Orientation & Accommodation
Getting Started
At TEFL International, we have created a program that allows you all the experience of living abroad, learning a new language as quickly and fluently as possible, gaining valuable work experience and becoming an independent “person-of-the world”. To make this experience as wonderful as possible, we have done everything we can to make the transition smooth and take away any worries you may have. The TEFL International School of Life Program offers participants two orientations. A Pre-orientation and an arrival orientation.
Pre-Orientation
Pre-orientation will begin with a welcome letter, a pre-departure package for the location of your choice and our internationally-recognized PELT program (a self-study DVD program showing you all the aspects of teaching English to non-English speakers). The pre-departure package will contain information on the home stays available, information on your health insurance, the location itself and the language classes you will be
taking as well as the school you will be teaching at for a maximum of 10-15 hours per week. The package will also contain the MSN / SKYPE IDs and phone numbers of the TISOL Program Coordinator and your local Support Counselor. After familiarizing yourself with the package, you will have an on-line or phone conversation with the program coordinator who will tell you how to proceed on the program step-by step. The program coordinator and local support counselor will be available to guide you on departure preparations and learning to become a teacher. You will also have a chance to talk with your home stay family. after you choose your preferred home stay, and before you depart.
Arrival Orientation
Upon getting off the plane at your chosen TISOL location, your local Support Counselor will meet you and take you to your home stay. You will have a chance to relax and get-to-know your home stay family. The following day, your Support Counselor will meet with you to orientate you on the area, your language classes, teaching classes, transport and any other questions you may have. After your meeting and in the next couple of days you will begin your language learning and teaching classes. From then on, your local Support Counselor will be available seven days a week, 24 hours a day to assist you with anything you require (and will check in on you every few days). Once you begin teaching, you will start to meet local friends and likely depend less and less on your Support Counselor for cultural and day-to-day living enquires. But your Support Counselor will always be available to you and will pick you up and take you to the airport when the program finishes.
Accommodation
TEFL International has pre-screened and chosen home stay accommodations that maximizes the program language learning, offers comfort and safety to participants and helps program participants expand their social skills at the local level.Before you depart for your location, you will have a chance to see photos and talk to the host family of your home stay accommodation. If you do not feel comfortable with that home stay after the photos and first meeting, we will be happy to find you another host family and home stay.Why home-stay and not university accommodation or a hotel? Well, one of the main goals of the program is for you to become as fluent as possible in the language you are learning. At TEFL International, we have learned over our decade of experience on how best to learn a language and we find it best if you balance your classroom language learning with a natural immersion environment that offers you the safe environment to feel confident enough to take risks with the language. We find that a home stay type environment will maximize your language learning. Not only that, but it will allow you to ease into your new culture with more support and assistance upon arrival.
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