ITTT TEFL Course in Japan

A very fun and informative experience! While there were some challenges along the way, overall the program was very helpful in teaching me about how to become an effective English teacher in many given contexts.

The whole experience was very intense and demanding, however it was full of fun activties and valuable experiences which is even very useful for me now. And I was delighted that I have real teaching experience during the course which was very valuable as well.

This month long course is held Monday-Friday from around 8am-3pm, if memory serves me correctly. The classes are taught in one of the teachers houses, where he also allows students to board at for a monthly fee. Having stayed in the house was extremely convenient. I could sleep in till last minute, and had a large bedroom to myself. You get to take a lot of trips to different schools, and you also get to teach your own one-on-one lessons and small group lessons. This course was very helpful, and Larry and Dave were both very welcoming. The town that the course is held in is a perfect little town with a gorgeous park within walking distance. I would highly advice going there, just for the people watching alone.

Japan was a great country to go to, as it is incredibly safe. The teachers give you everything you need to be successful and they are they if you need extra help with your work. They do care about your success. Larry gave me extra assignments to help me grasp things I didn't understand. The location of the school is Japan is great too because you're always going the opposite way of the traffic in the morning and evening. The class size is also very small which makes for an intimate setting. You get to know the other people pretty well.

For the most part, I was lucky enough to stay at the house of the program, so my "commute" was short. Classes started at 8:00 am. They ended at 4*. *There were a few exceptions where they ended early or a bit later. Had a short lunch (30 minutes or so) around noon-ish.
The highlights were the students's (classmates and the ones we taught) enthusiasm and energy. I also enjoyed the teachers and staff members of the school. They were willing (and wanting) for everyone to learn (and have fun too). They also have a good sense of humor.
For me, the only down side is/was not being able to find a job.

Going into this program I wasn't certain if I could teach esl because I am a shy person. So I signed up for this course to see if I enjoyed doing tesol and more importantly if I wanted to continue on this career path.

Throughout the program I had a lot of fun and the choice became clearer everyday. The lessons were fun and interactive, they answered any questions I had no matter how stupid they seemed. And they didn't laugh at the fact that most of us first language english speakers didn't know what modal verbs are and their function in a sentence.
They also helped a lot both during and after class. They answered any email quickly and were alsways willing and excited to share their own experiences (including the embarassing ones ) during class.
During the course we had to do a 1-on-1 lesson plan, this being my first time in Japan I didn't know anyone who could help, so they arranged someone to volunteer and be my student. This person was eager to learn and patient with my inexperience at teaching and helped a lot.
The exposure to multiple skill levels and ages was really helpful and helped to solidify my career path right into tesol.

I am going to keep it short and simple.

I started "teaching" in Japan from 2008. Most of my jobs were landed by luck. I had felt tremendous pressure because I didn't know what I was doing, nor did I have confidence, or answers to student questions.

After taking Dave and Larry's course, I felt like everything fell into place for me. This course paves the golden road for your life in Japan.

You meet amazing new people, learn how to teach in an efficient and effective manner, teaching styles and job possibilities, grammar, and much more.

After taking this course, everything just clicked.

I cannot forget to say that you have a huge advantage over other non-certified teachers. Getting a job in any company, school, cafe, or website will be a breeze. Plus, you get paid more money because you are certified.

My overall experience with the TEFL program in Tokyo was outstanding. My teachers were professional, personable, and had many years of experience to draw on. Even though this was an intensive month I feel there was a great balance of in class lectures and hands on experience. I also enjoyed listening to the broad array of techniques and approaches to teaching. Each of my two teachers had a different approach and method to teaching English. Both were great teachers, but it was always interesting to hear the contrasting ways of teaching. The lectures were always well prepared and interesting, but I really liked how we got to get out in the field and actually teach. In this course I was able to get experience teaching a wide range of ages and experience levels. I am currently teaching in Japan and owe a lot of my success to the wonderful TEFL course in Tokyo. Even though this is my first job teaching English I felt that I had an edge over the other teachers that were coming in and even though I lacked years of experience I felt the course gave me the confidence to be a successful teacher. I am extremely satisfied with my TEFL experience and highly recommend this course to anyone looking to start teaching English or gain a broader and more insightful approach to English teaching profession.