Kate Herman

Quitting my job and moving halfway across the world to attend a TEFL course that I found online was probably the second-most terrifying thing I have ever done – the first was telling my parents that I was doing it.

It’s a gamble to leave your home and start a new life in a new country, which is why I am so thankful I found The Language House TEFL in Prague to trust in this endeavor. I researched teaching abroad for over a year while sitting at a desk job in Dallas, Texas before settling on The Language House. After obsessively reading Dave’s ESL Cafe posts about various TEFL programs, I noticed that one commenter, TLH founder and owner Chris Westergaard, seemed to genuinely care about helping anyone interested in teaching English abroad. This led me to research The Language House further. It was through reading TLH’s website and talking to former students that I concluded The Language House was the unmistakable best choice. They offered the most in-class teaching hours, lifetime job assistance, a strong alumni network, and a picturesque city in the heart of Europe.

My first impressions of The Language House were spot-on. The course not only provided the aforementioned benefits, but they actually trained me to be a teacher! It wasn’t just a month of pony tricks to churn out certificates and gross revenue. No, they truly invested in my success as a teacher, teaching me techniques I wish my own teachers in the U.S. had used, giving me very specific and constructive feedback to improve my teaching, and most importantly – providing me the confidence I needed to apply to that first job and win that first interview.

Now I have been in Prague for six months teaching every type of student you could imagine: adults, kids, privates, large classes, beginners and advanced. It’s exactly the adventure and challenge I was looking for when I left my desk in Dallas. Moreover, I’ve made wonderful lifelong friends with other TLH graduates during my time here; there’s a substantial expat community in which to ingratiate your life if you choose.

I am grateful everyday to wake up in this bewitching Bohemian city. There’s always something exciting happening here, goulash is better than you think, and the Czech people are lovely once you get to know them. So if you’re thinking about making the crazy decision to cast aside everything you know for a new beginning in Prague, just do it. After all, nobody ever looks back on an adventure and says, “You know what? I regret that.”