TEFL Heaven: Must See Mexico with Guaranteed Paid Job!

No complaints with the classroom experience at Vallarta International Academy. Excellent instruction and support from Alan and Fabian. The teaching practices were very helpful. Rachel and Nick gave "firm but fair" scores along with good advise on how to improve. I feel much more confident and prepared to teach after my four weeks at VIA.

I loved my experience, it was great! Not only was the course engaging and challenging, but fun at the same time. I could learn a lot and made so many friends!
It’s an eye opening experience, that will change you and open so many doors for the future!
I was given all the support I needed, and found a job the week after the course ended. I am improving and learning new things every day, and enjoying the beautiful Mexican culture and lifestyle. It was also great we could do excursions together on weeekeds so we could get to know the place and enjoy beautiful Puerto Vallarta too! Our trainer was really knowledgable and really prepared us well for our future jobs. I felt really comfortable when I taught my very first class in the langauge centre where i work!
Really recommended, I would do it again!

I had an incredible experience with this program! From the moment I had my interview, I felt that the company was extremely passionate about helping me find the perfect fit! The love they have for education and providing international opportunities to their participants is reflected in their work. I received regular contact via e-mail that provided me with every detail the I needed to know to help me prepare for the big move. I really appreciated receiving the names and contact information of other participants prior to leaving, as we were able to communicate with each other before we even arrive in Mexico! When I arrived, I was met by someone who picked me up from the airport and took me to our house. I was very nervous, so I really appreciated not having to arrange a ride to my house! On the way, he provided lots of details about Puerto Vallarta! The program itself was great! The teacher has a lot of really great tools and methods that helped me improve my teaching style! Not only did we have class, but we also had the opportunity to teach real students in an orphanage and at a language center. This provided me with experience, prior to applying for jobs! The school also helps prepare your resume, apply for jobs and organize interviews. I really appreciate the guidance and support I received from TEFL Heaven directly, as well as the school in Puerto Vallarta!

I never thought about obtaining my TEFL certificate in a different country so going to Mexico of all places was an unique experience within itself. TEFL Heaven made the process fairly easy and comforting. They were really responsive with any questions I had. I liked that they offered housing so I didn't have to search and find a place to stay on my own. The instructors were great and were very helpful. The content covered in class is relative and useful for any English teaching job. I loved that we got a chance to observe real classrooms and teachers and then were able to make our own lesson plans and teach real students at a real school. I believe that aspect of the course has impacted my life and my teaching style the most.

I learned a lot of new things about English language as a teacher student. I liked the fact that you did not need to be a native speaker of the language in order to to become a teacher of the language. Meeting the former teacher students from previous courses helped a lot during that one month, support from them and their friendship during the month was very valuable. Even though the course was really demanding from my point of view I would totally recommend it to everyone. With this kind of job you are able to travel and see new places and have an awesome job which will bring you joy and that excitement when you realize that your students are learning new things.

For several years I considered earning my TEFL certificate. Every few months, I found myself looking for programs and reading reviews. After researching, I found this program and I'm glad I did. I found this program to be a truly enjoyable experience. The school is located right on the beach in beautiful Puerto Vallarta. The housing provided was incredibly convenient and safe. I lived with three other girls in a house right across the street from the school, a bank, shops, and restaurants.

Alan (the program director) was readily available and took care of everything we asked for from housing requests to information on the course, the city, and teaching prospects. Monday through Friday we met in the classroom under the instruction of Raul. Every day in the classroom was exciting and different. Each lesson was thoughtfully planned with information relevant to teaching. Raul has years of experience teaching abroad. He is an excellent source of information (and great stories) as he has taught in several different countries.
This course requires the completion of teaching hours. The opportunity to teach English in real situations with real students, who are eager to learn, is what sets this program above the rest. Teaching was by far my favorite part of this experience.

Job support and resume assistance is extremely helpful. Upon completion of the course you earn a certificate and a professional video resume. I used Alan and Raul as references for jobs and graduate school. I also made great friends that I still stay in touch with. I recommend this program for anyone considering teaching. The experience as a whole was inspiring and I left filled with motivation and gratitude.

Fantastic course! Raul who delivers the course instruction has years and years of experience to draw upon for learning how to teach, he's taught in every form imaginable as well so is a fantastic source of advice for any doubts or worries you might have in terms of what type of teaching your going into. Alan is fantastic on the job placement side of things, really knows the market and the people to get you a good job that you want in a short space of time, he is genuinely fantastic at it and you are in great hands with the both of them. Puerto Vallarta is a beautiful city with a lot to love and overall the course is a great way to introduce yourself into the world of teaching as it provides you with so much insight into how the job is, which gives you a real confidence boost when you start teaching English out in the great unknown.

I had never been to Mexico before, or even Latin America. Most of my travels have been in Asia and around Europe. When I landed into Puerto Vallarta and saw the blue sky and palm trees, I knew I had landed in heaven.

The apartment we stayed in was a short 10 min bus from the school and easily located when using public transport! I had a pool, that was very much needed after walking around in such humidity. My course fell in rainy season, so we got used to the 4pm rain shower (the most rain I have ever encountered).

The teacher, Raul, was very engaging and kept the classes unique and fun so that it didn't feel like we were studying in a mundane way. I wont lie, the course is intense and as much as you can still have a great time exploring the city and hanging out at the beach, you need to work hard. But, it really pays off.

I feel like I learnt a lot about myself during this course, while being able to have a mini holiday at the same time. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in trying out Teaching Abroad!

I am a recent college grad and was looking for something to do in my gap year before heading back to graduate school. I chose Mexico because I wanted to further advance my Spanish skills. I was happily surprised with Puerto Vallarta and the course. Puerto Vallarta is an amazing beach town with a rich history and authenticity, but also has a tourist economy. The TEFL course was great. The instructors are caring and help you with whatever it is you need. They have a great system for job placement and will put you where is best for you. I made some wonderful friends through the course, and am actually still living in PV working as a 1st and 2nd grade teacher. Come to Mexico, it will so be worth your while!!

The month spent completing my TEFL course in Mexico will always be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I met some incredible people who, in just a short time, became like a family to me. Puerto Vallarta was hot, humid, relaxed, sunny, incredibly beautiful and fun! The locals smiled at me in the street and i've never met such warm and welcoming people. Compared to the rest of Mexico (although don't be put off by this- it's fine if you're smart) Puerto Vallarta is incredible safe and therefore the perfect place to study. My course trainer Raul was utterly fantastic! That man was like a walking encyclopedia and spoke about teaching English with such passion and love it had me desperate to get into the class room. We were shown that English can and should be fun and I learnt to teach complicated grammar concepts through Role Play and games. My only criticism of the course is that they will only help you to find a job in Mexico so if you want to work elsewhere in the world you will be searching independently for this. Not necessarily a problem just something to be aware of. I'm thrilled that I completed my TEFL here and learnt an unbelievable amount in a short time.

The course itself is very well thought out and delivered excellently by Raul who has over 15 years’ experience teaching English. The course includes 5 hours of observing lessons run by qualified teachers and then ten hours of teaching practice for yourself. There is a lot of support from the other teachers when it comes to putting together your own lesson plans.
The student coordinator, Alan, arranged my first interview for my second week and by the day before the course ended I secured employment in Puerto Vallarta which is where I wanted to stay. Most of the people on my course had secured employment before the course ended. Though it did seem that there was more support for those who wanted to stay in Mexico with those that wanted to work in a different country not feeling as supported.
Puerto Vallarta itself is a stunning place and extremely friendly. I felt very concerned that my lack of Spanish would be an issue but as it is such a tourist spot there are many that speak at least some English. There is lots to do in the area, from the beaches to tequila tasting, boat trips, snorkelling etc. though the prices for these are geared towards tourists.
Living costs are cheap relative to living in the UK with taco stands offering tacos from 10 pesos upwards. However, if you are in the busy tourist spots you will find that prices can be much higher unsurprisingly.
I will admit that I was apprehensive about coming to Mexico as you hear that it is very unsafe but I’ve found Puerto Vallarta to be very friendly and as long as you are sensible then you should be fine. Just use your common sense and don’t leave yourself vulnerable.

I was very skeptic about moving to Mexico much less paying money to a school I wasn't even sure existed. I remember calling them constantly to ask random questions to calm my paranoia lol. When I got there I was very impressed with their school set up and student apartments. I truly enjoyed the course and learnt so much. Lesson planning, classroom activities, classroom management and even how to come out of my shell. God knows that was my hardest part. But with a little tough love I was able to and it has made me the amazing teacher I am today. Not only did we learn about teaching English, but throughout the course I was shown time and time again how important the role of a teacher is and it made me feel even more fulfilled knowing I'm changing lives. I also enjoyed the teaching practice we had which changed each week allowing us variety in age group and level. I was given 3 interview options in the last week of the course and I accepted the Guadalajara post. Now that I've completed my contract, I made contact again for a new job in a new city and low and behold a few weeks later I had an interview which led me to my second job placement through this amazing TEFL program. Thanks again for everything!

This program is an absolutely amazing experience! Puerto Vallarta (PV) is a beautiful city with a rich cultural heritage that the people take advantage of.
First, the down sides (depending on your point of view). In some ways PV is akin to visiting the United States or Great Britain. It can be a bit more expensive than most of the rest of Mexico (especially if you're limited to visiting stores where the associates only speak English). In some ways, parts of the city are comparable to Disney World (according to my room mate when I was on the program). Finding inexpensive non-Mexican food is not easy to do.
Then again, you're not going to Mexico to eat expensive French food - you're there to experience the culture, the food, the life. The people are incredibly friendly, especially if you even try to speak a little Spanish to them (a simple "hola" and "Buenos dias" go a long way). The local food is fantastic, and you can get the best tacos I've ever had for about 12 pesos apiece (~0.75 USD). And that brings to mind the issue of money: "expensive" is all relative, and even in PV "expensive" is nothing compared to the United States or Europe (that said, it's easy to forget how much money you're spending in pesos).
The course itself was fantastic. Raul, the Academic Director, has been teaching ESL for about a decade and a half, and he's got stories you wouldn't believe. He's a great teacher. They've recently changed the TEFL books to make them even better. The owner, Alan, is very helpful and was able to assist me in finding employment; he has contacts everywhere in Mexico, and many overseas.

I honestly enjoyed my month in Puerto Vallarta, I still sometimes cannot believe I left. Mexico is already a beautiful country with friendly people and great sites. The TEFL certification there was a lot of fun. We had real teaching experiences with different age groups that allowed how to gauge how we felt about potentially teaching each age group in the future. Then there is the instructor. Ours was very well rounded and has been doing this for a couple decades, so he really knows his stuff. Class was always very entertaining, and every class included some form of practical, hands-on type assignment/work. You really do learn a lot there.

This course was exactly what I was looking for. It was straightforward and very thorough with information on how to teach, how to plan lessons, and it also prepared me for many of the possible problems that may arise within the classroom. Not only would you be taking a course that could open many opportunities for you, but you would be doing so on the beach! In a absolutely beautiful city. I strongly recommend this course if you are thinking about teaching English abroad. I started off with no experience and decided to take this course during my gap year. I am now teaching in Guadalajara and I couldn't be happier. Excited to see where I will go next, the possibilities are endless! Very pleased with the support and organization of this program, thank you to TEFLHeaven!