TEFL Course in Chiang Mai (Is Pai still awesome?:)

[Muzza5]

Hello everyone,

I am new here and next year I am going to Chonburi on a one year contract at an international school.

After my contract is over I plan on heading to Chiang Mai to do a TEFL course,at the moment I have my sights set on SEE TEFL to do it at. Anyone herd good things from there?

I actually spent a year in Thailand straight out of college on a gap student program. I managed to make my way to Chiang Mai for a few days and then to Pai for around 4 days and absolutely loved it. Does Pai still have its unique Rasta culture? I plan on heading back there again.

I'm from NZ and am in my second year at university so I won't be able to look for a teaching job straight after my Tefl course because I have to come back home and finish off a few university papers but when that is done I plan on coming back to Chiang Mai to teach if I can get a job.

I might post this in the teacher forums too but do any of you know what the job market is like in chiang mai?

Thanks

[Ulysses G.]

If "unique Rasta culture" means free flowing ganja, I think that the answer is no. There was a big crackdown on drugs there and, at one time, I think that I remember that the police were urine testing tourists that were just walking down the street minding their own business.

[Muzza5]

Haha not entirely what I had in mind but thanks for that info . I was thinking more the laid back chilled cafe's, alternative people and nice vibes or has it become over populated and more tourist like??

Also the Pai country side was cool with all of its random art scattered everywhere.

[neronimo]

SEE TEFL is probably the best TEFL trainer in CM, I did my TEFL at CM Uni,

work is easy to find if you try, but the pay is not so good, good luck!

[Muzza5]

Hi Neronimo

Would you say that CM was a good course?

I actually tossing up between the two at the moment.

[Ulysses G.]

I was thinking more the laid back chilled cafe's, alternative people and nice vibes or has it become over populated and more tourist like??

I think it depends on the time of year and the time of week. Last time that I was there - in the cool season - it was completely packed out with Thais who were filling the place up on weekends. A very popular Thai movie was shot there and it became the place to visit up North.

[anto]

Hi Neronimo

Would you say that CM was a good course?

I actually tossing up between the two at the moment.

I was told that CMU were not very organized or efficient .Sure enough when i sent an e-mail asking about their course ,they took 2 weeks to reply .SEE replied within a day ,and i will be doing the TEFL there starting later this month .

The courses seem rater expensive in C.M at B42,000 approx for a 4 week study .

[zeichen]

I am confused. You say that you are teaching at an International school. If that is the case, you would have a degree in education, and a teacher's license.

Why would anyone go from teaching at International schools which pay better, actually help build your career, to teaching EFL. The TEFL will not help you if teaching is your goal. If you want just a little reassurance for teaching EFL, then it doesn't hurt.

Spend the money, the energy and time getting the CELTA. Don't waste your time for a home grown EFL course. Unless your only goal is to teach EFL in Chiang Mai, but then again since a TEFL isn't a requirement, then why do one at all?

If you want to learn more about the field, I will give you a list of books that will help a lot more than these homegrown courses.

[Ulysses G.]

Spend the money, the energy and time getting the CELTA.

Agreed. It is much better certification.

[Muzza5]

Hi Zeichen

It is just an intern position I am not a fully qualified teacher as haven't finished my degree in NZ, but I was able to get an internship for experience as I need to do a certain amount of hours for my university placements as part of my degree and I know someone at the international school and was given an intern contract.

So are you and Ulysses suggesting that I do a celta instead of a TEFL in chiang mai?

Plan is to travel up to and into my 30's teaching english in various places around the world then settle down as a "normal" western teacher at either a international school or a school back in my home country.

Thanks for the advice guys I am learning a lot from this forum

[neronimo]

Hi Neronimo

Would you say that CM was a good course?

I actually tossing up between the two at the moment.

I was in the same position as you 2 years ago, SEE TEFL or CM University language institute TEFL, in the end

I chose CM University over SEE TEFL purely because it was a university qualification, both looked good on paper

the trainers that trained me at CMU have both moved on now so I can't comment on how the course is now

my advice is to visit both training providers in person, talk to the trainers and look at the course materials

either SEE TEFL or CM University would be a good choice for a TEFL

but have you thought about CELTA?

good luck

[Muzza5]

@ neronimo

Thank you,

Is there much difference between CELTA and TEFL apart from them being from different organisations... Cambridge and ???? not sure who runs TEFL.

[AngelsLariat]

Haha not entirely what I had in mind but thanks for that info . I was thinking more the laid back chilled cafe's, alternative people and nice vibes or has it become over populated and more tourist like??

Also the Pai country side was cool with all of its random art scattered everywhere.

Pai definitely receives a lot more tourists and a wider variety of tourists now. Just because of more people going there it's a less chilled place now and the greater diversity among the visitors dilutes the "turn on, tune in, drop out" feel. I still like the place, but if alternative people with nice vibes is what you seek you'll probably find just as much of that inside the moat in Chiang Mai as you will in Pai these days.

[Muzza5]

@ AngelsLariat

I've herd that from a few people now ever since they filmed some movie there.

Still tho id love to visit again and its on my to do list when I get over there.... which is soon !!!!!!

Yea its places like that which make me want to live there. I like Chonburi and Pattaya but I preferred my time in CM and Pai.

[AlaiiNa]

@ neronimo

Thank you,

Is there much difference between CELTA and TEFL apart from them being from different organisations... Cambridge and ???? not sure who runs TEFL.

If you're serious about teaching then the CELTA is a higher level course than the TEFL

The CELTA will open more doors for you job wise both in Thailand and Internationally than a TEFL will,

Couple your teaching degree with a CELTA and you will be able to get better jobs, earn more money and work in any country you like!

The CELTA course costs roughly the same as a TEFL course here in Thailand

My advice would be to go for the CELTA course if you can

Good luck!

[Muzza5]

@ AlaiiNa, Thanks for that info

Is there a difference between the two as far as what age group you get qualified to teach? I herd CELTA is for teaching adults and I would like to be able to work with kids and teenagers. Any one that allowed me to teach all ages would be the best.

I had my sights set on SEE TEFL in CM it seemed really well run, with a good environment but now you have got me thinking about what will be best for my future.

Do you know of any good places to do CELTA in CM??

[Loaded]

The TA in CELTA stands for Teaching Adults. It doesn't prepare you for teaching children which is 90% of the teaching work in Thailand. There will be no teaching practices in local schools with real students.

The only school I know in Thailand that has a preference for CELTA in Thailand is The British Council (UCLES and The BC work closely together). They have 3 language schools here. There must be at least 1,000 formal Thai schools that don't state a preference. They would prefer teachers that have experience teaching children or training that involved teaching children.

[Muzza5]

Loaded you bring up some good points!! I seem to resonate with TEFL more for some reason.

I guess if I ever wanted to teach adults I still could with a TEFL and my university degree and teaching diploma and there's nothing from stopping me doing a CELTA course in the future too if I wanted to get a higher paying more advanced university or language institution position. While I'm still reasonably young I think a TEFL and teaching kids would suit me.

Cheers!!

[zeichen]

My advice would be to actually do the opposite of your plan. Go back to your home country, get your license, teach in your home country for a few years. Then apply for real teaching positions at international schools all over Asia-or anywhere. The other way, you are not actually helping your career. EFL teaching doesn't hold the same weight as subject teaching on your resume applying for jobs back home. It will be looked as a break.

CELTA has actual standards that are enforced and regulated. Any TEFL that you take are not regulated. CMU warning, look up past threads about what the director did shutting down the old course. SEE TEFL, watch his sample videos. If you actually agree with what he says and his approach, take the class, but the more you know about EFL and teaching methodology, you might find his approach limited.

The simple fact is that a 120 course will not make you a teacher. At most it will give a foundation for you to build on. For most that just want a gap year, it isn't worth it. For those that want to make teaching a career especially EFL teaching, the CELTA opens more doors globally.

There are limitations with both programs and only a small percent of what you learn actually works or can be used in most teaching situations.

Bottom line is with your degree, you will not need any certitficate. You are qualified enough. Why spend 1-2 months salary from Thailand to do a 1 month course that won't give you a higher salary or help you get the job. Your degree in education is more than enough.

As for the CELTA not preparing you for children and TEFL being more applicable. That is hogwash. CELTA is still based on teaching best practices which are universal. The very limited amount of time that TEFL courses actually focus on the differences of younger learners isn't enough to make a difference. Since you are already doing a practicum or student teaching, you will have those basic skills anyway.

If you just want a piece of paper, get the TEFL. If you want a certificate that opens more doors get the CELTA. Neither will make you a teacher. Neither are required for getting jobs, neither will get you more money from jobs in Thailand.

[DaBloodyMess]

My advice would be to actually do the opposite of your plan. Go back to your home country, get your license, teach in your home country for a few years. Then apply for real teaching positions at international schools all over Asia-or anywhere. The other way, you are not actually helping your career. EFL teaching doesn't hold the same weight as subject teaching on your resume applying for jobs back home. It will be looked as a break.

Listen to this advice... don't waste the time and effort of getting a teaching qualification from NZ on language teaching. The pay and conditions for language teachers are by and large absolute c**p in comparison to what you can get at an international school. To start language teaching after you are qualified through your degree as a teacher would really be selling yourself short.

I would say that you don't necessarily need to teach at home first, you can just apply as a new grad, but you just wont be able to target the top schools. I personally came to Chiang Mai as a fresh teaching grad (albeit with previous professional experience). I applied at six international schools and was offered jobs at two of them.

[YoungBrit]

The TA in CELTA stands for Teaching Adults. It doesn't prepare you for teaching children which is 90% of the teaching work in Thailand. There will be no teaching practices in local schools with real students.

The only school I know in Thailand that has a preference for CELTA in Thailand is The British Council (UCLES and The BC work closely together). They have 3 language schools here. There must be at least 1,000 formal Thai schools that don't state a preference. They would prefer teachers that have experience teaching children or training that involved teaching children.

He is going to get that experience in his year teaching at the international school. That is more than a 4 week TEFL course practice in the classroom will give him.

I think that having a CELTA, is a preference from schools although fair point regarding the fact that it is geared towards adults.

1+ for the CELTA.

[Muzza5]

@ Zeichen, wow thats great advice thanks mate its much appreciated.I thought about that and yes it makes sense and would benefit my future and earning potential for when I am older (well in a quicker amount of time). Dam but I just really want to travel and experience new cultures asap. The nomad life attracts me.......... practical not always but exciting..... well yes from my perspective anyway.

After my year in Thailand as an intern I plan on finishing my 3 uni papers in NZ which I have left (that's for my 3 year degree, still need a one year teaching diploma)....... then go to Japan to teach and pay off my small loan. Then hopefully back to Thailand to teach English in CM then back to NZ to get my diploma in teaching then look towards a higher paying teacher role.

I'm sure things won't work out exactly like that but that's the plan for now.

As far as choosing celta I would as long as schools would still let me teach kids and if it will help get a job in places like Japan then that's a plus!!

[Muzza5]

@ dabloodymess

Thats cool how you got two offers I always thought it was a requirement that you needed at least 2 years of teaching in your home country.

BTW im going to the regents international school in pattaya next year if you've herd of that

Thing is my degree is in health and PE and coaching so they have placed me in the sports department and as a soccer/football coach. But I will also be able to help with primary classes and english if I want. I also am a qualified personal trainer and am taking two uni papers from Thailand as part of the degree I have to get a certain amount of hours in my feild.

However when i get my teaching diploma (either in teaching primary, or secondary) be it sooner or later as in after I've teached English in a few countries. I will then go for an international school or a school back home.

[Muzza5]

@ youngbrit

Yea mate good point!!

the school i going to has mainly british teachers

[AlaiiNa]

@ AlaiiNa, Thanks for that info

Is there a difference between the two as far as what age group you get qualified to teach? I herd CELTA is for teaching adults and I would like to be able to work with kids and teenagers. Any one that allowed me to teach all ages would be the best.

I had my sights set on SEE TEFL in CM it seemed really well run, with a good environment but now you have got me thinking about what will be best for my future.

Do you know of any good places to do CELTA in CM??

SEE TEFL teaches from kindergarten upwards

CM Uni teaches for adults

SEE TEFL website says they will get you a job placement

CM Uni will hire you to teach at the Uni if they like you

For CELTA there's ECC CELTA, they have an office near CMU, they hold CELTA courses all over Thailand, I'm not sure how good they are though...

With a teaching degree you don't really need a TEFL, but a CELTA will open more doors for you internationally

And finally, if you want to travel and teach, do it, follow your heart, life is short! (but get your degree in education first!)

[millwall_fan]

I did a TEFL course in CM a couple of months ago with UniTEFL - which used to be the university course but is now stand alone. They are located on huay Kaew Rd very close to the junction with the irrigation canal rd. I am a qualified teacher but wanted some reassurance before going back into the classroom after a lengthy break. I found the course to be excellent. The staff were dedicated, talented and hard working people, the course was academically rigorous - you certainly don't pass automatically! and the 8 teaching practice sessions in local schools were not only excellent teaching practice for us students, but were the only native English speaker input these children received (and some of their English teachers could not conduct anything more than a basic conversation in English (though others were excellent). As Loaded says. TEFl concentrates manly on child learners (the bulk of the market), whereas CELTA concentrates on teaching English for adults.

I am now teaching in an international school in Bangkok, which contains many EAL kids. The training I received from UniTEFL was excellent and useful.There is loads of EFL teaching work available in CM, the problem is that there are even more expats seeking to supplement their pensions/savings, so the wage rates are abysmal - if you can coin 30,000 a month you'd be doing well. Even CM's international schools (apart from Prem) pay comparatively low wages (my salary in Bangkok is at least twice the equivalent of CM and the cost of living in BKK is not substantially higher than CM -though there are many more things to spend your money on!)

As to Pai - well I first went there nearly 20 years ago when it was a sleepy backwater with few Farang in evidence. Then it went through its rasta/hippy phase, then it became a Thai orientated place following the success of a Thai movie - lots of Bangkokians turning up in January in their BMW's and Benzes wearing Alpine skiing jackets etc! There are lots of nicer places in the north although Pai remains a quirky , sleepy little town with a higher than average quota of Farang and therefore an ABF or Pizza and chips is available and English is spoken more widely than elsewhere and it remains an enjoyable place to unwind for a few days!

[dave2]

re

(my salary in Bangkok is at least twice the equivalent of CM and the cost of living in BKK is not substantially higher than CM

great stuff pedr

glad you landed on your feet

good luck !

dave2

pic.. landing at don muang airport jan 06

[Muzza5]

Thanks for all the reply's guys/girls its really helpful.

I don't think i mentioned but my degree from NZ is in sport and recreation with a double major in health and physical education and minor in sports coaching. I think its a bit different in NZ because I will have to do a teaching diploma (1 year long) in either secondary school teaching or primary. If I choose primary I will be able to work as a normal teacher if I choose secondary I will be a specialized health and Physical education teacher which is my passion.

So I either come back after this internship and spend one year in NZ to finish my three year degree.... only 4 papers left so two a semester. then go teach English in a higher paying country either japan, Taiwan or Korea. Then back to Thailand to teach English. Then come back to NZ and do my teaching diploma.

Or ...... stay in NZ for two years finish my degree and do the teaching diploma straight after. Then go teach English japan etc...... then hopefully get a job at an international school as a PE Teacher or primary teacher. Don't know if they would hire with no experience in my home country. However I would have had experience being a gap staff in Thailand. an intern and experience in another country teaching English as a second language. Plus coaching kids teams and personal training etc....

I guess either way I would like to do a English teaching course as I have the time and money and it would be a good experience its just a matter of which one at this point it would ideally be for teaching kids and teenagers but one that would help me get a job in japan etc as well as Thailand.

And also I guess no matter what way around I do all of this is up to how fast I want to move forward in life and to be honest I don't plan on the whole married life, supporting a child etc until I am much much older and even then it may not happen (i don't believe in marriage) so its just me to support and I'm not about fancy cars and lots of money as you can see from my future lifestyle choice. I like to live a simple life, materialistic things don't make me happy. Even though I come from a middle to higher class family.

Cheers for the support I find this forum to be very insightful!! The culture, colors, nice weather, smiling faces, vibrant night life, cool islands, friendly people and cheap living give Thailand that pull effect on people............. Looks like I am chasing that simple life too!!

[mamborobert]

Just on the CELTA, there is a Young Learners extension available but not sure that this is widely known in Thailand or CM specifically. Either way local job wise TEFL seems to be the go.

http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-qualifications/celta/young-learner-extension-to-celta/