Researching the best TEFL Course can be very overwhelming. From online organisations, to Groupon – there are a plethora of opportunities to undergo the Teaching English as A Foreign Language process. However, due to the global pandemic, in-class sessions are a bit limited. That’s where Via Lingua International sparked a great interest. Through Via Lingua International I was able to secure a spot in the Istanbul branch to receive my certification.

My time at Via Lingua Istanbul was exceptional! This intense month-long course was filled with teaching practicums, lesson planning, extensive grammar review and basic expectations of a teacher. To say it was intensive would be an understatement!

I highly suggest Via Lingua Istanbul for anyone who wants to be in the magnificent city of Istanbul with qualified instructors who want nothing but the best for you in a professional capacity.

Thank you Via Lingua Istanbul!

Getting TEFL certified is one of the most important achievements in my life. This course gave me new knowledge and ideas for my future teaching practice.
All trainers were very helpful, kind and always positive. They provided us with clear explanations, a lot of examples, activities and group work. The trainers always created good atmosphere during our classes, so I could ask them any questions I had.
TEFL course is really very intensive. It includes different aspects of teaching (from teaching reading, listening skills etc. to classroom management). Be ready to work hard during these four weeks. It is better to brush up your Grammar before the course starts. Also it is a good idea to work on Portfolio, Individual Project and Group Project from the very beginning, so the trainee will have enough time to prepare for Final Assessment Test.
Teaching practices were especially useful for me and I got experience of teaching adults. Our observers gave us valuable comments and advices how to improve our lesson plans and teaching (for instance, better time management and decreasing teacher talking time).
I would like to thank all the staff and director at Via Lingua Istanbul for their help, kindness, patience and understanding!!!
I really enjoyed my time in this beautiful and amazing city - İstanbul.

Getting TEFL certified is one of the most important achievements in my life. This course gave me new knowledge and ideas for my future teaching practice.
All trainers were very helpful, kind and always positive. They provided us with clear explanations, a lot of examples, activities and group work. The trainers always created good atmosphere during our classes, so I could ask them any questions I had.
TEFL course is really very intensive. It includes different aspects of teaching (from teaching reading, listening skills etc. to classroom management). Be ready to work hard during these four weeks. It is better to brush up your Grammar before the course starts. Also it is a good idea to work on Portfolio, Individual Project and Group Project from the very beginning, so the trainee will have enough time to prepare for Final Assessment Test.
Teaching practices were especially useful for me and I got experience of teaching adults. Our observers gave us valuable comments and advices how to improve our lesson plans and teaching (for instance, better time management and decreasing teacher talking time).
I would like to thank all the staff and director at Via Lingua Istanbul for their help, kindness, patience and understanding!!!
I really enjoyed my time in this beautiful and amazing city - İstanbul.

The instructors were very helpful and well connected with their field.
The program offers job assistance by providing letters of recommendation.
Not an easy course (practice your grammar), which is good thing if you actually want to earn a useful TEFL practice.
The city is very affordable with easy access to transportation (Metro, Bus, or even Boat Fare), and also very safe filled with good people.

Also, the program took great amount of COVID measures in the class (mandatory face mask, social distancing, and very well kept facility).

The decision to take TEFL courses was long taken, however, Corona has postponed it several times. Getting an email in the end of July regarding the courses in August was one of the biggest joys during 2020. I had no doubts, of course, the global pandemic made it a bit more complicated. However, since the very first lesson, only the good vibes were spread. Instructors provided all the help needed, answered all the questions. 4 weeks were tough, especially 2,3 and 4th, but that was totally worth it! I was happy to study again, to meet motivated study peers and professional lecturers. I had some previous teaching practice, so these courses made me understand teaching from the different side. I had practice, now I needed professional help. And I did get it. Teaching practices were really useful and we received a lot of comments from the lectures who also indicated areas for improvement. Overall, I am happy that I decided to attend TEFL courses in the city I love - Istanbul.

I really enjoyed my TEFL course at Via Lingua in Istanbul. I feel like I learned so much in such a little time. The professors are very experienced in their fields of education and linguistics -- it was a pleasure being in their classes! All the support staff were too friendly, always offering tea and coffee (and sometimes Baklava), and helping me with issues that were not even part of the class, such as getting a Turkish sim card. I really appreciated the close-knit friendly environment of the school, and loved getting delicious Turkish lunches together with my classmates and professors. The class was very small so we got lots of attention and feedback during our teaching practices. They also helped us navigate the TEFL job market in Istanbul with valuable tips and advice!

Lessons at ViaLingua Istanbul were a necessary compliment to traditional professional development that I receive as an overseas contractor. The coursework and teaching practicum were sometimes as challenging as the activities I had completed in college, but they enabled me to harness and develop skills not yet mentioned by other reviewers:
* enhanced active listening
* improved ability to give instructions
* clearer board work, confidence in presentation
* ability to conduct Need's Analysis and customize deliverables
* working/communicating effectively as a team
* demonstrating good decision-making
These are lessons not taught in traditional classrooms - a good foundation to have for future leadership positions. I highly recommend this course!

The location is fantastic and the staff is courteous and caring. Everything is pretty straight-forward, meaning you won't have to deal with any unexpected events. The material covered in the course is incredibly helpful and will prepare you for any teaching position in the future. No matter how much you already know about teaching or how well experienced you may think you are, there will always be new things for you to learn and improve on. This TEFL course was challenging in terms of the workload, pressure to perform and any material that may be new to you, such as grammar rules and how to be able to teach them to students from all backgrounds and levels. I highly recommend this course if you're looking to actually become a good teacher and are not simply trying to get just any TEFL certificate. This course is well worth the investment!