Earn your 190-hour TEFL Certification with highly qualified university-level professors located in the beautiful Lakeview neighborhood.
Earn your 190-hour TEFL Certification while enjoying all that Chicago has to offer. Enjoy a TEFL course with small classes and highly qualified university-level professors in the beautiful Lakeview neighborhood, while utilizing brand new classroom facilities, computer work stations, a reference library and student lounge.
Through a series of course readings, tasks, peer participation, essays, and a final thematic unit, students will develop all the skills necessary to be a confident, well-resourced, professional teacher -whatever your background!
This course will qualify you for not only for Greenheart Travel teach abroad programs, but for teaching positions all around the world: Teach in Asia, Europe, Latin America, or the Middle East!
Course Overview:
Have questions for a program manager? Email us at travelapplications@greenheart.org
Class sizes are extremely limited (12 students), so early registration is highly recommended. Classes usually fill 3-4 months ahead of time so please think ahead if you’re interested in a Chicago course!
Course Date | Availability |
September 11, 2023 | Open |
October 9, 2023 | Open |
November 13, 2023 | Open |
January 8, 2024 | Open |
February 5, 2024 | Open |
March 11, 2024 | Open |
April 8, 2024 | Open |
May 13, 2024 | Open |
Can’t commit to a full time, four-week course? You can get the same great certification around your current schedule with our Online TEFL Course!
*Summer courses fill up 3-5 months ahead of time so it’s important to register early to ensure your spot on a summer course!
Our Chicago TEFL student ages range from 18-88. Nobody is too young or too old to earn their TEFL Certification. Please note that many countries have age, degree, and language requirements for their teaching positions and work permits. Greenheart Travel is happy to talk with anyone planning to take a TEFL course about realistic teaching opportunities abroad.
*Non-native speakers are also eligible, but must submit a written essay and engage in an interview to assess their level of English proficiency.
If you have any questions regarding eligibility, please contact Greenheart Travel at 888-ABROAD-1. We will be happy to assist you with all of your questions regarding TEFL Certification and teaching English abroad.
$2,195
What’s included?
What’s not included:
*Our courses in the United States are available for all citizenships, ethnicities, native and non-native English speakers. For non-US citizens or non-legal residents of the USA, you will need to understand US law and the visa that allows or doesn’t allow you to enroll into job training courses (vocational training).
As an alumnus of the Chicago TEFL certification course, you will receive:
Housing arrangements are not included in the course, but we can suggest various options and recommendations for your month-long stay in Chicago, including local hostels, rental apartments, Airbnb, and Craigslist.
There are several hostels that are conveniently located near the school, with prices ranging from about $27-35+ per night. Other options include short-term furnished apartments or rooms for rent in the city.
All students and graduates of the Chicago on-site TEFL course receive lifetime job search guidance to find paid jobs teaching English abroad. This includes — but is not limited to — the following:
Job Search Guidance Workshops for the Chicago TEFL Course:
In addition to the lifetime job search guidance outlined above, workshops are provided throughout the 4-week Chicago TEFL Course. Three 90-minute workshops are incorporated into the course schedule. These will cover:
How do I know if this course is right for me?
You should take this course if you:
What’s the daily schedule like?
The course schedule is quite intensive during the week. Class is held from 9:30am-7:00pm, Monday-Friday. Weekends are free!
Sample schedule (subject to change):
9:30 am – 1:30 pm: Class time
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Lunch
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm: Class time
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm: Q&A with Instructor
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Practicum*
*Practicum times and days will vary for each TEFL student and will begin on the first Tuesday of the class. Your first week of practicum will only be observing ESL classes, not teaching them.
What are the “Job Search Guidance” workshops?
Job search workshops are built into the course and are meant to teach you about the international TEFL/TESOL job markets around the world.
Job search guidance workshops will cover:
What is the “student teaching (practicum)” component of this course mean?
This course includes 10 hours of practicum, including observation, teaching practice and lesson plan preparation.
Live practice teaching (practicum) with actual ESL students (not role playing with fellow students as some TEFL schools offer) is an integral part of any accredited, professional-level TEFL training program.
Practice hours will be arranged for you. For your practice teaching, you will be providing lessons to local ESL students from the Chicagoland area. The Chicago TEFL School offers free ESL lessons to the Chicago community as part of our dedication to serve the local community. All student teaching is observed by our class professor and given immediate feedback. This is important for the TEFL student to have their professor observe (not just a staff member) to meet criteria established by our accreditation.
Our Chicago TEFL class students have on average 10 hours of live student teaching and 20 hours of prep time and instructor review.
Is this course valid and accredited?
Yes. The Chicago TEFL Certification course is taught by university-level professors who must hold at least a Master’s Degree (most will hold a Ph.D.) in teaching English as a foreign language or a related field. All professors have at least 10 years of professional teaching and training experience at the university level.
What content does the course cover?
Bonus TEFL Units:
1. Start Your Application Here (Approximately 5 Minutes): Greenheart Travel Application. This first step includes things like your name, address and chosen start date and should take around 5 minutes to complete. Once complete, you will receive a link to a digital Terms and Conditions form.
2. Sign the Terms and Conditions Document (Approximately 10 Minutes): These are our basic policies like cancellation policies, deferral policies, etc.
3. Fill out your Registration Form (Approximately 10 Minutes): Fill out a simple form to formally register for your course.
4. Submit your $600 payment (Approximately 5 Minutes): A payment is required in order to apply for the program and is subtracted from your total program fee. After you submit your payment, we will start to arrange your arrival details!
5. Schedule your video interview! (Approximately 15 Minutes): Once you have submitted your online application and paid your application fee, you will be asked to schedule a video interview with a Greenheart Travel representative.
6. You’re accepted! Woohoo! We are usually able to accept people within a 1-2 weeks of their interviews.
6. Balance: Your remaining tuition balance will be due 6 weeks prior to your course start date.
Have questions or want to talk to a program manager? Set up a time to have a phone call below.