Alumni Spotlight: Candice Vroom

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Candice Vroom is a recently graduated student of ACT. As a TEFL graduate, she is an enthusiastic, fun and positive person and is capable of taking on any challenge head on.

Why did you choose this program?

To complete a course like TEFL opens the doors to being able to teach, travel and touch lives by giving back to the community. Teaching English to people in Thailand gives them the opportunity to use it to better themselves and the careers they end up deciding on doing one day. It will also allow you to travel in Thailand and also other neighboring Asian countries.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

ACT took care of everything. The information received from ACT was clear and direct and throughout the 3 week course classes and the documentation used was easy to understand and easy to adapt to. After the course, if you did not want to work with any of the agents or schools they offered, you were able to reach out to schools and do your own interviews without any assistance of ACT.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

When they say be open minded, believe it. So many different nationalities in the class, all there for the same reason and wanting to be certified. Work together in your groups that you get in and give your 100% every time. Everything you do in class also count towards your certificate at the end of the day.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Class starts at 9am and goes through to 5pm. Sometimes the class does finish early, depending on how much work gets done during the day.

You have a lunch break and two 15min breaks throughout the day.

It is an intense course and you will be busy everyday; count on homework and out everything else on hold, focus on the course for 3 weeks times goes by very fast. Make friends and enjoy everyday.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

I have been traveling for many years now and to different countries with different language, food and culture; so far, Thailand was the best choice I ever made. I would probably say that the language is the biggest challenge and, if you are not fussy, then you won’t have an issue with the food.

The people are friendly and always willing to help. Because of the people, culture and sights to see in Thailand, it changed my perspective on wanting to be here to love being here.

If I get to Thailand and realize I made the biggest mistake of my life, what do I do?

Stick it out. Fear always comes in our way because we are out of our comfort zone; at the end, it will be so much more rewarding than if you would have given up and taken the easy way out. You will regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t stay, finish the course and spend some time in Thailand.