Tefl Course

[stevielt]

I live in Ireland and I am interested in doing a TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). I can do the course either in Bangkok or Phuket. The cost of the course is 1400USD and lasts for 4 to 6 weeks. I was just enquiring if anyone has completed one of these courses and if so what are the chances in securing a teaching job in Thailand. Any information re: this subject would be most helpful.

TEFL_Course___Wording.doc

[jamesjdaly]

Have a look at the AUA website (www.auathailand.org). They offer a 120 hour TEFL course and if you pass, your chances of getting hired are pretty high as long as you have a verifiable degree. They are a large language company in Thailand with over 15 branches countrywide.

[stevielt]

Thanks for that James. I will check it out.

[coulson]

I live in Ireland and I am interested in doing a TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). I can do the course either in Bangkok or Phuket. The cost of the course is 1400USD and lasts for 4 to 6 weeks. I was just enquiring if anyone has completed one of these courses and if so what are the chances in securing a teaching job in Thailand. Any information re: this subject would be most helpful.

Hi, thought I'd throw in my two cents worth.

I would strongly advise you do the TEFL in Phuket, it would be a more enjoyable experience, however be cautious as to which outfit you go through.

Before paying any deposit etc, ask for a written email confirmation that, if you are doing a 120 hour TEFL course, you will in fact receive a '120 hour TEFL certificate MOE approved and Internationally recognized'

Also be aware that doing a TEFL in thailand requires you to do a 20 hour thai culture course and this is not necessary if you intend to eventually move to another Country to teach so be sure these additional hours are extra-over the 120.

Best of luck

[Loaded]

Also be aware that doing a TEFL in thailand requires you to do a 20 hour thai culture course and this is not necessary if you intend to eventually move to another Country to teach so be sure these additional hours are extra-over the 120.

Best of luck

The culture course has absolutely nothing to do with a TEFL course. It's connected to the TL scam but there seems to be consistent feedback that it's no requested for that in most provinces.

[Loaded]

Before paying any deposit etc, ask for a written email confirmation that, if you are doing a 120 hour TEFL course, you will in fact receive a '120 hour TEFL certificate MOE approved and Internationally recognized'

Ask for the school licence number. A reputable school publishes their licence number on their website.

[PeaceBlondie]

The standard is "120 hour TEFL certificate MOE approved and Internationally recognized."

I think ISO certification would meet that standard.

[WalkerThai]

I did the TEFL Phuket course and it was great. They took great care of us from airport pickup to roomy, modern housing and a first-rate school with wifi. Jim was a wonderful wealth of info on teaching and was open to our questions - that mattered to me. He was an expert, but listened. Good to learn from a caring teacher, in my book.

The Thai lessons were totally enjoyable, if challenging, and made me a better teacher. Trying to learn a language helped me get into the role of my students. I got a ton of empathy out of the process, because it was kind of hard to learn Thai. As I found out in the Language Awareness/Grammar part, English is equally hard for the Thai people to learn. So that helped me understand the whole process of teaching.

I disagree with the 20 extra hour for language comment mentioned above. I was recently job hunting in Surat Thani and not one interview out of 8 asked about the 120 vs 100 vs 20 hours of Thai Language or TEFL course contents. They saw a 120 hour cert and the light went green - I got 4 offers the same day. The "120/20 on language" advice above was not my experience - no one cared. My potential employers were happy that I could speak intelligently about teaching and about English. I learned that from TEFL Phuket. They were delighted that I could speak a little Thai - it is a sign of respect for their culture and that is key in Thailand, if you want to get along.

I read somewhere on the forum that someone thinks the TEFL Phuket course is too easy... too much fun. HUH? Anyone who knows anything about Thai people knows you better keep it fun and interesting/engaging or you will lose your students quickly. I knew that after teaching for less than a week. The TEFL course was conducted in the same way... engagingly fun. That's great prep for the job.

The course was by no means easy - it was a balanced challenge. Some days were more intense and you really had to prep for your demo teaching. Other days were relaxed and fun. Plus it was nice to be near a quiet beach - not Patong - too much going on there for my taste.

Good luck with your choice - definitely Phuket vs BKK - no contest... and good luck teaching.

I think coming from Ireland you should have a pretty easy time getting a job, if you look around a little.