TEFL Graduate Feedback
"...one of the better-known programs in the country."
-- The Wall Street Journal, September 13-14, 2008
“This was a great experience of learning, bonding, "trial by fire." I feel well prepared to enter the field.” - Ruth Sacks, January 2011
“It is an intense but absorbing program. Be prepared to put your life on hold, but it's worth it. I feel I can teach now and a month ago I could not.” - Phillipa McDonald, January 2011
“Every educator should take this course.” - Joseph Kopta, January 2011
“Before the BLI TEFL Program, I lacked the confidence necessary to teach effectively in front of a class. I feel like BLI has prepared me to use my previously existing skills in an educational setting.” - Jesse Simpson, January 2011
“The Boston Language Institute offers an excellent part-time TEFL program for working professionals.” - Nancy Rivera, September-December 2010
“I really feel I got what I was looking for. I ask a lot of myself and I want to be the best at what I do, and this program has given me the confidence I needed to teach.” - Ursula Tice, December 2010
“The TEFL program, while intensive, gives you the tools necessary to begin a new career and get hands-on experience teaching people from different cultures.” - Kathy Bouchard, December 2010
“This has been an intense but enjoyable experience. I’ve been teaching at the university level for 35 years but this program introduced me to a totally new approach to the classroom.” – Ross S. Feldberg, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology (Retired) Tufts University, October 2010
“The program was extremely intensive, but the instructors were there every step of the way to help you through it. It was a great and rewarding experience.” – Jeff Flanagan, October 2010
“BLI’s TEFL program fulfilled and surpassed my expectations. I can’t wait to put my new skills to work. It was the most rewarding four weeks of my life.” – Dixie Foster, July 2010
“The small class size provided an excellent learning environment. At BLI the focus is on providing training of the highest quality and on ensuring success in assignments.” – Christopher Burton, July 2010
“I’m not from this area of the country but it was well worth the trip.” – Bryan Sitzes, June 2010
“Whether teaching in the US or abroad, I now feel confident that I will be able to lead a classroom of ESL students in an organized and fun way.” – Debbie Picard, June 2010
“The fact that we taught real non-native English speakers was a truly amazing experience. I was able to thrive as a teacher and feel great success after each lesson taught.” – Julie Miller, June 2010
“The teaching experience was invaluable. To learn methods is only part of the process; to stand in front of students and use them is absolutely necessary to gain confidence.”
– Blake Hunsicker, June 2010
“I have had no teaching experience and now I feel I am well prepared for the road ahead.” – Jacob Dvorski, June 2010
“TEFL at BLI knows how to teach and knows how to teach to teach!” – Cara Busch, June 2010
“I loved it! I met really nice people. Everyone was very helpful. The course is great in terms of getting to know different cultures and how to plan and teach lessons.” – Ulyana Bevilacqua, June 2010
“The BLI TEFL program is very intense but also rewarding and you will take away what you put into it. The teachers are great, the class sizes are small and best of all you get to teach several real English classes for hands-on experience.” – Lynn Larsen, April 2010
“The Boston Language Institute is a school that shares my passion for culture and languages. I now have the knowledge to feel comfortable and prepared to teach abroad.” – Jason Lessard, February 2010
“I feel I can conquer the world.” – Angie Mulvenill, February 2010
“The TEFL program shines through BLI with as much influence as the ‘Guaranteed Swahili signs in the subway.” – Rene Morenski, March 2010
“The Boston Language Institute is all about making a personal connection with its students who become teachers. BLI has provided me with a knowledge base for the English language, confidence in my teaching abilities, and friends from around the world. Thank you!” – Abri Brickner, March 2010
“If you’re looking for a crash course in learning to teach English as a second language both here and abroad, this is the course to take!” – Susan Monahan, March 2010
“I got the feeling that each trainer cared about our experience at BLI. The program is well organized and the people are friendly and helpful.” – Elizabeth Rogers, June 2009
“This was a very challenging course on many levels but also one of the most enjoyable.” – Aileen Mc Adam, May 2009
“As a career changer, BLI’s TEFL course has prepared me to take a new path, which I hope will be exciting, challenging and successful.” – Paul Levinson, June 2009
“The TEFL program is great. I cannot say enough about the trainers. They are all so helpful. I am really leaving here feeling prepared to teach ESL.” – Ryan Byrne, August 2009
"The TEFL program at The Boston Language Institute is one of the most challenging, rigorous programs I've ever enrolled in. But for someone with passion and commitment to teaching ESL, there's no better place to go." – Jaime Libowitz, October 2008
"I'm very pleased with the TEFL training that The Boston Language Institute provided for me. It is an excellent and challenging program. As an educator who spent 40 years in public education, 30 of those years as an administrator, I can say without hesitation that the teacher training is excellent. – Dan Moegelin, September 2008
“The TEFL course was everything I expected and more. The trainers proved to be dedicated to teaching and to making us the best teachers we can be. I feel I got a first class education and I am looking forward to starting a career in this field. It was intensive but well worth it!” – Christina Monte, September 2008
“I gained a lot of confidence as a teacher. My lesson plans have become much more thorough, and I even know what modals and phrasal verbs are!” – Jonathan Tardif, September 2008
“I am happy that I chose to come here. The Boston Language Institute offers a well-run program with a method that really works, and the trainers are competent, friendly and helpful. In addition to great training, I got access to a great reputation and connections.”
– Jonathan Estey, August 2008
“I have never been willing to promote anything publicly, not even my college, but this I will say was worth every penny.” – Skaya Billman, June 2008
“You will learn a lot about yourself and other people. You will be helping other people understand each other. You will respect the learning process of foreign students more.”
– Jeffrey Marganian, April 2008
“Great course! Instructors are very caring and readily available for help at any time. Fellow classmates were awesome and the class atmosphere was great. The TEFL program at BLI taught me all the skills I needed to become a good ESL teacher. Thank you!” – Patricia Kim, March 2008
“I really enjoyed the personal attention and genuine interest that the trainers gave to each student. I am very excited to begin teaching abroad because I have a solid foundation beneath me from which I can build my future teaching experiences.”
– Elizabeth Buford, March 2008
“The Boston Language Institute opened my eyes to the possibility of teaching English abroad and confirmed my desire to teach with real experience. I am thankful for this opportunity and am so happy that I decided to enroll in this program.” – Alison Maddox, March 2008
“A haiku on the winter TEFL course:
Winter melted away
Thanks to the great trainers, and
The free Clementines” –
Paul Panza, January 2008
“My experience at BLI far exceeded my expectations. The knowledge, passion, support and encouragement of the instructors made this program even better.” – Nicole Peterson, October 2007
“I like the teaching method very much. Back in Germany I’m going to adapt my teaching style accordingly. This program is very good for non-native speakers (pronunciation classes, special grammar lessons, etc.).” – Elke Heppt. August 2007
“I feel so prepared as a TEFL teacher now. What once seemed a daunting endeavor now seems completely attainable.” – Leanne Ruell, April 2007
“ This program is very professional and really strives to make people teachers. It is also something that you as students will have to take seriously. It is truly a program focused on education, not just handing out certificates.” – Michael Kwong, April 2007
“The most incredible staff! Trainers not just brilliant in ability but approachable, supportive, and tactfully instructive as well. Top-notch really.” – Patrick Strauss, April 2007
“I have learned that being a teacher is an art. It is something that one should enjoy and feel passionate about. I learned that every person is different, so every person should be addressed differently. I learned that patience and tolerance are two of the most important virtues. I learned that a classroom was not built for stress, but rather for leaving all one’s personal worries at the door.” – Maria Virginia Irisarri (Virgy), February 2007
“This has been a memorable and enlightening experience to add to my life's journey. ”
– Marian Siegel, September 2006
“I never thought a month would go by so fast. I now feel really prepared, plus I made great friends.” – Michelle Montero Fuentes, January 2006
“This course was not just a “course.” It was an all encompassing experience of life-goals, friendships, challenges and achievement.” – Anjuli Judge, March 2005
“This was a memorable and growing experience.” – Michael Lombard, January 2005
“. . . I’ve made great new friends for life.” – Scott Conant, November-December 2005
“Beyond providing us with excellent handouts and first-rate instructors, the BLI program taught us how to teach for active learning. Best of all, we had the opportunity of working with three different levels of non-English speaking students.” – Judy Murray, March 2006
“The course exceeded my expectations. The course itself is demanding, rigorous, and well-structured, and I am so grateful to have had such stellar preparation for my career.” – Meghan Greenberg, January 2006
“I feel totally prepared to step into a classroom. The TEFL program was really thorough, and it’s a good time, too!” – Kathryn Brooks, October 2005
“The teaching quality was some of the best I’ve experienced anywhere. I can’t say enough about the trainers.” – Matthew Zimmerman, February 2005
“This training has given me the confidence and understanding to teach anyone, anywhere in the world.” – Claudia Niño de Guzman, August 2005
“Absolutely a must for anyone wishing to open a door to a new life.” – Glen Shapland, September-December 2005
“Absolutely amazing experience, certainly recommend program. High quality on every level.” – Caitlin Jones, March 2005
“This course provides a method of teaching that really works and allows you to impart retainable knowledge of the English language. And the trainers practice what they preach. . .” – Lisl Trowbridge, February 2005
“The BLI staff are totally friendly, including secretaries and directors; they make you feel like you’re in your living room at home, working.” – Jose Lopez Espinosa, October 2005
“A very strong program for those who learn to teach English as a Second Language. The syllabus is well structured and it provides hands-on classroom teaching experience. Also, all the teachers are devoted and want their students to succeed.” – Amy Lau, September-December 2005
“Very useful to have instructors with different backgrounds—everyone is very inviting, helpful and friendly. The best program in America.” – Zeynep Bayraktarglu, May 2005
“There’s nothing like it. BLI will give you an awesome experience. It’s foolproof!”
– Ibrahim (Abe) H. Tekin, November-December 2005
“The program is very comprehensive and very practical. It is very strenuous, but at the end you feel that you will be successful in the real world. The teachers are superb!”
– Imelda Stoffregen, MBA, May 2005
“There is so much going on in my life right now that is a direct
effect of my time at BLI. I’ve spent two wonderful years in Taiwan,
where I realized that teaching is my passion. I eventually returned
to the US to get my teaching license and a Master’s degree in TESOL.
I teach 5th grade now and will finish my Master’s program next week.
Next year, I’ll be teaching in South Africa, and this summer I am
going as a volunteer to Cambodia, where I will help train teachers.
I feel so excited about the possibilities, and all of this started
because of The Boston Language Institute!” – Ashley Carr, March 2001