Reviews

The Language House TEFL program is the best TEFL preparation course around. Christ Westergaard, the owner and director of the school is one of the best teachers I've ever had. He prepares you to teach English as a foreign language to any age or level and not only gives you all the tools you need to do so, but gives you fun and creative ways to make the classroom more dynamic. I still use some of his lessons to this day.
The course is a month long and one of the most intensive and challenging things I've ever done. They review grammar with you until you can teach it in your sleep, teach you how to teach without using the student's native language, give you hands-on classroom experience (more than any other program I know of), give you Czech lessons, and help place you in a job locally or abroad at the end of the course.
I took the class in 2006, taught that first year in Prague, and then 4 more years in Barcelona and Mallorca, Spain.
Take this course and then go see the world!
Contact me at lesliemcd@gmail.com with any questions.

Excellent course. The Language house not only prepared me for TEFL teaching, helped me find a great job that started right after the course, but the staff has helped me with everything I have needed (questions, advice, letters of rec) for the last 4 years. I would highly recommend the course, you will not be dissapointed. I wouldn't change a thing about it.

I chose The Language House for many reasons, and am so glad I did. For one, the people I met there made my time in Prague fun and very special. It also gave me the training for a great job.
Even with a BA in English Lit my grammar knowledge was very limited. Because of the teaching practice and methodology training, I was well prepared to use my new skills in not only Prague, but also in the UK and the US. I have taught people whose first languages range from Czech, French, Spanish, Ukrainian, Italian and Chinese, simply because of the training I received at The Language House.
I highly recommend the course for anyone interested in TEFl and teaching in general. It will prepare you with the confidence and creativity to excel in the classroom.

I went through the Language House in September 2009. I have a BA in English, and a Master's in Education, and I feel that The Language House TEFL prepared me even more and offered me skills that I didn't have even with my background. You get the opportunity to teach REAL CZECH STUDENTS at a variety of levels with student AND observer feedback. You are also given extensive grammar knowledge, which you ABSOLUTELY NEED in order to teach because if you don't get that in your TEFL course, you'll have to teach grammar to yourself eventually anyway. Aside from the quality of the course itself, the staff are awesome! The school is small so you get a lot of one-on-one time with VERY helpful and supportive staff. It's been over a year since I finished the course and I STILL go to The Language House for resources or if I need some help or advice. You won't regret choosing The Language House!

If I were to choose a TEFL course again I'd certainly go for the TLH one. It was a great experience and fun at the same time! We learned a lot in a short time. It is an intensive course, but if you are ready to learn and at the same time practice teaching with some experienced and fun teachers- TLH is a great choice! The facilities might not be the best ones, but what you get out of the course is much more important. I had a great time, made new friends and enjoyed every minute of staying in Prague and learning/practicing teaching at TLH. Would definitely recommend it!

The Language House was a great experience that ended with me getting a legit TEFL certificate that is recognized world wide. The course is by no means a cake walk, rather, you will be required to put in your time to learn the material and generate your own lesson plans (you are aptly prepared by the great staff in order to do this). The key to what I got from The Language House was the actual classroom teaching experience. Following my completion of the course, I was hired by Arlington Language School in Vancouver, BC. I found that The Language House had prepared me for getting up in front of a class with the confidence that I knew what I was talking about. I am currently getting an Elementary Education degree from the University of British Columbia and have been told first hand that my TEFL certificate from The Language House will put me a step ahead of the rest in an education market that has a high rate of ESL students in the classroom. All in all, I would highly recommend this school to anyone considering getting a TEFL certificate. The amazingly funny and competent staff, the incredibly challenging yet rewarding teaching experiences, and of course the fantastic city of Prague can not be beat.

Everything said in the description of The Language House TEFL program is accurate. It is a wonderful course, with great teachers and provides a significant amount of hands-on practice. I was totally prepared to teach English as a second language after the course and I would recommend it to anyone looking to get their TEFL certificate. Not only does the Language House give you the teaching skills you need, but they were great at helping all the students get acquainted with the area and social scene as well.
Again, it was a great experience and a phenomenal program!

So you want to teach English abroad

I can recommend The Language House in Prague. It´s an intensive course, but at the end of it you will be prepared to start teaching English. And you´ll be glad you took a TEFL course rather than just jumping in and figuring it out. There is SO MUCH to know! I was a little wary of paying for a course over the internet, not sure I´d end up with a usable certificate afterwards, but the TLH is a legit institution, and if you pass the course you´ll get a nice TEFL cert with a gold seal and everything. So no worries, The Language House is the real deal. As proof, I´m teaching full-time in a city outside of Prague.
The instructors are experienced and highly knowledgeable, and the staff very helpful and friendly. You´ll get 12 or 14 hours of teaching time in front of volunteer students, which is key.

What to bring:
You don´t need a bunch of nice clothes. One set for interviews ought to do it, and you can teach in casual/semi-formal clothes (not scruffy—decent), like jeans and a button-up. And if you need something, you can buy it in Prague.

A laptop is almost essential, though you can get by without. You´ll want one, though.

You´ll want a photo-copy of your diploma, and know where the original is at home so your mom can send it to you if you need it. Schools in different countries require different proofs of documentation, so if you know where you want to end up teaching, do some research.

If you want to stay in the Czech Republic, I recommend coming with no less than $5,000 in the bank. It might take a while to find work, and you´ll need money to get into an apartment.
Also, and this is important: If you are going to try to get your visa, they require proof that you can support yourself. This means a) a credit card (NOT a debit card) or b) roughly $7,200 in your Czech bank account (a notarized printout from your home bank (not off the internet) might suffice). You only need the money for as long as it takes your bank to print out and stamp the official statement, so you can borrow it and then transfer it right back (but this takes time and of course there is a fee). Plan ahead! Simplest is a credit card (again, no debit card).
Good luck!

The Language House has very competent teachers and staff who are wonderful people. However, the price of the course is absolutely not worth it. The building is tiny, and there are very limited resources. There are only 4 computers for everyone to share, 2 of which almost never worked when I went there. In addition, there were not a lot of teaching books and most of them were outdated. Their website is also very misleading and makes a lot of empty promises, including being able to find a job which right now is almost impossible in Prague. They also promise you a free dinner with your group upon the completion of the course which never happened. They are relocating to a new building soon which should improve some of the problems they have. However, I would take TEFL elsewhere. Many of the other language schools who offer TEFL promise a job with their school once you finish.

Yes - you could be lucky enough to shout these words across the cobbled streets of Prague at the top of your lungs... I was! ;-)

I researched many TEFL courses before selecting "The Language House." Why did I choose this course over the others? It is one that is intense, method driven and sincere in producing top rate teachers. If you are looking for a quick and easy "free ride," you might consider looking elsewhere. If you sincerely want to TEFL and need real-time experience in the classroom with actual students, this is the course for you. Over 14 hours with real students... What other course comes close?

When interviewing for jobs after the course, you are at an advantage with a Language House certificate. You will have a portfolio filled with self-generated lesson plans for all levels of learners, extinsive grammatical training, and will be well versed in various teaching methodologies.

As a six year veteran history teacher from the US, I was impressed every class at the organization of the course, the challenging pace and personal attention by the staff. Nothing is left out. You will get Czech lessons, phonology/linguistic anthropolgy lessons, help with the job hunt and personalized critiques of your teaching on the spot and at every level.

Again- if you want to TEFL and TEFL well, the Language House is the right choice! Go to the site and look for me under "testimonials" if you would like to email me personally and ask any further questions.

Cau!!
Amy Livingston

PS - Thanks to all the staff and classmates that have helped and continue to help my TEFL dreams come true! (Espcially Spooky, the Pear, Sign Stealer and King TEFL himself.)

Hey everybody!

The Language school I believe is the best with TEFL Certification at least in Central and Eastern Europe. The staff go out of their way to help you when needed but really push you so that you achieve your peak by your own determination unlike the spoonfeeding of a lot of schools that offer TEFL Certifications. I was on an Interview the day before I graduated from the course and I was instantly hired by that school after my Interview and the Director of studies in her own words told me "We love teachers that graduate from The Language House as they are the best we ever had during the entire existance of our school. Before the Language House, the Teachers certified in Prague were not competent at all."

I felt proud graduating from The Language House. It is defintely not the easy TEFL Certification in Prague but certainly the best place to get it done. There is a strict selection process at The Language House and if you are accepted to do the course, you will come out as one of the best teachers of Prague.

If anyone wishes more information from a student point of view, you are welcome tosend me a private message.

Best Regards,

Sanyam.
P.S.: Last but by far not least, I wish to convey my deepest thanks to Chris and the whole crew of The Language House!