Get TEFL Certified & Teach English Abroad with International TEFL Academy

I completed the online course through ITA. I would have preferred to complete an in-person course, but financially was not able to make that decision. With that being said, I highly recommend doing the course in-person if you can because the connections you make and the opportunities to be challenged in an in-person course were something I greatly needed. One perk of choosing ITA, is the number of course hours you receive. Some TEFL programs set the bar low which will limit your opportunities, but not ITA!

International TEFL Academy provided me a great online TEFL course to get started on my teaching abroad journey. The material was cohesive and helpful while not too heavy of a workload. I have heard of some friends taking a "faster course" and they have been slammed with so much work. They are very helpful with all of their databases - making sure you know of different schools and different ways to find work in the destination of your choosing. I am currently volunteer teaching abroad in Valencia, Spain and hope to come back for a job in January. I have loved my experience so far and really think the program provided me the essentials to become a great teacher.

I wanted to start my TEFL career with a strong strong foundation and as in-depth knowledge as I could reasonably afford to do at the time.

This left me with two options: Teaching House Chicago (CELTA) and International TEFL Academy (Level 5 TEFL). I spent quite a while comparing programs and the curricula seemed remarkably similar, but ITA offered lifetime job placement help, while Teaching House offered nothing. Additionally, ITA was half the cost of CELTA, while offering the same amount of course hours. ITA was simply a better deal than Teaching house.

Overall, ITA helped me review teaching methodology and pushed me to be creative in my lesson planning. The teachers, Jan and Gosha, were patient, caring, and provided thorough explanations. Moreover, they were very experienced ESL teachers and were able to provide two different perspectives and styles of teaching. They were attentive to students' needs and were fully capable of answering students' questions.

The practicum at ITA was an invaluable experience which made me much more confident as a teacher. One of the best aspects of the practicum was being able to work with students of all levels and being forced to design a lesson plan from scratch. I also really enjoyed the final project of the course, developing a three-day lesson plan showing growth and development of a concept over time.

Getting my TEFL Certification has opened up a whole new world of opportunity that I had never really, honestly considered before. I had studied English Language Arts teaching in college, and after getting my Master's Degree, I was still struggling to find a job as an ELA teacher that felt like a good fit. That's when I decided to take a chance and make a move. I couldn't possibly be happier about that choice.

After making the choice to investigate TEFL programs, I was nervous to call International TEFL Academy because I was wary of trying to be sold something - but the advisor I spoke to was so kind, comforting, and honest. It wasn't about making a sale, it was about informing me, finding out what my concerns were, and coming to a decision without any pressure.

The class provided great basics for teaching ESL, and the part that made it stand out from other courses was the Practicum Requirement. I wanted to be able to brag that I went above and beyond the standard TEFL course requirements because I sought out real-life practice in the process. It was manageable to fit the online course into my daily life, while saving up for my trip.

The greatest part was the job search guidance. International TEFL Academy helped me get in touch with some contacts shortly after moving to Thailand, one of which soon became my employer. My life hasn't been the same since! Since I've returned from abroad, I've continued to use my certification. I teach ESL here in the States, and I meet fascinating people from all over the world. I'm also really excited by the fact that if/when I choose to teach abroad again, International TEFL Academy will help me with my search.

On January first 2014 I made the decision to get my TEFL course and started doing research. As you all know the internet can be quite overwhelming. Then I ran into the website of International TEFL Academy and found their website really helpful and answered all my initial questions. I decided to request a free digital brochure and leave my details. Within an hour I received a phone call from a helpful man and he took away all doubts I had and answered all my questions adequately. I did some further research but in the back of my head I had already decided that I wanted to do my TEFL course with them.

The course outline is easy to follow and our instructor gave us regular updates and feedback. There are instruction videos to help you find your way around and the staff is always available and responds super fast. Every week we had a deadline for a module and had to upload this into moodle. We also had to respond to a question from our instructor and respond to a comment of one of our classmates.

The coursework wasn't particularly difficult but it was a lot of reading and writing. It took me about 1 to 2 hours per day during the whole course. The practicum part of the course consists of 20 hours either observing, tutoring or teaching. I choose tutoring a girl from Armenia who wanted to improve her English and prepare herself for university.

Now several months later I find myself in Hanoi, Vietnam and found a job, all thanks to International TEFL Academy!

Bottom Line:

Start to finish, ITA provided me with the necessary support- from personal guidance to developing skills needed to teach in an ESL setting, to qualify me for and land a job teaching abroad.

Choosing ITA and Getting Certified:

Objective:

I returned to University for my last semester in January 2014 determined to graduate, earn a TEFL certification and depart the USA in August 2014-I can honestly say that the ITA helped with every crucial step along the way to making my dream a reality.

Choosing a Course:

My main objective was to seek out all TEFL certification programs that were accredited and would be valid in applying to jobs in the regions I aimed to teach. After doing online research and asking various institutes questions regarding cost, course components and training location opportunities, I confidently chose an online course with ITA.

I was assigned an admission advisor who was key in helping me make my certification program decision. He was SO helpful in talking on the phone with me several times to review the process of earning a TEFL certification with ITA, the timeline of the process and talking honestly about the job placement process in regions I was initially interested in teaching. After learning about the alumni resources made available to students that are geared towards job placement and general support in the transition abroad, I decided an online course with ITA was the best fit for me as it allowed me to concurrently finish my undergraduate degree and work towards my desired summer departure by having a solid 3 months to apply for jobs post-certification and pre-departure.

Actual Course Experience:

This course was actually my first experience with distance learning. I was a bit ambivalent to choose an online certification route, but considering my timeline, it seemed to be the most logical path. I was wildly impressed by the technological infrastructure of the ITA online learning forum that provided all essential resources (ie: contact with professor and peers; extra course materials; links to videos and additional resources to complete assignments) to create an experience conducive to effective learning.

The Institute also provided students with the opportunity to participate in “live” virtual discussions regarding different aspects of the job search process in various regions. This was a really helpful extension of the actual certification course, as I was able to get a sense of how to approach my next step in moving abroad- landing a job, while getting certified.

There were a plethora of support videos demonstrating how to navigate the online forum and complete and upload assignments. Weekly lectures with the option to participate and chat live with our professor were made available on the course page to refer back to while completing weekly tasks. I felt like there was regular interaction with our professor and other peers that simulated a “real” classroom experience as opposed to a mediated and distant learning experience. My professor was always responsive to questions regarding assignment related questions or those focused on a specific teaching tactic in a lesson.

After completing the online portion of the course, which encompassed a variety of tasks and assignments necessary to gaining a good teaching skill-set, my skills were put to the test in the practicum portion of the course. I felt that this was a unique and valuable aspect of the certification process as it provided the opportunity to put concepts learned online into action in a real world setting similar to what I’d experience abroad.

Getting Here (Santiago, Chile!)

Words cannot describe how thrilled I was to complete my course and head out of the USA on schedule with my desired departure date. I landed my teaching job prior to arriving in Santiago by applying to schools and institutes suggested by the ITA in a job search manual. Most of all, I was so relieved to find that all the skills I learned in my course were really practical and actually prepared me to be a successful teacher!

This experience has been exponentially personally and professionally fulfilling, even just on the sheer basis that I was able to successfully set a goal and then obtain the proper certification to qualify me for and land an actual job. In all honesty, I wanted to move abroad post-University graduation to avoid the “real world”. In reality, however, I have gained more real world knowledge about being successfully personally and professionally independent while gaining experience in the education industry, than I would have by staying in the States. I am SO happy with where I am in the world in both my personal life and career, I feel as though I owe much of that to ITA-thanks for everything, I give you my highest recommendation!

I didn't realize how valuable the TEFL certification from the Chicago TEFL Academy was until I got overseas and presented it to my boss! She was ecstatic, and said to me immediately, "this definitely increases your professionalism at our school." The program didn't pay for itself until that moment overseas; up until then, I had the same concerns everyone else has: Will I get a job? Where will it be? Can I trust this academy in finding something right for me? I am completely confident with the online program and the academy, and I strongly recommend it to any person considering teaching overseas as it will open the door to you for many opportunities worldwide.

The program itself is challenging because it requires a lot of commitment and time management in completing the readings, tasks, and coursework. I found myself logging on to the course website nearly every day, whether it was to complete an assignment, check for a grade or for feedback from my professor, or just to start an online chat with other students enrolled in the same program. The course itself is very structured, which is great, because from the beginning, I knew exactly when things were to be completed and how much time I would have to complete them. All I had to do was pace myself pretty regularly to ensure that everything was completed on time and I was well prepared for the assignments due each week. Time management can be difficult for some, but with this program, things are laid out for students to see.

I also want to evaluate my course instructor and the staff at the TEFL academy because their support and willingness to help was far better than any college professor I had. I am one to ask many questions, and I did this a lot through the program. Call me an over achiever, but I made sure that if I was confused about something, I sent my instructor an email for clarification. That's what they're there for, right? Once I initiated contact with her the second week, we never seemed to end the conversation. We just kept emailing back and forth about readings and assignments as the questions kept popping up. Also, the staff at the academy is rich with knowledge and experience, and I made sure to take advantage of the opportunity to ask even more questions. I would call about job openings in various countries, ask detailed information about schools in certain countries, and just continually ask for support and guidance about the decision of moving overseas. I am a firm believer that if someone is there to help, ask for help! With this program, you will have an instructor and staff who care about your success and commit to helping you find the perfect job overseas.

Overall, I am very thankful for the TEFL academy! I was able to complete my certification and find a job overseas in four months. Of course, my experience was expedited as I wanted to start working immediately, but it can happen for you! I would strongly recommend giving them a call to see what they can do for you.

The online course had weekly modules that were informative and had helpful links and videos to related topics. Each week a written project was due that solidified the student's understanding of the material. There was some peer interaction and peer work was posted for everyone to review which was helpful. Instructor responded to all questions in a timely manner. Overall good quality and price. Thank you!