Tefl Course

[ukman]

hi all

I am planning to leave the UK within the next month and would like to do the TEFL course within Thailand! Can anyone offer me some advice on the best school to go with and what the chances of finding work are, once the course is completed?

Also would it be beneficial to myself to get a non immigrant `b` visa prior to leaving the UK?

Thanks.

[omlagus]

Hi UKman, there are lots of TEFL here in Thailand. Unfortunately i can't say which is the best but i can say which is/was the cheapest. Stamford College in Hat Yai 26,000B incl. accom. Very relaxed and thorough course covering all aspects unlike some who charge you more. They are also good at finding you work but no promises and they also give info on resources, web sites etc.

As for finding work, Ajarn.com is the most popular.

Best of luck!

[daveh]

Hi UKman, there are lots of TEFL here in Thailand. Unfortunately i can't say which is the best but i can say which is/was the cheapest. Stamford College in Hat Yai 26,000B incl. accom. Very relaxed and thorough course covering all aspects unlike some who charge you more. They are also good at finding you work but no promises and they also give info on resources, web sites etc.

As for finding work, Ajarn.com is the most popular.

Best of luck!

I too used Stamford College in Hat Yai, Stamford College. It is cheap, but it is also pretty good. When looking for a job, it was recognized by name. Now that I teach, I can say that it did a good job training me. After you get your certificate, they will try to get you to work for them someplace. But I cannot say that any of the opportunities they were offering were of any interest to me.

They used to give you a room in one of several crappy apartments. After I took the course there, I found a good guest house in the same neighborhood as my apartment, Beehive Hotel. I talked to the owner and found out Stamford could easily put their TEFL students up there for the same or less than what they were paying the crappy places. I sent a letter to the director of the school and now (or at least up to December) they use that guest house.

[ukman]

Thanks for the replies regarding Stamford college, please correct me if I am wrong,Hat Yai is in the troubled south of Thailand ? How safe do you feel it is for farang to be there ?

What are your thought`s on the non immigrant `b` visa side of things,how did you go about it?

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions.

[Thetyim]

You can get a free TEFL course if you don't mind doing a bit of teaching

at the same time.

A friend of mine has just started a course.

If you want the email address I will try to get it for you.

[daveh]

Thanks for the replies regarding Stamford college, please correct me if I am wrong,Hat Yai is in the troubled south of Thailand ? How safe do you feel it is for farang to be there ?

What are your thought`s on the non immigrant `b` visa side of things,how did you go about it?

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions.

I was there last year when all was fine, but I am not sure how it is now. From what I understand, though, Yala is much worse off than Hat Yai.

I tried to get a non-imm B visa and was rejected because I didn't have the proper paperwork. So the consulate in Los Angles gave me a two entry tourist visa. That worked out just fine.

[omlagus]

Ukman, don't worry about the south, Hat yai, it's safe! A couple of the teachers who work at the school i'm at have just recently(2weeks ago) come back from Penang in Malaysia via Hat yai. No sign of trouble. With regards to a B-Visa get it in the UK if you can. I've heard Birmingham is very good and some stories about London refusing people. If you can't get a B-Visa you should be able to get a (Ed)ucation Visa which after your course you can then apply or maybe change to a Non Imm-B.

Hope this helps.

[ukman]

Thanks for putting my mind at rest regarding Hat Yai.

I have been in contact with the Thai Consulate in Hull and Birmingham, both have stated that if I can provide a letter either by fax or email,from the school I shall be attending the course with,there will be no problem in obtaining a non immigrant `b` visa .

I have emailed Stamsford College and am awaiting an information pack and application form.

Thanks for your help guys

Kind regards

[Nam Kao]

I am sure that Infidel school would be a target of interest for them

be careful

[jodric]

Hi UKman, there are lots of TEFL here in Thailand. Unfortunately i can't say which is the best but i can say which is/was the cheapest. Stamford College in Hat Yai 26,000B incl. accom. Very relaxed and thorough course covering all aspects unlike some who charge you more. They are also good at finding you work but no promises and they also give info on resources, web sites etc.

As for finding work, Ajarn.com is the most popular.

Best of luck!

I too used Stamford College in Hat Yai, Stamford College. It is cheap, but it is also pretty good. When looking for a job, it was recognized by name. Now that I teach, I can say that it did a good job training me. After you get your certificate, they will try to get you to work for them someplace. But I cannot say that any of the opportunities they were offering were of any interest to me.

They used to give you a room in one of several crappy apartments. After I took the course there, I found a good guest house in the same neighborhood as my apartment, Beehive Hotel. I talked to the owner and found out Stamford could easily put their TEFL students up there for the same or less than what they were paying the crappy places. I sent a letter to the director of the school and now (or at least up to December) they use that guest house.

Hi there,

I too am planning to leave UK to teach in Thailand in the next few months and was most interested to hear about Stamford. The fee sounds very competitive. How long did the course last?

Are there any similarly competitive offerings in Bangkok? (since I already have accommodation there).

Cheers, J.

[omlagus]

Hi Jodric. The course at Stamford lasts for 4weeks (an intense course) , 120hrs i think. I did mine a year ago and started teaching within a couple of months. As for competitive price, it was the cheapest. I have heard about a course at about 30,000B in Bangkok, which used to advertise in the Bangkok Post. If i see anything today i get back to you.

Regards,

Omlagus.

[bluebear]

Ajarn is the best place to look for information on the many places offering TEFL/TESOL/CELTA courses.

In Bangkok itself there is ECC - CELTA, Text & Talk - TESOL, TEFL International PELT ( this I think is the one that was mentioned earlier as the earn and learn course ) and a few others.

I did the TEFL Int course in Ban Phe and it was good. They also have a few other sites in Thailand.

Dont confuse cheap with good.

[kenkannif]

Text and Talk offer the most popular TEFL course (at least that's what they say!). Certified by the MoE and accredited by a Western Uni (40 credits towards a Bachelors in TEFL) which means it's not a 'Mickey Mouse made in Thailand course'. Also they'll assist in obtaining a Non-imm B and place you.

They also allow you to spend up to a week in class BEFORE you make a decision, something that as far as I know no other course offers. It certainly makes sense to do this and possibly see if others are willing to offer the same sit in and observe period.

By all means PM me for any advice, questions etc.

TEFL Int. do run a good FULL-TIME course, but the PELT leaves a nasty taste in my mouth as it's not really training per se, rather buy a job.

But as BB says, check Ajarn (when it's next up and running as it's down at the moment, possible for the next day or so). You should be able to ask the posters there which course they did, and if it was worth it or not.

[Harry Palmer]

Text and Talk offer the most popular TEFL course (at least that's what they say!). Certified by the MoE and accredited by a Western Uni (40 credits towards a Bachelors in TEFL) which means it's not a 'Mickey Mouse made in Thailand course'. Also they'll assist in obtaining a Non-imm B and place you.

They also allow you to spend up to a week in class BEFORE you make a decision, something that as far as I know no other course offers. It certainly makes sense to do this and possibly see if others are willing to offer the same sit in and observe period.

By all means PM me for any advice, questions etc.

TEFL Int. do run a good FULL-TIME course, but the PELT leaves a nasty taste in my mouth as it's not really training per se, rather buy a job.

But as BB says, check Ajarn (when it's next up and running as it's down at the moment, possible for the next day or so). You should be able to ask the posters there which course they did, and if it was worth it or not.

As a former graduate now working in the industry & earning in excess of 40,000 pm, I can highly recommend the Text and Talk TEFL course.

[lomatopo]

As a former graduate now working in the industry & earning in excess of 40,000 pm, I can highly recommend the Text and Talk TEFL course.

Which 'Text and Talk' campus did you attend?

How recently?

I am leaning towards this school for several reasons.

I will try to catch up on the ajarn message board, if possible.

Has anyone had any experience with this course?

http://www.tu.ac.th/org/litu/doc_english/dipte_e.htm