I left London and started traveling in the spring of 2012 and my first destination was Thailand. Two weeks into my travels I decided I wanted to live here for a period of time. As I’ve been thinking about teaching for many years I thought it would be the perfect time to finally do a TEFL course and look for some new opportunities. I did a lot of online research and decided to go and visit UniTEFL first. I sat down to talk with Susan, the senior coordinator, and as she is quite convincing, I decided to sign up with UniTEFL.
Alumni Spotlight: Eva Telek
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Born and brought up in Budapest Hungary, Eva moved to London at the age of 19 to attend university. She attained her bachelor’s degree in photographic arts at Westminster University and also completed a diploma course at the London College of Fashion. After 7 years in London she decided to go and travel the world, starting in South East Asia. She’s been living and working as a teacher in Chiang Mai Thailand since the summer of 2012.
Why did you decide to enroll with UniTEFL in Thailand?
What made this experience unique and special?
The course at UniTEFL was very intense and I certainly gained a lot of experience and knowledge over the 4 weeks. The course structure is very good; it suits inexperienced people just as well, it builds up nicely with step by step instructions and explanations and thorough guidance throughout. For me, the most important part was the teaching experience. UniTEFL sets up 8 practice lessons for their students, each in government schools around Chiang Mai. Therefore when I finished, I felt relatively confident about my teaching skills and standing in front of a class. And of course it made me realize just how much I loved teaching and that Thai children are absolutely adorable! All the staff I met at UniTEFL were fantastic, including our teacher Peter and our tutors Judy, Kirk and Susan. On top of it all, I was also lucky enough to have a really fun group to work with and spend my first month with living in Chiang Mai.
How has this experience impacted your future? (Personally, professionally, academically, etc.)
Taking the TEFL course here in Chiang Mai has had a huge impact on my life, as almost 2 years later I’m still living here. Right after I finished my course I started a teaching job at a local private school thanks to UniTEFL who set up the interview for me. I was in the same teaching position for 1.5 years. Currently I’m doing volunteer teaching in a hill tribe village in Northern Thailand. Teaching has completely changed my life and I have plans to further my studies in the field of education.
What is one piece of advice you would offer someone considering teaching abroad or getting TEFL certified in Thailand?
Go for it! Getting a TEFL certification in Thailand is loads of fun, you not only get to learn about teaching but you can also experience a completely new and wonderful culture. And if you get enough teaching experience during your course you will also know if teaching suits you or you might find out that it’s not your cup of tea. Either way, you will still leave with amazing experiences and a newly gained useful skill.