267 reviews of Teaching House

Review 110 of 267 Teaching House

80%
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“I loved pretty much everything about the CELTA course, especially just being a student (on a personal level). I loved how challenging it was- I didn’t even really mind being sleep-deprived. In a way I’m sorry it’s over.

Observing fellow participants was probably one of the most useful parts of the course. It helped me to assimilate the info because it’s always easier to see mistakes in other people. I had all the theory from input sessions and it would have taken years for me to learn from putting that into practice, if ever. Seeing others do it right (or wrong) made it click.

Since the time was so rushed, I only wish we had seen some more examples of both good and bad lessons, with the instructors’ criticisms, so I could have got there a bit sooner. It is a lot of information to digest in such a short time and that might have sped up the process.”

Review 109 of 267 Teaching House

83%
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The best thing to me about my time at IH in New York were the instructors and the students. My instructors Sharon Balani and Julie Bray I believe equipped the trainees with all their prior knowledge about teaching English to adults. They incorporated intersting and fun ways in which to teach students who are learning English as a second language. Their feedback for practice teaching was essential in helping me and most other students to improve our techniqes while teaching. They didn’t baby us, meaning they didn’t hold our hands and tell us everything that we should do. Instead, with their feedback and guide, we had the chance to develop our own style of teaching while still maintaing and trying to achieve a standard set by Cambridge and Inetrnationl House (Teaching House NY). Overall, this was a good course. Very intense. You should have nothing else to commit to during the 4 weeks of this intense course because it does require a lot work and attention, but in the end, it is very much worth it. I would definitely recommend this course, and being in Downtown Manhattan daily is an additional perk.

Review 108 of 267 Teaching House

100%
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I have just finished the CELTA course at TH NYC and had such a great time! It is Intensive in all sense of the word. Our tutors, Sharon & Julie were so supportive, but professionally demanding at the same time (thing I liked so much). I really appreciated their savoir-faire in the ESL field and teaching in general. Even though the course was very demanding they kept us in good spirits with their high level of energy and enthusiasm. They helped me explore new ways to become the best teacher I can be. Having the other trainees around trying constantly to help was a real blessing.

If I had to do the whole thing again, i would absolutely not change a thing.

One love all the way from MOROCCO

Review 107 of 267 Teaching House

100%
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If I have to take my CELTA intensive course again, I will definitely take it at Teaching House Chicago.

You will be surprised how much information you gain in such a short time. The input sessions are well designed and expose you to different ways to teach English as well as prepare you to be a better English teacher.

During guided practice, the tutors help you deliver the lesson for the next time you have to teach. The teaching practice is extremely helpful as you have to teach for 3 different durations: 20 minutes, 40 minutes and 60 minutes. It was always a challenge for me to finish my lesson with the aims achieved in the 20 minute and 40 minute sessions.

If you don’t have teaching, you will be observing the other trainees’ teaching. It is extremely beneficial as you will “learn” from each other and “use” their ideas and methods in your next lesson.

One striking thing is you see how you and your group change into better teachers.

Because you SEE how you changed into a better teacher, better observer/evaluator, a better researcher (as the assignments make you think and search for appropriate answers), you end the course with a better understanding of yourself and accept that change is “beautiful”.

Don’t miss the opportunity of learning about yourself, others and definitely teaching English… Teaching House Chicago is the place you would like to experience this!

Review 106 of 267 Teaching House

94%
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Not Applicable
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Teaching House Chicago is a program that delivers on its promises. I loved my fellow candidates and the tutors. During my recent course, people helped each other out, and the atmosphere was intense, but the stress was well punctuated with laughter and the joy of being around caring, dedicated, and fun people. They expect you to meet Cambridge standards and provide the path to do it–if you are willing to do the work and do not give up, you can get through. Most candidates were at the center eight hours or more and then worked two or more hours on assignments or teaching outside of the class (from previous teaching experience, I thought lesson planning would take less time, but the detail required in the CELTA planning structure requires and rewards time). This course redefined how I think about teaching, and while I am glad for the opportunities it opens up, the relationships formed and skill gained are priceless.

Review 105 of 267 Teaching House

100%
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I graduated from the Teaching House Intensive CELTA in NYC, NY last summer. This was the best decision I’ve ever made and certainly worth every penny I spent on it. If I would have known how valuable this course is, I might have skipped college and graduate school altogether and just done this right out of high school.

You get to learn from the trainers in the mornings, and teach Teaching Practice students every afternoon. The trainers truly cared about each of us. We were broken up into groups of 6 for feedback, and we all received individual instruction. The trainers were always willing to stay late to help you if there was something you were struggling with.

You learn so much in just four weeks. It is very intense. If you are able to manage your time well, you will do splendidly. However, do not plan to have a social life while taking the course.

I took the course as further preparation for going into the Peace Corps, and it has served me well.

Once I’ve completed my travels with the Peace Corp. I plan to go back to Teaching House to obtain my DELTA.

Review 104 of 267 Teaching House

95%
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While the course is intense and demanding it is extremely informative. Anyone who is interested in ESL teaching or in improving their teaching ability should definitely choose Teaching House.

There is a lot of work that has to be crammed into the four week intensive course, but the trainers and other trainees made the experience a lot of fun. It’s tiring but I always looked forward to going into class every day. Teaching practice and feedback were very very helpful. The atmosphere makes it very clear that everyone is there to help you better yourself. The input sessions were very informative, as the material is highly contextualized and well integrated. Techniques and activities were really useful for use in the classroom and they were kept fun and interesting throughout the course

My only real complaint is with the facility, which restricted Teaching House’s access to the internet. However, the technology in the classroom was very useful.

Review 103 of 267 Teaching House

94%
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Not Applicable
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I recently graduated from the Teaching House Intensive CELTA in Philadelphia, PA. If you’re looking for the short version: it is worth every penny and every ounce of effort, from both perspectives of breaking into the industry and developing an ongoing career.

The program is a unique experience; you’re a student in the mornings and a teacher in the afternoons. That is, you have input sessions before lunch (specific teaching points, using various resources in the classroom, etc.) that are designed to get the information you need to you and also to get you used to the CELTA method of teaching first-hand. After lunch, you have to be on your game and ready to turn around and use those lessons right away. It’s an exciting – if exhausting – process and keeps you on your toes every day. You don’t have time to really stew about what you’ve learned; you have to use it. It’s a great way to build teaching knowledge and make the CELTA method habitual. By the end of your final session, you’ll be doing things breathlessly that seemed unfathomable in the first session. It’s an amazing ride and you’re astounded how much you really learn in those 19 days.

As for the Philadelphia course specifically, it would be difficult to recommend it more. The trainers, Greg and Lizzy, were extremely professional and really cared for our progress. While it would be easy for trainers to forget their roots, they showed empathy for us (mixed, of course, with that ‘tough love’ you’ve heard about) and made themselves available and approachable. My colleagues were excellent; you really get to love eleven other people with eleven different backgrounds and eleven different teaching methods. The students were outstanding and represented a lot of lovely cultures and languages (don’t tell my trainers, but they were a lot of my motivation for the two-hour commute!). The location was nice, proximal enough to the University City station. The resources were adequate; if I had any complaints, they would revolve around the professionalism of the others in the building. However, I wouldn’t let that sour my opinion of the course in the slightest.

As for the immediate applications of the course: I took course materials aimed mainly at adult ESOL learners in a classroom setting and adapted the method to ESL young learners in a one-on-one setting. Further, the stuff here is universal; I am successfully using what I learned for my math classes. The material is THAT good and really impacts what you do as a teacher on the whole, not just as an English teacher.

In short, if you’re on the fence about the course, I would at least submit an application to Teaching House and go through the pre-interview and interview. I don’t regret anything and look forward to going overseas and coming back for my Delta in a few years.

Review 102 of 267 Teaching House

89%
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Not Applicable
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I recently completed the CELTA teacher certification held in Philadelphia, PA having considered other certification programs. It appeared to me that CELTA is the cream of the crop for learning to teach ESL, and Teaching House started to offer the certification in Philadelphia. I took the plunge. The pace of the class and amount of material condensed into 19 days was insane and frenetic. But like childbirth, now that the moment is behind me, the pain has been forgotten and it was well- worth the sleepless nights and extreme multi-tasking. The course is outstanding. It incorporates invaluable hands-on teaching with theoretical input sessions. The scope of the topics covered is thorough, educational, useful and impressive. The teaching practice and subsequent feedback sessions helped me to incorporate effective teaching techniques and develop as a teacher. The tutors, Greg and Lizzy, left no stone unturned when providing feedback on my teaching based Teaching House’s and The University of Cambridge’s specific list of required standard criteria. Tutors Greg and Lizzy have a wealth of knowledge and teaching experience which they shared professionally, clearly and generously. Finally, during the certification process, I met interesting and motivated fellow teachers and had the opportunity to teach at two different skills levels comprised of multilingual and multicultural learners. I’m very pleased with the program and the outcome.

Review 101 of 267 Teaching House

90%
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“This course was superb. I was able to observe, learn and teach every day. The tutors, Greg and Lizzy were personable, helpful, insightful and constructive. I enjoyed the variety of teaching styles between them and their feedback sessions. Overall the course was beneficial and challenging, and I believe it has prepared me for my future career. The teaching practice and feedback were the most beneficial parts of the course for me. I learned how to assemble a useful lesson plan and then use it with real students. The feedback sessions were great learning times for me. This was when you could get criticism (and work on those areas) and also gain reassurance in the areas of strength. The Philadelphia location was an excellent environment to study and implement my new teaching techniques to a ride range of different students from all over the world!

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