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 100 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Mike Stein on July 1, 2013 1:50 pm
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I took the first Philadelphia CELTA course, May 28 to June 21. It was very intensive and thorough, just as advertised. They manage to get a lot of information and experience into four weeks, most of which I found very valuable. The students were enthusiastic and the trainers were professional. It’s a wonderful opportunity to explore, practice, and refine your teaching skills. I had no previous experience with teaching, but because of CELTA I feel confident going into the real world of English teaching.

Again, it’s very intense. If your going to choose CELTA, I recommend freeing up your schedule for a month so that you can make the most of it.

Review 99 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Troy Konicki on July 1, 2013 10:07 am
98%
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I just finished my CELTA at Teaching House Philadelphia and it was life-changing. I was on the fence about my need for training (I had already taught at a university) and about my desire to pursue ELT as a career. This course confirmed both. On the first day, after taking about 10 pages of notes, I found that not only was there a great need but that I really really want to be an ELT educator.

The input sessions were incredibly insightful and they were taught as “lessons”, meaning I was not only being taught how to teach but I was watching my trainers use those same methods for hours each day.

Then there was the teaching practice. I grew so much in 19 days, overcoming several major obstacles. More than that though, the structure of immediately using the tools that are given in the input sessions solidified all of the principles in my mind in a dramatic way. I took so many classes with so many tests and papers and I’ve probably only retained about 30% of what I learned. But, this method of input sessions in the morning and then teaching practice in the afternoon made it all flow together.

Then, the feedback discussions at the end addressed problems in real time with workable solutions reviewed from previous input sessions. My trainers were both accomplished as teachers, trainers and academics. This definitely sets CELTA and Teaching House apart from most of the other programs out there. They were energetic and enthused, compassionate and helpful and just really good teachers overall. Before each lesson, I received help tweaking my tasks and the flow of my plan and afterwards I received pages of notes and very specific oral feedback both from my peers and the trainers.

The students really pushed the experience over the edge. They were so kind and willing to participate. They had so much energy and each one of them was very approachable. In fact, several of them also gave me feedback…and made me baklava…and offered to help me move…and invited me to their homes.

Finally, the job placement has been really helpful. Beyond the job training sessions in the course, both of my trainers have recommended specific programs to me and have helped me apply. A week later, I have 3 interviews lined up. The whole experience has far exceeded my expectations. Please don’t settle for something less than Teaching House and CELTA. Make the sacrifice (and it is a big sacrifice financially and logistically), take the risk and apply.

Review 98 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Megan on June 17, 2013 11:08 am
80%
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Overall, this course was pretty great. There’s a lot of work, but you learn so much. Teaching practice is fun and the feedback sessions are always helpful (it can be soul crushing but it can also be pretty rewarding). Just take this course. The people, the work, and the instructors will keep you going, even when you want to give up.

Review 97 of 267 Teaching House

Written by John Ibarra on June 6, 2013 6:34 pm
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Not Applicable
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I had an excellent experience taking the CELTA course at Teaching House New York. Intensive is definitely the word to describe it. It was one of the most busy months I’ve ever had but extremely rewarding. It is definitely worth the money and the time. Our input sessions gave us a wealth of information day in and day out. Our instructors were also extremely helpful and approachable. Since the class is taught in small groups, there is room for lots of interaction with students in your Teaching Practice group and it allows you to become really close with those others and receive lots of guidance. Teaching practice was varied and useful. Our students were amazing as well. The staging of lessons was very progressive, too. You begin to feel more and more independent/confident as you move through each stage of the course. Even though, I had taught 6 years previously in the ESL industry, I feel like I have learned so much from this course and have truly valued all the feedback and input I received. This course comes highly recommended by me if you are serious about getting into the ESL industry. You will learn not just about teaching but a lot about yourself during the month you’re in the course, as well.

Review 96 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Michael Griffin on May 28, 2013 5:07 pm
93%
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Fantastic experience, great knowledgeable instructors with top of the line facilities. The teaching experience while scary at first is invaluable, and I’ve already found the CELTA certificate goes much further abroad than other certificates. I do recommend.

Review 95 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Sean Halloran on May 13, 2013 7:02 pm
98%
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Overall I would have to say that the CELTA experience at Teaching House Los Angeles was great. I learned everything I needed to know and formed a solid foundation for teaching English as a second language.

I honestly do not think I could have learned what I learned on this CELTA course, all of which was necessity, on any online learning program. I just don’t think that is possible.

The hands on teaching practice in a classroom with real students, combined with the instruction on how to succeed from knowledgable and competent instructors, and the CELTA learing system which provides high quality feed back as you grow step by step were all totally amazing.

The instructor’s I had were exemplary. Julie Norminton is a wonderful teacher and pleasant person to learn from. She knows what she is doing and when you listen to her notes you will see immediate results. Svitlana Bulkina is a friendly and fun instructor to learn from, warm, smiling and highly intelligent. Both are a model for professionalism.

CELTA at Teaching House Los Angeles prepared me to teach and also for job interviews. I literally prepare for my interviews by reviewing my notes from class. I have already had more than 1/2 a dozen job offers based on successful interviews since graduating three weeks ago, and more pending.

If you are serious about teaching English as a foreign language – start here.

Review 94 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Rissa K on May 11, 2013 7:47 pm
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This course was by far one of the best I have taken in my life. The teacher trainers are fully aware of the fact that we are coming from different backgrounds and experiences and they formulate their lesson plans in a brilliant manner that can be applied directly to the lesson plans that you will be engaging in for your own lessons.

I was extremely fortunate enough to have two excellent teachers that would give me valuable feedback that I would make sure to utilize right away in my next lessons. They are caring and empathetic to any concerns. I myself was extremely nervous about taking this course, but by the end of it, I feel much more confident about what I am taking away from the course and how I will apply it as a ESL teacher. I never done public speaking in this setting, but now I am more confident about doing so since the conclusion of the course. In fact, I am considering the next phase-the DELTA, after I have taught ESL for a few years.

Now, granted this is a month course, it is a big challenge! I feel it was much more intense than any graduate or undergraduate course I have ever taken in my past! But it is well worth it, and my independence and assertiveness shot through the roof in a matter of 4 weeks. I took the course at the Los Angeles location, and it was a great setting with the materials and books that I needed to successfully complete a lesson plan. The resources and guidance from the teachers is definitely there and go above and beyond what you expect, it’s just a matter of making sure you are always on top of your work 🙂

Review 93 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Sam Kirchner on May 10, 2013 9:58 pm
93%
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I took the celta at teaching house chicago. I would unreservedly reccommend this course to anyone (and the location in downtown Chicago is really awesome!) The instructors were very knowledgable and helpful. The books in the library are a gold mine and I plan on using some of them in my professional career. Oh and the students in the classes I taught were just incredibly fun and enthusiastic. I had never done any public speaking in my life prior to this course but now I feel like I will really enjoy teaching.

Anyway, the part I liked the best (aside from teaching) was leaving the building to go observe teachers in an actual professional language school, in this case English First Chicago. Separately, the input sessions on games/young learners as well as on the use of drilling/pronunciation were very fun. Both of the tutors seemed like they really cared and wanted us to succeed. I didn’t think any of their criticisms of us were unfair or off base- it was all very constructive. Overall I really miss all my fellow trainees and tutors and students a lot, and it’s hard to believe we won’t be together again. We all really bonded through the shared stress of finishing the course.

Review 92 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Adrianne on May 7, 2013 1:43 am
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First of all, if you’re serious about teaching, you should seriously consider making CELTA your first stop. When I first decided I wanted to teach English, I did an huge amount of research into different certification programs, and there are dozens out there. The problem is that many (well, most, actually) are done entirely online and include no real teaching practice. With CELTA, however, you start teaching literally on your second day and continue until the end of the course, teaching a total of nine lessons. You will find that what you learn about teaching methodology (and you learn A LOT) requires practice in execution. The CELTA trainers know their stuff and are happy to guide you every step of the way. Throughout the course, you will find that you are naturally becoming more independent and self aware. By the end of the course, you will feel empowered to take what you’ve learned into the real world of English language teaching.

You will also find that the CELTA is pretty much the “gold standard” of TESOL certification programs, and employers all know this. I was hired literally 7 days after finishing the course for my first teaching job. The trainers do a really good job of preparing you for the job search process and are always willing to serve as references.

For each CELTA course, Cambridge sends out an assessor to make sure the course is being run correctly and fairly. Cambridge is very committed to making sure the course standards are met at every center, every time the course is offered. I personally took the course at their smaller, Los Angeles campus; however, I have no doubt that had I taken it elsewhere, I would’ve received the same great teaching preparation.

As for the cost, everyone I took the course with (myself included) feels like the course fee was more than fair for what we got. If you’re looking to cut costs, don’t. The online programs may be significantly cheaper, but don’t include the teaching practice that CELTA includes, and many employers are dismissive of them because of this.

In hindsight, it’s scary to think about teachers going abroad (or anywhere for that matter) without the intensive preparation CELTA provides. You can’t learn everything there is to know about teaching in a four week course, but it’s a hell of a start!

Review 91 of 267 Teaching House

Written by Amy on May 6, 2013 2:22 pm
93%
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I recently completed the intensive CELTA course at TH New York. I decided on the CELTA after careful review of all the TEFL certification options available. I am definitely pleased with my decision.

The CELTA is very intensive and requires a lot of hard work, but I really felt like I learned a lot and greatly developed my teaching skills. The teaching practices are incredibly important and really push you to jump into the mindset of a teacher right away. I learned a lot from the focus on communicative language skills and student-centered lessons.

The greatest strength of the course is definitely the instructors. They are incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, professional, and accessible. The input sessions with them were engaging and packed with information. They go out of their way to help you plan your lessons and help you reflect on your teaching abilities. They really gave the course its value.

TH doesn’t do job placement for you, but they give you some resources and input sessions on how to find jobs. I think the greatest benefit of their job resources is that the instructors are so willing to be references for us new teachers. Job searching can be frustrating (as with any industry) but I’ve already had some success with schools abroad after just a few weeks.

The only other frustrating thing was the sometimes undependable and always in demand copier. It might be beneficial to have a printer in the computer lab. Regardless, plan out your printing needs and try to get it all done the night before.

I would definitely recommend this course to someone interested in getting a TEFL certification.

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