Online Course Develops Teaching Skills With Access To Institute Resources Essential for Job Placement!

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!