ARE THERE ANY PREREQUISITES TO TAKING THE TESOL COURSE?

All TESOL courses are available to trainees over 18 years old with an advanced English speaking and writing level.

There's no pre-course preparation necessary and our Head Trainer and Assistant don't leave any questions unanswered and stay after class for any additional tutoring that may be needed.

HOW DOES THE VISA SITUATION WORK?

Citizens of more than 90 countries get a 90-day tourist permit upon arrival. Foreigners are allowed to do short term private courses, like a PADI scuba certification, on a tourist permit.

If you decide to stay longer to tour the country, you can easily apply for a 90 day extension online.

Please check the latest information on the Migracion Colombia website, link provided below:

https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/en/procedures_services/visa/requirements

HOW MUCH MONEY SHOULD I BRING?

Keep in mind that living in Colombia is very inexpensive and the exchange rate is great for foreign currency. The biggest factor about budgeting is the lack of income for month(s). At the minimum, one must budget for not having any income for a month as a TESOL student and for the first month of your contract, should you start working immediately.

Food ranges from $1-5 USD per meal. A nice meal at an upscale restaurant ranges from $10-15 USD.

For accommodation there are many places for rent from cheap hostels to expensive resorts. Accommodation is not included in the course fee.

Transportation is also cheap, about $1-$10 USD depending on the distance. Renting motorcycles or cars are also options.

It's suggested to bring about $800 - $1000 for a reasonably budgeted experience. Very frugal travelers can get by with $600 - $700 a month.

WHAT IF I HAVE TO RESCHEDULE BEFORE OR DURING THE COURSE?

No matter the reason, all trainees have the option to drop the course and get a refund, minus the non-refundable deposit. To reschedule a course, the trainee must reserve a spot in their preferred month on a first come first served basis, for no additional costs.

WHAT'S THE INTERNET ACCESS LIKE?

Most hotels, restaurants and even shopping malls have WIFI available to the public. At our center we have high speed internet connection accessable for our trainees. For personal internet usage, our staff have registered SIM cards ready for you to use immediately upon arrival.

DO I NEED TO SPEAK SPANISH?

While it helps to speak the local language for personal interactions with the community, it isn't necessary to be a good EFL teacher. A major part of the course is learning how to communicate effectively in English to people who don't speak English.

HOW DO I GET TO SANTA MARTA?

Book a flight to Simón Bolívar International Airport in Santa Marta, Colombia. Airport code: SMR. We'll pick you up when you get here then it's about a 20-30 minute drive from the airport to the center of town.

WHAT ARE ACCOMMODATIONS LIKE?

It all depends on your budget. You can find hostels from $5 USD a night and there are endless listings on Air BnB, Booking.com, Hotels.com, Google, etc, for all price ranges. Accommodation is not included in this course.

WHY IS MY DEPOSIT NON-REFUNDABLE?

Your deposit secures your spot in your preferred month. Spots are currently limited to 9 trainees per month. If you don't show for whatever reason, another trainee missed the opportunity to join the class. It's a net loss for our center as well as for the trainee who couldn't join said month.

But your deposit is transferrable to any subsequent month you choose, without a time limit nor penalty.

WHAT DOCUMENTS SHOULD I BRING WITH ME?

When applying for a job almost anywhere on Earth, you need to have your original or certified copy of your birth certificate, university/college degree(s), and relevant certificates.

Your birth certificate and degree need to be Apostilled by your home country. (In the USA it's by your home state)

Do this BEFORE traveling, as you will be asked to produce an Apostille for each submitted document and getting it done while you're out of your home country is a nightmarish long errand, adding rushed international freight to get your documents to you on time. And if you don't have your documents in order before the job starts, you may lose the job to someone who has their documents in order. This has happened too many times.

*FYI - An Apostille is like a super notary, allowing state issued documents to be accepted internationally. As defined by the US State Department, "Apostilles authenticate the seals and signatures of officials on public documents such as birth certificates, court orders, or any other document issued by a public authority so that they can be recognized in foreign countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention Treaty."

HOW IS MY TESOL CERTIFICATE RECOGNIZED INTERNATIONALLY?

All of our certificates are accredited through Fairmont State University, in Fairmont, Virginia, USA, who also accept TEFL International certificates as college credit towards undergraduate Education majors. More importantly, TEFL International moderates every course around the world. This approach has assured consistency and has provided the highest quality TESOL courses for the past 30+ years.

Additional accreditations include:

Online TESOL and TEFL Standards Agency

(online courses and combined courses with OTP)

TEFL International online courses are fully accredited by the Online TESOL and TEFL Standards Agency (OTTSA). OTTSA is a professional education organization that is dedicated to raising industry standards for online TEFL certificate courses.

Teacher Training Council (five-day combined courses)

Five-day combined courses are moderated by the Teacher Training Council.

The Teacher Training Council accreditation is an international learning and development body. Underpinning all that we do is the principle of 'Excellence via Competence'.

Training Issues has worked successfully for over 10 years with many enterprises throughout the world, helping them with a wide range of learning and development strategies, assessment and accreditation. As a result, the Training Issues team have built an enviable reputation for high standards and quality, customer experience excellence and getting it right first time.

During this time, over 90% of the work that Training Issues has been involved in has been with personnel whose first language is not English. In one recent accreditation project alone, we needed to take account of 8 separate Asian languages when carrying out our accreditation work. Thus, over 10 years plus, the majority of materials and documentation designed, developed and accredited has been geared specifically to those who use English as a second or foreign language.

As a result of our lengthy experience gained in accrediting international courses with an extensive ELT content, and accrediting Training companies, we now feel that we should also offer this accreditation service to independent TEFL/TESOL Providers who are willing to meet the high accreditation standards set by Teacher Training Council.

IATEFL

Our parent organization, TITC, is an institutional member of IATEFL (the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language). Please visit www.iatefl.org for more details of this organization.

Our international partners include:

Oregon Institute of International Education

Paris College of International Education