Get TEFL Certified & Get Paid to Teach English in Spain

My overall experience with International TEFL Academy was fantastic. The teachers and advisors were, and still are, very helpful and are quick to respond to any questions or issues that may arise. The course itself was vastly informative, and really covered everything one would need to know to confidently teach a class of ESL learners. I would greatly recommend this program to anyone who is interested in teaching abroad!

ITA is so worth it because they offer assistance that other companies do not. Yes, you can get certified elsewhere but the advice, information and assistance they offer is invaluable. Additionally, the course is very comprehensive and helps a lot if you’re a first-time teacher. I could not imagine going to teach abroad without having taking the course by ITA. I would recommend ITA to everyone that wants to teach abroad - they really make it easy.

I'm so grateful I decided to get TEFL certified and here's why. Basically, like many, I was looking to change my career, move to a foreign country, travel and learn Spanish. Let's face it, deciding to quit your comfortable job and sell your things to "take a leap of faith" to live and work in a new country in a new career is scary. I knew that if I wasn't going to do this I wanted to be as prepared as possible and to make the transition as seamless as possible. I wanted to really enjoy this experience and limit any amount of difficulties at the get go. So I chose to get TEFL certified onsite in the 4 week TEFL program in Madrid which included a 1 year student visa. While it's a bit pricey, in my experience, it's totally worth it. Immediately when you sign up you are added to the ITA database and are connected internationally to teachers all over the world including those here in Spain. The alumni network alone has proven to be very useful in the transition period and overall support. The TEFL program itself is intensive and can be a bit overwhelming at times but it really gives you a full submersion on the "how" to teach English. They also assisted with helping me create a new resume and put me in contact with several language academies to interview with. I was hired immediately after the program. This was great because I didn't have to stress about looking for a job. I'm also grateful I chose the student visa option. Not only does it include a year of Spanish classes (which I was very interested in) but it also allows you to live, work and even travel here in Spain comfortably. Again, I was looking to make the process as smooth as possible. Thankfully with my ITA TEFL certification I was able to do that. I'm still here today living and working Madrid 2 years later and have no plans to return as of yet. Thank you ITA for changing my life and giving me the opportunity of a lifetime!

This TEFL course was one of the most interesting experiences I had, and I'm very glad I decided to take it. My favorite memory was the class we took in Russian, to demonstrate to us what it would be like for our students who did not yet speak any English at all.

I would want to let future participants know that while taking this course gave me a great foundation as a new teacher with no previous experience, I would have liked more assistance with how to apply for work or student visas once you want to actually start teaching. You should also know that as the course is only four weeks long, it has a very intense schedule. If you want to take advantage of being in a foreign city while taking the course, you need to plan to either arrive early or stay later, as you won't have time during the four weeks to do so.

My instructors were very knowledgable, helpful, and gave feedback to each student. They also wrote me a letter of recommendation for a job I applied to.

My husband and I had been talking about moving overseas for a long time, so when we finally settled on Madrid, the student visa/TEFL program through ITA made a lot of sense for us. It certainly isn't cheap, but they made the process super easy and answered any and all questions along the way. Just keep in mind that the people who you speak with in the states are not the people who you will be talking to here. This confused me at first, but everyone was awesome so it really didn't matter. If I could give three pieces of advice, they would be:

1. Do the one-month certification course in Madrid. You make friends, get to know your instructors, and have time to settle into your life.
2. Save more money than you think you'll need and count on making less than you're told. In Spain, there are a lot of holidays. It's nice because you get days off, but as hourly jobs often go, you don't get paid for the days you don't work. Combine this with the general flakiness of students/academies/etc... means you often don't work your full hours each month.
3. Be flexible with your living situation. Landlords here don't love renting to ex-pat teachers, so it wasn't easy for us to find a place here. A lot of people wanted us to put down a ridiculous amount (8 months in one place) because of our student visa/part-time work status. If you're coming here on your own, it can also be difficult because there are so many people looking for rooms and places.

All in all, I'd highly recommend that anyone thinking about moving to Madrid should do it. We've traveled all around Europe, made amazing friends, and had a wonderful year getting to know this amazing city.

I took my TEFL course at ITA Barcelona, and wouldn't have changed a thing! The experience was incredibly personalized, and the instructors were not only amazingly knowledgable, but also became friends throughout the course. They pushed us to work our hardest and get the most out of the month, and I left feeling over-prepared for the job I ended up getting. Kerry and Stephen have been working as English teachers in Barcelona for years, so they were also able to help navigate job searching at the end of the course, and have remained available for advice or questions. I couldn't recommend ITA Barcelona more!!

I chose to teach in Barcelona, Spain because I knew the job outlook was pretty high. I was very nervous coming here without a job, but finding a job was not difficult at all. In fact, the very day of my flight to Barcelona, I was invited to two interviews once I landed. Prior to flying to Barcelona, I utilized the Barcelona TEFL Teachers Association Facebook page to network with people. I found many other people doing the same thing, and networked with a few to meet up. I also networked with future employers and contacted them with my CV. Turns out this is a great resource and landed me various teaching jobs. Though I originally wanted to teach in a school, I ended up teaching many private lessons. I actually loved teaching private lessons because I got to know my students on a more personal level and I was able to cater each lesson to them individually.

The course was challenging and time-consuming but the material taught has been very useful. I felt comfortable creating lesson plans and standing in front of a classroom upon completion of the course.