ITTP Review by Simon, September 17, 2009

The course which i took with TEFL ITTP did what it said on the packet and I was happy enough with the outcome to decide to spend time writing this feedback of the course on this site.
Took the all inclusive online so this meant i studied online and then did my practical teaching component onsite.
Very good feedback from my tutor while i was on the course and very good feedback so far after completion of the course.
Found my current teaching job in Seoul through the TEFL ITTP program.
Would give it 4/5 because in my opinion no course should ever get 5/5.
Simon

ITTP Review by Dave, July 1, 2010

I have very recently completed their onsite course in Prague and i have to write that the trainers were absolutely top notch superb. Location is bliss too. Would highly recommend this programme if looking to gain the international teaching English certificate. Well done ITTP and thank you so much!

ITTP Review by S.Gibbs, July 24, 2010

Hi. My name’s Sarah and I took the ITTP international TEFL/TESOL Combined course this month.

This was the Prague Online/Onsite course - I took the Online part from my computer in S.England, and took the Onsite part of the course in Prague as part of teaching practice modules.

My friend took a TEFL course with another school in Prague so I feel as though my opinion is balanced and a good representation of the local Prague TEFL market (in comparison to my friend’s experience with her school).

Firstly the Online part of the course

It was TOUGH going and I would only really recommend the combined course option if you are motivated enough to sit and work through each of the 12 course Modules - even though it can be at your own pace. It took me just over 8 weeks to complete the Online segment of the course but this was mainly because I had other work obligations at the time and I had just 15-30 minutes per day to work on the course on average. I started strong, experienced a dip in motivation during Module 5, and then also finished strongly towards the finish.
This was a great solution for me because I didn’t have the time to travel to Prague to take the full Onsite course BUT once again, be prepared for an intense study programme whilst ploughing through the 12 Modules.
I can honestly write that the Modules provided an excellent platform for my Onsite practicum in Prague and even though it was tough going I did complete the last Module feeling I had got my money’s worth and also feeling ready to begin the teaching practicum part.

Now the Onsite part of the course

One of the reasons why I chose ITTP was because I wanted to teach in Prague and they are probably the only school to offer the combo course.
The other reason was because I wanted to study actually in the historical centre of the city - as opposed to traveling everyday to some remote section of the city where some of the TEFL schools are located - my friend’s for example was located all the way out in Prague 9 even though her school gave the impression it was located in the beautiful centre!
So there’s the first big plus for me.
I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get to meet any of the current Onsite students of the July program but I did get to meet up with past students of the program and they basically confirmed my impressions of the school - that it says what it does on the pack and you can teach with the certificate.
I ended up teaching just Business English classes because the Elementary School was on Summer holidays but this didn’t faze me at all because I had come to Prague to teach Business English. I was REALLY impressed with the fact that my classes took place at Citi Bank Corp and Unicredit Bank.
Whilst I had access to excellent resources I did feel that I could have received slightly more Lesson Plan Guidance and slightly more in-depth Lesson feedback. Also, I wished I could have taken advantage more of the projector in class but on the day I wanted to use it this was being used in the Onsite class.
Otherwise and on the whole I was completely satisfied with my Onsite practicum - all which took place in the centre of the city (near the ITTP Main Training Centre).

My biggest compliment with the school?
I got a job teaching the week after finishing up the course and although I was told I could I didn’t fully believe it was possible until it happened.

Prague is a wonderful city and the ITTP programme comes recommended.

Na Zdravi!

ITTP Review by Jas ace, August 11, 2010

I’m currently in the UK teaching Engliah at a Summer camp and I would never had either found this job neither had the confidence to teach my classes had it not been for the course and staff at ITTP TEFL Prague.
This was a wonderful experience and an investment which I will take with me for a long time yet.
After this summer I’m off to Hanoi to teach there.
Teaching English rocks and if you are looking for the right course to take the training with then I’d completely recommend ITTP TEFL Prague.
It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

ITTP Review by Evie, September 1, 2010

I recently changed schools and after 9 years of teaching French and Spanish to high school kids (young adults, really!) I am now an EFL teacher for 6 and 7 year olds in a Montessori school in Prague. Quite a change - and I needed training to teach my own language. Taking the course in July in order to be certified, I found myself returning to the grass roots of teaching. Even with 9 years experience, it was refreshing to be in the classroom as a student once again, and to be taught how to teach my native language by expert instructors. I regained confidence as a educator (after 3 years of doing more to do with bureaucracy and technology than teaching, working hard and never being appreciated) and was delighted with the positive and constructive feedback I got from fellow trainees and from the instructors. ITTP is very well organized and delivers on its promise; the instructors were not only scholars in their field (linguistics and teaching principles and methodology) but also amazing teachers. It was great to be there as a student and to be reminded of what it takes to be an effective teacher - even after so many years of my professional experience as a foreign language teacher. Most or all trainees got a job before the course was even completed and I am sure are embarking on their teaching career with confidence, as I am! I am delighted with the training I got and excited to have a qualification that allows me to work pretty much anywhere in the world.

Evie, Prague

ITTP Review by Mr Hanoi, November 29, 2010

I’ll begin by explaining that i agree with the first reviewer that no program should ever win 5 stars no matter how awesome it was. hey, I thought the ITTP program was great and I got everything I paid for and I’d recommend it to others but we didn’t get cavier and champagne for breakfast each day and the school accommodation didn’t have a pool and jacuzzi.
You know what I mean.

Here are the facts.

I recently took the onsite TEFL/TESOL course in Prague with ITTP.

The school is located in the centre of town and this is great because all roads lead to where the training took place and it was especially handy when we wanted to go sightseeing after classes. Some programs are located in the centre and others are not. This one is.

The accommodation was good value for money and had everything a wannabe teacher could possibly need. the internet was fast and the washing machine was a major plus. I liked that fact that it was central but not located in the conjested lanes of tourist central. The castle was a stone’s throw from the apartment and the walk into classes was downhill bliss.

The teachers made the course and were amazing.
Thank you Lalie and Mila!

The only thing I would remark on is that although the resources are excellent we all could have done with more library access time. I did mention this to the top brass and they have said they will see where they can fit in additional library resource time into the schedule. I got the overall impression that the school really cares about the quality of its product and they were approachable if you did have any ideas about how you thought the way things were run could be further improved.

I wasn’t teaching right after the course because I decided I wanted to teach further-a-field and instead I’m slowly on my way to Vietnam to begin working for a school there beginning March 2011. I found my new teaching job through a ITTP graduate whom I met through their Facebook page so that was also a major plus for me about the program.

Prague is a beautiful city and the certification course in Prague meant I enjoyed the city and met some great people but my heart is in Asia.

I hope this review has been helpful.
I’d definitely recommend the ITTP program.

I’ll leave you with a tip and I hope the school don’t mind me writing this.
My advice is to only purchase 1 or 2 of the books on the pre-course recommended reading list because if like me you decide to travel on after the certification then you might (like me now) find yourself with a pile of heavy books in your suitcase.
The course covers everything you need to know so you really only need to perhaps invest in 1 good grammar book.

ITTP Review by Sabine Haas, January 17, 2011

Hello.
My name is Sabine Haas and I studied with ITTP in December.
I studied on their Prague Online/Onsite 130 hour course and I was completely satisfied with my whole training experience.
The course was excellent as was the accommodation which they provided for me.
Also I loved Prague. It’s a great city and beautiful too.
I started teaching in the first week of January and I am very satisfied with my new job as a teacher of English.
For me I was looking for a life-changing experience and being a teacher of English has provided for me the platform where I can travel the world and teach and I would recommend this career move to anyone looking for a bit of adventure in their lives and looking to make a difference in the lives of other people.
I can also definitely recommend the ITTP program.
Thank you ITTP!
S. Haas

ITTP Review by Marita, January 25, 2011

Hello!
My name is Marita. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since I took the onsite TEFL course at ITTP Prague, so I thought I would take the time to give some feedback to others.

I really liked the course and I agree with others who mentioned that the course “did everything it claimed on the packet”!

Firstly the location was wonderful…Prague is a wonderous city and it was a joy to stroll slowly to ITTP every day and take in the sights on the way.
The staff were really helpful and seemed genuinely interested in helping us achieve our goals.
The course, although advertised as “intensive” was very “do-able”…and I enjoyed still having free time on the weekend to explore.

I liked having plenty of teaching practise during the course..and learning about the wide variety of English courses that are out there: Business English/ Exam Preparation Courses / English for Young Learners etc.

As for usefulness…..I lined up 3 job interviews during the course..and was working with a company (Sentia) within 2 days of completing the course (teaching Business English).
Unfortunately Sentia had diffuculties processing my work visa…and I was back in Australia sooner than expected.
However, I did get a job 3 weeks later in Cairns, Australia at Kaplan International College(teaching General English) so I felt that the course was helpful and well regarded.

I still have fabulous memories of Prague and often day dream of that beautiful snow as I’m sweltering here in the tropics!

ITTP Review by Mark, January 27, 2011

ITTP Prague is an extremely well-run program and the end result of my ITTP course was that I was offered a full-time job teaching English at a prestigious international school in Prague.
I was also impressed with the school’s location and with the location of ITTP Prague’s student apartment.
From speaking to teachers who took their course at other schools, I think I can safely assume that ITTP Prague run one of the best TEFL/TESOL course program in the city.
Well done ITTP!

Mark Tooley
Marktooley@email.cz

ITTP Review by Josh, March 6, 2011

It’s FABULOUS and I love it!
Going to ITTP Prague TEFL is overall an amazing experience.
Downtown Prague is full of beautiful architecture and your usual student hangouts ( although not as cosmopolitan compared with where I’m from in the US).
The student accommodation provided by the program is good value and close to some excellent bars and restaurants. I felt very safe in the area.
CONCLUSION: this was an awesome experience for me and created for me a viable way to earn some money AND travel. The ITTP Prague TEFL course instructors were amazing and I began paid teaching work within a week of course completion.
TIP: take the accommodation arranged through the program. It’s well worth the money and the location is awesome!

ITTP Review by Sarah, May 2, 2011

I promised myself I would take the time and write this review of ITTP TEFL Prague because I strongly feel that they deserve the positive feedback which I am giving in this review and they deserve the time which I am taking out of my busy schedule to visit this excellent reviews website.

From the moment I sent my first email enquiry, to the time when I received my TEFL/TESOL certificate I truly felt in extremely capable hands and felt that I had made an excellent investment in my continuing education.

The most important aspect for me was the swift response to all my email questions (and boy, I asked lots of them!), and the swift confirmation from the ITTP staff when my course and accommodation payments were processed.

The course was as advertised and also as advertised, I began teaching soon after the last day of the course in Prague.

Unforseen family events at home unfortunately meant that I was unable to complete the full teaching year in Prague but I have purchased my flight ticket back over and my school have agreed to reinstate me from September. I loved the ITTP course and I love teaching in that amazing city.

The whole experience comes highly recommended!

ITTP Review by Courtney, June 6, 2011

Hi!
My name’s Courtney and I’m a recent satisfied graduate of the ITTP TEFL/TESOL program, and I am giving the program full marks for the international program which I took online with them. This was their All Inclusive combined online course.
Initially I was a little skeptical about taking an online program. There are a tonne of choices out there and quite a bit of negative feedback about online courses in general on the web. My decision to study with ITTP was swung in their favor because of the fact that they also run an onsite course in Prague and I assumed that this would give extra gravitas to the online TEFL certificate.
The course is intense as hell but doable and I found the online modules easy to work with and relevant. Feedback from my tutor was awesome.
I chose to take my teaching practice component in Plzen because my boyfriend is already living there and this is the city where I plan to live for a couple of years while he has work commitments in the West of the Czech Republic.
The transition from course completion to paid teaching work took a matter of days only and within 4 weeks of course completion I had already paid back the original tuition fees in teacher wages.
From the moment I signed up and paid until the time when I received my certificate and signed my teaching contract, I was completely satisfied with this company and I would recommend anyone looking into TEFL to check out ITTP.
I don’t have any direct experience of their onsite program but have heard good things about it through the teacher grapevine.
Recommended and teaching English rocks!
C.W.

ITTP Review by mike, June 14, 2011

I took the on-site course July 2010 and from what I know about other courses, I thought it was comparatively good. I earned an A-. I particularly enjoyed the one on one business clients. No four week course can completely prepare you for teaching and therefore none deserve more that 4 stars. My teachers were very good, though none were native speakers. Our course taught us the PPP method which I have since discoved is not considered as current as the CLT method. The one warning I can give is to be very careful in dealing with the owner, who will promise you anything to get your money and then threaten (as he did me) to expel you without reimbursement if you complain. I would also not stay in the school’s accomodations. I am currently teaching in China.

ITTP Review by Matthew Nace, June 17, 2011

My name is matthew nace and I took the ittp residential onsite course in prague in summer 2010.

For the sake of system i’m splitting this review into 2 sections.
1 section for positive reviews of the ittp program (angel emoticon)
1 section for negative reviews of the ittp program (devil emoticon)

Positive reviews:
- throughout communication was excellent and key for me when making the decision to take the leap and sign up for the program. emails were always answered promptly both before and after payment sent. My email questions were always answered fully and personally and I felt that I was provided with accurate and unbiased information regarding the program and general prague life questions (as i found out having taught in prague for almost a year now). i think that for me the point when i felt completely comfortable with the program was when my initial course deposit was sent off at 3:21pm and i got back an email confirming my payment from the ittp staff about an hour later. again, not an automated response but an actual person from the school writing a personal email to me.
- i thought the accommodation was good value for money and i thought the location was unbeatable. the prague castle was a short walk and i liked the fact that the apartment is situated in a leafy, secure part of the center. a heap of great bars and restaurants around and a grocery store on the ground floor. decently priced and free internet. for me it was a bargain but i didn’t really understand how much of a bargain it was until i began renting my own apartment in the city. where i am teaching now though (znojmo) it makes prague real estate prices seem like manhattan.
- the course instructors were simply awesome. period.
- the school’s job guidance support was for me an unexpected bonus of the course because i hadn’t realized that this came free with the course. initially i began teaching in prague but have recently moved from the city to the country. ittp helped me find both my prague and current school. i think i would have found a teaching position on myself though as it isn’t that difficult to find teaching jobs in the cz but having a bit of backup to steer me through the right direction was definitely a bonus and additionally if i want to leave znojmo then i know i can use ittp again to look for work elsewhere.
- the course itself was pretty intense but doable and i was pleasantly surprised that we had long weekends available to go explore.
- i felt that the honesty of the school was important for me. receiving back my accommodation deposit in full and promptly left a sweet taste when officially leaving the program.

Negative reviews:
- i did have some issues receiving my certificate because nobody told me that i would have to write my name on my letterbox in order to receive post. as a result it took 3 whole weeks to receive my certificate because it was automatically redirected back to ittp. i wish they would use a courier service like tnt or dhl instead to avoid this unnecessary inconvenience.
- I did find their pre-course recommended reading list a little misleading in that ‘recommended but not compulsory’ sort of prompted me to gather that i didn’t really need to read the books and so i didn’t really bother. when i arrived i soon gathered that most of the group had bought 1 or 2 of the titles and i did initially feel concerned that i was lacking some foundation knowledge and especially basic grammar terms. they don’t teach us grammar in high school and anyway, that was a while back now. my tip is to grab yourself a really good grammar book and take it with you on your flight over to munch on so you have a general idea before beginning.

Overall the positives for me about the ittp program in prague heavily outweigh the negatives and like others i would definitely recommend the program.

My email address is MattNace@centrum.cz
Feel free to pop me an email if you have any questions.
Matt.

ITTP Review by Sophie, June 21, 2011

I took the course in January 2009.

I decided to take this course as I wanted to live abroad and it seemed the most professional that I had found on the internet for Prague.

The course was excellent and all of the trainers were very professional, helpful and clearly knew their subject areas extremely well.

I found it the perfect introduction to teaching English and was consistently offered help from ITTP in getting employment in Prague, (they also offer help in getting work abroad), both during and after the course had ended.

The transition from the course into work was smooth and I felt very confident with the skills the that the course had provded me with. The teaching practise in particular was excellent.

If you are looking for a professional, well organised and thorough course to get you started in your TEFL career, either in Prague or elswhere around the world, then this is the course for you

ITTP Review by Leandri, June 22, 2011

I took the course in May 2011 and I have both positive and negative feedback. I would like to say before hand my course took place in the low season and some things might be different in the high season.

First of all, our (only) teacher was incredible. The lessons were great and the content was very good. The teaching practice is varied and plentiful. So all in all I have only good things to say about the actual course.

The accommodation however is a rip off. The price you pay for one room (which is not located in the old town) could rent you a whole apartment all to yourself. Originally I was only paying 5500 crowns for a private single apartment. A month before the course they informed me this was no longer available and I was forced to pay double for an unbelievably tiny room. Only one room in the ITTP apartment contains a cupboard and upon arrival the apartment and bed sheets were dirty.

Another thing is the international job guidance (the local job guidance is done by the teacher and therefore I cannot comment on it). It is nothing more than a referral to the website http://www.eslbase.com/schools/. I did find a job in my preferred country but that was not thanks to ITTP. I hardly believe the 100% employment success rate on their website. Information on how to get the necessary visas and working permits in Prague however was thoroughly explained.

Other minor negative experiences included the said ‘free daily refreshments’ which were non-existent as well as the two and a half week wait for the deposit and certificate.

I believe this course is well worth taking but watch out for the accommodation. I think ideally if you could get in touch with the other participants before hand and organise an apartment amongst yourselves that you would save a significant amount of money.

ITTP Review by Nick Hall, July 4, 2011

Took the ITTP Prague onsite course at the beginning of the year and had an overall excellent experience with this school.

As others have mentioned, communication throughout the pre-course experience is top notch. The actual training itself was also top notch and I couldn’t imagine having a more experienced or more able set of trainers - Mila and Andy were awesome infinitum.

I imagine that every group has at least one moaner and unfortunately we had 2 professional moaners on our course who it seemed had already made up their mind that they weren’t going to enjoy either Prague or the course, and spent their time picking holes in absolutely anything they could find. It’s a shame really to spend so much money on an experience only to arrive and complain about how Prague is different to back home.

However, the rest of our group’s enthusiasm for Prague and the course wasn’t affected by this

I took a room in the school accommodation and honestly thought it was great value. Dejvicka has some of the highest rents in the whole country and I just don’t see how I could have got a better deal compared with the few hundred bucks I paid for my room in the ITTP apartment. The apartment is located in a building which has a grocery store on its ground level so this was one massive bonus for us in terms of shopping convenience. The Prague Castle was a short stroll up the hill and tourist craziness was a 4 minute metro ride. I particularly enjoyed the green spaces which dot the area where the apartment is located and also of course the AMAZING choice of bars and restaurants in the local
The area is very safe and I felt comfortable walking around any time of the day or night (something I couldn’t say about some area of the city).
When I was searching for a place to live for after the course I realized that the price I paid in the ITTP apartment was very fair considering that now I have to pay my rent AND utilities, etc., but the ITTP apartment rent was inclusive of all these extras - hence an awesome option and recommended.

If I had to list any niggles I’d have to express dissatisfaction with the amount of library time we received. The ITTP library is excellent and we of course had access during class hours but a few of us were hoping we could also have access after class hours, weekends for example. I feel that this would have provided us with additional valuable research and lesson planning options. I did raise this issue with ITTP and they responded that library access was for ’scheduled class times only’. Whatever. oh well, not a huge issue but it would have been a welcomed perk.

I really love teaching in Prague.
It never gets old.
My 1 tip (as others seem to have done on their reviews) is to recommend Summer Camp teaching, Apparently during the summer it can get pretty slow in Prague regarding teaching and summer camps allow you to fill in the teaching gap between July and September, teaching Czech teenagers in the countryside. I don’t know if summer camps vary in what they offer but I get food, drink and accommodation paid for plus a wage of 6,000Kc per week. Not bad considering that it isn’t full-time and most of the teaching is essentially just hanging out with high school kids in idyllic nature. I got my summer camp teaching work arranged weeks in advance and I know that the last available teaching places are now getting snapped up. If you come to take your course either in Spring or early Summer then make sure to ask ITTP if they know of any summer camp teaching vacancies. Definitely recommended as is the ITTP Prague onsite program.
Enjoy!

ITTP Review by Sharon Conley, July 26, 2011

There were many places in Europe offering onsite TEFL/TESOL courses and there were an equal number of places offering online TEFL/TESOL courses. There weren’t however many schools offering a combination of the two.

In the end I opted to take the Prague online/onsite combination course with ITTP. My reason for choosing this school was that they seemed well-known for residential courses and I wanted certification from a well-known school and not from some TEFL/TESOL mill which dealt purely in online certification.

Another reason for taking this course in Prague was because I knew a friend who took an exchange program there and she raved about the city and described it as a must see destination.

I wasn’t disappointed. Prague is amazing and I stayed on after the course and taught for a couple of months to extend my stay.

I have only positive feedback about the course, the teaching practice, the accommodations, the job guidance, the staff, the attention to detail, the personal service. I would recommend this experience in a heart beat.
After getting my TEFL/TESOL combined course certification from ITTP, I began searching for jobs in S.E.Asia, in particular S.Korea. The assistance which I received in this area of school services was especially constructive and helpful and it was immensely useful for me speaking with Neville - who took time out of his schedule to meet with me on a few occasions - having actually been to S.Korea and having previously sent graduates there. This provided me with the essential run down on that teaching destination. Without his advice I would probably have ended up teaching for some dodgy hogwan or something. I am happy to announce that one month after deciding to move on from teaching in Prague I have received an offer from a S.Korea school to start work as an ESL teacher in February, 2012. Until then I decided to spend a bit of time at home in the UK and I began teaching English yesterday for a school in Ealing, London.

My ITTP TEFL/TESOL certification was essential in securing this lucrative seasonal teaching position.

In Closing, I want to thank the ITTP staff for their support and advise anyone thinking of traveling to look into TEFL/TESOL certification. It’s a shame I hadn’t know about this opportunity earlier. Do it now while you can!

S.C.

ITTP Review by Gill, August 5, 2011

Taking the ITTP TEFL Prague Onsite High Season course in Prague was an excellent choice.

I stayed at the school Prague Castle accommodation location and was very satisfied.
Our course Tutors and Team Leader support was excellent throughout.
I was particularly impressed with the teaching practice. SO many hours of actual teaching practice experience and I loved my one on one Business English classes at the UniCredit Bank.
I also loved the fact that as promised I began teaching the week after course completion, for a LOVELY school and with a very good hourly rate.

I have nothing negative to write about this TEFL/TESOL program.
Recommended!

ITTP Review by Ant Dunkel, August 19, 2011

This course was great!
Although I didn’t have time for a full time course I was lucky to come across the ittp combined course and this gave me the flexibility which my current schedule requires.
Studied online and this meant sitting in the park in my lunch break with my iPad nestled on my lap.
For the onsite section of the course I chose to take it over here in NYC and in a few weeks I plan to travel out to Thailand where i have a teaching position held for me. Going to teach English on The beach
Overall I would totally recommend this school and course option.
Very good price, great service and feedback, great opportunity for work and travel.
ITTP, you rock!

ITTP Review by Bronagh Byrne, September 2, 2011

My own experience of the ITTP course in Prague has been extremely positive one. It was an immensely rewarding four week course and the level of teaching was top quality. The course provides every student with all the skills necessary to help them become a confident EFL teacher. Having gone from knowing next to nothing about English grammar and a limited amount to teaching experience I finished the ITTP course feeling I had every necessary tool to give me a confident start on the career path to becoming ESL teacher.

The course staff were all fantastic. I found everybody approachable, friendly and always willing to help to make our stay in Prague a comfortable one. A big thank you to Neville, Alena and teaching inspiration - Mila for making our time in Prague a hugely informative and enjoyable one!

During the course our class of 12 studied an intensive and advanced grammar programme. Looking back now, the amount of grammar we covered seems unbelievable - however the classes were structured in such a way that the information stuck and never felt overwhelming - there was not a student on the course who by the end couldn’t recognise, correctly use, and explain all the English verb tenses and all other parts of speech.

Along with the intensive grammar course we also learned about all the relevant skills and systems of methodology used for English teaching practise. The classes were so informative and were a great support when it came to the practical part - teaching classes. I have gained a huge amount of practical experience with the onsite teaching classes provided by the school. As well teaching ‘practice’ classes within the language school, ITTP also provided us with the opportunity to teach private students in Prague. As a result we had the unique opportunity to teach English in the banking sector in Prague, offering one to one private English tuition to students there.

Everybody was also provided with every support when looking for work - the course gave us job contacts, visa application support and ongoing help with finding work in Prague and further afield in Europe and internationally. I myself have just secured a job in Saudi Arabia and am moving there to start work (within 3 weeks of finishing the course).

All in all this was an amazing experience and one I would highly recommend to anybody who is looking to become a confident ESL teacher and who has a serious interest in pursuing a career in teaching ESL. You will find it not only rewarding but thoroughly enjoyable…. and then there’s the city….

Bronagh Byrne - August 2011

ITTP Review by margaret lonergan, January 11, 2012

I recently completed the ittp tefl prague onsite residential course in the city of prague in czech. I have spent most of my life in education in one form or other and I can honestly say that ittp tefl prague are definitely up there with my most positive learning experiences. The training at this school is top notch. The location of the classes and the accommodation is perfect within walking distance of all prague’s amazing sights, cafes, restaurants… and of course the prague castle and charles bridge. Prague is SUCH a BEAUTIFUL city and if you get the chance you must visit!!!!!!! The course comes highly recommended to both young and old students /as was demonstrated well with our very mixed group/ and I have already recommended this course to two of my friends back home!!!!!!! The staff are darlings and neville was so helpful with our pre course planning. I had so may questions and he showed professionalism and patience throughout. I was generally very surprised with how friendly everyone was in the city as I read that the locals could tend to be a bit rude. Quite the opposite in our experience. Back to the course, both me and my husband agree that the most enjoyable part of the course was teaching our one on one students at the bank and I do tend to agree with the school that teaching practice is their strength and outshining their competitors as we did also meet up with tefl students from other courses so I feel we have good ground for comparison.

The only negative which I experienced /and someone else mentioned this/ was that although the free czech lessons were eagerly embraced by the majority of our group a few of us /my husband and I included/ did find the one hour czech class per week a bit of a waste of time. Please don’t judge me as lazy or ignorant but it’s just that we planned only to stay in the city for the month of training and now these two months of traveling czech and surrounding countries before we leave for a teaching assignment in nagoya so learning czech isn’t our number 1 priority.

Completing this course significantly aided our japan teaching applications and we were offered the positions based on our experience and the certification. So, we are both really satisfied and we made some great new friends on the course. We are looking forward to our japan experience but will miss prague. We were offered work in prague straight after the course and in fact my husband was offered work even before the third week had finished but we both declined because we did want to use the time we had and have to travel so I can’t comment I’m afraid on what teaching in prague is like but the rest of our group all seem very much happy with their experiences so far with it and all began teaching soon after course completion.

If anyone does have any questions then I’ll be more than happy to respond. We had a delightful time on the course and I don’t mind spending a bit of my time passing on the good word.

Margaret

margaretlonergan@rocketmail.com

ITTP Review by Adam Moore, January 20, 2012

I was also on the course that Evidka has commented on and agree wholeheartedly with their comments.
The course had 20 people on where the ITTP website states “We accept a maximum of just 14 trainees per Course date. We think this is a sensible number and our small class numbers reflects our commitment to education.”, this being the first of several lies on the website.

The job guarantee which is the reason I took the course is not a guarantee at all. Basically the job guidance was being given a sheet of paper with a long list of language schools (note that some of these schools no longer exist!) and suggest that you contact them. I think I am correct in saying that out of the 20 students who took the course, 18 wanted to stay in Prague and in reality only six of us are still here as the rest have had to leave through lack of job offers and visas expiring.

The few that did get jobs have found it difficult to get up to full time hours and will struggle to pay rent with the hours they have got. I should also add that I did not get a job teaching and took another job related to my work background.

I was also promised full course materials and refreshments. The course materials you recieve are the cheapest possible colouring pen, the kind you get 50 of in a pack for a few dollars and are not meant for writing with, and a sketch book… not ideal if you are writing notes. The refreshments amount to a tap. The lack of a printer caused a lot of issues as you need to print of lesson plans and other material and it is difficult for a foreigner to know what printing shops there are in Prague and how to use them!

The accomodation, which I was lucky enough not to need, was by all reports a disgrace (cramped conditions, broken furniture and mould amongst other things) and hugely overpriced. I could go a lot further with issues with the ITTP administration.

I have also met people who have taken this course before who all agree with my sentiments. I was amazed that their are so few bad reviews about this course. I would also add that the positive comments shown on this (and other) websites are extremely suspicious and I would bet that the vast majority of them have been written by ITTP.

Finally, I would be interested to know how ITTP treat the guarantees it offers on the website? “An average teaching hourly rate (45 minutes), ranges from 200-300,-kc. It’s sometimes possible to find language schools paying lower/higher than this average but 200-350,-kc is what you can expect to earn. ITTP not only guarantees you a teaching position upon successful completion of our internationally recognized TEFL/TESOL Certification Course, we also guarantee you won’t be in a teaching position which pays less than this average.” I know in my professional experience, if you guarantee something and do not deliver you should compensate the client. I assume that ITTP are not planning to compensate the 16 people on this course who either did not get a job or are not earning the 200kc hourly rate?

On the positive side, the instructor was exceptional and really deserves better than to be working for ITTP.

ITTP Review by Elliot, January 21, 2012

My experience at ITTP was far from a positive one. I don’t think I have ever had certain expectations for something and been so sorely disappointed. I am amazed that there have been so many positive reviews posted about this Language School.
The general consensus from the students that took part in my particular course was that they felt misled and immensely disappointed.
The accommodation was horrendous. Speaking to locals about the prices we paid to live in a shared flat in Prague 6 with six other ITTP students was obviously inflated. Poor beds, mouldy bathroom, cramped living quarters exacerbated by one toilet/shower between 7 people. Midway through the course two new students were also offered a place in this apartment. Thankfully, they declined the preposterous offer.
I found a beautiful apartment in Prague 1, two bathrooms, four bedrooms for a fraction of the price. Now THAT was a ‘good deal’.
The malfunctioning washing machine was swapped with a smaller broken washing machine which remained in the apartment. (For our convenience??)
Some students from the course previous to us said the same little trick was done to them. The fridge didn’t work either and we were forced to put all of our perishables outside.
Once they have your money, they’re very reluctant to help you.
Job guidance was literally, a piece of paper with a list of schools that we were ALL given. Some of the schools on the list were broken links, other TEFL schools or no longer existed.
There were a total of 19 students in our course. The website states and I quote:
‘’ We accept a maximum of just 14 trainees per Course date. We think this is a sensible number and our small class numbers reflects our commitment to education.’’
Or in reality it reflects their commitment to profit? I saw a recent review complaining that they had 20 people in their January course. Not surprisingly, we weren’t the only ones.
Due to our oversized class we all on average received a total of 6 hours of teaching practice. Considerably less than stated on ITTP website.

I asked Neville if there was anything I needed to bring with me to get a visa as an non EU citizen..‘’No, you do not need to bring anything. You will get all the visa info on the second week of the course. ‘’

Little did I know I actually needed a police check that had to be done through Australia and would take longer than my 90 day tourist visa would allow due to the time of year and the process itself. And in all honesty, I did not approach ITTP about this because what could they do? They don’t have the power to extend an EU tourist visa!

We should be made aware of what visas are available BEFORE we leave for Prague. Some visas require at least $6500USD in a Czech bank account to apply. This is the visa that most employers expect you to have. Especially as a non EU citizen.

They wanted ‘proof’ of how much work you had done in order to get a job. Sorry, but I think most students showed initiative and drive to get work by giving up leases on their houses, selling their possessions and leaving their families to fly to Prague to do the course in the first place.
I paid ITTP nearly $2500USD (inc. accomm.) and I really did not get my money’s worth.

Neville did agree to meet one of my fellow students to discuss his options before his visa ran out but not before being hounded and interrogated about how much he had done towards finding work himself. So the way I see it is, you pay ITTP a lot of money and if they actually have to bring themselves to doing any work, they will do so, begrudgingly. Hardly service with a smile let me tell you.
Ask yourself this; do you really think I would take the time to write a review like this just to ruin their day? No. I wrote this review to help prevent other people like myself with dreams of living in Europe happily and living a decent life be exploited and disappointed. I look forward to the inevitable retort in an attempt to justify ITTP’s business practice or to expose my review as an elaborate fabrication. However, I can assure you my comments are justified and on behalf of every ex-student from ITTP I have met before, during and after the course.

If this review does not put you off ITTP, then you deserve to be in the same position as me. Living back at home, broke and starting at square one.

ITTP Review by Emilie, February 2, 2012

I was on the same combination online/onsite course as Margaret (December 2011) and I also wanted to add my voice in that I had a thoroughly wonderful time on the course. As a US passport holder I did initially have my reservations about how difficult it would be to find work after the course and we did need to wait until after the holidays to really get the ball rolling. To my welcomed surprise I was offered a handful of teaching positions in early January and two of the schools also offered to help me get my work permit visa. I did settle on those two schools and I am very satisfied in my current teaching posts, teaching part time for one and almost full time hours for the other. I really don’t know what the commotion over getting the visa is all about because it has seemed pretty straight forward to both Margaret and myself. Margaret is off to Japan but I am sticking around for the long haul and my work permit just cost $50 (US) and not the absurd amount quoted by a previous reviewer. Yes, you have to run around getting documents collected but I found the whole process a lot more painless than when I needed to gather my visa application together for South Korea (where I taught for a year before coming to Prague). I really don’t know what all the fuss is about. The only pain with the visa application here is that you do need to submit the paperwork at either the Czech Embassy in Vienna, Bratislava, or Dresden. Even then though surely it’s an excuse to take a trip out of the city and anyway the train journey down to Vienna was peanuts. So if you come with a can do attitude then you shouldn’t have any issues whatsoever and ITTP prepares you anyway for the job searching and visa process. I had absolutely no issues at all with the accommodation which ITTP provided and actually felt a bit sad when it was time to leave it. Yes, the apartment has no TV but otherwise has all you need and I was very satisfied with the apartment, the apartment location, and the immediate neighborhood. I particularly liked the 20 minute walk in to the Charles Bridge and I’m sure I lost pounds exploring the city in that first month. The training was excellent too as was the general support from the ITTP administration throughout. ITTP TEFL Prague is a rewarding program and I really can’t think of any reason not to take this course if wanting to take an international TEFL/TESOL course in the city of Prague. Highly recommended!