was doing up, but he answered and was extremely helpful. As you know first impressions are everything, and the accessibility of the owner had me leaning over the fence. Chris W set up a meeting with Nica, a visa guru. My case was special and extreme and many people like to think they're a guru, but Nica is really the VISA GURU!! I had 14 days left on my tourist visa and she found a solution in which I did not have to go to my country of origin and apply for a visa there, I did not have to hide from boarder control, and I can get my visa quickly. She jumped through many loop holes. A true GURU!

My Experience
It was time for me to start the course. The course is labor (I'm American) intensive. I am not sure when I became so sensitive, but I did cry. LOL!! Look, I've been out of school for like 5 years! Anyway, everything about that course was as it should be. You are there to learn, to try, to fail, and learn again. The staff is there to help you succeed and they want you to! Overtime, you get better and lesson planning becomes so easy! You become patient and comfortable in silence when teaching lower level ESL classes. You become creative and develop skills you did not think you have. You have your classmates that want you succeed as well and are there to help you. You have the staff you are available to guide you, and you can use them as a student for a mock class. You have an abundance amount of resources and The Language House community is so strong you have previous students you can lean on. I swear to you the community is so rich. You have someone like me, who decided not to stay in Prague, who can help if you need advise or help with job placement in Spain. If you wish to go to China, there is an alumnus that you can connect with. Its a community; a teacher-hood. Alumni are everywhere, and even on the internet teaching! Your course will become your family with ties lasting outside the program.

How it helped me in Teaching?
When I returned to Spain, I was hired to teach at a summer english camp in Girona. I had to teach 15-16 year-old ESL students for 3 hours a day...during the summer...at a camp. If you're not catching my tone: my classes were outside next to a pool with nature as a distraction. Of course I was nervous because who isn't nervous their first day? However, when I had to create lessons that will keep their attention for 3 hours, it was really a breeze! I am not kidding. I was able to recycle lessons and build upon it. I had to teach 3 hour classes for 9 days. My students were so sweet! They told me I was the best teacher ever, and was able to explain why in English in complete grammatically correct sentences. Because, of course, that's the point.

Review
I know this was pretty lengthy but I wanted to share my true thoughts on this program. Things truly happen for a reason and it led me to The Language House in Prague and I am ever so glad it did. :)

The Language House in Prague, CZ is a well-run, well-organized program, and they really do the most to take care of you and make you feel confident about teaching. I can honestly say I felt ready to teach after taking the course. I met great people and have great memories from it.

Beyond that, the staff if friendly, helpful, and they know how to make the course fun and exciting. Teaching has brought all kinds of good things in my life and I have to thank the program and staff for helping me prepare for a job I love doing!

You won't be disappointed with TLH. Sign up and do it!

Jake

I completed my TEFL course at The Language House a few months before I left to serve in the Peace Corps in Lesotho, Southern Africa.
While being a primary school teacher here (Lesotho) is very different than what I did at TLH, I am still so happy that I went to the language house. The staff was excellent. The students with whom we practiced were superb. Prague is amazing. I learned a lot about teaching English and I have put those skills to use here in Lesotho. I'm also excited to teach adult classes when I go back to the US.
One thing that's really exciting and helpful about TLH is the alumni community it provides. There are TLH graduates all over the world, so finding a job, connection, or someone to visit will be easy!
You could just do an online program for TEFL, but why would you when you could spend a month in Prague, meet awesome friends, learn a lot from some highly educated folks, and have the time of your life?!
Go to The Language House. You won't regret it!

Traveling and working in a foreign country is a great experience that will bring many fantastic opportunities to your life and being a English native speaker it is an easy way to make these dreams come true. The course that THL provides makes it a smooth transition into a new culture in Prague. They not only make you feel comfortable in a new place but also provide an education that prepares you to teach English as a second language to all ELL levels. You get hands on learning experience and support for your career. They are positive, fun and a great team! :)

Going to the Language House in Prague changed my professional and personal life in such a positive and meaningful way. It is a challenging course that really pushes you to think critically, create compelling lessons and build on your confidence as an instructor. It is professionally run, and run with a lot of heart. The staff care about you and want to see you succeed. Feel confident knowing the investment you are making, in moving abroad and taking a TEFL course with the Language House is not only worth it - it will change your life. I went through the course eight years ago and some of my best friends to this day are people I met through this school. My tenure as a language teacher informed the professional choices I made once I left Prague and my confidence speaking in front of groups was greatly influenced by my time at the Language House. I am now a Development Manager of a non-profit, and do a lot of writing for the organization - I credit my grammatical skills to the one and only King TEFL ;)

Do you want to travel all over Europe and live affordably in an exciting city? Then learning to teach at The Language House in Prague is your best option. It prepares all of it's students for any challenge they may face abroad. It is a comprehensive course that delivers value to the next chapter of your life. The month I spent learning there was the best time I've had all year. I made new friends from all over the world, and experienced things I never thought about before arriving. I cannot recommend this course enough, it has been one of the best decisions I've made in recent years.

I completed the course in August 2015. Not only did the course teach me valuable skills (lesson planning, teaching pedagogy, as well as formal English grammar), if also provides practical teaching opportunities WITH FEEDBACK from qualified instructors. The course is labour intensive, but with that you're getting a really great education plus practical experience.

The support that the language house provides is also beyond compare. Staff at the school provide advice and support with everything from job hunting to visa questions, and even offer tips and support if you have trouble finding housing. The community of alum is also really valuable, especially if you're staying in Prague, but even if you want to teach elsewhere (there is probably a TLH alum where ever you're planning to work).

I highly recommend this program for anyone who wants to teach ESL, especially if you want to teach in Europe.

I signed up for the The Language House TEFL certification two weeks before it started (November 2016). I didn't know much about the program or about Prague, I just knew I wanted to get my certification. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life!

The group bonded really well through the many social events organized by The Language House. There were all kinds of people: from young students, to mid 20s adventurers, to mid-life career changers, to older adults looking for a change of pace. It was fascinating to meet and hang out with such a diverse group, and almost a year later, I still good friends with the people I met from The Language House.

The course was informative, useful, and most of all, fun. I definitely use the techniques I learned at The Language House with my current lessons: from lesson design, to ice-breakers and games, to how to teach complex grammar concepts. The course gave me the confidence to ace interviews after the course, and feel comfortable in front of my first real classes. I really appreciate the student-teaching aspect of the course. That was hugely valuable for gauging my teaching style for different levels.

Do not expect to breeze through this course without effort. It is a lot of work! I was up every night planning lessons, and spent my weekends studying grammar. Our class definitely lost students who were not willing to do the work required. If you are willing to work hard for 4 weeks, it is so worth it, but if you are looking for an excuse to be a tourist, just come to Prague as a tourist.

I was planning to return to the USA, but two weeks into the course I completely fell in love with Prague. I cancelled my return ticket and used the school's visa service to acquire my visa a work permit. I have been in Prague almost a year now and have had plenty of work and have enjoyed every minute of it. I am so grateful to The Language House for the experience.

The Language House (TLH) is such an amazing program because it goes so far beyond simply getting TEFL-certified. I originally chose this specific program because I knew I wanted to live abroad but was absolutely terrified of the logistics of it all. The TLH staff made me feel so comfortable with getting over here, from airport pickup to student housing during the course to the in-house visa agency, Visa Guru. The staff always answered my constant barrage of messages timely and thoroughly, and their graduate profiles page connecting me to TLH grads was an important resource for me in the months leading up to the big move here.
Once I arrived in Prague, I found my "squad" here through the tight-knit TLH community, and I'm still constantly meeting new people. Monthly graduation parties and events like river rafting or biking 30km to a castle are ways they keep the community connected post-course.
As someone with a degree in Elementary Education and certified in teaching ESL in the States, I thought the course would be a breeze for me..... it was not. TLH prides themselves on not being a "TEFL-mill" or a blow-off course, so I won't lie - your month is challenging. You are required to put in a lot of hours and hard work. However, I left with so much confidence and felt ready to jump into teaching here. Teaching actual Czech students during the course was scary at first, but they are so eager to learn and let themselves be our student guinea pigs. I truly felt like the course was worth the money I spent, and my friends without education backgrounds felt the same.
I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to live abroad, and if you're wondering about Prague? Well, I'm not leaving anytime soon!

This is a great course in a great environment. The staff really know their stuff and give super detailed feedback on your lessons so it provides an amazing opportunity to grow.

I taught English for a year back in 2006, and decided to study at The Language House to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. I'd been through training and had previous experience, but even then I found that there was a lot of methodology that I wasn't even aware of. In addition, the feedback from my trainers helped me realize where I needed improvement, so it was a great chance to pair theory with practice.

It was a great environment to study in, but please be aware that the course is very intensive. You'll need to work hard, put in a lot of hours, and be thorough in your assignments. If you're down for putting in the effort, this will be a great chance for you to get a solid foundation in teaching techniques.

I was looking for a career change, and my friend suggested teaching English. A quick Google search led me to this program, and I'm so glad it did!

My background is in Graphic Design and being an awesome barista, so I was nervous about doing something entirely different. TLH was no joke. It's an intense course, but from day 1 I knew that they were passionate about teaching us in a way that we would become great English teachers. The quality of this course is amazing! If you're anything like me with a non teaching background you end up doing things (lesson planning, teaching real students, knowing everything you could possibly know of English grammar, etc. ) you never thought possible.

You also gain an international family, and there is always someone who is there to help. This course goes beyond certifying teachers. They are passionate about what they do, and that is contagious. I'd recommend this course a hundred times over!

The Language House is a fantastic program that provides tons of support for housing, visas, and making friends. I took the course in May of 2012 with zero expectations or plans for what I would do after the course ended. I was able to find a job and an apartment before my course was even over, and I ended up living in Prague for an amazing two years.

From my arrival to Prague to finishing the course, The Language House staff were always supportive and ready to answer any questions I had. The course itself is challenging and intense, but the demo lessons with real students and constructive feedback from the trainers were essential in building my confidence to teach on my own. As an added bonus, when I decided to try living in Korea, having an in-person TEFL boosted my salary level and helped me get a better job.

I'd highly recommend TLH and Prague to anyone who is thinking about living abroad.

I am currently getting a teaching degree at a university and haven't felt as challenged as I was expecting to feel. Every class I take I think: that could've been taught in a month or two. When I found out about The Language House I heard that the course was really difficult, but worth all of the time and effort to complete it. Throughout the entire course I couldn't help but wonder why courses in my university aren't taught similar to TLH course. We did more learning and teaching in one month at TLH than I had done in my first two years of pursuing my teaching degree. I thought this course was well paced, the instructors really knew their information, and we started teaching after gaining the knowledge that we needed. This course is what I had hoped my experience at my university would be like. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested.