Distance Learning
What People Say About Our Program
It is difficult to judge a program by reading what the program provider says about it: He/She is hardly objective! So the best way to find out about a course is to hear from someone who participated in the program.
The comments below are unsolicited comments from participants in our distance learning program. They were posted on the Teacher Training board at Dave's ESL Cafe. We have not edited them except to remove the posters' email addresses.
Posted by Allen:
"I took two EI courses and I thought there were great. I don't think anyone should get too worried about whether programs are accredited or not. Just look for a program that seems reputable and seems to meet your training and job needs. That's what I did."Posted by Elena Shepherd:
"I worried about accreditation when I first looked at the English International program but I decided to enroll anyway. Since reading lots of recent posts about the way accreditation works in TESOL, I'm realizing that most accreditation is more hype than reality. So I'm glad I decided not to worry too much about it.
"Jeff's courses were excellent. Course 1 was basic, but it was a really good introduction to techniques and class management, and I needed the grammar review. Course 2 was more interesting and more challenging, and I enjoyed it a lot.
"Employers seem to accept the English International certificates. This may be because Jeff is well known in the field."Posted by Dan Lawrence:
I've been investigating online certification for a few months and I just signed up for English International's Course #1. Jeff M's credentials are above reproach and the "personal touch" is what sold me."Posted by Erika Goldman:
"I took two distance correspondence courses with Jeff Mohamed through English International. I thought the materials were first-rate and Jeff was always knowledgeable, helpful and accessible. I've see other very positive comments about these courses on this site also."Posted by Alex Headley:
In reply to a criticism of another distance course, Alex wrote, "My experience of online courses was totally different than yours. Last year I took two courses with Jeff Mohammed at English International and both were first class. There were lots of course materials: three binders of texts and exercises, a video, disks of exercises and a book by Jeff about jobs. When I sent in my assignments, Jeff responded personally and quickly. He pointed out where I was having having problems and helped me to solve them. He answered all the many questions I asked him about all kinds of stuff and gave me a lot of personal advice about jobs after the course. So I think you just chose the wrong course. "Posted by Brian Harvey:
"I'd recommend the English International TEFL course run by Jeff Mohamed. It's more distance than online. You receive hard copies of the materials by mail and submit your assignments by email or mail. I particularly like that the assignments are marked personally by Jeff, who is an expert trainer and also still regularly teaches ESL. He's very accessible and he gives really practical advice. I also like that the program is in three sections and you can enroll in each one separately. When I started, I wasn't sure if TEFL would be for me and so I only enrolled in Course 1. When I found I enjoyed the course and TEFL, I enrolled in Course 2, which is what I'm working through now."Posted by Sharon:
"I heard that the CELTA was tough and so I took Jeff Mohamed's English International distance course to prepare myself. It worked great and I didn't find the CELTA half as difficult as I expected. I finished it with a Grade B and I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten this grade without taking the distance course first."Posted by Terri Adams:
"I just want to say how much I appreciate all the help and advice he has given me and still gives me over a year after I took the first course. I have been teaching in China since I finished and now I'm in my second year and in a better position. His training has been right on and his advice is greatly appreciated."Posted by Jean G:
"I'm finishing the last assignment in Course 1 and I am very impressed with the course. I recommend it to anyone. I found a lot of things I would have done wrong in teaching had I not taken this course and the grammar review is very helpful. Jeff is a great resource and replies promptly and to the point. I'll be taking Courses 2 and 3."Posted by Andy A.:
"I am currently taking the Intro course. The materials are very good and Jeff is always available for help. I took another course before which was supposed to be a 100 hour course but I didn't learn as much as I thought I should have. So far, I have already learned more (and I haven't finished the Intro Course yet) than I did in the 100 hour course from another provider.BTW, I work with a guy who has a CELTA from International House London. I showed him the material and he agreed this is a viable option for those who can't afford the time or money for an onsite course."
Posted by Alex:
"I took two of Jeff's English International courses this year and I think they were excellent. Course 1 was a great introduction to methodology and it also taught me a lot about grammar. Course 2 was much tougher because it covered more ground and went into more detail. I had a few problems with some of the assignments, particularly some of the pronunciation sections, but Jeff was very helpful and I did okay in the end.
I'm now trying to decide whether to take Course 3, the practice teaching course, while I'm still in the USA or to wait until I start teaching in Mexico in January."Posted by Alison Harker:
"I took an English International course and it was excellent. The English International courses are run from the USA by Jeff Mohamed, who is a real mine of information about everything to do with TEFL and is always ready to share his knowledge. The course materials are in American English while I am British but this didn't cause me any problems. In fact, I found it really useful because I often teach students who want American English and the course taught me a lot about American vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation."Posted by Matt:
"I took the course last year. Very helpful and interesting. Jeff gives a lot of advice and the materials are all first-rate."Posted by Matthew:
"I found it to be a very good course. You cover a lot of topics and it made me a better teacher. It's also nice that Jeff M. is always there to offer advice and guidance during the course, and after.
Overall, I'd give it an A+!"Posted by Mick E.:
"I finished Jeff's Introduction Course this summer and now I've almost finished the Certificate Course. Both courses are great and contain a ton of useful information and advice. The Introduction Course was very logical and not very difficult except for some pretty tough grammar sections. The Certificate Course is more difficult and is taking me longer to complete. Luckily Jeff is very accessible and he's been great about helping me when I get stuck or have questions. He's a real fountain of knowledge about everything to do with TEFL."Posted by Mick E.:
"I took Jeff Mohammed's (sic) distance Intro course through English International. The materials were very clear and thorough, the support from Jeff was great, the price was very reasonable. Now I'm going to take the Cert course with Jeff because it looks just as good or even better than the Intro."Posted by Andy:
"I started Jeff's introductory course about a month ago after reading comments about it here. It's a very good course and Jeff is very helpful and accessible. I'm not sure 'fun' is the best way to describe the course but it certainly is interesting and motivating.
"I don't know how the content compares with other online programs but I liked the price. I also liked that Jeff's website was honest about the limitations of the introductory program and certification. I think Bruce of TEFL International also commented positively on this a while back. The other online or 1-week programs try to fool you into thinking their courses are as good as 4-week intensive TEFL programs."Posted by Peter Szkraba:
"I thought it was a great course. I've been volunteering as a teaching assistant for the past year and didn't have a clue about teaching ESL. Jeff's course and his availability have been a big help in helping me understand what is involved."Posted by Rick Maines:
"I took the English International course and it was very good:
* clear detailed descriptions of techniques
* video showing the techniques in use
* good step-by-step explanations of grammar
* job search advice
* interesting assignments starting easy and getting harder
* fast replies to the assignments and questions.
It cost less than other courses I looked at."Posted by Dave:
"I'm currently taking the English Intl program and finding it very useful. The material is well organized and easy to follow and the assignments are pretty straightforward. I've had a few problems with some of the grammar sections but I got help with these fom Jeff Mohammed (sic) who runs the program and who responds quickly by E-mail. The methodology sections are interesting and it helps a lot that they are supported by video examples because these show how the techniques work in the classroom. The Winfield program looked good but it was a lot more expensive and it looked like it didn't help much with grammar which is a definite needs area for me. I saw some negative comments about teachandtravel.com and so I didn't really consider it."Posted by Lizzie:
"I would totally recommend the program. I researched all the distance courses I could find and English International looked like the most professional and the best value for money. I finished the program a couple of weeks ago and I was very happy with it. The materials - especially the video - were excellent and the assignments were challenging without being too overwhelming. Also, and I think this is important with a distance course, Jeff Mohamed always replied very promptly to my questions and to the assignments I sent in. He's now helping me to get my job search started. Go for it!"Posted by Richard:
"I am only part way through English International's correspondence course but I agree whole heartedly with the other two respondents. This course is head and shoulders above another that I took. It is clear, practical and comprehensive. The video of Jeff in a teaching situation is excellent. I'd recommend it as a good starter."Posted by Kristi Patterson:
"I'm taking a distance learning program right now through English International. It's a 50-hour introductory course, and so far I'm pretty impressed. The course is designed really well and covers the basics of TEFL methodology as well as grammar. Jeff Mohamed, the personal tutor, is very knowledgeable and accessible. He gets back to you right away with feedback about your homework. I'd definitely recommend checking it out."Posted by Maggie Turling:
"I just finished a distance learning course from English International and I totally recommend it. I decided on this course partly because of price and partly because I was impressed with posts I read here by the program director Jeff Mohamed. The course covers class management and how to teach grammar, vocabulary and skills. I was expecting it to be very abstract but it was very practical. All the advice was clear and being able to watch sections of lessons on video really made it easy to see how to apply the techniques.
"The grammar section of the course seemed smaller than the methods part but it took me a lot longer to work through and some of the exercises were tough: Grammar has never been my strong point! I don't feel like a grammar expert now but I'm not so afraid of it. I feel like I know how to analyze structures and will be able to deal with them in class.
"Jeff has been very good about answering my questions and helping me with problems. He's written a jobs book that's included in the program materials and he's also given me a lot of personal advice and help with my job search.".