World Recognized CELTA (TEFL/TESOL) Courses in Prague

I completed the Celta Certification Course at Oxford House, (Narodni 25), in early November 2018. The course is intense and extremely helpful for either a beginning or experienced teacher. It is demanding and rewarding. It provides a solid foundation to either build confidence, or to add confidence, for any who take the course. The reason I am writing this review is because this particular school became very special to me because the teachers and staff who run the school are inordinately rare and they work extremely hard. They have a sincere kindness that provides support on days that were difficult and that lends an added warmth on days that were less so.
The staff who taught me were David Young, Šárka Císařovác, Sean Hayward, and Dan Baines. Even though we had only known each other four weeks, I genuinely missed them when I left because they were so hearted in their work, their crafts and their individual talents. Their criticism and feedback was direct, honest, and essential for understanding. Sometimes it was very hard to hear, but honesty is necessary for progress in learning. And they all have a good sense of humor that is most welcome to balance out the demands of the course. And their strong, detailed feedback and instrumental methods provide reverberating echoes in my mind which serve to help me daily in my teaching as useful and friendly reminders.
Rachel Williams is a teacher in the language school at Oxford house, and she works as a coordinator in the Celta course. She helped us with writing our CV’s and helped me find work right away after the course was completed. She gave advice regarding accommodation and answered many other questions about practicalities in Prague. She also set-up different programs after the school day was finished such as Jan Kalina’s informative and useful services in his company “Movetoprague.”
Sean, Dan, Rachel, Šárka, and David breathe a heartbeat into Oxford House and students feel it during, and long after the course has finished. I was not only taught much, I was nurtured and nourished in and through my learning due to their many supportive and encouraging spirits. I cannot recommend this place highly enough as it stands alone and apart from all other Celta certifying schools because of these unique people.

Oxford TEFL was a fantastic way to integrate into the teaching community in Prague. The 4-week course not only trains you to be a competent and confident English teacher, but it also introduces you to other teachers in the area. The staff are super supportive and care about your experience and helping you find a job after you finish, utilizing their network not only in the Czech Republic but all around the world, depending on where you want to go. My cohort had 12 people in it, and at the beginning the majority of us were planning to take the course and move elsewhere, but after becoming such good friends and falling in love with the city, nearly all of us decided to stay for a year after. The housing that Oxford provided during the course also allowed us to get our feet on the ground in Prague and take our time to search for something more long-term after.

So not only were the course and staff helpful for preparing us, but we also found a community in each other. Even though most of us have moved on since, the people I met there 6 years ago are still good friends today. That experience will last a lifetime!

Dear all,
I would definitely (without hesitation) recommend to undertake such a venture, and enroll in the program provided by Oxford House (OxfordTEFL) in Prague.
First of all, the process of being enrolled is serious enough and you will have to do a lot of work before the course starts (online tests and tasks as well as recommended material for self-study) and the interview either in person or on Skype with the Director of Studies.
I insist on your serious attitude to the pre-course tasks as if you do them thoroughly beforehand, you will enjoy the intensive course much more as you will feel more confident then.
Secondly, prepare yourself physically and morally to fully devote your time to studying, yes, the course is called "intensive" and it IS intensive. So just be ready to work hard during a month (there are some nice breaks anyway as going to a pub, still you will have weekends to enjoy too).
Thirdly, enjoy the process of "becoming" a teacher and bear in mind, this job is rewarding! There are ups and downs about planning, delivering a class - NB: there are experienced tutors to help you! Do not think the tutors will guide every your step and tell you what to do!!! You will have to explore and try out a lot of things on your own (spread you wings!). Whenever you feel worried, share that with your peers and/or with your tutor. All the staff are approachable and you can solve any issue, get help, get some comfort from any member of OxfordTEFL team.
Finally, you will be fully equipped with the basics and even some experience before you start your career as a teacher. Never give up! Students will be awesome and not... topics will be difficult and not... you will be nervous or relaxed! Go on with living that experience through! A new road of teaching other people will be yours!
Being an experienced teacher of English, I decided to obtain the certificate and I do not regret it. I had the chance to analyze my own teaching styles and find something new for myself! After the course the coordinator helped a lot in sending my resume to language school and I was bombardered with different job offers. My life is different now as I work for three different language schools (you can earn more money this way) - I should say, the main thing is having versatile experience now as different schools have different programs and you will meet nice people!
My favourite memory is the day of Moderation! We all were so nervous like students at the exam at uni, we did our best and passed it - it was a sigh of relief as well as the feeling of satisfaction. When you achieve every small thing in this course, you are happy (be ambitious)!
So, good luck! Go to Prague, a great place to visit and do something useful for yourself – invest money in your development! Trinity CertTESOL is worth getting!

I honestly feel bad for having taken so long to write a review of the Trinity CertTESOL program at Oxford House, as I completed the course in June of 2017. However, the truth of that matter is that I have been too busy working as an English teacher to have a chance to do so, which is exactly what you will get if you put in the time and effort to obtain this certification: solid, full-time employment, particularly if you decide to stay in Prague.

There are dozens of schools in Prague that offer some type of TESOL/TEFL/ESL certification, but if you are looking to make teaching English a career, a new vocation, or simply a means of making money no matter where in the world you find yourself, there are only two options; the Cambridge CELTA and the Trinity CertTESOL. These two certifications are the gold standard for the TESOL industry, and will help you gain employment at the best and most reputable schools in practically any country. When my wife and I decided to leave our corporate lives and move abroad to teach English, we knew that we needed one of these two certifications to be successful, and did a lot of research to find the school that best fit our needs. In the end, our choice was Oxford House and the Trinity CertTESOL in Prague, as they consistently proved to be superior in a number of different ways.

The first thing that set Oxford House apart was their website. Any and all information one might need is readily available in a format that is easy to read, and arranged in an orderly fashion. Second, the responsiveness of the staff was outstanding. If, at any time, we had a question about the school, the course, the requirements, Prague, etc., we simply sent an email to Karin, the course coordinator. She would always respond in a timely manner with just the information you were looking for, and also followed up with us as the beginning of the course drew near in case we had any last minute needs. Lastly, the post-course support offered in the form of visa support and lifetime employment assistance were big selling points. Many of the schools in Prague that we researched had employment assistance that amounted to “You have ‘X’ certification! Just go to the schools with your CV!”. Oxford House has graduates and contacts all over the world, so no matter where you wish to go, they can supply the support and introductions you need to obtain employment at a reputable school. Once we decided that Oxford House was the place for us to pursue our certification, we applied and following our interviews were accepted. That is when we realized what they meant by “Intensive”.

Oxford House tries to prepare incoming trainees for the intensity of the course, but it is hard to describe just how much work and dedication it requires to complete the Trinity CertTESOL. The second day of the course, you are in front of live, adult students of English (yikes!) trying to figure out how you’re going to teach for 30 minutes! Training days are fairly consistent; you either teach in the morning, or observe one of your fellow classmates teaching. After teaching the class, your tutor gives you feedback on what went well, what didn’t, and gives you valuable feedback on how to improve. The teaching time is gradually increased over the span of the course to where you are teaching for up to 90 minutes at a time. The lesson planning guidance from your tutor also lessens as you get deeper in the course, to where you simply tell them your idea and you create your own lessons. This helps build your confidence and you teach you the best ways to craft a lesson plan based on your students. The teaching and lesson planning is only part of the program, however. There are also three large projects that need completed before you are granted your certificate.

The first project is the Unknown Language Journal, in which you spend a week learning a new language (in our case Swedish), and then reflect on the experience. This is not meant to really teach you a language (though I might be able to order a beer were I to visit Sweden), but rather to help you understand what your students are feeling. It is a great exercise in empathy. The second project is the Learner Profile, a pronunciation, phonology, and speech analysis of a student selected from your classes. A recording is made of their speech, and you analyze their language usage, vocabulary, pronunciation, tendencies based on their L1, etc.. While at times overwhelming, this project proves valuable in that it helps you recognize and subsequently address the language learning needs of your student. Finally, there is the Materials Project, where you have to create an original lesson material or highly modify existing lesson material, and then present this project to an external auditor from Trinity College. This is a good exercise for those (like me) who aren’t skilled at coming up with original ideas.

Oh, and did I mention that there was a language examination at the end of the course covering phonology, grammar, tenses, and other assorted English goodies? That’s right, an examination. It can be pretty stressful if you’ve not taken an exam in 20 years!

In the end, this was both the longest and shortest month in our lives, and I’ve not worked this hard at something in many years; but was it worth it?

In the week following our completion of the course, my wife and I had a combined 15 interviews with schools in Prague and received 15 offers. Once we obtained our visas we were teaching week-long intensive courses for two months straight which included IELTS preparation, and have been continually employed ever since. There have even been weeks when we turned down more jobs than we actually worked. If you want to stay in Prague and teach after completing this course, there will be more than enough work for you if you put in the effort. The Trinity CertTESOL program at Oxford House will prepare you for whatever Prague has in store.

The TEFL Cert course has influenced my opinion about teaching and has given me a life-changing experience. After I had finished it, I realised that being a teacher is not only a big responsibility, but also an enjoyable job if you're a creative and sociable person (which I am!)
The tutors have provided me with some great ideas and important tips about how to make lessons useful, productive and, of course, interesting.
In spite of all the intensivity of the course, there had always been a great atmosphere in the class created by the well-experienced and courageous teachers as well as by my friendly groupmates.
I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to teach English. So if you want to jump right into your teaching, come and do it here, exploring the beautiful streets of Prague!

After doing some research on TEFL programs, teaching English overseas, and the Czech Republic, I decided to come to Prague to attend OxfordTEFL for the September 2016 course. I pleasantly surprised by the experience and very satisfied.

The Course: They had us teaching the 2nd day of class. Of course I felt very unready, but the tutors were eager to help us select material and get prepared. As the course went on and we continued to teach, they also gave great feedback and were always willing to offer ideas, look at lesson plans and activities, and pretty much bend over backwards to make sure we were ready to teach. This course is intensive, but it wasn't overly stressful or difficult. If you make sure to do just a little each day, you won't be overwhelmed when deadlines come. And the course is certified by Trinity College, which means your certificate is recognized basically anywhere in the world.

The Staff: Every single tutor at OxfordTEFL is extremely knowledgeable and willing to help. They made the classes fun even when they were difficult. I really felt like they wanted me to become a good teacher.

The Apartment: I stayed in the apartment rented by Oxford on Zborovska street with three other students. It was much bigger than I had expected, with very tall ceilings, a private bedroom for each student, and a large kitchen.

The Extras: OxfordTEFL arranges a free ride from the airport into Prague when you get here. They also let you know about a few fun activities in town, and the pub night the first week of class helps you get to know your classmates really well--maybe TOO well in some cases.

If you are thinking about teaching English overseas, I highly recommend OxfordTEFL. I feel prepared to take on a class of non-English speakers.

I had already received previous recommendations for doing this particular course – my mother was course director for a part-time Trinity Cert TESOL here in my home town and my sister had been with the Barcelona branch of Oxford TEFL. They both gave me, I believe, essential advice if you want to continue in the field of EFL teaching; “pick the right CERTIFIED TEFL course”. I believe I did.

The course itself was not only eye-opening from a linguistic perspective, but incredibly effective at providing a good range of information that could be digested in the space of just a month. What really makes me appreciate the course is that they made it an incredibly enjoyable experience while still being intensive – and the course IS intensive. I knew this going in and I was a little apprehensive. However, it was also the most fun I have ever had while learning which of course made me want to put effort into my studies. This was due to a variety of reasons. First of all, the tutors at Oxford TEFL were outstanding. While they obviously had an element of professionalism about them, the classroom environment was very positive in that it was clear that they enjoyed their jobs, which of course is a great positive-reinforcement based motivational tool for the trainees. I also think that it is quite rare to have a level of report with the tutors that I found on this particular course. They were friendly and accommodating, but certainly were there to give you a kick in the backside or some strong motivation words if you needed them! It was clear that they really did want you to succeed – and that was a nice feeling as a trainee.

In terms of teaching practice, we were thrown into the deep end almost immediately – but that was most certainly a good thing. Teaching was enjoyable and rewarding and I quickly found my particular method and mannerisms. The feedback I received was fantastic and every piece moulded my next lesson, thus I found I continually improved as a teacher.

The 4 weeks I spent on the course, not only gave me invaluable information and teaching experience (and of course a hard Trinity Cert TESOL!) that I can use with my on my TEFL travels, but also some memories that I will cherish for years to come. I highly recommend Oxford TEFL.

TWO THUMBS UP.

Overall, I was very impressed with the course. Oxford TEFL are market leaders in TEFL training and I can understand why. They manage to pack so much into the course and it’s very intense as a result, however, I always felt that I was fully supported by all the staff with regards lesson planning, coursework completion, accommodation and pretty much anything else.

What’s more, the teaching staff really know their stuff! They have a good variety of teaching approaches between them and I always had really productive feedback sessions with them which really helped me grow into the role of a teacher.