Teach English abroad and change your life! We offer TEFL certification courses online and in 25+ locations worldwide.
Have you ever desired to live overseas as a local, not as a tourist? Do you speak English fluently and have a love of new cultures and far off adventures?
If the answer is yes, you are amongst hundreds of thousands of others just like you who have made the move abroad to Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
The demand for fluent and native English speakers is the highest in history with globalization, world economies, international business and education. Each country needs thousands of English teachers every year.
International TEFL Academy can train you in 1 or 2 months to be a professional English teacher with our Online TEFL and International TEFL courses. We offer lifetime job guidance assistance for our graduates to work overseas teaching English over 80 countries worldwide. If you would love to live in Europe, Asia, South America or the Middle East, you are one decision away from making this dream happen.
Contact us about country work options, requirements, hiring processes and choices of TEFL TESOL certification classes to get you to your dream lifestyle.
I went to The Language House in Prague through ITA and it was the best experience of my life. I learned so much in my four weeks there and the entire faculty and staff is amazing. 10/10 would recommend to anyone wanting to do their TEFL program abroad.
If you are reading this you are probably up late at night trying to figure out which company to choose to take your TEFL certification to fulfill a dream of exploration or make a change in the life you have now.
Although there are many options, I opted for The International TEFL Academy (ITA) based in Chicago. This certification program is a bit more expensive than others, but you get a return of investment in every penny you spend. ITA has two main ways to obtain certifications, online or in-person.
I took the online option which consisted of an 11 week course with deadlines, quizzes and videos to ensure you have read the course work and understood the material.
(*At the end of the course you can save all your material on USB for future references).
There is a total of 150 hours required for the online coursework and 20 hours for a practicum. This means you go out and use what you have learned and teach someone for experience.
(*You will often have to have both parties sign a document stating the hours spent teaching).
I also signed up for the 30 hours course of teaching business English and young learners for free. All in all, online you have the possibility of 200 hours.
The second option ITA provides for certification is in-person. It can be done in Chicago or in many locations they have abroad. But I have heard from fellow alumni that it is an intensive, full time work load all at once.
(*They have a location in Barcelona, Spain, where I live).
Rather you choose the online option or the in-person, ITA is extremely helpful every step of the way.
In 2014, I decided to do the online course during my senior year of University and 1 month after graduating with my diploma and certification in hand I bought a one way ticket to teach in Florence, Italy.
At first I didn't have much work because Florence is a very small city. However, I emailed my advisor and she was quick to put me in contact with an associated school that would help with possible job reccomendations.
Using her guided help and the ITA alumni job chart I was able to secure two employers during my year in Florence.
After my year in Florence came to an end, I decided to move to Spain because there wasn't any work in the summer. Looking at the ITA Alumni Facebook page, Spain just seemed to have the most activity and the job chart had more employers. I then decided on living in Barcelona and I hit the ground running handing out CVs and posting them online.
I have had the most success and comfortable living from teaching English in Spain as a private teacher. Three years later and I am still teaching English in Barcelona as it has not only become my home, but a beautiful destination where I can fulfill my dreams of traveling and still teach English.
With ITA you have a lot of advantages:
-200 hours of online course.
-In-person option to get certified in many locations abroad.
-You can apply to be an ITA ambassador for 6 months and tell your story through the city you live in and earn $500.
(*I was an ambassador for Barcelona, Spain, and it took a lot of time taking photos, writing articles, hosting events for almuni and doing Instagram / Snapchat takeovers for the company, but it was worth it and the money helped fund a trip).
-Write articles about your experience with ITA and teaching.
-Connect with other teachers in your country.
-Access to a dedicated Facebook page of almost any country you are curious working and living in.
(*Some Facebook pages have many FAQs and tips as well as job opportunities from private teachers and some companies).
-Attending a party once a year called World Alumni Day, where majority of the alumni in the area you teach in get together.
(*It's a great networking oppurtunity and ITA pays for the first round of drinks. This is a must if you are new to your area. I have hosted the ITA World Alumni Day in Barcelona twice and it is an amazing experience.
If you are not able to make it in person, ITA provided last year a Facebook live event of all the their locations in the United States and abroad. I don't know if the live Facebook event will be continuing every year. I think you can watch the previous years on their Facebook page.)
-Year round (Really life time support), with almost any situation you need help with while abroad and before you go. This was the main reason I applied for ITA.
-There are more advantages such as country info charts with average costs and what you need to know and save before going abroad.
(*If you plan on moving to any country, I would plan on taking / saving a little bit more than reccomended by ITA, just as a saftey cushion).
The disadvantages with ITA:
-The price can be quite expensive compared to other TEFL companies.
(*In 2014, I actually got a discount by signing up during the Christmas holiday season.
Also after being certified and teaching like listed above ITA has oppurtunities to make money after your certification).
All in all, my experience with ITA has been nothing short of excellent. My TEFL certification, like my passport have been one the best investments I have made.
If you are interested in knowing more about me and my journey of teaching English abroad as well as getting your fix of travel inspiration, you can follow me on Instagram: @travelingcrumbs (Travelingcrumbs)
I really enjoyed my course with international TEFL academy. I did the online course and I really learned a lot. I’m currently teaching in China and I’ve traveled a lot in Europe. I’ve also met a lot of amazing people. Thanks to the academy for making my dreams come through!
I had a wonderful admissions advisor, Matt, who guided me through the whole process and had great advice since he’s done this before himself. I did the online portion and the professor was very helpful and gave prompt and thorough feedback for every assignment. The only part that was never 100% clear to me (though, to be fair, I didn’t give it my full attention) was how to use advisors once you were ready to start applying for jobs. But, the alumni group on Facebook was incredibly helpful and a great resource.
I’m currently in Costa Rica (about 3 months now) and it’s been the experience of a lifetime and I can’t wait to do this again and again in other countries :) I’m so grateful to ITA for all their help and their endless resources.
My advisor from International TEFL Academy was awesome! She helped me through every step and was able to answer all our questions. Applying through International TEFL Academy was easy and would definitely recommend! The only i was unprepared for was just how intensive the course (in Arequipa, Peru) was. But overall great experience!
