Testimonials


Successful Graduates


The response to our CertTEYL has been excellent!

The graduates contribute to the course through their unique backgrounds and teaching experiences. By reviewing their comments and feedback we are able to improve the course for future participants.



Feedback from CertTEYL course graduates:

I already have a MATESOL and this course was precisely what I needed in order to move into the field of teaching children.

Much of the linguistic and second language acquisition material was already familiar to me but I benefited greatly from the units which highlighted the teaching of children, and their emotional and intellectual development.

The practical suggestions for the classroom were invaluable, and it helped to be able to consult with my tutor on a professional level and ask his advice concerning the course as it progressed PLUS ask for his advice in regards to incidents which occurred in my YL classroom.

I highly recommend this course for anyone who wants a challenge and the opportunity to improve themselves professionally.

Please click on the photo to see a bigger image.

Raigan Bastianoni-Stoerzer - American ESL teacher working in Germany. She obtained her Master's degree in TESOL from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Content of TEYL on-line is exceptional for all ESOL teachers.

Graphics/Set-Up of course is very user-friendly for all...

The tutor went above and beyond my expectations and provided me with excellent feedback of assignments, advice about teaching overseas, professional opinions concerning ESOL issues (I think Mentor would be justified rather than Tutor as a title).

Articles/Content of TEYL:
Excellent, well-defined, current research concerning all areas of teaching English overseas-I downloaded all articles and activities for future use in class.



Tamara Opalek - Teaching ESL in a primary school in Florida and is completing her MA in Education from Grand Valley State University.

I found the course to be very enjoyable. It really gave me a solid foundation of the many facets of teaching English to young children.

The reading required for the course conveyed many of the reasons why children learn the way they do and also provided me with a better grasp on how to put the material into action through my teaching style.

Before taking the course I had taught in Asia for three years and have always had some reservations about my teaching style. But upon completion of the course my previous reservations have been washed away with the help of the knowledge I gained through the course.

Listen to Mr. Bracco read his testimonial:

Gregory Bracco - American ESL teacher in South Korea.

Even though I have been teaching children English for a long time, I learned a lot from the course.

There were some subjects about teaching children that I had never thought about, and thus I was surprised by learning information in these areas.

The course is very flexible - allowing students to advance at their own rhythm. This was essential for me since I have a family with three children and a teaching job.

I enjoyed the communications with my tutor; I was also surprised by the amount of information that I learned directly from him.

A big thank you for providing this type of program!

Robin Brown-Frossard - American ESL teacher and Mind Management Trainer in Switzerland.

...the many positive aspects of the course include:

* [the tutor's] helpfulness and great patience!
* The countless links to information that will always be helpful;
* The good mix of current educational theory and practical tips;
* The many recommendations about professional ways of teaching children.

Finally, I was impressed with the very thorough nature of the course, which for me was an introduction to teaching English as a second language, although I am a Primary School teacher.

My certification paper ended up becoming an opportunity for me to theoretically justify practices that have evolved in my teaching. It proved to be appropriate professional development for me now that I am teaching bilingual students.

Roxanne Rogers - Originally from California, Ms. Rogers is teaching in a bilingual international school in Mexico.

I highly recommend this course for any ESL instructor who has a true passion for teaching children.

The organization of the modules is simple to follow yet demanding. Best of all, what you learn can be immediately applied to your own lesson plan.

You and your students will be satisfied. You won't find many courses for this price. Thanks TEYL!

Shawn Dale - An American ESL Instructor in Tokyo, Japan.

I found the course very helpful, not only regarding teaching theory but also teaching practice.

Marci Coate - American teacher in Italy.

The course helped me to consolidate some knowledge I had before.

My tutor was very kind and gave me all the support I needed.

I really recommend this course to everyone working with children.

Elsa Costa - Teacher in Portugal.

I enjoyed doing the course. The tutor was extremely helpful and patient. The articles were very useful and the course has been beneficial overall.

I would reccomend it to especially to new teachers as they can learn a lot from doing the course.

As I had already been teaching young learners it no doubt helped but a lot of it was what I have been practicing as a teacher.

Jaya Shanker - Teacher at the American International School in Chennai, India.

I had been looking for a course for a long time that focused on teaching, not making teachers aware of English grammar and testing. It sounds paradoxical but I did not find many teaching certificates that were focused specifically on helping teachers to teach better! I feel like this course really did that - I was able to implement a lot of the course skills/focal areas in my classroom immediately.

I have been teaching ESL for five years and have completed post-graduate qualifications in education - I found this course clear, relevant to my classroom and helpful for improving my overall teaching approach. The certificate has been well-recognised by potential employers also.

I have enjoyed working on this. My work was always marked quickly by my tutor and all feedback was thorough, constructive, relevant and supportive.

Tracy Dominey - A New Zealander who teaches ESL in Singapore.

I enjoyed the course immensely because it encouraged me to read extensively and formulate my own teaching approaches.

Unlike other teaching courses, which can often be very dogmatic, it taught me to think for myself and trust in my own judgements.

This course will be beneficial for anyone who wishes to broaden their understanding of TEYL, as well as for those who seek to develop as ELT teachers generally.

Owen Connor - British teacher who works in Qatar teaching mostly 16-17 year olds.

Responses from feedback form:

"Was the tutor helpful during the course?" More than I expected.
"How do you feel about the content of the course?" Fantastic.
"Did you like the way the course was presented?" Yes, completely.
"Was the course a good value for the price?" Yes, absolutely.

Gwenn Navarro Cornic - Teaches English to children at a language school and French at a private university in Valencia, Spain.

I really appreciated the fast feedback I got to my assignments and the flexible approach of my tutor.

As I already have teacher qualifications, most of the material was not new to me but it was a good refresher course and confirmed for me that I am doing the right things in the classroom and in my teacher training workshops.

Alison Lyall - Autralian who teaches children and trains teachers in Malaysia.

The course gave me deeper insight into my current approach to TEYL and lots of new ideas to help me evolve into a better, more professional teacher.

The course was well laid out and full of useful information. The materials introduced in the online resources section alone were worth the price of the course! My tutor was extremely helpful and professional.

From novices to veterans, I would recommend this course to anyone teaching children or considering a career in TEYL. This is a great way to begin a career in TEYL or continue your professional development.

Basil Tonks - A Canadian teacher who is living in Japan. Basil is now a Tutor for the CertTEYL in Japan. www.teyl-j.org

I thoroughly enjoyed the CertTEYL course. The layout is very easy to follow and the information well presented.

My tutor was very knowledgeable and encouraged me to think "outside the box".

I would recommend this course to anyone interested in working with children and or teaching them English as a second language.

Carol Fedyk - An ESL/ESD - Aboriginal Teacher's Assistant in B.C., Canada.

This course is wonderfully thought out. The TEYL site is user friendly and your tutor is easy to get in contact with.

There is so much valuable information available that can be used in the classroom.

I highly recommend this course to anyone that is interested in, or already teaching ESL to children.

Kathy Daxon - American - Recently returned from teaching in Hong Kong.


Kathy teaching ESL in Hong Kong.

As a non-native [English speaker]... I think that everything about this course was great. The tasks and assignments helped me understand the contents of each module.

Thank you for my tutor, who encouraged me with advice, comments and some extra English writing materials.

Serindit Indraswari - Indonesian volunteer ESL teacher in Japan.

This course covers a wide variety of concepts required for teaching Young Learners in a quality manner.

There is a substantial number of informative readings that certainly will improve your insight in this profession.

I enjoyed the ease of the course layout and how comprehensible the concepts were.

Nick Mitchelmore - A Canadian teaching ESL to children in South Korea. He is a specialist in using board games for TEYL.

This course was equal to a Master's Degree Paper.

It certainly added another dimension to my teaching.

I would recommend this course to anyone whether you teach ESOL to children or adults.

The presentation, content and help were professionally given at all stages.

Click to see handwritten copy:

Phillip Smith - An American teaching in New Zealand. In addition to writing about the New Zealand school curriculum, and other impressive credentials, Mr. Smith also has BSc degree, a Teaching Diploma (Adults), two diplomas in Business Administration and Writing, a Cert TESOL, a Cert Communicative Linguistics, a Post Grad Diploma in Teaching Second Languages and a Master of Arts degree in Applied Linguistics.

Absolutely fantastic! This course should be made a prerequisite for all English teachers of young children.

Adam Chee Wei Siang - Singapore    More from Adam...

This course has helped me a lot, helping my confidence and enabling me to gain a better job. If you want to gain more knowledge and advance your all-round teaching skills, then do this course!

Duncan Steward - British teacher in Japan.

I really enjoy reading the articles and am very glad to get so many teaching ideas and resources from the course...
I genuinely admire the course, as it is really helpful for the practical side of teaching. I thank you again for your courtesy...

Yuko Akamatsu - Teacher in Japan

I did a few more sections of the Advanced Teacher Training course, and every time I go back to it, I am still in awe of the quality of the content and the presentation. It is just incredible!

Jonathan Lipschiz - Australian teacher

...it's really a good down-to-earth course that hits just the right blend of theory and practice.

The course content is excellent, right on the money. But it is the assignments and tasks that really make this course something special. You are not asked to regurgitate endless swabs (swaths) of theory and research findings. On the contrary, you are asked to be willing to try things out for yourself...

...I found the certification paper and the course in general a great lead-up to applying for online MA programs.

Jason Renshaw - Teacher in South Korea