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Taking the TEFL Plunge Part 1 - How I Got Started



    A bit of background

 I've always liked the idea of living abroad, but if you had told me when I was in college that I would end up being a director of a teacher training program in Prague, I would have told you, you were crazy. It's funny how life works out.

I started teaching in my early 20's in Austria on a teaching internship for a study abroad program. It was on a whim to be honest, but I really took to it, and it seemed like something I was natural at. During that year abroad, I visited Prague and fell in love with the city completely. I didn't really know what to do when I graduated university, but I knew that I wanted to get back to Prague. That's when I discovered TEFL and the reality that you could actually live and teach abroad all over the world without too much difficulty. I had known people who were teaching abroad, but I figured you needed a lot of schooling or experience to do so. When I learned that it was relatively easy to do, I knew that teaching was something I wanted to do. So, I signed up for a TEFL certificate course in Prague and got on a plane a few weeks after graduating university. That was just about ten years ago.

I could go on and on about my growth as a teacher and the eventual formation of The Language House TEFL, but it would take forever. In a nutshell, I found the training and treatment of the TEFL certificate course that I attended in Prague (no need to mention any names) back in 2002, to be pretty poor and in need of improvement. I was young, motivated and full of ideas on how teacher training could be improved along with that personal touch that was missing in most TEFL/TESOL programs. After a few years of hard work, dedication and collaboration with group of talented teachers and likeminded individuals, The Language House TEFL had its first 4-week TEFL certificate course in July 2004. I was 25 at the time.

   Eight years and around 800 graduates later, we are better than ever. The experience of running a school and creating a life abroad has been amazing. I get to constantly meet new people every month and our network of graduates has reached a level where I can practically go to any place in the world and visit my former Language House TEFL trainees. However, I can't take full credit for this. The Language House TEFL is my baby, but it's been raised by dozens of great people over the years. Here's a shout to all of the great people who helped, and still help, to make The Language House the place that it is: Sanyam, Pete, Indigo, Brian C, Monika, Grammar Steve, Katie, John H, Derek, Andrea B, Clay, Richard, Mike, Mary, Renee,  Alex, Skip...etc who all made it possible and to the current staff who all do a great job. Thank You!

 We run TEFL today at The Language House TEFL (TLH TEFL) the same way I wanted it to be run back in 2003 when it was just an idea.
1. More teaching practice
2. More extras
3. More course support
4. Non corporate
5. A real solid community of trainers, teachers and graduates who genuinely care about each other and help each other always.

     So what's the point?

  The point is that I know what I'm talking about. I've personally trained and kept in contact with close to a thousand graduates of the program and other teachers abroad. I've seen and can document amazing success stories with teaching abroad as well as absolute crash and burn failures. All of my experience and information, I am happy to share with you.

  So let's get started and of course let's always have fun.

Old School TEFL - First night out in Prague with the
my TEFL course in August 2002. 10 years later we are
still in contact with each other and remain friends 

Chris Westergaard
TEFL Prague Courses - The Language House 
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Comments

  1. faustJune 16, 2011 at 8:34 PM

    The part about a key element really being about providing support made me laugh. It's so true. A lot of both teacher training and managing teachers abroad is dealing with their problems. I've had more than my share of low self-esteem, know-it-alls, antisocials, and even a schizophrenic. It's a weird industry at times.

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