Teach in Thailand with CIEE | Guaranteed Placement Before Departure

This experience has already become everything I could have dreamed of and more. I did a lot of research before coming to Thailand and was looking forward to it, but it has already surpassed all expectation for experience and adventure. I am a certified ESE, Elementary, ESOL teacher in the United States and graduated with my undergrad this past year. I have always dreamt of having the opportunity to live and teach abroad and this program was the answer to all I could have wanted. The program provides the best support from even before the day you arrive, and the staff treats you like one big family. The location of my placement has been perfect as well, since I am in the mountain area of the northeast region and an avid lover of the outdoors. Every day here I am reminded of another reason why I am glad I made this decision and traveled over 9,000 miles to do something I thought I could originally only dream of. Thankful for this experience and the continued adventures to come! Thank you. :-)

I moved to Thailand to learn more about perspectives and cultures in order to increase social consciousness and global awareness. Although that was my original goal upon moving from the United States, my experience became so much more. From understanding new cultures, to constantly exploring new destinations that create laughter and adventure; living in Thailand has been an experience of a lifetime. I never understood my personal happiness could sustain itself as much as it has. In America, I pursued, and directed, non-profits for the better part of a decade. Although I loved helping people, I consistently felt like I was fighting against a system that was built to fail. I was constantly drained, and I never wanted to go beyond my comfort zone since life felt so incredibly tiresome on a daily basis. However, since I moved to Thailand to teach English to Primary students, I learned that life is more than fulfilling - it can be exemplary. Instead of constantly being the captain of a sinking ship, I have been able to help each student on a daily basis in different ways. Sure, teaching English to students who do not naturally understand your language can be hard, and like most experiences in life there are good days and bad days. But it also invigorating, and every day is a new day with new offerings if you are just willing to accept them. Plus, being able to travel to islands, beaches, jungles, elephant sanctuaries, ancient ruins, waterfalls, and so many more places is a huge incentive. As long as you are willing to embrace the culture and learn new ways of living, you cannot say "No" to an opportunity like this.

It is an amazing experience with the ability to come and travel around Asia. I am still teaching and love every minute of it. I would do this again if I could and would recommend this trip to anyone.

This trip has changed how I look at the world and has taught me how to travel a lot better/cheaper. I would recommend this experience because being able to see how other countries live you are able to better your life.

When I got the travel bug, I wanted to just pick up and go. But I had zero idea where to start, and was overwhelmed by all the options...it's a big world out there, after all! I didn't know the first thing about visas, or even where I wanted to travel. I knew I wanted to see tons of new places, but I also didn't want to just bop around aimlessly. I wanted some type of home-base...and I wanted to be able to say, "I LIVED in _____," not just, "I've been there."

CIEE held my hand through my entire journey of deciding where to go--they answered all of my bizarre hypothetical concerns with such tranquility and professionalism, that it made me feel like I could go anywhere and be happy. But they also helped me clarify what I wanted for myself.

Once I made the decision to teach for one semester in Thailand, CIEE guided me throughout the visa process...the resources they provided me were incredibly detailed without being overwhelming, and I've NEVER experienced such incredible customer service...they were always a phone call or quick email away, and always had an answer for me. They kept me sane throughout the whole process.

When I touched down in Thailand, orientation was the perfect way to meet the new people who later would become my close friends and travel buddies, explore Bangkok, and ready myself for the unpredictability of the classroom.

I was placed in a VERY small village three hours north of Chiang Mai. It has been the most incredible experience. I live with three other teachers--two Americans and one Canadian--on the school campus. We are the only foreigners in the village, so the entire population knows who we are and are quick to offer warm smiles and say, "Hello, Teacher!" whenever we're out and about.

We've been blown away by the hospitality and generosity our director, co-teachers, and fellow villagers have shown us. The first weekend we arrived, our director personally drove us (on a Saturday!) to the nearest supermarkets and superstores so we could get things for our house. Our co-teachers are fountains of knowledge about life in Thailand....they often offer to personally drive us to the bus station when we want to travel on the weekends, and are always giving us fresh fruit from their gardens!

Teaching abroad, I've discovered, is the PERFECT way to live in a country and travel. During the week, we kick back and relax in the village. I've been cranking through books, laughing the night away with the other English teachers, and watching so many sunsets over the mountains from our school soccer fields. And then on the weekends, we meet up with the other teachers we met at orientation throughout Thailand. It's great, because we're all getting to see each other's placements, and subsequently seeing all this wonderful country has to offer. It's the perfect hybrid of having a home-base, but also living the backpacker lifestyle.

I think the most heart-warming connection we've made is with a woman in our village, Mei. We eat at her restaurant every day...sometimes for lunch AND dinner (yep, her home cooking is that good). As we've gotten to know her (shoutout to Google Translate!), she's become like a mother to us. One night after eating dinner there (as usual), she took us along with her on her monthly grocery shopping trip. She bought us soft drinks, donuts - literally took us on an outing! She pointed out all the spices and sauces she uses to make her dishes, and now, when we come for dinner, she shows us how to make the dishes we order.

It's this type of unprovoked, over-the-top, unnecessary kindness we've received from Thai people that continually blows me away. I am so grateful to have landed here. My eyes have been opened to the fact that working a corporate 9-5 job is not the only option. I've discovered so many avenues for future travel, compensation, and education, and I intend to explore them all.

Most of all, this experience has made me want to pay it forward...to show anyone who walks into my life the same unprovoked, over-the-top kindness that the people in our village have shown us. I think our purpose on earth as human beings is to make our fellow man feel at home, and I've met so many people here who seem to know instinctively how to do just that.

I'm so grateful for this experience, and grateful to CIEE for leading me here!

The beauty of CIEE is that when you are trying to make preparations to go to a new land where you can't read or speak the language they really try their hardest to make you feel comfortable. While everything may not go as perfectly as you think they should. CIEE does its best to come close. They give you foreign language classes, they bring in cultural guides and as part of the contract with CIEE you are GUARANTEED living arrangements. It is a good deal in all.

So far I have had the best experience going through CIEE/OEG. They have been supportive from the beginning and through my time in Thailand. The orientation they provided was meaningful and gave us the opportunity to meet some amazing people! I love where I was placed in the East and I still receive emails even after I have already been placed and teaching. Although the program was expensive, it was worth every dollar because they really do help you throughout every step of the way. I LOVE Thailand and I am so glad I did this!

I applied to the Teach in Thailand program in February 2018 and started in May 2018. I will be in Thailand for a whole year and would definitely recommend doing this via CIEE. While it might appear quite costly to begin with, you soon discover it is worth it in comparison with other companies.

CIEE will ensure that your accommodation is provided, placement is arranged and communicate all steps of the process, both pre-arrival and when you get there. Airport transfers were also arranged when I arrived. Furthermore, you have the opportunity to participate in a week long orientation program where you get to learn more about Thai culture, experience some TEFL training, take a cultural trip and meet fellow people on the program. It's all extremely valuable and a great way for connecting with people so that you can travel on weekends or holidays. CIEE are in close partnership with OEG (Overseas Ed Group) whose contact details we have and can reach out to for support at any point during our stay.

I was very fortunate to be placed in a great school in Bangkok and I really do love the secondary level children that I teach. There are some really beautiful things to see here along with great food and culture. The people are very friendly and will go out of their way to help you, and ensure you are looked after! I haven't had much opportunity to travel at the moment but I have plans to visit Chiang Mai, Koh Samet, Ayutthaya, Erawan Falls and more!

Things to note before you consider applying:

- This is a real job. I cannot stress this enough. You will be expected to be in school teaching every day and you should take it seriously. For the majority of people, there will be plenty of time for travel as there are longer breaks in October and April, as well as national holidays/weekends throughout the year. It is worth noting however that holidays will vary from school to school and you will find out your own specific arrangements once you arrive at your placement. For example, some schools get Christian holidays whereas others do not. Some have shorter breaks etc.
- Come with an open mind and do not expect things to always go to plan. You will often find arrangements change but that's just part of the culture here - everything is done with minimum stress levels and no matter what happens, it will always work out.
- Finally, while Thailand is quite cheap in comparison with the likes of the US or UK - you should quickly learn not to compare prices with back home. The salary you receive will be in line with Thai salaries and therefore you will just need to be considerate of that in your spending. Having said that, it's relatively easy to eat what you want and do some travelling with the money we earn.

I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone considering it. Thailand has such a rich culture and is so different to anything you will ever do anywhere else. It offers great teaching experience, especially if you are a beginner, and helps you to find yourself as a person a lot more! There's plenty of opportunity to make friends as there is a huge expat community here but it also requires some effort from you to maintain those relationships! You will never feel lonely, just hot (all the time) and be full of smiles.

I can honestly say that teaching in Thailand has been one of the best experiences of my life and I don't believe I would have ever done it without CIEE. I had always wanted to work and live aboard, but I had no idea where to even begin. However, after discovering CIEE through a recommendation from a friend, the idea of living abroad was suddenly much less daunting! It may seem a bit costly, but it is definitely worth it. The staff (Kerry in particular) is amazing and always ready and willing to help you with anything. The orientation was very helpful and fun. Plus, the program in Thailand has the added benefit of partnering with a Thai company, OEG, so you will have in-country support while you are here as well. It has been a great experience thus far.

I absolutely love teaching in Thailand. My students have been my favorite part about this whole experience. They have such a positive energy that even on "bad days" I can't help but smile in class. Their joy and eagerness to learn is quite contagious! I would highly recommend taking the leap and applying.

Some advice before applying:
DO RESEARCH! Thailand is much different than the US. Read up on things like the culture, the weather, and the food before coming. It will greatly help you in the long run.
Be flexible. Thailand will probably not be anything like what you are used to, but if you approach the journey with an open mind and embrace the differences, you will definitely love it here.
Take your job teaching seriously. You were hired to be a teacher, so teach! It is incredibly rewarding to teach here in Thailand, the students are often so eager to learn. So please don't view this as a "paid vacation."

I have been in Thailand now for almost a year and it is going to be very, VERY hard to leave. I am actually considering extending my stay! The experiences you will get to have by becoming part of your school and town's community are unprecedented. I have made so many great friends here, traveled to so many great places, and seen so many things I thought I would never see. Overall, Thailand is a wonderful and breathtaking country and I am so grateful for the time I have been able to spend here.