FAQ – World Tea Academy

Frequently Asked Questions

About the World Tea Academy Curriculum

How many courses make up the CORE curriculum?

Our program is designed to offer a fast and cost-efficient tea certification program for people in the industry or those that just want to learn more about tea. Certified Tea Specialist tea certification requires taking a total of seven classes. These consist of 6 Core level classes and one upper level ADVANCED (ADV) TEA course which can also be used towards your advanced-level tea certification.

How many Advanced Certifications do you offer?

The higher-level certifications that we offer are: Certified Tea Professional™, Certified Tea Sommelier™, Certified Tea Health Expert™, Certified Tea Blender™, and Certified Tea Aroma Expert™. All of these certifications have seven required classes to take.

How much investment is required to complete the entire certification program?

Please see the pricing for each class under the individual course. You will need to take seven classes in your desired tea certification. Pricing is per class. This purchase includes access to all the online educational materials and the class instructor for the duration of the class only (excludes test-only classes which just has the test). Your class purchase of World Tea Academy class(es) does not include required class teas or materials. You will need to purchase the required class kit(s) separately from Elmwood Inn Fine Teas. No class kits are required for CORE.05, ADV.03, ADV.04, ADV.06, ADV.07, ADV.10, ADV.13, and all test-only classes.

How much time does it take each week for the classes?

Most students report that it takes about three hours a week for CORE classes and about four hours a week for ADV classes. Time can vary based on your tea educational background, reading speed, and English language skills.

Are these courses open to international participants?

Yes.

Do credits from other certification programs count towards World Tea Academy?

We do recognize that people have made significant investments into other programs and are unable to complete them due to scheduling or availability of classes. We have a ‘Test Out’ option that allows you to take a test to demonstrate you’ve covered similar content in other programs or have amassed that knowledge from your industry experience. You can test through as many as six classes. The Test-Only courses permit the exam to be taken twice. Please Note: WTA Test-Only Courses do not provide any learning materials. You can click here to look at our Test-Only class Options.

Please contact your instructor for any technical problems with the course including: uploading your assignments, not being able to log in, and problems with accessing the course. It is always best to take a screenshot of the error/problem you are having as it helps customer support ascertain the issue and speed up the process in rectifying the problem. All of the courses provide a link to click that says “Ask Question” at the bottom of the left sidebar of your course. Complete the fields to send a question or comment to your instructor via email.

About Taking a World Tea Academy Course

Can I take any class I want?

The Core program is designed around taking a total of seven classes. Core.01 and Core.02 are suggested to take in sequence before moving on to any of the other classes in the program. After you’ve taken Core.01 and Core.02, you can take any of the remaining classes in any order you choose. All Advanced (ADV) programs have a total of seven classes in each. Anyone with a basic knowledge of the six types of tea and understanding of the professional cupping protocol can take these classes. But, you must have earned a WTA Certified Tea Specialist™ certification to receive any Advanced Level Certification. Please note: Some ADV classes have prerequisites. Please check each individual class to see if this applies.

What materials are needed for each course? Are there any additional recommended reading materials?

It is your responsibility to purchase the required class kit(s) from Elmwood Inn Fine Teas no later than one week before the class starts. Go to Elmwood Inn Fine Teas to purchase your class kit. (No class kits required for CORE.05, ADV.03, ADV.04, ADV.06, ADV.07, ADV.10, ADV. 13, and all test-only classes.) You are also responsible to have any additional teas or materials for your class(es) before the class starts. The list for additional required materials is found on the website in the Overview Section for each class where it states, “Students will need to supply the following additional materials and these are not included in the class kit.”

There are additional reading materials included in the class – and all of the course written materials are available for download so you can save the information for future reference.

Is there any requirement for language proficiency for non-English native speakers?

All classes are conducted in English. We suggest that students have a basic fluency in English to comprehend all course materials.

Supported Browsers, Devices & Technology

Can I take the courses on my iPad or tablet?

Our courses were built to work on all iPads and tablets. Layouts, scrolling or displays may vary depending on the device you have. Please note: uploading files for an assignment can be difficult on tablets and phones.

Is Internet Access Required?

Yes, an internet connection is required to log in and view your online course. All courses offer a range of multimedia features. We recommend that you have a good broadband or network connection for the optimal experience. You must have the most up-to-date browser to access World Tea Academy course.

Can I take the course on my iPhone or smartphone?

Yes, our school is fully HTML5 compatible which means you can experience the course on your smartphone. Reading may be challenging on a phone for scrolling reasons. All assignments that you submit must be in either a Word Document or a PDF. Please note: uploading files for an assignment can be difficult on tablets or smartphones.

What Browsers are Supported?

We support the current and the previous major release of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft browsers. This currently includes Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. Each time a new browser version is released, we begin supporting that version and stop supporting the third most recent version. Students must keep their browser updated to the latest version to have access to our website and course.

Current and previous Android versions
Current and previous iOS versions

Can I take more than one course at a time?

There is no limit to the number of courses that can be taken at any given time. However, WTA doesn’t recommend taking more than three classes at a time and only if you have extensive free time. Each person will have to access their time and sign up accordingly.

Do I have to be online at a specific time?

Your online courses are available around the clock, which means that you can sign in at any time, day or night, and take your course. All classes are self-paced.