Canadian Centre For Language And Cultural Studies

It's a pleasure working with CCLCS. Since the mid-2000s we have collaborated on website and education projects. Congrats on celebrating your 30-year anniversary!

It’s been exactly a year since I completed the full TESL program at CCLCS and received my OCELT certification. I am very happy I chose to attend CCLCS and grateful for all the TESL opportunities it opened to me. CCLCS is a small and unique school with a solid reputation and recognizable brand among employers. The curriculum is well structured and kept up-to-date. It offers such modules as practical PBLA and technology for teaching English, which makes the OCELT certification straightforward and the transition to work easy. The staff at CCLCS is highly knowledgeable and supportive. I was fortunate to be part of a group of driven learners who brought a variety of life experiences to the in-person and virtual classrooms. We had the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from each other in a respectful and encouraging environment. The instructors guided our learning efforts and challenged out thinking, while letting us develop our independent teaching styles. The small size of the groups allowed for interactive and engaging practical activities, personal attention from the instructors and constructive feedback. Despite all the COVID-19 challenges, CCLCS pivoted quickly and offered online classes and great flexibility to switch between the part- and full-time programs to accommodate the change in its learners’ lives. In an innovative approach, the school offered three different ways to do the supervised Practicum. That led to exposure to different teaching styles and new learning opportunities, and at the same time facilitated the timely completion of the program. In addition, the school has provided ongoing support since graduation. The TESL Coordinator is very responsive and the instructors are happy to hear about their learners’ current experiences. Overall, CCLCS provided me with a solid understanding of different teaching strategies, practical skills, a recognizable diploma and a supportive network of colleagues.

Loved my experience in the TESL program at CCLCS! The teachers and administration were so passionate and kind, I feel set up for success! Can't wait to start my teaching career!

I regret going to this school and not going to a big school like Seneca or Centennial College to take a TESL course. The conduct of the teachers encountered at times was appalling. My course teacher multiple times used explicit language in the classroom. Appalling to me to hear such language in a professional environment, especially in languages school. Also, the same teacher, at another point, got upset with me when I called her out on not replying to several of my course-related emails over the course of several weeks. She claimed she has other things to worry about. Her and the school are being paid for the services and she acted like replying to me would have been doing me a favour even though communicating with students is a basic and fundamental requirement for a teacher. Everybody has stuff to worry about, not only her. To her credit, at least she apologized, however this was only after I brought up her conduct with the Coordinator. Also, the practicum ended up going poorly because the practicum teacher started telling me that stuff I was taught by the course teacher was incorrect and was not willing to be flexible with me. I tried incorporating his suggestions to give the students even more than he wanted but he showed no flexibility with me. Then he stopped replying to my emails with me not knowing how to move forward. This was on the first day! On top of that, earlier that same day the practicum teacher criticized me for answering a question honestly. He mad me feel horrible but I tried to put that aside and move forward so I could complete my practicum but once the conflicts with the lesson preparation arose, I thought it was best to stop the practicum. They cost me several hours of preparation time which wasn’t fair to me or the students and I didn’t want to risk making a mess of the practicum. A mature decision. When I brought up these issues with the school they put the blame 100% on me, and offered no apology whatsoever for the conduct of the practicum teacher. The school’s “attempt” at conflict resolution was telling me I was wrong and they were not willing to understand my points of view. Surely one can understand how making someone feel horrible for being honest is an issue? I attempted mature conversation with them to work through my issues and concerns with the ultimatum they offered me but they were not interested in addressing my concerns and subsequently prevented me from completing my practicum with them. It had been many years since I felt that disrespected. They were not even willing to refund my money for the services they did not provide. A basic way any proper business is run.

I participated in CCLCS (TESL on-line classes) It was literally an amazing experience for me as an ESL teacher. I do appreciate the way, they have prepared everything so organized to have an easy access to the Moodle and materials. The administration is always responsive in a kindly manner. I'm really thankful to my instructor Angela Guardiani, for her amazing teaching style! Just wanted to highly recommend CCLCS, for those who are looking for TESL courses. Good luck!

CCLCS has been the most wonderful learning environment for me. It took some getting used to online classes (offered during the pandemic), but everyone was considerate and embraced the fact that we were all learning. Part one's teacher was knowledgeable, encouraging, approachable, and had a wonderful sense of humor and a kind spirit. My practicum and observation soon followed and I was equally inspired. Besides having great personalities, the teachers I observed, were exemplary teachers. Their lessons and teaching styles really resonated with me. Lessons were always student-focused and the application of techniques/approaches was in line with helping the learner grow in their language abilities. They were intentional about students learning and about building a positive learning environment. I was so impressed that I decided to do part 2. The teachers in part 2 were also excellent. I couldn't make this up even if I tried. Subjects like Pronunciation, Linguistics, Socio-linguistics, Anti-discrimination, SLA, Grammar (on a higher level), Literacy, etc. were engaging and relevant to the field and challenged me to be a better teacher and to always make informed decisions about my teaching approach moving forward.

My training at CCLCS was excellent in my opinion. The Instructors were all very welcoming, helpful, and supportive. The feedback received was always done in a thoughtful and constructive manner and was extremely pointed and clear to assist in personal improvement. Also, the administration was always responsive and courteous with any questions and/or concerns. I would highly recommend anyone wanting to get TESL certification to consider using CCLCS.

Training at CCLCS was a fantastic experience. The instructors were well-versed, accommodating, and supportive. I took both certifications (TESL Canada and TESL Ontario) and I am so happy that I did! Being able to observe and do our practicums in LINC classrooms has been a game changer.