I was on this website reading reviews for possible volunteer/teaching opportunities for this upcoming year and stumbled upon some reviews for The Language House TEFL in Prague where I got my TEFL certification many years ago. I had to take a moment to write a review for them because I was so happy to see them listed. Honestly their program was AWESOME. It is an amazing value for the amount of education and training and especially the amount of support they provide. They will completely help you set up your life in Prague if thats what you are looking for (amazing job support, cell phone, flat, bank account). They also take a lot of time to organize social outings and showing you the city. Even though I did the program many years ago I still keep in touch with some people from my cohort and have recommended their program to others throughout the years as recently as last year and it seems their program is still awesome. If you are looking for a program that really teaches you how to teach english (you will be confident in what you are doing) and supports you in beginning a new life abroad then this program is a great choice.
Language House TEFL - Prague
I am a U.S. certified teacher at an international school in Prague, and I have been teaching here for over a year. One of my teaching certifications is in bilingual education, and all of my students are English language learners. After hearing such great reviews about The Language House from many of its graduates in the expat community, I decided to spend part of my summer vacation auditing the TLH methodology courses. (Because I only audited the classes, I cannot comment on the other aspects of the course.)
My intention was to expand my knowledge of teaching methodology in the area of EFL, and TLH definitely delivered. The classes I attended at TLH far surpassed the American teaching program I graduated from in terms of quality and effectiveness. The TLH methodology classes provided a strong foundation in best practices not only in TEFL but in education as a whole.
The instructors were phenomenal. Skip, Chris, Kate, Tom, Pete, Renee, and Andrea are all highly experienced and engaging teachers with impressive content knowledge. More importantly, they are obviously passionate about teaching, and sincerely care about helping course participants become great teachers. They are also longtime Prague veterans and are very forthcoming about living in teaching here.
Most tellingly, throughout the course, the participants were engaged in learning, enthusiastic about teaching, and supportive of each other both in and out of class. No wonder TLH has such a great reputation in Prague!
Having just completed the TEFL course through the Language House here in Prague, I feel the need to pass on my positive experience to help others decide to do the same. Chris Westergaard and the entire team go out of their way to support all their TEFL wannabes in every aspect of life here in Prague, and of course in getting the TEFL certificate. The support starts from the first email, and carries on after the 4 week course with further support in job hunting. It ranges from housing support and being picked up from the airport, through support in teaching classes or learning grammar, to helping with job hunting and job interviews. And if that is not enough, the social aspect is not forgotten either, with a welcome dinner, a tour of the most important sights of Prague and a chat whenever they are in the building. I felt extremely comfortable and well looked after during the course and the back up is still there now, after the course. Any negatives? The class we were in was above a bakery and the delicious smells coming in through the window made me hungry. I would recommend the course to all who are serious about wanting to teach English abroad and are willing to put in 4 weeks of hard work surrounded by a lot of fun.
The Language House is the perfect place to go if you are looking to start teaching abroad. The owner, Chris Westergaard will help you every step of the way. The entire staff is very knowledgeable and helps you in every area of your life as you go through the course. They prepare Grammar workshops to help you effectively learn the material. One of the best things about this course is the fact that you have 12 hours of actual teaching time to different levels of people who want to learn English. If you don't know anyone they provide a welcome dinner and tour of the city to get you comfortable with your fellow classmates as well. The staff is constantly helping you find a potential job too. They even conduct mock interviews where you have a chance to have a one on one interview with someone who is very knowledgeable about the hiring process in Prague. I would highly reccomend this program to anyone who is thinking of becoming a teacher in Prague. It is a HIGH value for your money. They provide you with unlimited access to computers with printers,textbooks, and additional unique material throughout the course. They are extremely personable and will genuinely care about you and your experience abroad.
I enrolled in the Language House TEFL program during the summer of 2011, and took the course during the month of October 2011. During the summer, Chris Westergaard, the owner of The Language House, was very helpful and answered any questions I had about the program, Prague, or anything else my somewhat confused and uncertain brain could come up with.
The course itself was very difficult, but it was difficult in the sense that I knew I was getting my money's worth and learning as much as possible in its one month duration. All of the instructors on the course are very knowledgeable, helpful, and very good at what they do.
After graduating, I gained an interview at a reputable language school in Prague and felt very comfortable during the presentation of my lesson plan to the director of the language school, thanks to my time at The Language House.
