ITAN Graduate from March 2014

I completed the March 2014 onsite course through International TEFL Academy Nicaragua. I had an amazing, if challenging, experience getting TEFL certified. Leon is a wonderful university town - you can walk anywhere, the people are very friendly, and there is a growing ex-pat scene as Nicaragua becomes more of a popular tourist destination. Our class was the first to be run in Leon, and we were only 4 students, which meant that we got to know one another very well after spending all day together for 4 weeks. Heather and Lisa were great instructors - they were very supportive and hands on in their approach to teaching. I felt comfortable enough to ask any questions and they were always prepared to help and advise me.
The practicums were held at the Centro de Idiomas, and it was great practice to be teaching real students that gave us an honest idea of what it's like for a teacher here in Nicaragua. The practicums could be quite nerve-wracking, but in the end I can look back at them as one of the most helpful parts of the course. Just don't forget to bring the appropriate clothing - Leon is extremely hot, and most of the buildings do not have air conditioning.
The ITAN staff is also extremely helpful in terms of job support for their graduates. I continued on in Leon after I graduated and was able to find a job teaching at the Centro on the weekends, as well as private tutoring during the week.
You can expect to work very hard throughout this course - I would wake up hours before class started at 8:30 each day just to try and stay on top of the workload. But in the end I walked away feeling much more confident and prepared to enter a classroom than I had 4 weeks before.