I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jed Willard, one of the Founding Partners of LanguageCorps, via Skype, to get a bit more background on what LanguageCorps offers and also find out his answer to the question “What kind of person makes a good LanguageCorps participant? ”
In addition to his involvement with LanguageCorps, Jed has traveled extensively in the Middle East and Europe, as well as to a lesser extent in Latin America, East Asia and the Pacific. He has found that a tolerance for dealing with dissonance and, even more, a comfort with it is indispensable to successfully adapting to life in another country. He also noted that charismatic people who are outgoing and perhaps have some unique background to bring to the situation often make the most successful LanguageCorps participants.
He also spoke about the uniqueness of LanguageCorps’ flagship programs, which include TEFL training, guaranteed job placement, pre-departure support and advice, a weeks’ worth of local language training, and regular, continued on-the-ground assistance and support. Whereas some placement programs often just match up applicants to whatever vacant position they become aware of, LanguageCorps assists teacher by taking into account not only their preference for location and conditions but also their educational background and career goals and interests. For example, one pre-med graduate with an interest in pharmacy was placed teaching English at a pharmaceutical plant in China, and in many cases, LanguageCorps is able to assist participants find a local organization where they can expand their knowledge on themes which are relevant and interesting to them in their spare time.
Sound interesting? Visit the LanguageCorps site for more information…or just go ahead and apply now.
Do come back later in the week to read about Mr. Willard’s take on why a year abroad – and specifically a year abroad with LanguageCorps – is a valuable experience.
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Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but AVOID Langauge Corps. I and 90 percent of language Corp customers (although we call ourselves “sucksers”) are unhappy with the quality of service as well as the outrageous price.
At least I got a good cert. Recently Language Corps has dropped their cert providers to run the inhouse course themselves. So much for international recognition.
Get a good cert from TEFL International or SIT and save the $2,500. How much does a mobile phone cost???
As someone who is close to Language Corps operations I would like to respond. First of all, LanguageCorps has not dropped cert providers to do in house operations, but seeking the best quality TESOL providers for their Teachers. In many cases, this has caused LanguageCorps to work with SIT which is one of the most respected TESOL certifications in the world. Additionally, LanguageCorps helps Teachers require the necessary visas and immigration documentation in order to work legally in the country they choose. LanguageCorps also offers pre-departure and on-site support in order to help their Teacher acclimatize. The Corps Advocates who work to ensure that Teachers are happy and healthy also work to find the ideal teaching job for each Teacher.
Lastly, the price is reasonable when you consider all of the other programs offered to help people travel abroad. LanguageCorps strives to offer many an opportunity to travel abroad that they might not otherwise have.
TEFL International? you must be joking! They claim to be a non profit org but yet they have 25 students on every course all paying 1590 USD. Thats $39,750 USD per course. How much does the rent and trainer costs? Thats some non-profit! Also the TEFL Intl website has numerous spelling mistakes. So much for quality teacher training!
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