MENU
Resources
YWAM Montana Lakeside
Together we commit to the communication of the gospel by training, sending, supporting and being missionaries.
Together we commit to the communication of the gospel by training, sending, supporting and being missionaries.
We are looking for anyone who feels called to teach English as a ministry to join our community of passionate teachers-in-training at TESOL. Whether or not you have any prior training or experience as a teacher, TESOL is a course that will give you the practical skills needed to become a language teacher in any country on the mission field. It is backed by an internationally recognized certification that can open many doors of opportunity, both in limited-access nations overseas and among the multicultural neighbors near your front door. Whether you’re looking to support yourself with a paid job overseas, or if you want to gain practical skills before your next missions trip, or if you desire to start an English ministry in your hometown—TESOL will be an unforgettable learning experience, and all of this in a few short months.
In partnership with Citizens TESOL, our new “Online” and “Hybrid” course formats are designed to quickly and effectively train any English speaker as a fully certified English teacher. The certification given at Lakeside is also very unique to YWAM since our graduates are certified by YWAM’s University of the Nations*, as well as Citizens TESOL, and most of our graduates also receive a secular Certificate IV from the Australian College of Career Development, a recognized training institute in Australia (an additional fee is required**). It’s this second TESOL certification that unlocks many doors overseas, and many of our graduates have gone on to work in some of the hardest-to-reach nations on the planet.
There is no prerequisite for attending TESOL. You will need to have a fairly good grasp of the English language in order to complete this course and its spoken and written requirements. However, English does not have to be your first language and multilingual students are encouraged to apply to this course!
Our “Hybrid TESOL” option is designed to help you find the perfect balance of studying topics on your computer at a flexible pace while still having the daily classroom experiences, teaching opportunities, and support that comes with an in-person community of teachers here at our campus. Apply now!
Experience an in-person community with all the flexibility and benefits that come with an online course! Want to complete your studies with a group of other teachers-in-training? You can join us on campus, online — or a blend of the two! This is a great opportunity to study and complete your assignments with the support and encouragement of a whole community! Check the “Hybrid TESOL” option above to see the Dates and Program Cost for the next in-person TESOL course on our campus.
Typically, if you join an in-person cohort as a full-time student, this is what your daily schedule will look like: After breakfast, you will meet with instructors and fellow classmates for a short check-in, followed by an interactive discussion or demonstration that is both practical and fun, and then each student will have a few hours to finish studying that topic on their own or with a group using the online learning platform.
After lunch, you might have additional assignments, you might help teach a language class in the afternoon or evening, and you will often connect with your language students and classmates in other ways.
What sets these hybrid cohorts apart from other TESOL courses is the way that we use the Citizens TESOL platform to facilitate much of that learning in a self-paced and self-directed manner, so that every student can learn all of the required knowledge and skills in a way that works best for themselves, without feeling rushed or left behind.
Not ready to join a cohort in-person as a full-time student? That’s okay. You can still follow along with the hybrid cohort each week, by completing assignments according to the same schedule each week and even joining discussions online.
To get a copy of this cohort’s weekly schedule and an invitation to join any discussions happening online, please request more info above and let us know that you would like to join us from a distance as a student in the “Online TESOL” course.
Another advantage to joining a cohort like this one is the opportunity to connect and learn together with another group of people. Students in cohorts are more likely to finish the course on time. You will be able to follow the same schedule as your classmates, get help with challenging assignments, and help each other stay encouraged and motivated until the very end.
You will also be given additional feedback from instructors, and you will be invited to join local teaching and ministry opportunities at that location.
Prices may vary depending on the length of your stay at our location. Full-time residential students living on our campus will need to pay standard tuition prices for the in-person course (for details, check the “Hybrid TESOL” option above to see the Program Cost for the next in-person TESOL course on our campus). However, students participating in the “Online TESOL” option might also be able to join in some activities with the hybrid cohort and receive additional feedback from instructors for a reduced fee, or they can follow along from a distance at no additional cost.
If you have already purchased access to the Citizens TESOL course through the online platform before joining an in-person cohort, then it’s possible for some or all of those previous fees to be deducted from your in-person course tuition. (For specific questions regarding tuition, reach out to us or request more info at the top of this page.)
Joining an in-person “Hybrid TESOL” course will be more intensive than the “Online TESOL” option, because the hybrid option is designed to help you finish the Citizens TESOL course in a short period of time. Typically, if you join an in-person cohort as a full-time student living on campus, then you will be given a full-time schedule (approximately 50 hours per week or more).
If you would prefer to join the cohort online (instead of in-person) or in a part-time role only, please request more info above, or join the Citizens TESOL course as an online student and follow along at your own pace.
Most TESOL students around the world only have two options: study online by yourself -OR- join a highly intensive in-person course. Both of those options have disadvantages (it can be hard to stay motivated when you study online by yourself, but most in-person TESOL courses are so fast-paced that it is too hard to learn everything and even harder to enjoy the process).
Our “Hybrid TESOL” option is designed to help you find the perfect balance, so that you can study topics online at a flexible pace while still having the classroom experiences, teaching opportunities, and support that comes with an in-person community of teachers here at our campus. If you have the chance, we recommend living and studying on-campus where you can join other students who are also taking the course. Or reach out to us if you’d prefer to be a part of our TESOL community in a different way.
Get your TESOL certificate with a brand-new online course, designed specifically with world changers like you in mind. The online course is very flexible: It is 100% online, you can start any time, you can complete everything at your own pace, and you can even pick and choose different modules in order to get the training and resources that you really want or need.
For students taking the online course, we have organized our course’s modules into several different bundle options that you can choose from: The Ministry Skills Bundle is a less intensive option geared for anyone looking to get our core training and amazing resources without some of the extra assignments that come with our other bundles. The Professional Bundle has more content and features and rewards graduates with the option to receive an internationally recognized professional certificate. Click here to see Pricing Plans for the online course, and find the path that works best for you.
Andy is originally from California and he currently resides here at YWAM Montana-Lakeside with his wife, Cortnie, and their four children: Eoghan, Finnegan, Lochlan and Liam. Andy has been working with TESOL seminars in Lakeside since 2009. In 2012, he completed his DTS here at Lakeside along with his family, and their outreach was to Reykjavik, Iceland. Since then, they've traveled with DTS and TESOL teams to Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan. Andy has a heart for inspiring and equipping others to fulfill their dreams and all God has for them. He loves to spend time outdoors hiking and backpacking, watching movies with subtitles, roasting coffee in his kitchen, and he makes a mean cappuccino.
Cortnie has a Master’s degree in Education and International Development from University College London. She attended her DTS at YWAM Montana-Lakeside in 2003 and her outreach was to England and Northern Ireland. She now lives with her husband, Andy, and their four beautiful children. She has been staffing and leading TESOL seminars at Lakeside since 2009. In 2014, she and her husband also began training DTS students in Coffee Industry-related skills for the mission field. Cortnie has a heart for seeing people grow to their full potential and daring them to dream the biggest of dreams. She likes reading books, growing peppers in her garden, and drinking coffee with friends. And she loves collating.
Maureen lives “Down Under” and loves watching kangaroos and wallabies around her house each morning and evening. She trained as a primary school teacher and then completed a TESOL course in 2006 after traveling to Thailand on a missions trip. In 2008, Maureen opened a language school in her hometown and taught English and TESOL courses. After completing her Masters of Education—TESOL in 2013 she had a desire to travel the world, equip teachers, and support missionaries. She is now the Director of Studies for the Australian College of Career Development. Maureen enjoys spending time with family and friends, bushwalking, and Sudoku. She is a proud mother and grandmother.
At YWAM Montana-Lakeside, we are all about doing whatever it takes to know God and to make Him known, together! We’d love to help you make that next step in your global missions education. Apply now!
This is our Calling. We give hope where there is none, and we won’t stop until the end of the earth. This is our Trade. We travel with very little, sometimes with nothing more than the words we speak. This is our Dream. Wherever we are, wherever we go. We shine lights in dark places, we raise our voices, and we rise up, together. And together we open new doors.
Take a peek inside our TESOL studio where we are creating this online course and our amazing community of teachers-in-training which goes by the name Citizens of Hope.
One of the best parts about being a part of this online course are the people you get to do it with. Join the Citizens of Hope community as we teach and learn together around the world.