Teach in Thailand with CIEE | Guaranteed Placement Before Departure

I studied abroad through CIEE in Seville, Spain in 2013 and had such a great experience. After studying in Sevilla, I knew I wanted to live abroad again and I am so glad I did!

The week long orientation was such a great way to make friends and it really eased any nerves I had about living and working in a foreign country.

I definitely recommend this program if you want total support and guidance on obtaining your visa, making friends, finding a school, and finding housing.

I honestly have zero complaints about my experience with CIEE thus far - all positives!!!

I am very thankful for my Google search of "teach English abroad" and CIEE was the first program that came up. It is very highly recognized and their reputation make it one of the best programs to pursue your teaching abroad experience! The staff was more than helpful and was there every step of the way to guide you through the process. Kerry Plath was an excellent coordinator for the Teach in Thailand program and always went out of her way in order to assist you in ANY way! She even brought me a separate Lonely Planet - Thailand book with her in her suitcase to give to me when we all arrived in Bangkok because mine got lost in the mail prior to leaving home. CIEE provided many webinars and Q&A's for participants interested in the program so that there were no unanswered questions during the preparation stage. I am very appreciative of the fact that CIEE simplified the entire visa process, as well as found a school for you to work at. This makes the program fee well worth the price. And as a foreign language teacher, you will be making a higher salary than most Thai teachers so you will earn that amount back in no time! Although my experience in my current town in Thailand has been an amazing one, I would say my favorite part of this journey was the start of it. Every participant met in Bangkok for orientation to prepare for the once-in-a-lifetime experience ahead. I am very thankful for this week in Bangkok because that is also where I met my close friends who I now travel with on the weekends! CIEE does an amazing job at organizing this orientation and it truly helped shake out all the nervousness we had when we first arrived in Thailand. Overall, I am forever thankful I did that Google search that one day back at home. Now I know what program I will use if I ever want to teach abroad again!

Hello everybody,

My name is Steve and I am teaching in Chumphon Thailand. It is a nice town located close to the sea. I work at a private school out in the jungle. I also live on campus which is nice as I am only about 25 yards from my classroom. The school staff and my co workers are awesome. I love it here! The food is delicious and I am starting to meet more English people. They are happy to see another westerner in this beautiful country and have been showing me around town. I love the Thai people but it is also nice to speak to English people as well.

Steve

In short, I fully recommend both OEG and CIEE. CIEE staff were knowledgable and excellent answering my questions prior to departure; I even missed a few deadlines and they were able to help guide me through the process none-the-less. In particular, Kerry Plath is great.

The orientation itself is fantastic. I found the classes informative in regards to teaching and general practical tips about living in Thailand. It was also a lot of fun: there were some neat excursions, like the river cruise and sight-seeing at the temple, and the food and accommodations were top-notch. Most importantly, it's a great opportunity to meet other teachers, and there was plenty of time to go-out and socialize.

I'm having a great time at my placement without any issues, so I haven't been in a ton of contact with OEG since I started teaching. However, there have been some useful facebook groups and emails for organizing stuff and looking up fun events that I have found helpful: I feel as though OEG would be there to assist me if any issues were to arise.

CIEE is an incredible program, and I highly recommend it to anyone considering teaching in Thailand (or anywhere else in the world for that matter). They were so supportive and helpful during the whole daunting process of moving abroad, with everything from applying for a visa, preparing and packing, and even a week-long orientation upon arrival. They provided loads of information and webinars about every step, and answered all questions and emails right away. I chose to teach for a semester, starting in October 2016, and almost immediately extended my stay to a year (and counting) once I arrived because I loved it so much. My only complaint was that CIEE was a little expensive, but I can honestly say it's been totally worth it. Partially because of how simple they made the complicated and confusing process of finding a job and applying for a visa, but mostly because of the in-country orientation. My first week in Thailand was spent in Bangkok with the other 170+ participants, where we spent our days learning about Thai culture and language, classroom expectations, work visa requirements, and even some intro-TEFL classes. The information provided helped prepare me for my first-ever teaching experience as well as eased the culture shock, and spending that time making friends with the other participants who were going through the same thing was amazing. Teaching in Thailand has its challenges, and my experience would have been totally different (and much more difficult) without the support I received from CIEE and the friends I met at orientation. I've also met teachers here who've come to Thailand through other programs - or even on their own - and CIEE is hands down the most organized and supportive way to go and I can't speak highly enough about the incredible experience I've had through them.

This is my second time leaving the U.S.A., and it is the first time living in another country for an extended amount of time. For me, coming to Thailand was not something I had planned; honestly, it was quite the opposite. I stumbled upon the opportunity in mid February, applied by March 1, agreed to coming to Thailand in mid March, and left for Thailand during the first of May. I describe that period time as "excitedly nervous". The idea of living in a new culture with new opportunities, new places to see, new customs, new food, etc. all sounded so exciting! However, there was also the apprehension of what if I don't like it, what if I am not good at teaching English, what if I don't make friends, etc. Looking back on that time period, I can genuinely say making the decision to come to Thailand has been on of the best decisions I have ever made. Every day, I learn more about this new culture and what makes it so special. My school's location, while more remote, is filled with students and teachers that are happy that I am there and excited to interact with me, even if sometimes most of the conversation is through body movements. I live with a Thai family that makes it a priority of making me included in the community as well as showing me places that are authentic Thai. When I have questions or need help, I can count on my coordinator and OEG/CIEE to assist in any situation. I'd encourage anyone that is thinking about living abroad to check out this program and what it has to offer!

You will never feel more welcomed and loved than you are as an English teacher in the primary schools of Thailand. The children will literally run up to you and want to hug you. Even though you are not their teacher and have never met them. There are three buildings at Bannakanluang School. I teach in back building called MEP or Mini English Program. The children will call to me from out of the windows in the building in front of MEP. " Teachaaaa Teachaaaa we love you and then they will blow me kisses and give me the I love you sign with their hands." Students here from Kindigarden to 6th grade are all so excited just to say hello and wave to you. They especially love group hugs. The younger students will call to you "Teachaaa.........hello" , when you say hello back to them they giggle and laugh with each other. It is do cute.......teachaaa and hello are probably the only two English words they know.

The Thai teachers and staff are no less than delightful and will do what ever it takes to help you with your needs. One of the things I really like about the Thai culture is that the Thai people know how to dress up everyday for school. Saving the blue jeans and tee shirts for leisure.
The whole community eating thing here is a bit much for me to take since I am very germ conscious. I love having company to eat with but I am not willing to eat out of the same bowl that others have dipped their spoons into. But the Thai people eat after each other and they never think anything of it. Truly a real since of FAMILY is felt among all.
I have been here for just over a month and I can tell you two things FOR SURE! 1. I want to live the remaining years of my life here. 2. In the beginning it is PARADOX !! It is so FABULOUS and at the same time there are several adjustments to make. The feeling of being frustrated and not being able to speak Thai makes it difficult.
On that note, I recommend learning to speak Thai as soon as possible before arriving. Everything came so fast and it took all of my time to work, purge and prepare for my arrival here I didn't get the time to do that. NO WORRIES!! It will not take me long to learn as I have brought books and CD's. AND EVERY Thai person here is willing to teach you. It makes for a lot of laughter for both parties involved.

CIEE was so helpful during my time teaching in Thailand! I made my decision to leave last minute and they were very accommodating in helping me get my visa in order. I think the most important thing the program gives you is a network of other teachers, which is super helpful when moving to a different country. I met a lot of my friends abroad at orientation with CIEE, which made moving to a different country a lot easier. The program was even helpful after I finished my contract with them in Thailand, helping me with additional paperwork that had nothing to do with them. Overall worth every penny.