TEFL Heaven Mexico | TEFL/TESOL & Guaranteed Job

I am a recent college grad and was looking for something to do in my gap year before heading back to graduate school. I chose Mexico because I wanted to further advance my Spanish skills. I was happily surprised with Puerto Vallarta and the course. Puerto Vallarta is an amazing beach town with a rich history and authenticity, but also has a tourist economy. The TEFL course was great. The instructors are caring and help you with whatever it is you need. They have a great system for job placement and will put you where is best for you. I made some wonderful friends through the course, and am actually still living in PV working as a 1st and 2nd grade teacher. Come to Mexico, it will so be worth your while!!

The month spent completing my TEFL course in Mexico will always be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I met some incredible people who, in just a short time, became like a family to me. Puerto Vallarta was hot, humid, relaxed, sunny, incredibly beautiful and fun! The locals smiled at me in the street and i've never met such warm and welcoming people. Compared to the rest of Mexico (although don't be put off by this- it's fine if you're smart) Puerto Vallarta is incredible safe and therefore the perfect place to study. My course trainer Raul was utterly fantastic! That man was like a walking encyclopedia and spoke about teaching English with such passion and love it had me desperate to get into the class room. We were shown that English can and should be fun and I learnt to teach complicated grammar concepts through Role Play and games. My only criticism of the course is that they will only help you to find a job in Mexico so if you want to work elsewhere in the world you will be searching independently for this. Not necessarily a problem just something to be aware of. I'm thrilled that I completed my TEFL here and learnt an unbelievable amount in a short time.

The course itself is very well thought out and delivered excellently by Raul who has over 15 years’ experience teaching English. The course includes 5 hours of observing lessons run by qualified teachers and then ten hours of teaching practice for yourself. There is a lot of support from the other teachers when it comes to putting together your own lesson plans.
The student coordinator, Alan, arranged my first interview for my second week and by the day before the course ended I secured employment in Puerto Vallarta which is where I wanted to stay. Most of the people on my course had secured employment before the course ended. Though it did seem that there was more support for those who wanted to stay in Mexico with those that wanted to work in a different country not feeling as supported.
Puerto Vallarta itself is a stunning place and extremely friendly. I felt very concerned that my lack of Spanish would be an issue but as it is such a tourist spot there are many that speak at least some English. There is lots to do in the area, from the beaches to tequila tasting, boat trips, snorkelling etc. though the prices for these are geared towards tourists.
Living costs are cheap relative to living in the UK with taco stands offering tacos from 10 pesos upwards. However, if you are in the busy tourist spots you will find that prices can be much higher unsurprisingly.
I will admit that I was apprehensive about coming to Mexico as you hear that it is very unsafe but I’ve found Puerto Vallarta to be very friendly and as long as you are sensible then you should be fine. Just use your common sense and don’t leave yourself vulnerable.

I was very skeptic about moving to Mexico much less paying money to a school I wasn't even sure existed. I remember calling them constantly to ask random questions to calm my paranoia lol. When I got there I was very impressed with their school set up and student apartments. I truly enjoyed the course and learnt so much. Lesson planning, classroom activities, classroom management and even how to come out of my shell. God knows that was my hardest part. But with a little tough love I was able to and it has made me the amazing teacher I am today. Not only did we learn about teaching English, but throughout the course I was shown time and time again how important the role of a teacher is and it made me feel even more fulfilled knowing I'm changing lives. I also enjoyed the teaching practice we had which changed each week allowing us variety in age group and level. I was given 3 interview options in the last week of the course and I accepted the Guadalajara post. Now that I've completed my contract, I made contact again for a new job in a new city and low and behold a few weeks later I had an interview which led me to my second job placement through this amazing TEFL program. Thanks again for everything!

This program is an absolutely amazing experience! Puerto Vallarta (PV) is a beautiful city with a rich cultural heritage that the people take advantage of.
First, the down sides (depending on your point of view). In some ways PV is akin to visiting the United States or Great Britain. It can be a bit more expensive than most of the rest of Mexico (especially if you're limited to visiting stores where the associates only speak English). In some ways, parts of the city are comparable to Disney World (according to my room mate when I was on the program). Finding inexpensive non-Mexican food is not easy to do.
Then again, you're not going to Mexico to eat expensive French food - you're there to experience the culture, the food, the life. The people are incredibly friendly, especially if you even try to speak a little Spanish to them (a simple "hola" and "Buenos dias" go a long way). The local food is fantastic, and you can get the best tacos I've ever had for about 12 pesos apiece (~0.75 USD). And that brings to mind the issue of money: "expensive" is all relative, and even in PV "expensive" is nothing compared to the United States or Europe (that said, it's easy to forget how much money you're spending in pesos).
The course itself was fantastic. Raul, the Academic Director, has been teaching ESL for about a decade and a half, and he's got stories you wouldn't believe. He's a great teacher. They've recently changed the TEFL books to make them even better. The owner, Alan, is very helpful and was able to assist me in finding employment; he has contacts everywhere in Mexico, and many overseas.

I honestly enjoyed my month in Puerto Vallarta, I still sometimes cannot believe I left. Mexico is already a beautiful country with friendly people and great sites. The TEFL certification there was a lot of fun. We had real teaching experiences with different age groups that allowed how to gauge how we felt about potentially teaching each age group in the future. Then there is the instructor. Ours was very well rounded and has been doing this for a couple decades, so he really knows his stuff. Class was always very entertaining, and every class included some form of practical, hands-on type assignment/work. You really do learn a lot there.

This course was exactly what I was looking for. It was straightforward and very thorough with information on how to teach, how to plan lessons, and it also prepared me for many of the possible problems that may arise within the classroom. Not only would you be taking a course that could open many opportunities for you, but you would be doing so on the beach! In a absolutely beautiful city. I strongly recommend this course if you are thinking about teaching English abroad. I started off with no experience and decided to take this course during my gap year. I am now teaching in Guadalajara and I couldn't be happier. Excited to see where I will go next, the possibilities are endless! Very pleased with the support and organization of this program, thank you to TEFLHeaven!

I had originally had written good review of the course. Yes the course was good but the job placement was totally horrendous and appalling. I had requested before and during the course that I was looking for a coast location which I know can be hard but there were placements at the Via school and I had not been considered which I was very upset and insulted by. I had no other choice but t head to San Luis Potosi. I was sent to a city called San Luis Potosi were other previous students were sent and only lasted the maximum 3 months. I was given false information by my course coordinator for example I was told the beach was only 2 hours away when it was 7 & nature was close by when it was 4 ours away!! I found this awful. The city itself is a ghetto and nothing to do and I was working beside 2 strip clubs. I did not feel safe and was extremely lost and lonely. I was there along with 4 other girls and guess what we have all left!!! This place is not for single women and I do not have the trust or confidence to go back to my coordinator and ask for something else. God knows where I would be placed. This was hugely disappointing and I am in the process of following this up more further and getting some justice for the disappointment I endured. I have got something else off my own back in a beautiful location. Watch out for false information if you do this course and are applying for a job though them.