ITTT TEFL Course in Japan

I had a fantastic experience with TEFL International Tokyo. Larry and Dave have a wealth of knowledge and experience that was helpful to me throughout my time. They have an excellent attitude and enthusiasm that is infectious, and their knowledge of teaching in Japan is incredibly extensive. Their job support was one of my main selling points, and they have an excellent track record in that regard as well. The course is the perfect length, being only a month long, and provides plenty of material that will prove useful in the world of teaching any kind of English in any kind of setting. Along with material, they provide plenty of opportunities for you to hone your teaching style. We performed one-on-one lessons, small group lessons, children's lessons, and university lessons; all hands-on experience. I would highly recommend this course to basically anyone who can afford it. It is worth every penny.

My only negative about the experience had nothing to do with the course itself, but with ITTT TEFL. ITTT TEFL's communication was so poor and suspicious with me initially that I didn't even believe the course and location were real. They were reluctant to give me any factual information about the location and contacts, to the point where I had to send friends of mine already living in Tokyo out to find the location. If at all possible, find some other way to contact Larry and Dave, via Facebook, email, or otherwise.

So here's the deal: ITTT serves as sort of a hookup to bring students in to the school, but the actual school is run by Larry and Dave. ITTT won't tell you even where the course is, and it makes the whole operation seem fake. I emailed Larry directly, and he told me the address within the day. I suggest that when asking about details you contact them directly. Aside from that, the course itself was flawless. All of us did very well, and none of the work was particularly stressful for any of us. I had a job lined up before I came, but Dave gave me some very useful pointers on visas and teaching in Japan generally, helped several of the other trainees with their applications, and directly referred one employment opportunity to us that happened to pop up during the month. Some of the other reviews I read complained that the practical teaching was only one-on-one or one-on-two, but this has apparently changed. We each taught 2 one-on-one lessons self-arranged, 6 one-on-one-or-two lessons through the school, one full class lesson at a university, and a section of a full class lesson at a preschool.

Larry and Dave are two great guys who really love their craft, and I would recommend the course 100%.

I entered this program timid, intimidated by the social mores from a country I didn't fully comprehend, and doubtful in my ability to teach English in a foreign country. And I left with more confidence in my teaching abilities. The teaching practice and the observational hours were critical to my growth, and I wouldn't have made any progress without them. The classes were lively and involved. I don't know how to show my appreciation to the instructors, staff, and my peers for creating such a unique learning experience that altered my perspective of Japan.

Please accept my heartfelt gratitude.

Thank you.

Seeing as there’s already a number of highly detailed reviews, I feel as though I have not much to add. Simply put, if you are after an exceptional course offering, look no further. Dave and Larry know their stuff and are hilarious to boot. Tokyo may be a long way away for most people who are fluent in English, but trust me - it’s worth it, and if it’s what you’re looking for and you play your cards right, you can find employment in Japan with the remainder of your tourist visa.

Thank you so much Dave and Larry (as well as everyone part of the TEFL Tokyo family!) for all of the experiences I have had over the last month doing the TEFL International TESOL course. I have now sadly left Japan, but it's thanks to you and everyone at Hi5 English school that my time with you was an absolute pleasure.

The course itself is an interesting analysis of both the english language and how english should be taught to foreign speakers, and includes aspects such as the history of teaching methods, the psychology behind a student's progress in the classroom, the international phonetic alphabet and the intriguingly universal human language of supra-segmentals (which is just a fancy word for tone of voice, for example how you can laugh at the right part of a joke in any language just from the sound of the punchline). In this way, the broad range of the course means that it isn't just interesting to linguists and educators, but that people from all fields could also add their own interpretations.

The actual teaching I did for the course was also really enjoyable, my Japanese students were almost without exception engaged and -in the case of the little kids- adorable! I even received presents from a few to thank me for my time spent with them, which was particularly sweet.

As for the team running the course I could not have been luckier. Despite the fact I was the only student doing the course for the month of March I had plenty of great company and good times! I was even invited to go to the school's annual ski trip to Nagano which was a particular highlight, and the school usually has extra-curricular events, such as the big Easter egg hunt planned for April. TEFL Tokyo is also about a 5 minute walk from beautiful Mizomoto park, a breath of fresh air in what can sometimes be a stifling concrete Tokyo, and I was lucky enough to eat my lunch under blooming cherry blossoms there as often as I wanted to.

So all in all a great place and amazing people, which I would highly recommend! In fact I've begun bugging my older sister to come and do the course once she's finished her degree (so you may need to prepare for another member of the Rais family!).

Thank you again to Yuko, Vincent, Raymond, Olivia, Sean, Derek and especially Dave and Larry for such a lovely experience.
If I were to do the TESOL course again, I would do it at TEFL Tokyo (2nd conditional!).

Training at the High 5 school has been a great experience.
Learning from the best teachers, having the opportunity on the course to take part teaching in a Japanese school and university, and doing it all with other like minded people who pull together with you through the moments when the going gets tough.

All in all an excellent teacher training course!

The course was amazing. When I first arrived I didn't have much confidence in my teaching skills, but during the whole course we got a lot of practice with different age groups: from primary school to university students.

Teaching at university gave me so much confidence in what I can do!

Dave and Larry are amazing, they helped us so much and shared all their knowledge of teaching with us.

being able to go and practice your lessons on real students was great, you are given the freedom to do your own thing within support but not interference. it was awesome to spend a month in Japan and get to know the people and the culture.