Award Winning TEFL Courses for Teaching English in Costa Rica

I have been trying to figure out which direction I wanted to take my life. I was close to the end of getting my degree in school and I was desperately trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. I knew that I wanted to travel and see the world, but I wasn't sure how. Then I kept hearing people talking about teaching English abroad. It was something I've always heard people talk about, but it never really crossed my mind as something I would do. I put in my information and received a call from Chelsea, my admissions advisor. I had PLENTY of questions to ask Chelsea had an answer for every single one of them. She was very nice and patient and I appreciate her being so clear.

So after months of deciding, I finally got on board and signed up for the online course. I really enjoyed it. It was an active class, where you had a chance to create your own lesson plans, and learned about different teaching methods for students. Emily, the online instructor, gave very informative and great constructive criticism which helped me improve weekly. Erika, my Student Affairs advisor is awesome! She helped me narrow down which place I should go, and she helped me polish my resume and my cover letter.

Now I currently teach English online and I absolutely love it! I finally feel like I am heading down my destined path and I can't wait to continue this journey and move to Costa Rica summer of 2019. I think that this is a great school to attend because not only do you get a lot of information on countries, they prepare you for it. When I found out that the advisors I've been assigned to will always be my advisors as long as they are there, I knew this was a good decision. It brings the opportunity to build a great rapport.

I have been thinking about teaching abroad for so many years. I finally decided to go through with up because... why not!? I found ITA Costa Rica in Barva, Heredia, through searching ESL teaching programs abroad. ITA Costa Rica was the one I found the most positive reviews about. While reading about the program I had the best feeling about the program. It was a sense of comfort and I felt like it was a true educational program that would prepare me the best for teaching English as a Second Language. Once choosing ITA Costa Rica I had a sense of peace and I felt like I was about to make the greatest move of my life.

* Reasons why you SHOULD take this course:
- The course instructors, Luke and Melanie are absolutely amazing. You are given so much guidance throughout the whole process. They are both experts in TESOL and give you so many helpful resources & tools throughout the course.
- Starting with the first day of class, your mind will be put at ease with what you'll have to do and what is expected of you throughout the course. Everything is organized very nicely day by day. You are shown how to navigate the calendars, teaching schedule, moodle (where all course info will be available online), and where all the essential things are in Barva to help you be successful throughout the month.
- Without a doubt you are able to walk into this course with out any teaching experience and walk out feeling confident about how to be a teacher in the TESOL world. So don't be intimidated!!!
- It is not overwhelming if you stay on top of the work and if you have good time management skills - you will be fine!
- It is a very affordable program!
- You have the opportunity to stay with a homestay family - and you should definitely do it!! It gives you such a sense of security to have a family and they truly do care about you. They are supportive, extremely nice and cook amazing food! It's an easy way to experience the culture and practice Spanish.
- You are living in a beautiful country - obviously :)

My expectations were very high coming into this course, and still they were exceeded. I met some of the best people in this course & they have prepared me amazingly to be a teacher. They introduced us to many people who are directors of language academies. Most of them personally know Luke and Melanie & they trust that the class prepares us well. I was even hired before the course finished because they knew that I would be able to teach efficiently if I made it though the course. That being said, the course is so doable. It’s all very practical and the instructors help you every step of the way. Overall this course was so fun and helped me not only be a fantastic teacher, but it helped me be familiar with Costa Rican culture!

I took this course in 2016, and I found that I felt very ready to teach. They taught me how to teach English, I was assisted in finding a job, housing and making local friends even. Although they provided me with a lot of material, they also taught me how to create and seek out material on my own (teaching me to fish instead of simply giving me the fish). I feel that this course prepared me very well to go out and teach, as well as preparing me well for life in Costa Rica, with culture shock courses and information about local culture. Luke and Melanie are the absolute best.

The course is 100% worth it. In 4 weeks you are able to gain so much knowledge and practice teaching ESL. The program gives you options of housing and lets you fill out a form with your preferences (definitely recommend staying with a host family). My host family was everything I could have hoped for and I still go and see them even after moving out when the course ended. They set up transportation at the airport for you, making your journey a lot less stressful upon arrival. It is definitely an intense and challenging course, but it is absolutely worth it. The first week can feel a bit overwhelming, but you get used to the work load and pace of the course. The practicum teaching and feedback sessions are super helpful. Melanie and Luke break down lesson planning for vocabulary, grammar and skills lessons so you are fully prepared when the course ends. They are very helpful through the job search process. They also provide information about other countries if you are looking to move somewhere else after the course ends. Between your classmates, instructors and alumni you are able to have such a helpful support system. This course completely exceeded my expectation and I recommend it to anyone considering getting their TEFL certification.

This course was absolutely fantastic. The material and instruction was extremely comprehensive. The tutors were always there to assist with any issues during the course. The marking/grading time frame from the tutors was extremely admirable. The assignments were always returned back with extensive feedback in a short period of time. This in turn made it easier to progress on the course as it meant we were able to make improvements in time for the next assignment.
The course was extremely intense, more so than was expected. However, I saw this as a positive as it meant we were more prepared to go into teaching ESL after the course. The program provided by the tutors was known throughout the local ESL community. This became evident during my interviews for work at various institutes, they shared the same view that the tutors were doing a successful job of preparing ESL Teachers for the field.
I am extremely happy that I took this course instead of one off the internet. I feel that it simply would not have been enough to be able to successful teach ESL. Whereas the course at TESOL COSTA RICA provided week on week practical sessions that were reviewed and developed upon. Due to the practical side of the course and constant feedback provided from this, the course simply could not be beat for preparing a teacher in my opinion.
If you want to take the most comprehensive TEFL course and be prepared for the ESL market then I would highly recommend taking this one!
Pura Vida!

This course was absolutely amazing!! Your in-class time is split between two incredible teachers, with different teaching styles that only work to create a diversified learning experience. There is a lot of hands-on and practical teaching experience you will not find in an online class, that is crucial to becoming familiar with real life teaching. You will learn everything you need to know about correct English grammar, and how to teach it. Luke and Melanie (the 2 teachers), and other staff are with every step of the way. Do not go into this class thinking it will be a vacation, it is not. During the month of class there is not as much time to travel around Costa Rica as you might expect. There is a lot of work, but it is very manageable. After graduating this course, I not only feel very prepared to be a successful English teacher, but based on the strong reputation this school has in the ESL world here in Costa Rica, I feel like I have an advantage over other TEFL students. After graduating this course, I took a little vacation to Nicaragua, but now I am back here teaching at a local English school and can't wait to see what my future has in store for me!!

This was an amazing experience and continues to be even after graduation! Everyone on staff was more than helpful, direct and upfront. All of the assignments were clearly outlined and although the work load challenging it certainly was doable. I think what I appreciated most was how enthusiastic the staff was about training us and their ability to give helpful advice at the right time and with one-on-one interactions if we had a question, problem, or were just feeling overwhelmed.