The One and Only Language House TEFL in Prague

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.

The Language House TEFL might have been the best decision I've made. The course was intensive and thoroughly prepared me for a career in teaching English as a second language. The community and network is unmatched and you will certainly find work. I have been able to teach in Prague for over a year and half now and have opportunities to teach in many other countries that I will pursue in the near future. I have nothing but the highest regard for TLH and recommend it to anyone who is thinking of pursuing teaching English abroad.

At first, I was reluctant to sign up for an english teaching course abroad. My biggest fear was that I would pay a lot of money in terms of travel, accommodations and the course itself, only to be disappointed and stuck in a miserable program abroad for a month or, worse, get totally ripped off.

Based on the reviews I read online, and my research overall, The Language House seemed like the best option given my travel interests. And, it did not disappoint!!

For simplicity, here's a list of why I'd encourage anyone looking to teach abroad to sign up for The Language House:

1.) Logistics: If you are traveling from far away, The Language House makes it way less stressful to get settled. They provide airport pick up and great housing with other students. They also offer an orientation before the program starts so you can familiarize yourself with Prague. Additionally, they even help with the silly/unexpected stressful stuff-- For instance, my luggage got lost, and I was instructed to call the airport. I was a bit worried about the language barrier and getting my address right. So, instead, my housing host called the airport for me AND schlepped my luggage up to my room while I was in class. It was little things like this that made me sure I had chosen a great program. So much thoughtfulness and attention to detail.

2.) Location: Prague is an incredible city. It's beautiful and has a lot of history as well as sites to see. Night life is humming with activity and a myriad of choices: you can have a cold beer by the river, go beer garden hopping, hit up an absinthe bar or even a 5 story club with *themed* levels. The Language house site is also within walking distance and easily accessed by tram from student housing.

3.) Community: Not only will you have a whole community of peers during the program, but you will also have access to the whole TLH staff and alums. The alums even showed us around the city our first week of school, and continue to be an active component of the program. This sense of community is also very helpful when you're later looking for jobs and need advice or other info.

4.) Teaching and Learning: The course itself is definitely not a walk in the park. If you came to party in Prague first and foremost, then this program is probably not for you. Be prepared to dedicate a lot of time to studying and lesson planning. Keep in mind your daily schedule is something like this: 9:30-1pm (class), 1pm-5pm (lesson planning/free time), 5pm-8pm (teaching). I wouldn't recommend this program to someone who is not serious about learning how to teach english. But, on the flip side, if you are really trying to learn how to teach, you're going to get more than a strong foundation at TLH.

Overall, I really enjoyed this program and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in teaching English!