Program Reviews

Overall, the course was extremely helpful and very thorough. I am a business major and work in the marketing field. I graduated college 7 years ago and have worked in two different jobs as a marketing director so teaching is not something in my background or my area of expertise. As someone brand new to teaching, this course really explores all areas of teaching English as a foreign language (I know there are plenty of other things to learn as a general teacher in a school). I feel very prepared to move abroad and begin teaching in a language school. I am ready to write lesson plans and I think will be able to bring my life experiences into the classroom which will be helpful rather than hurtful. One of the most eye opening things for me was the idea of student centered classrooms. In traditional school environments, the teachers did most of the talking and led lecture based classes so I have never really experienced a student centered classroom but this makes so much sense for a language environment. If the students aren't speaking, then most likely they aren't learning.

I chose ITA for my TEFL certification because they have a better reputation than other TEFL programs. They require a little more work of their students (thus students are better prepared), but the course as a whole was very well structured and made me think like a teacher! Highly recommend this course as you'll leave it with a certificate that has a top reputation, you get personalized guidance through the job finding and visa process, and the instructors are super accessible! The nice thing about this course is that they provide you a full textbook if you take the course online, and you can use it for future reference. The textbook provides you a strong baseline/guidelines and examples, and then peer interaction in the class message board is great to bounce ideas off each other and get useful links from your classmates. The task assignments are great to push you out of your thinking box and help you find outside resources, and the instructor gives you personal feedback as well. It's great!

The course was everything I needed and more. My advisor and instructor were very helpful, and I found that even though the course was challenging, it was very informative. In the beginning, I had zero knowledge of teaching, but now I feel much more confident as I search for my first job overseas. I'd read that this course was very tough, and it's true, but it's a gradually process that goes from slightly easy to really difficult. I'd never before created full lesson plans or activity worksheets from scratch—now that I've done that, I know I can take on anything. It keeps you on your toes and it has shaped me into a better facilitator! I don't have my degree yet, but that still isn't stopping me from achieving my dream of traveling! Future students, I'd say 'go for it and have fun!'

I completed the online class, and found it very capable of having a working schedule during the day and still be able to complete my course load. I loved my teacher Kristin Jones! I feel very confident in my lesson plan writing skills, and ability to teach a class full of students that may have never experienced the English language. Grateful to ITA for their course! The online webinars really helped with completing the final project as well as understanding the material. I have not used the job finder help yet, but they have already reached out to me and want me to succeed in finding a job! I suggest that students interested should invest in buying the grammar book as well as the textbook in hardcopy. I used them routinely throughout my course and fully intend on using it as I teach.

My initial thoughts were that I won't be able to cope with assignments and online tests while having a full-time job + being a mother of 2. As I progressed with my course I saw that it was really not that hectic (as I thought it was going to be). I was able to submit all my assignments on time, every week! I really enjoyed learning something new in every chapter. The content is resourceful and helpful. A tip to future TEFL students, I printed out every weeks chapter readings, and put it in a file. When I got time off at work, during my lunch break, I would study! It also helps to have it printed when you have to do your online tests, because each test has a one hour time limit. It just makes it easier to look up answers instead of searching online. I am glad I took the courage to sign up with ITA!

I'm always happy when I find those rare instructors and programs that actually know their subject well enough and care enough about it to teach it well---with strategically placed content and relevant student tasks. ITA is a great example of such a program and such instructors. The homework took just the right amount of time each week and I truly found myself learning things that felt useful. I often felt inspired to apply what I learned, as I could easily see its application and importance. I usually don't write reviews of products and services, but because ITA did such a good job of meeting a need that I rarely see met, I wanted to write this review. I really want ITA to become an example to the world of good teaching and good student programs.

I can not speak about my experience with Job search Guidance because I have not started it yet.
About the course, I believe the best I can say is that I would recommend it without hesitation!
When I enrolled I had no special expectations. From chapter to chapter, from task to task the challenge grew bigger and I found myself completely dedicated to the course and to learn better. These courses are an excellent opportunity to to open horizons in terms of learning experience and I believe in terms of opening doors to travel the world teaching a language. Teaching is in itself a chance to get closer to locals and exchange culture, life experiences and stories. Living in a different community is the best way to embrace the fact that is always a different way to look at life.

I learned more than I thought and found confidence in possibility of being a teacher. I never considered teaching so the possibility and thought was outrageous. But I love traveling and want to see other places, I figured if there’s a way to travel and earn money at the same time while not. I cannot wait for the experience and what I will learn in the process.
The teacher was helpful and provided feedback that improved my work every week. The resources are amazing and you have access to answers for questions you didn’t even know you had. The school was recommended by a former college classmate she loves teaching right now and her experience inspired me to consider. I myself can say it was worth it and I plan on recommending it to as many people as I can.

Don't let the big price tag scare you: this course has the bang to match your buck! I was impressed with the sheer volume of information, the difficulty of the assignments, and the extensive support network ITA has to offer. I felt like I was back in college - in both a good and an exhausting way! - while taking this course. I learned things in 10 weeks that 2.5 years working in the industry hadn't taught me. I also now understand the "why" behind a lot of what I do. This course has made me excited to move abroad, and equipped me with the knowledge to feel confident about doing so. Now that I'm done, I'm looking forward to taking advantage of the job search guidance ITA offers. I'm confident in their ability to help me, too, as one of my classmates already received her job offer - two weeks before the course even finished!

Let me start by saying that I am 36 year old female that has already been well in-depth in her career. I went to Barcelona, Spain on vacation and literally left saying I want to move here.. but how? I did my research and found ITA online and immediately made up my mind that I was gong to become an ESL teacher, ditch my corporate America job and leave everything behind to move to Spain. I read everything the site provided and then I read it a couple more times. I signed up for the class, and fortunate for me they were having a sale at the time and I was able to save on the tuition. I have always been a "student", but starting this program I quickly realized it was not going to be a walk in the park and I needed to put my all into it. And so I did. I have learnt a great deal and was not always easy for me with no real teaching experience. I have completed the course and feel 100% ore confident than I did half way through the course. I highly recommend this course to anyone trying to become an ESL teacher. In addition to the course, the support provided by the ITA staff has been tremendous.