Reviews of Teaching House

4.6 Rating •
267 reviews
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Description

Cambridge Assessment English approved the opening of Teaching House in 2007. With the aim to expand quality English-language teacher training in the United States, Teaching House has opened over 15 center locations and trained over 3,000 new teachers. Teaching House is now the largest provider of Cambridge CELTA courses in the world.

Ensuring the high standards of education that are set by Cambridge English, all Teaching House CELTA courses have a maximum of only 6 trainees working with each trainer. To fulfill this trainer/trainee ratio, the Teaching House staff include over 20 Cambridge English-approved teacher trainers as well as a strong support team based at our headquarters in New York.

In addition to the standard four-week CELTA course format, Teaching House has developed two new formats:

  • a 10-week part-time course run on two evenings a week and on Saturdays;
  • a part-time blended course over 14 weeks allowing people to work online during the week and do teaching practice on Saturdays.

We also offer in the USA a two week compressed teaching practice option with online content, for those who are only able to take two weeks for their teaching practice component.

Become CELTA certified – Apply TODAY!

Courses

Course Types

Combined TEFL Courses
On-site TEFL Courses
Online TEFL Courses

Course Lengths

Standard (120-140 hours)
Long Courses (150+ hours)

Certifications

Cambridge CELTA
Cambridge DELTA
TEFL / TESL / TESOL

Additional Features

Online Practicum
Part-Time Study

Locations

Canada

Toronto ON

England

London
Oxford

USA

Boston MA
Miami FL
New York NY

Teaching House has received 267 student reviews and has an overall rating of 4.57 out of 5 stars based on the following criteria.

Overall Rating
Course Content
Practice Teaching
Quality of Feedback
Lesson Plan Guidance
Instructor Competency
Job Assistance
Facilities/Resources

267 reviews of Teaching House

Review 130 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Faith Richards on October 17, 2013 7:30 pm
94%
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Not Applicable
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The CELTA is an extremely challenging course, let no one be fooled. However, the time that I spent at Teaching House New York, the knowledge acquired, the practical experience, made it all worth the while.

I cannot express enough gratitude to my tutors- Sharon Balini and Julie Bray. Their guidance was essential to my success in this course. They provided a wealth of knowledge- sharing experiences that they had in their TESOL careers, and incorporating this knowledge into lesson plans. I could not have asked for better tutors.

I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to pursue a CELTA career. When I first came to New York, I had no idea how to even begin to teach English to non-English speakers. Now, I have experience in doing so- all in four weeks.

I have left the job placement category blank because I had no need of it. However, Sharon and Julie did provide some advice on places I could teach, and on how to go about the application process. I also think that there should be at least one other photocopier/printer at the facility.

Review 129 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Maha A. on October 1, 2013 9:43 pm
90%
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Our CELTA DC 4-week intensive was rather like exam week back in university – except it was every night for 30 days… However, it was truly time well spent, with a solid curriculum, and superior expertise and guidance from our tutors, Sharon Buddemeier and Sharon Balani. They served as an excellent complement to one another in terms of their teaching styles and backgrounds. The opportunity to observe both tutors (as well as 2 other teachers in person, and an additional 3 by video) was tremendously helpful in terms of providing practical/visual guidance. Critiques by the tutors as well as fellow teachers were extremely useful in honing weak areas – particularly the detailed tutor feedback on each stage of every lesson as they played out in addition to overall progress.

The students were indeed wonderful – a good natured mini-UN providing us with a laboratory for what it might be like in real life teaching students from various parts of the world.

I do think it would have been more helpful to have an emphasis on learning theory/methodology & teaching styles during the first 1.5 weeks, with the latter portion devoted to teaching. However, the teaching practice itself, from the incredibly time-consuming lesson planning each night to teaching the following day, was an excellent (albeit extremely stressful) ‘trial by fire’ way to prep us for teaching.

I will echo Jeff’s statement that having some background in grammar is key, or will you spend a lot of time (that you don’t have) catching up during the course. I have a BA in English Lit, but was unprepared for the knowledge base requirements for grammar. It is one thing to know common sense grammar and another to have to teach it – and therefore know a given aspect inside and out along with any relevant questions students could possibly ask.

All in all, 2 thumbs up!

Review 128 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Ken on September 30, 2013 11:30 pm
90%
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I first entered the wonderful world of TEFL at Teaching House in NYC. The facilities were in generally excellent, with the exception of an exasperating and nearly comical (were it not for the added stress) series of printer/scanner mishaps. More room for teacher preparation would have been very useful, as ques and claustrophobia frequently occured. However, I expect that this will be useful preparation for future less than desirable preparation resources. The library, on the other hand, was excellent, and relatively underappreciated (I think) by my fellow trainees. There was a variety of books on methodology and linguistics, almanacs, and workbooks (student and teacher copies). I found these very useful as sources of inspiration and amusement. The support staff were very friendly and helpful in times of inevitable crisis. Bathrooms were clean, and classrooms in general had pleasant atmospheres. The vending machines were fairly reliable sources of sugar, though if you crave additional nutrients it would behoove you to search elsewhere (like any one of the dozens of restaurants or grocery stores found within a five minute walk).

In terms of the actual content of the course, by and large I had an overwhelmingly positive experience. My trainers (Lizzy, Becca, ft. Fiona) were all incredibly experienced, affable, and quite learned in the ways of the English language. The fun (and often funny) atmosphere of morning lessons helped considerably in keeping stress levels to a minimum. I do not want to give the impression that we spent the four weeks in a state of induced hysteria, for we did somehow manage to learn quite a bit from our trainers. They taught the material to us in the way that we were to teach the students in the afternoon, which made involuntary imitation much easier. The pace was brisk and the lessons well chosen. There was not much instruction in the way of grammar (which many of us, myself included, sorely needed) but I think the assumed logic was that learning the finer points of English grammar is too vast a subject to include in an already full four week course, and so it was left to self study, by and large a good idea. We received extensive feedback on the language analyses we were compelled to do, which were by turns tedious and useful. A valuable lesson that my trainers imparted was to think as much as possible as the students themselves would think. Doing this helps to eliminate a slew of problems that come from ignoring the (obvious) language barrier.

With regards to the matter of afternoon trainee led English lessons, I found them quite instructive. The students were eminently worthy of their free lessons, as they were perpetually engaged, curious, and of diverse backgrounds (though some were contrary or inconsistent in their attendance). Perhaps it was an unnaturally ideal setting, but for a beginning teacher, the idyllic students are so much more soothing than a pack of relentless, demanding interrogators. We all had a chance to try out different kinds of lessons on the students, which was a useful exercise in identifying our strengths and weaknesses. Lesson planning guidance was uniformly excellent, no qualms to be had. The trainers went above and beyond the call of duty in making sure that we were prepared, and were not too draconian on the procrastinators (read: recent college grads) among us. Of course, we were being taught the CELTA method, and so there was little room for flexibility, which could occasionally seem stifling, until one remembered that the trainers have been teaching for eons and have seen foolhardy experimentation enough to know when it is being attempted. Experimentation is perhaps just a euphemism for disorganization, and so though feedback could be sometimes be harsh regarding conformity to the way of the CELTA, it was a harshness borne of necessity. If bad habits are not stamped out in the bud, then they will grow rank to seed. All hail the Scrivener.

Job placement was not advertised as part of the course, but we did learn a lot through anecdotes, job consultations, and a lesson on resumes/interviews. I don’t know that they could have done anything more short of giving us a job. Recruiters from English First – China did come in towards the end of the course for interviews, which I found useful, but they were unaffiliated with the course, so don’t expect that, ye prospective teflers.

To end my rant, try this course out if you are serious about teaching English. The workload is very manageable if you budget your time well and do not have a long commute. The experience for me turned out to be very fun as well as educational, and I was lucky enough to meet some people who I will not forget until memory loss starts kicking in. The pricetag was a little high, but I’m told that I will find a return on the investment in grateful employers. Beyond matters of employment, the experience itself was priceless and I am extremely grateful to have had shared in it.

Review 127 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Mahdi Duris on September 30, 2013 4:11 pm
98%
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The TH Washington DC course was excellent! Both Sharon and Shaz did an outstanding job teaching our group.

The course content was packed and extremely targeted. The intensive course delivers what it promises: to be CELTA certified in 4 weeks.

This demands a lot of dedication to assignments done home along with preparation for lesson plans.

In the morning, Sharon & Shaz would “teach” us the CELTA content while applying the content in front of us. This requires a lot of skills and you can tell they have been teaching for quite a while.

The feedback is always balanced & targeted so that you can build on your experience right away.

Teaching sessions in the afternoons were also extremely targeted. While one set of “CELTA student teachers” would facilitate the class, the other set would observe & provide feedback.

In this environment, you are consistently challenged to learn from morning to afternoon.

This is an extremely intentional certification thought by top notch tutors from a great organization. TWO THUMBS UP FOR TEACHING HOUSE!

Review 126 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Steven R on September 26, 2013 4:59 pm
85%
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I finished the CELTA course on 16 August 2013. It is a very demanding course on your time and energy! If you have any demanding matters prior to the course please make sure that they are resolved or handled effectively by others because you will have a difficult time trying to manage those and the intensive nature of the course. I also realized how much of the English language I needed to familiarize myself with again after being in the public health sciences for the past 2 and half decades.

I would recommend the course because even with the intensive nature of the course the tutors and TH staff are always there for you. Sharon Balani and Julie Bray are excellent instructors and demanding reviewers. I had to relearn my teaching methodology (graduate level lecturing) so was a handful for Sharon and Julie. They were able to patiently handle my slower-than-normal uptake on teaching methodology and practice all the while demanding more of me, professionally. In addition, I would not say it was easy for Sharon and Julie to handle competing demands and needs of a large group of students but they did fantastically. They somehow managed to deal with all the requests for their precious time. They also were great at bringing in real-life examples and activities that help put many of the lessons in perspective.

Be patient and check your ego at the door. It was a humbling but excellent experience for me. The classroom practice and working with students of different language levels was rewarding.

P.S. I am just starting the job search so cannot accurately assess it well. However, Sharon and Julie provided a very good session on preparing for the job hunt.

Review 125 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Kris on September 26, 2013 3:27 pm
98%
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I recently completed the CELTA course at TH Chicago. I’ve been teaching overseas for more than five years, but I didn’t sign up for the class until a high salary job told me that I needed to take it. I’m glad I did. Heather and Helen taught me quite a few things that will prove useful in the future. My organization has always been a bit lax and this class helped me to be better organized/prepared for my lessons. I learned about a variety of classroom management techniques and teaching styles which I hadn’t been using. Previously, I’ve only done online teaching classes. The ‘hands on’ experience that you get teaching and ESPECIALLY the criticism/review after each lesson was really useful. The continuing developement is something that I plan on implementing in the future; not only with self review but by asking colleagues/supervisors with a free period to observe my lessons. The students here were absolutely fantastic. These were probably the most motivated, diligent students that I have ever taught.

If anyone is like me and has been teaching awile without having done a CELTA, I’d strongly recommend taking the course (especially with TH Chicago).

Next stop…DELTA?

Review 124 of 267 Teaching House

Written by PM on September 25, 2013 9:04 pm
88%
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I took the intensive CELTA course in DC (well, technically northern Virginia), and came away from it a much stronger and more knowledgeable teacher. The tutors, Sharons Balani and Buddemeier, were both very experienced and knowledgeable. As someone with no English teaching background, there were a lot of things I had to familiarize myself with, but the tutors and my fellow trainees were there to support me along the way. The students were also fantastic–both the pre-Intermediates and Upper Intermediates were consistently full of enthusiasm and energy, which made the process of trying to orient yourself in a classroom far less daunting. Ultimately, after taking the CELTA, I feel well-prepared to begin work teaching English no matter what level of support or guidance I might get wherever I’m employed–I feel confident and knowledgeable. There’s still a lot I have to work on as far as my teaching goes, but, thanks to the course, I’ve pinpointed exactly where my weaknesses are, and know how I can go about correcting them.

The main area in which I think my time in the course could have been better spent is the observation of other trainees’ teaching practice. Although invaluable near the beginning, such observations, by the latter stages of the course, aren’t particularly useful: you can only learn so much from seeing the same mistakes repeated over and over again. More live observations of experienced teachers (ideally with the same students you practice with) would make the course even better.

Beyond that, the only complaint I can come up with is that I wish the space included a higher quality photocopier. It was difficult to make copies of photos and have them turn out all right.

All in all, the CELTA course I took was a great investment, one that I can easily envision paying off.

Review 123 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Jeffrey Downs on September 25, 2013 5:37 pm
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Overall, I had a very enjoyable, encouraging, and constructive experience with the CELTA course at Teaching House Washington, D.C.! Granted, there is quite a lot of information to be processed in four week period, and I was definitely stressed out at times, but the environment in which we learned and taught made it possible to succeed. Our teaching instructors, Sharon Balani and Sharon Buddemeier, were extremely professional, experienced, and competent. They cleverly conducted the AM input sessions with precision, provided invaluable advice in the form of written and oral feedback from our observed teaching, and also made them selves readily available for advice. Both helped to foster and environment of positivity and constructive criticism and towards the end of the course the critiques of fellow teaching trainees began to align with that of the instructors, proof of the effectiveness of their methodology.

I have been out of school for quite some time, so I definitely spent a disproportionate amount of time organizing anf preparing my lessons. I feel as though some of the younger students who are more recently graduated from college fared somewhat better, but everyone shared in the stress. I would highly recommend to anyone who is going to take the course to work on your basic grammar knowledge (they provide great resources there for lesson planning and even offer a link to a five hour grammar course before the class begins). You certainly don’t need to be an expert, but it will help if you know how to quickly and efficiently reference the relevant information for your lesson planning. Also, read Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivner. It may not be absolutely necessary, but it will definitely give you a great insight as to the methodology that will be taught, and may even save you some valuable time during the course.

The class size was perfect; there were 10 teacher trainees and the two instructors, and we were divide into 2 groups for our observed teaching sessions. We taught pre-intermediate students for the first 2 weeks and upper intermediate for the 2nd half of the course. I was very impressed with the diversity of the nationalities of the students we were privileged to teach. They came from all over the world with different reasons for learning English, were very motivated, and were also very encouraging towards us us teachers. It was definitely my favorite part of the course, and will continue to be a motivating factor in my continued pursuit of teaching ESL or EFL.

Definitely take the CELTA course from Teaching House!

Jeff Downs

Review 122 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Sara Jayne Poletti on September 25, 2013 11:46 am
88%
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The CELTA course is an intensive and worthwhile program aimed to teach its students valuable skills for a career in ESL. The teaching practice was invaluable, and trainers Sharon Balani and Sharon Buddemeier were hardworking, instructive, and gave great feedback. Guided lesson planning was extremely helpful, and by the time the last teaching practice sessions arrived, I felt confident in my planning and teaching skills. I highly recommend this course!

Review 121 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Kevin M on September 25, 2013 11:05 am
93%
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I took the intensive CELTA course at Teaching House in Washington D.C. . The course itself is well-designed and will challenge you even if you have prior teaching experience. The practice lessons that you teach to real students (starting on the 2nd day!) are extremely valuable as is the feedback given by the course tutors. The tutors themselves, Sharon Buddemeier and Sharon “Shazz” Balani, were exceptional. Both are knowledgeable, experienced teachers you should emulate; you’ll learn a lot just by being in the morning input sessions they teach. I and my other classmates were also very grateful for their support and guidance throughout the course. The intensive CELTA was a ton of work, but Sharon and Shazz worked just as hard teaching us in the mornings and bringing out our best as teachers in the afternoons. If you are serious about becoming a better esl/efl teacher, this is a highly rewarding course.

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