Length of training: 4 weeks
Tuition: Approximately $ 1,795
($ 500 Deposit, 938 Euro Balance)
(housing costs are not included)
More information on
TEFL Course Dates
Crete, Greece
Wh
erever you decide to do your TEFL course, you are unlikely to find a more charming and beautiful location than Crete. From the life and vitality of the old town of Hania to the medieval mountain villages, from the sun-drenched sandy beaches with their all-year-round sunshine to the Minoan ruins of Knossos - Crete seems to offer everything. The wild landscapes of the interior and the majestically unspoiled trekking opportunities of the nearby Samaria Gorge make you forget sometimes that you are never more than a few miles from a palm-fringed beach.
The largest of the Greek islands is cheaply and easily reachable by flight or ferry from Athens. Flights from Athens to Chania (airport code: CHQ) are reasonably priced, leave several times a day and take just 40 minutes. Fast and slow ferries are also available if you would prefer to take your time and cruise across the Aegean to Chania's local port. Upon arriving in Chania, you will be met by a member of our staff at the airport or ferry port and transferred to your beach front accommodation. We will have everything arranged to welcome you to Crete and ensure a stress-free arrival.
Greece today is also the center of the largest TEFL-teaching market in the world. With over 6,000 language schools 
(including many on Crete itself), the massive demand for qualified native-speaking teachers can allow a wonderful wealth of teaching opportunities. The network of boat services connecting the Aegean islands means that such other exotic locations as Rhodes, Santorini and Kos are all within cheap and easy reach.
International TEFL Academy offers lifetime job search assistance for all our graduates.
The TEFL TESOL School
The International TEFL Academy in Crete is situated in the center of Hania, Crete’s second city (and former capital) on the Northwest coast. Hania is a beautiful old Cretan town with a population of around 60,000. The old town center is clustered around the 14th century Venetian harbor where much of the city’s life and light is to be found. The town is large enough to offer a cosmopolitan atmosphere and a ready range of nightlife and places to see, but small enough that it’s normally easy to get around on foot – whether from the school to your apartment or from the local bar down to the nearest beach.
Tuition fee covers:
Tuition does not cover:
- Personal Expenses
- International Flights
- Visa, Insurance, Airport Pick up
- Housing is paid direct to hostel & apartments directly in Greece
Accommodation:
On request, International TEFL Academy’s partner can help arrange housing accommodations. Accommodation options can be within walking distance of the school or well connected by public transportation -- your accommodations will never be more than a 20-minute bus ride from the school.
Apartments are clean, comfortable and well heated. Any special requests or requirements regarding accommodation can be specified on the course application form. Our partner will do its best to meet these needs. While it should be stated that the standards of accommodation are generally less luxurious than those found in the UK and North America, apartments are clean, comfortable and well heated. Any special requests or requirements regarding accommodation can be specified on the course application form.
Housing options:
Our partner school offers fully furnished apartments with kitchenettes for your stay during the course. The apartments have a sea view and are located just 100 meters from a beautiful beach. Accommodation is normally available from the Sunday before the start until the Saturday after the completion of your TEFL course. If you are arriving earlier than this or wish to stay longer, please just let us know and this can normally be arranged for a small extra fee of 10 Euros per night. We can normally arrange either private or shared accommodation.
Please specify your preference after registration and speaking to our onsite director; every attempt will be made to honor your request, but places are allotted on a first-come, first- served basis. If you elect to live in a shared-bedroom apartment, you will always be matched with a room- mate of the same gender, and usually of a similar age to yourself. 
Smoking preferences are taken into account as much as possible. If you are attending the course with a friend or partner and wish to share accommodation, just let us know in advance and it can be arranged.
Please note that during the summer months of July, August and September, when demand for beach front accommodation is at its height, it’s important to book early to reserve your room and a spot on the course!
Apartment: Fully furnished with kitchenette. Private or shared accommodation available.
Studio Apartment: 400 Euros per month
Double Occupancy Apartment: 300 Euros per person per month
Communication, Telephone and Internet:
Greece has a thriving Internet culture, which means that unless you are staying in one of a few hotels which provide internet access, an Internet café shouldn't be out of your reach. If you do try to hook up to the telephone line in your Hotel or Domatia, you may need an adapter.
Food and Clothing:
A Cretan specialty is Stifado Salingariko - snail stew, and Chirino Kritiko - pork chops. One of the many local cheeses is Myzithra and Anthotiro, you must try also the Graviera Kritis (Cretan Gruyere). The Cretan olive oil is one of the best in Greece. Another traditional Crete product is the Cretan Paximadia (Crisps). Apart from the many Greek taverns all over the island, you'll also find many international restaurants in the bigger summer resorts and the cities. Dress code in monasteries and churches: No shorts, bikinis or sleeveless shirts. Take your hat off when you enter a church and do not use flash for photographs. Casual business attire is always a good bet! During the winter it can get a little cold at night and a coat or jersey of some sort is recommended. During the summer t- shirts and shorts are more suitable. For working as an English teacher in Greece, smart casual clothes are normally expected.
Climate:
The weather is mild throughout the winter and normally warm enough to sit outside the cafés in shirtsleeves all through the year. During the summer the temperature can rise to 40 degrees Centigrade (100° F) but the fact that you’re never far from a palm-fringed beach helps to make this a little more bearable. There is almost no rain at all between June and September. However, while the winter is not exactly wet, one does get the occasional thunderstorm between November and March.
Excursions and Cultural Highlights:
Weekends are free except for the course project and we run a variety of social programs to some of the most fascinating parts of the island of Crete. These include (but are not necessary limited to) a trek down the Samaria Gorge, visits to the beaches of Elafonisi, Falasarna and Gramvousa, trips to the Minoan ruins of Knossos (home of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur) and stays is one or more of the small villages on the South coast of the island where you can experience some more traditional Greek life, music, food is set within a relaxed and beautiful backdrop.
The Importance of English in Greece:
Teaching English as a foreign language jobs are widely advertised in newspapers and on the Internet all year round in Greece. These jobs appear most often from August to October. As well as applying beforehand, you can also go to door-to-door around the frontistiria with your CV once more in the August to October period. If you are visiting them in person, it is not recommended that you spend time doing this any earlier than August. Greek schools often do not consider their recruitment needs before the beginning of the academic year.
Pay and conditions offered by language schools will vary enormously, so it is important to check these out in detail first before accepting a contract. If time is on your side, it may be worth speaking to several schools rather than taking the first job you are offered. Also, if you work in a frontistirio it is quite likely that you will be working mainly in the afternoons and evenings, since this is when children and adults are free to take their lessons. Many people who teach English as a foreign language in a school also have additional private students. Tutoring on the side can become a lucrative activity in itself.
Teaching English in Greece:
There is a considerable demand for the teaching of English as a foreign language in Greece and there are opportunities for regular and part-time employment. In Crete there are literally hundreds of "frontistiria" (private language schools) and the majority of Greek school children attend one after school hours. Many native English speakers work teaching English either in frontistiria, or by giving private English lessons to pupils. Frontistirias are open during the school year, September to June, and usually close for 3 months in the summer. A Presidential Decree signed in 1997 made it possible for European Nationals to be generally employed in and also open Foreign Language Frontistiria.
Officially you need a university degree to open or teach in a 'frontistiro' language school, but some will employ you without one. Obtaining a TEFL or TESOL certificate is necessary to teach in Greece. Not only will it give you an advantage over other applicants, it will provide you with an invaluable set of teaching skills that will prove useful wherever you choose to work.
To learn more about teaching abroad and TEFL Certification go to our form to request a brochure.
