Language Point

“When I started as an English teacher, English language learning was quite popular among adult learners. I just like helping others, so I thought I could share my experience – it was an easy choice for me.

 

At the beginning of last year, there were some new responsibilities at work that I took on, so I thought it might be a good chance for me to learn more and to develop myself.

 

I'm the quality assurance specialist, so what I do is lead a team of observers who usually observe lessons on the EF online platform and provide some feedback on them.

 

My boss recommended this course to me because it talks about material design, so I took a look and I thought it looked interesting.

 

We need to train our teachers to supplement and do adaptations to make good use of the materials we use, but also to make it something personal to the students. So, I thought this course covered something that I wanted to know about. If I had the chance to do it again, I would - it is a really valuable, rewarding course.

 

What impressed me the most is how this course put the learner's needs at the forefront – that's something I think every teacher would agree is important. The four assessed tasks at the beginning focus on how this can be done.”

 

You really think about how the students are going to use the language and, based on that, look at the materials. So that is quite powerful. I really appreciate the fact it's quite flexible - the 30 hours guided study with 70 hours self-study is something quite different from my previous experience.

 

I've never studied abroad. So, all my previous education background is with the traditional Chinese public schools, where you just take whatever the teachers deliver, and the exams will be focused on what the teacher said.”

 

Before the course, I would focus more on the material itself – I would ask myself if the materials were being delivered effectively, or if the teacher is focusing on the target language of the lesson.

 

Now after the CertPT, the first thing I ask myself is if I think the students might be interested in what the teacher has shared with them, and whether they will be able to apply it - to be honest, I don't think a lot of teachers realize that’s important. I will definitely continue working in quality assurance because I love it, but I've been thinking about teaching more this year as well, so I can fully understand what I have learned and the impact of this knowledge.”

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Julie, China (CertPT)

"I decided to start the Trinity CertTESOL course, after realising that my destiny is not to stay here where I am, but to travel around and see new places. Even though I have an English Language degree, I felt that this wasn't simply enough to start a career in teaching, and I was right. The course opened a new eye on what's behind the scenes of an ESL class. 

 

During the lessons, the focus is not on the teacher, while students stay quiet and the teacher does all the talking, it's the opposite! During the course, I've learned how to plan a lesson, and that was something completely new to me not only because I had no previous teaching experience, but also because in my home country lesson delivery is the opposite.

The course tutor was supportive from start to end, giving great support and helpful feedback when we were in the middle of challenging tasks. 

 

The weekly breakdown of the course, really made it easy to follow tasks and assignments step by step, and prepared me to what was next. 

 

The course exceeded my expectations, and I've gained valuable experience from it, I would recommend it to anyone that wants to proceed towards an ESL career and in the end, you will see that the experience and knowledge gained from it, will be beneficial even when it comes to teaching subjects other than English."

 

Rosaria, Italy (CertTESOL)

"The course has given me a very good introduction to teaching online and I feel much more confident about my work in the virtual classroom now. There is a very nice combination of theoretical and practical elements on the course which has helped me to plan my lessons more carefully and reflect on my work using the given guidelines."

 

Zsolt, Hungary (CertPT)

"Areas of teaching I developed on the course are my confidence to work with adults as I have only worked with children before, techniques to use, how to structure the lesson and suitable topics. 

 

Also, I’ve learned about the needs of learners at different levels, such as learners at B1 or B2, what they are likely to already know, and what they need to focus on. 

 

I found Tom to be very supportive throughout the course. He was available to answer questions and he supported us to achieve passes in all aspects of the course, some of which were quite challenging. He helped us to meet deadlines at appropriate times because the course is quite intense. 

 

I thought that the course was well organised and all information provided for us on our online platform was well presented and useful. We took part in many Zoom calls, both group and individual. 

 

I did not feel I missed out on any aspects of this course because this was fully online. I felt that the course matched my expectations. It is quite intense for a part time course but it is achievable within the time frame of 12 weeks."

 

Charlotte, UK (CertTESOL)

"When I decided to enrol in Trinity College London CertTESOL, I selected Language Point Teacher Education because the three-month online course was not only suitable for my work schedule but also feasible to assimilate all the theories and principles before putting them into practice. I made the right decision.

 

My trainers were language experts who are dedicated, flexible and responsive to my needs as a learner. They efficiently guided me in all aspects of the TESOL course - language awareness; teaching methods and techniques; and the teaching practice. 

 

Taking the course has prepared me to be an effective TESOL teacher as my knowledge and skills in the English language have been substantially upgraded. After successfully passing the course, I’ve realised that it’s well worth the effort…"

 

Odessa, The Philippines (CertTESOL)

"I enjoyed the course tremendously. What stood out for me were the very kind and personable tutors we had on the course through which I learnt a lot. I am happy that I decided to do the course in 3 months, alongside a full-time job which was tough nevertheless, but achievable. The course became very intense towards month 2. The tutors were flexible which helped too.

 

Our group gelled together as to course went on and we were able to help each other along the way, so it was a real benefit that we had group meetings and projects to complete that helped us grow together. One never felt alone even though we were located in different parts of the world.

 

We had many different assignments to complete, which was a mix of practical and academical work, which I really enjoyed doing and I took a lot away from doing this course to use in my future practice as a teacher.

 

I am planning to do another qualification, Trinity CertPT, in the future, as I enjoyed the Trinity CertTESOL course so much with Language Point Training."

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Julia, Holland (CertTESOL)

"I took the 5-week online Trinity Cert PT with Language Point to develop my material writing skills, and what an excellent course this was...I can thoroughly recommend it. The course was well organised and offered opportunities to contribute ideas based on your own practice.

 

Our tutor provided helpful and timely feedback as well as regular group and individual tutorials – I felt well-supported and encouraged throughout the course. I learnt a lot, which I’m already putting into practice as I prepare to write materials for the upcoming semester!"

 

Claire, Germany (CertPT)

"I completed the CertTESOL course with Language Point Training in 2022 and really enjoyed the experience.  The course was well organised and highly informative and I was able to fit my studies around my family commitments.  

 

The international nature of the course meant that I have connected with tutors, students and fellow trainees from across the globe and have made new friends along with way.  This course is hard work and takes a lot of commitment and careful time management but it is hugely rewarding and I am very glad that I chose to study with Language Point."

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Katherine, UK (CertTESOL)

"During my TESOL course, I had an amazing experience, and I take pride in my decision to embark on this journey and successfully complete it. I was not new to the teaching profession, nevertheless I gained valuable insights and refined my teaching methods with the guidance of highly skilled tutors.

 

The course was meticulously organized and progressively engaging, particularly from the second month. Although self-study was essential, all the necessary materials were provided, and weekly tutorials offered opportunities to seek clarification and receive feedback from our experienced educators.

 

I am sincerely grateful to the director, Tom, and our tutors, Christine and Krupa, for their unwavering attention, professionalism, and willingness to support us. This period in my life was truly enriching, and I genuinely hope that my TESOL qualification will contribute to enhancing my career."

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Yulia, Ireland (CertTESOL)

"My background is in law and psychology, and when I started the course I had no real experience of teaching, other than helping out in a classroom and homeschooling my own son for a year. To go from that to teaching mult-national groups of students online in a matter of weeks was incredible, but each step was structured and guided so I didn’t feel out of my depth. 

 

The course provides the tools to learn what it takes to teach, from the learner profile task to understanding how and why you should produce materials tailored to your specific learner. This gives control over process, and a deeper understanding of how you can do the best for your students. 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the course, and from a psychology point of view am really interested in “how” learners learn. Going forward I’d like to investigate the area of learner profiles and creating teaching plans within an organisational setting. In a world where English is the most widely spoken commercial language, businesses must identify and apply relevant learning to ensure that staff are best able to do their jobs, and learner profiles provide for a more forensic approach to this learning."

 

Lori, UK (CertTESOL)

"I found the Language Point Trinity College CertTESOL course more than meet my expectations. I chose it because I was new to teaching and wanted a course that would enable me to build up my knowledge at a manageable pace over 3 months, with enough flexibility to fit around my other commitments. 

 

It was very well adapted for online learning with the use of a comprehensive online learning platform including carefully graded video sessions and weekly tutorials. The teaching was done in a very structured way and the support provided was excellent. Tom Garside, the course director, always took time to respond to individual’s different learning needs and was very encouraging and supportive throughout.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

 

I. Davidson, UK (CertTESOL)

"The course overall was very involved. There were a lot of tasks that were required to be done in a short amount of time. However, that is what's to be expected in a course that lasts only a few weeks.

 

I would recommend that all new trainees make ample time in their schedule to allow for the larger assignments and Freedcamp so they don't fall behind. If new trainees don't fall behind there is a lot to be gained from the course and it is very rewarding.

 

It is rewarding not only for new teachers but teachers who already have experience. It is a decision they won't regret and the skills, concepts, and techniques they learn from the course will serve them well throughout their career."

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Darcell, China (CertTESOL)

"The CertTESOL course was a fulfilling experience for me as both a trainee and a person. Despite a few hiccups (which are to be expected in any such hands-on course), the overall structure and module division of the course was excellent and spanned many areas of teacher development. 

 

I especially enjoyed interacting with tutors, students and other trainees and actually applying the theories we learnt to my own lessons. Sometimes, the course load felt daunting, but due to my tutor’s encouragement and thorough guidance, it turned into a (challenging, yet) pleasant experience in the end. I would definitely recommend it to my peers who are thinking of getting a TESOL certificate."

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Gargee, India (CertTESOL)

"This was a great course and your teaching was excellent. If I should ever come across anyone else who wants to train as an English teacher, I am definitely sending them your way.

 

I also want to thank LucyJane and Rosie, who were both great tutors. They clearly have very different styles and preferences, but they are both so encouraging and offered such helpful suggestions and explanations about how I could improve my teaching.

 

Thank you."

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Chyvette, Hong Kong (CertTESOL)

"I took the Cert PT with Language Point this summer. I was working as a freelancer for Universities of Applied Science in Germany teaching Business English, ESP and EAP. This included being involved in materials and exam writing. 

 

A self-identified need to improve my materials writing and feel more confident in this area along with a general quest to keep abreast of new teaching concepts and principles. Plus the dates and course were flexible and suited my availability. 

 

This course more than met my expectations. The focus was on evaluating, adapting and designing materials with a special emphasis placed on design for a particular group of learners. We then got to use the materials we had designed in a lesson and reflect on their use. It included 4 assessed assignments and Tom Garside, who led the course, organised regular seminars to discuss assignment drafts prior to submission which was extremely helpful. He also organised regular tutorials, which I liked due to their flexibility - we would discuss issues and aspects of teaching and learning that had arisen organically during the previous week. The course was organised via a user-friendly platform and the main content consisted of a series of videos and readings followed by forum contributions – one thing I especially liked was that Tom responded to forum posts promptly answering queries and encouraging us to think outside the box about issues. Course content included reviewing some of the basics such as the use of CCQs and writing lesson aims but also looked at concepts such as connectivism and social constructivism. 

 

Since completing the course, I feel much more confident about materials writing and have changed my approach – still (I hope) designing engaging, motivating activities but ensuring the linguistic purpose is sharp and focused. Since the course, I have spoken at the IATEFL BESIG conference about the concept for my final assignment (my first ever conference talk), I also spoke at the Inter ELTA conference in Germany about the use of online tools in online teaching, I’ve developed a social media presence and I’ve just set up a blog. For me, this course triggered my creativity and inspired me (and gave me the confidence) to start speaking and writing about my ideas. I really do recommend it!

 

Claire, UK (CertPT)

The CertPT course has equipped me to be a much more effective teacher of online ESOL classes. I learnt a great deal in a very short amount of time in which I was exposed to many different theories, methodologies and techniques that I can adapt to the needs of my learners. The tutors are incredibly knowledgeable and are keen to share that knowledge and provide feedback. I felt very supported during this course and would recommend it to teachers wanting to develop their teaching skills.

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Danielle, UK (CertPT)

"When my work as a photographer dried up during the pandemic, I took the opportunity to complete the Trinity CertTESOL with Language Point Training. 

 

After completing the course I volunteered with a charity teaching English to refugees. They were mainly in their late teens and twenties from Afghanistan, East Africa and Iran with very little English ability. The lessons were completed online. There was no specific course, as each individual had very different learning needs. So I had to adapt and create lessons from scratch to best assist them. I also started teaching occasionally at a nearby language school. 

 

This year I relocated to Hong Kong, where I have secured a job at a local primary school as a Native speaking English Teacher (NET). Whilst I was a little apprehensive teaching younger children, the job has been a lot of fun and very rewarding. I work with two other NETs in a school of about 600 pupils. 

 

Language Point and the Trinity CertTESOL have provided the tools and the foundation from which to start my teaching journey. Everyday is literally and metaphorically ‘a school day’, I am continually learning from my colleagues (and my mistakes) to keep improving my lessons and my teaching. I am very grateful to Tom and the Language Point team for equipping me so well before I set off on this journey."

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Luke, UK (CertTESOL)

"I have been teaching English for four years, both offline and online. My mother tongue is Russian, so on the course, I didn't only improve my teaching skills, but also my English language knowledge. I refreshed my English grammar and morphology knowledge and learnt a lot about English pronunciation. Also, I learnt about TESOL approaches and methodologies.

 

The course was really well organised. Firstly, we were taught the theory. Secondly, we observed other teachers' lessons and were taught a foreign language (Polish), being Beginner level students of it. Thirdly we applied all the knowledge and skills that were developed on the course into practice in the online classroom. 

 

Through the course, we got all the support that we needed. We had week tutorials every Fridays and we could write to our tutors and get their help whenever we needed it. During the Teaching practice, the tutors helped us with planning lessons and gave us feedback after them. 

 

I should say, that all the students for Teaching practice were found by LANGUAGE POINT TEACHER EDUCATION LTD, so we didn't have to find students. All of the students were from different countries, which means that they didn't speak either my language or each others' languages. It enabled them to use their English knowledge as much as possible because they had to do their best to understand others and to be understood. This course absolutely matched all my expectations.  

 

All the techniques that I learnt, I am using with my students now. My lessons, as well as my teacher language have improved a lot. After the course, I feel much more confident and better prepared for lessons,  because I know how to design them effectively and help my students to achieve their goals in English learning."

 

Dariya, Russia (CertTESOL)

"The CertTESOL under the guidance of Language Point Training, was a game changer for me. Although I must admit the course was challenging and intense, but it was indeed an intriguing experience too. 

 

The 12 weeks of study changed my perspective on various aspects - roles and responsibilities of a teacher/student, your point of view as a student/teacher/observer, the challenges you face etc. 

 

The teachers/director at the institute were like the guiding stars on a pitch dark night - professional, resourceful and knowledgeable at every stage of the course. TESOL also gave us a platform to interact with students of different nationalities and cultures thereby exchanging ideas and being a support to one another throughout the course and making a lifelong connection. 

 

Overall, the TESOL journey as a teacher/student/observer was overwhelming but at the same time an enriching experience. I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in exploring the world of teaching and polish their skills and knowledge."

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Hazel, India (CertTESOL)

"I have been a high school teacher of English in Kenya  for the last twelve years and the coordinator of training of literacy teachers and trainers for The Africa Teacher Foundation (ATF) for the last eight years. 

 

The ATF president, Prof. Bill Molloy informed me about this course in August 2020 and encouraged me to apply for it as an ambassador teacher for the organization. I was thrilled to take take it up since it involved teaching language, and teaching for me is not just a profession, its my passion, my life.

 

I had a period of many aha! moments during the course. I learnt for the first time in my teaching career how to do a learner profile, how to design materials for my specific learners needs and most importantly, I learnt the techniques and strategies  used in the communicative approach to language teaching which is the main area of my research in my M.E.D in English Pedagogy. 

 

Future plans: This course has built my confidence and ability as a teacher of English and fired my ambition to step out boldly into the online teaching platform. I'm currently seeking for a credible organization that will enable me to do this."

 

Emily, Kenya (CertTESOL)

"I joined this 3 month course with a 30 year background in Business Consultancy looking for an alternative income source and second teaching career.

 

I chose this course because it was 100% online, was starting in the next month, entirely UK based and the Company and staff all checked out on Companies House, Linked In etc.

 

The course was demanding intellectually and of time. If, like me, you do not have a teaching or recent academic background the course is very tough but passable with lots of work and lots of hours. The teaching team are incredibly supportive and will match the commitment, hours, determination and dedication from you.

 

My advice would be to put the hours in, listen to and do exactly what the tutors say and get the work in early in case it needs to be improved, the standard is high and the work is difficult.

 

I found the whole experience with the Language Point Team incredibly rewarding from start to finish. I felt supported, motivated and as though I could succeed all the way through, even with the most difficult assignments, entirely due to the outstanding teaching team.

 

I have no hesitation in recommending this Trinity Cert TESOL Course from Language Point if you are prepared to put the work in."

 

Robert, UK (CertTESOL)

"It's been a pleasure to learn on your course. I’ve never written a testimonial before so here goes nothing!

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Language Point Trinity CertTESOL course was a great opportunity for me to further develop and refine my teaching skills. It was difficult at times but I met an amazing group of like-minded trainees and professional instructors that kept me on track and motivated me until the end. Whether you’re just starting off in the ESL industry or you’ve already been teaching a few years, this course is the course for you."

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Damian, China (CertTESOL)

I took the ten-week online Cert PT course and it more than met my expectations. In a very short time I learnt a lot about writing and evaluating classroom materials. The course also provided extensive knowledge about methodology and teaching techniques. I work as a teacher for the German Adult Education Association and this course really helped me to improve the materials I use in the classroom and to reflect on my performance.

The course is extremely well-run and materials are presented in a clearly organized way via a very user-friendly platform. The tutors are incredibly supportive, we had regular zoom meetings and received helpful feedback. I really recommend this course!

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Ruth, Germany (CertPT)

"The course is absolutely perfect both for new teachers and for practicing ones. It helps to draw teachers' attention to the purpose behind everything in a classroom, gives a proper understanding of the theory and practice of teaching English.

 

For me it was a fantastic experience: I had the chance to work alongside teachers from all around the world, I found out, what it feels like to be a student learning an unknown language, I tried my hand in designing my own piece of teaching material and much more than that.

 

Thanks to the guidance, advice and support provided by our tutors it felt as if we went through the course in one breath. Here I got the motivation to continue my professional education and I hope to work with Language Point again on my CertPT in the future.

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Thank you so much for everything."

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Ksenia, Russia (CertTESOL)