TEFL / ESL Certification in Charleston / Greenville SC & WI

English for Life Academy:
With courses currently offered in Greenville and Charleston SC, English for Life Academy offers TESOL/TEFL certificate courses that get you ready to teach, travel,and transform your world.

Our mission is to provide expert training, practical experience, professional resources, and personal mentoring to teach, travel, and transform the world through innovative and personalized TESOL Certificate courses and language and cultural training experiences.

Our Philosophy
At English for Life Academy, we believe that teaching and learning about language and culture can be an exciting, enriching experience.  It can change your life, and the lives of those around you.

Whether you are interested in teaching English abroad, working with internationals, or providing high-quality language and cultural training for your company or organization, English For Life Academy can provide you with the training, practical experience, professional resources, and personal mentoring to meet your goals. We are here because the whole world is waiting for you.

Our Goal
Our goal is to create the highest quality language and culture learning experiences to clients around the world.  To raise the bar in English language teaching and adult education through innovative language and teacher training programs that cultivate creative, knowledgeable, reflective teachers and learners.

"I took the ESOL Praxis II yesterday afternoon.  I passed it with flying colors, even more important than THAT, was the fact that I HAD NO TEST ANXIETY.  The English for Life Program works!”
- Weslica, English for Life graduate, Spanish and ESOL teacher, Greenville

Expert Training
100 hours of interactive instruction. In this TESOL/TEFL program we provide you with the theory, techniques, strategies, and lessons — a complete toolkit! — of what you’ll need to teach English anywhere in the world.

And our partner agreement with the College of Charleston assures you that our TESOL certificate courses have been approved by an accredited US university.  Our courses are submitted and re-approved every 3 years, and are correlated to the Teaching and Learning Standards and all academic standards of the College of Charleston.

Practical Experience

A 30-hour practicum which involves observing ESL classes, working with mentor instructors and students, and teaching real English classes with one of our community partners.

Why?

During the classroom instruction you learn about teaching English, but you have to actually teach to learn from students, experiment with new ideas, and get the invaluable experience employers are looking for.

Professional Resources

We’ve got so much to give you! As part of the program you’ll receive:

— A coursebook and website with resources and information to help you during the course and beyond.
— Access to English for Life Academy’s library of English teaching and training resources.
— International job resources and our database of schools around the world to get you working overseas fast.

Personal Mentoring


Did we mention our amazing faculty? English for Life Academy’s instructors have teaching and training experience within the community and around the world. They love to help you make connections, access the information you need, and provide a helping hand.

They’re also just fun people, and you’ll love their stories about their adventures living and teaching around the world.

Additionally, while you’re completing your practicum, you’ll be working with other teachers from our community partner agencies. We keep our classes small so that we can stay in touch with each of you to help you attain your personal and professional goals.

Job Connections

Are you looking for a job in your community? Most of our instructors work as English language teachers in the community, and your practicum experience connects you with other schools and institutions that may be hiring.

Have our graduates found jobs at home right after their practicum experience? They sure have!

Looking for work overseas? Use our resources and database of international schools to get you started. Connect with other graduates to find out about their current overseas jobs. Ask us for a letter of recommendation.

With their TESOL Certification and transcript in hand, knowledge and experience of teaching English, and tools for the interview process and classroom, our graduates have found jobs teaching English all around the world.

So can you.

And even after you’ve graduated, you’re still an honored member of the English for Life community!  Jump into our private Facebook group and continue to get the job postings we get from hiring institutions around the world, for as long as you want them.

"I am teaching and loving it! I started teaching a week after we arrived in Cambodia. You were right. I had no trouble finding a job. In fact, I had several offers and could choose which one I liked best!  It’s a great motivation to keep learning Khmer and to use a lot of techniques that Debbie and Catherine taught us in class.

Actually, I’ve met a few other English teachers that are not TESOL certified and hearing their stories has made me very grateful for your class!”
- Emily, English for Life graduate, English Teacher, Cambodia

“Hello Kim! Greetings from Brazil!  It’s been almost five months now and I am loving Sao Paulo, learning Portuguese, and teaching English! I work in fancy buildings with coffee machines that make any sort of espresso drink you want on every floor.I feel that I’ve come such a long way and owe so much to both of you. I wanted to thank both of you for your encouragement.  Truly, Debbie, if you hadn’t sent Kim to me to talk about a fundraiser for English for Life, I might still be in Greenville wondering what I’m doing with my life.  Thanks to you both!”

- Meg Pierson, English for Life graduate, English Teacher, Sao Paulo, Brazil

“As a Foreign Language teacher, not only the TESOL Certification course, but also the practicum developed at Lifelong Learning Sullivan Center have been two of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences during my career.”

- Lysette Segura, English Teacher, Colombia, South America and Greenville SC

“All in all, both the class and the practicum were phenomenal preparation for being a teacher in any area.  I would not have thought I could go from knowing nothing to being as confident and resourceful as I am now.  All of the classes were necessary and useful and I’m grateful that I taught where I did (for my practicum).  I really enjoyed the whole program and will tell everyone about it.”
- Emmy Leslie, English for Life graduate English Teacher, South Korea

"The classroom experience was the best part of the class. All of the teachers ‘practiced what they preached’ on us. We were witness to some excellent applied adult learning. The classroom time was varied and fun, and I found myself looking forward to each class. Each classroom experience (and observation) taught me a new trick for helping students learn. Experiencing the ‘trick’ firsthand was part of the learning for me. If I had read about them only, I would have thought they were silly. But experiencing them let me see that they do work…Thanks to all of the wonderful teachers who helped me in this class. I’m in awe of your skills and dedication. You are amazing and I can only hope that some day I can demonstrate a tiny bit of what you’ve taught me.”

Cindy Fowler, English for Life graduate

"I can’t thank you enough. I really do love my students and teaching, and your class really made the difference in my deciding to go further with my pursuits. I can only say thank you, thank you, thank you!”
- Roberta Diamond, EFL Graduate