TEFL Heaven Thailand | TEFL/TESOL & Placement Program

First of all, I would like to give a special thanks to Mike and Kate for their continuous support throughout my teaching placement, as well as a big thanks to my TEFL Heaven trainer Kelly.

If you are considering being a teacher I would highly recommend undertaking the TEFL Heaven course. I joined the 2016 Krabi training in September and cannot begin to emphasise how much I have grown since.

The weeks of intense training are a perfect blend of learning new techniques, teaching preparation, social life and many fun activities. We were given the opportunity to carry out our lessons as well as join summer camps! It has been a once in a lifetime experience that everybody deserves to be part of.

I have made friends for life and couldn't be happier with the school I am working at. Thank you TEFL Heaven from saving me from a 9-5 deka job and reigniting my love and passion for teaching and learning!

I had a wonderful experience while participating in TEFLHeaven Krabi October 2016.

Pros:

4. Krabi is gorgeous and has decent nightlife. It's nearby a lot of fun islands to visit as well (Go to Phi Phi for a weekend, so fun!). Also, our hotel was clean and beautiful.

3. This program is intensely social. It's perfect for someone who has just graduated college and doesn't have a ton of travel experience (you'll likely befriend someone who will become your travel buddy). It's not so perfect for my fellow independent introverts, but you have down time every day that you can use to escape and explore the town on your own, and it's certainly nice to always have the option to be with others.

2. The manual used by this course is particularly good. It includes sections on Classroom Management, how a Language Teacher differs from a Traditional Teacher, how to Present Vocabulary and Grammar, how to Lesson Plan, how to teach to different Learning Styles, and basically every major topic every new teacher should be taught.

1. Our Main Trainer Kelly was out of this world phenomenal. Krabi could be a miserable place (it's not) and I would still recommend you select the Krabi location JUST to be taught by Kelly. Seriously, she's that amazing. I taught for two years in the USA before participating in this program and left American public education disappointed. Kelly completely renewed my faith in myself as a teacher. She gave me so many teaching strategies and tools of the trade and inspired so much confidence (shout out to Kelly: real talk, you da literal best.)

Cons:
3. The wifi in our hotel was abysmal. If you use your phone frequently, my best advice is: buy a sim card at the airport and pay for the best internet you can get monthly (I have AIS and was on it virtually the entire time).

2. We happened to be in Krabi during a particularly rainy season, so we didn't get to be outside as much as we would have liked. Just luck of the draw!

1. If you want to have a good time, expect to spend. Yes, things are cheaper over here, but many people don't get their first paycheck until the first week of December. During your first month, you have to take care of food/any touring you would like to do and it's very easy to blow your budget. The second month requires even more money from you (food, bedding, deposits on housing, a motorbike (if the town you will be teaching in doesn't have a ton of public transportation), and whatever materials/necessities you can't live without.

Oh, also, prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for possibly loving it so much here that you never want to go home.

Whether you want to travel, just finished school or bored with your job....this is an amazing experience that you will never forget! You will be certified to teach anywhere in the world and you will meet amazing people with like minded goals! The training from TEFL Heaven truly did prepare me to teach in a foreign country. My favorite was that they also taught you about the culture and the language. My first semester I taught in Ayutthaya and before I even got there I was able to speak many different phrases in Thai. The trainers are incredible and are never truly "off the clock." They are always there to help you whether it is about the course, something emotional or you ate weird street food and need a lift and a translator to the doctor. They helped train us and be ready to teach in Thailand as well as an emotional support system! Stop thinking about it and do it!

How to begin?! These past 3 weeks have been nothing short of amazing. I did not know coming into this how much I would grow as a person. Of course I had hopes/ thoughts about it but really no expectations. From arriving to the welcome day social to the last couple days of the training, I had never felt so "in the right place". If you're wondering what you should do after college or just with your life... this is a great place to be. You might not do it forever, but it's an experience that challenges you and helps you grow in ways that you would never get from wherever you are from. My advice is to not rush into a job or lifestyle you didn't choose. Choose to do something more with your life. Don't settle. Moving across the world to teach English helps you define who you are more and more, while also being extremely rewarding. You have a long life ahead of you (hopefully) to work and do boring things. Not everyone gets the chance to do something like this, so if you are contemplating it.. I say GO FOR IT!!

So after doing Semester at Sea in 2014, I figured I would never have an experience like it again. Then I did the TEFL Heaven Internship on Samui. I met some of the greatest people I will ever meet, learn some incredible things about teaching I wouldn't have learned anywhere else, and had the most fun I've had in a long time. The teachers and staff were amazing kind and fantastic (shout out to SUZE), the accommodations were wonderful (shoutout to MAMA at the Joy), the other students are now some of my best friends (shoutout to FAMUI), and I am so incredibly happy I decided to sign up for this program. If you are at all interesting in teaching English, getting your TEFL, and living in Thailand, then my goodness what are you doing reading this? Sign up, quickly! Go!!

I couldn't have had a better TEFL training experience--tell me about another program that gives you experience teaching local students, support from experienced trainers (who have usually done the TEFL Heaven program themselves), plus the chance to live on an island for three weeks! I had absolutely no teaching experience prior to my program but I feel like it gave me the skills I needed to start. Not only do you get to work at an English Camp and prepare lessons for real kids, but throughout the entire course (starting day one!) you'll teach each other as if you are students. It sounds a little silly, but I loved being able to see the ideas that my other trainees came up with that I get to use in my classes now. I feel confident in my abilities as a teacher, whereas had I just been thrown into my class I'd feel completely overwhelmed. The program is also fantastic due to the fact that I got to meet a group of like-minded, adventurous individuals that are all going through the same experience as I am. I know that I can count on any of them, and any of my trainers, for any questions, support, or advice I might need. Sure, you can take a course online...but why not just take the leap?

I had always wanted to come back to Thailand to embark on a change of career as a teacher. When I first arrived in Bangkok I had a moment of fear but once starting the course, meeting all the other lovely teachers and trainers all my worries subsided.

The course and people who have supported me throughout this process have been incredible and always went above and beyond all my expectations. I feel I have been well prepared from a teaching perspective as well as cultural and being able to fit into the Thai lifestyle.

I have learnt so much about myself throughout the course and my confidence has gone through the roof! On my first day thinking how could I go from almost no teaching experience to being responsible a classroom of children who may not even be able to speak English and being able to deliver an effective lesson but now I feel I am there and have all the right tools and mindset on how to be a good English teacher.

I am so grateful for everything TEFL heaven have done for me and if you are reading reviews trying to decide which programme to go with (i2i, studying at home etc.) I would 100% tell you to go with TEFL heaven. They set you up for life here like no one else can and you will love it from the moment you arrive!

I had looked into doing a TEFL course for years and didn’t stumble across TEFL Heaven until the last minute. I’m so thankful that I did! Have just spent the last three weeks in a nice hotel in Phuket getting qualified. We had fantastic trainers and I’m feeling ready to take on the Thai students for real. The course is super practical and all about sharing ideas and activities to build up a bank of lessons to take to your school, of course there is a little theory thrown in there too. The main man, Mike, was always on the other end of the phone to help if you had any issues, but really there were none because the trainers had it down. I’m very happy I decided to do a face-to-face TEFL course as opposed to one online and would 100% recommend TEFL Heaven to anyone interested in teaching English overseas. Not only is the course great, you also get to spend three weeks with 20 (ish) others you’ve never met before, I sure way to make friends if you’re taking this on alone.