Vantage Siam (Vantage TEFL Certification)

After my first day at Vantage TEFL, I knew that the earlier concerns I had beforehand were misplaced.

I came to the TEFL certification course with some apprehension. My first question was if I needed to even do a TEFL as my plans were not so much to teach, but to develop my business is a consultant to the Thai education sector.

One of my jobs is to find good teacher for my client schools. So I really wanted to learn was what makes a good teacher and how I could identify that for my clients. I soon realized that I made a great decision to do professional TEFL training.

The practicum was one of the highlights of the course. Vantage say that new teaching skills are developed classroom and now I couldn’t agree more. This is where the knowledge I got from the course was transformed into the teaching skills I need in the classroom. All this has given me a great insight on how to assess new teachers for my clients.

Vantage doesn’t run lecture room sized classes and that meant I got lots of personal attention. The course goes into a lot of depth and their trainers added a lot of personal insight from decades of experience in the Thai education sector.

I now have a comprehensive path that I’ve incorporated into my lesson plans. I’ve seen a big jump in my confidence levels and my private students have commented on how much I’ve improved as a teacher as well.

The whole Vantage team is super helpful. These guys want to see you succeed. I highly recommend taking the TEFL certification course with my new friends at Vantage.

My Vantage TEFL journey began in the beginning of January 2020 and ended in early February. I’m an instructor pilot in the aviation industry looking to teach Aviation English, and I felt like a TEFL would be a good place to start. After comparing courses, I came across something called Engage, Study, Activate. This is the teaching methodology that is taught by Vantage TEFL, and it places a heavy emphasis on being able to USE language effectively. I’m Thai, and I’m familiar with how the education system here teaches us to be grammar experts who can’t utter a word of English in a real conversation. This seemed like the best way to reverse that.

Due to the pandemic there was only one other student in the class, which became a bonus for us because we were able to interact with Chris, our instructor, more. He did an excellent job in translating what would otherwise be a bland course book into highly engaging and informative lessons. I was amazed that he was able to hold our interest all day throughout the month-long course. Chris has a unique ability to use a book, a whiteboard, and his plethora of experience to keep lessons interesting. I loved the discussions we had in class, where we shared experiences and knowledge. I can honestly say that more than half of what I got from the course came from such discussions (you can’t find most of them in the book!).

I like how the Practicum, which comprised of 6 real classes, were spread out throughout the latter half of the course. This gave me a chance to get feedback after each class and improve my next classes. I really felt that I grew after each class (given online due to the pandemic), because Chris’ critiques were straightforward, to-the-point, and very constructive. This wouldn’t have been very practical had the 6 classes been back to back on the final week.

When you’re done with the course, Kevin is always there to help guide you through your job search journey. Although he doesn’t teach the TEFL course himself, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share if you catch him outside of class times.

All in all, I wish the course had been longer. Call me dramatic, but I honestly think this was the best investment I had made so far, and I feel that Vantage has helped unlock a new chapter in life for me. Thank you Chris and Kevin!

P.s. if you’re bringing a car, be aware of the big parking fees. Park elsewhere and take the BTS if you can!

I signed up for the Virtual Vantage course since I was not able to be in Thailand due to coronavirus restrictions. As I decided to start teaching online first—this course provided a strong foundation for online instruction—I went ahead and got certified now rather than wait for the world to open up.
The Virtual Vantage course is 100% online and it’s divided into two parts: theory and practice teaching.
The theory aspect of the course is delivered by Vantage’s partner iTTT which is a big name in the TEFL industry. The course book is 20 units which are all clear and relevant and quite interesting. Here I learnt a lot of theory and the information in these units taught me how to create my own lessons and to teach with the proper methodology. You have 6 months to finish the course book. I did it without any pressure at my own pace in about 3 months.
The online course gave me the flexibility to learn new teaching methods while I was still able to do my daily obligations. It was also really great that many resources were provided that I used to create lessons. For a new teacher, this was more than appreciated.
The observed teaching practice part of the course was delivered by Vantage. I really liked my practicum where I taught 6 classes each one on a different language point.
Before I even taught a class, I submitted all my lesson plans to Vantage’s trainers in advance and I got detail feedback on each one.
Then I was ready to try my hand at teaching. I had the opportunity to do 1 to 1 lesson as well as group classes. Vantage trainers Kevin and Chris were amazing, and they helped me and advised me every stage of the way from creating the lesson to delivering the lesson to a class.
After each class, they gave me detailed feedback which help me to improve my performance for the next lesson. I gained more confidence in myself and they shattered any doubts that I had.
I believe this part of the course was extremely beneficial. It’s important because you get to experience what it feels like to be in front of a group of students and you can see firsthand how your lesson plan actually worked. Again, this experience gave me more confidence and my new teaching skills will definitely be an asset whenever and to whomever I end up teaching.
Lastly, I was pleasantly surprised that not only Vantage guide you throughout the whole teaching training course, but they also provide valuable job support. I developed my own Power Resume with their help and got valuable advice in job hunting. This clearly show that Vantage really care about its students.
If you’re serious about starting a new career in teaching, these are the people to talk to.

Vantage’s In-Class TEFL is intensive and challenging, but I was always learning and eager to attend class each day.

Their trainers — Kevin, Chris and Ryan are topnotch coaches. More importantly, they are proper professionals driven to make you achieve to the best of your ability.

Lead trainer Chris is highly focused, and every class is well-prepared. Disciplined and deliberate, he makes a wealth of TELF material easy to understand and use.

The foreign language component is a great introduction to Thai culture and language in a way that is meaningful and relevant — particularly the do’s and don’ts for foreign teachers in a Thai school.

Kevin is Vantage’s Jobs Coach. He sat with me as we crafted my own individual Power Resume. He worked with me on interviewing skills and how to handle objections that could come up in meeting with a school.

Vantage’s TEFL service doesn’t end with the course. Having just completed the course, I’m now working with them in researching the best job opportunities that match my requirements and then securing interviews.

Vantage is ideal for those seeking a career move into education. They gave me not only the knowledge and skills I need to be a good teacher, but also the confidence to be an effective one.

My observed practice teaching included a range of students — including college students and very young learners. The feedback I got from the trainers after each session was invaluable in making me a better teacher after each class.

I came into this course unsure of my ability to teach, but came out confident I can teach anyone, anywhere.

I highly recommend Vantage. These are the people to work with for anyone considering a career in the classroom.

I completed the Hybrid or Combined Course, where I did the coursebook online, and then I did my observed teaching practices (OTPs) to real students in live classrooms.

The online course is organized into 20 units—you have to complete a test at the end of each unit to show you have mastered the content in order to move on.

For me, the grammar related units proved to be the more difficult, so I spent extra time on those sections relearning what I studied years ago in grade school. I then completed the Phase One’s summative essay (500 to 1,000 words).

Phase Two are the OTPs. The in-class teaching practices were great! The English proficiency level and ages of the students were shared with me in order to prepare my lesson plans. I got immediate assistance on my lesson planning, and I felt comfortable and ready to teach the class.

After each teaching session, I first did a self-evaluation using Vantage’s form to guide me in that process. Then I got invaluable feedback from their trainer’s ‘observation’ of my classes. I felt I really grew as a teacher during the OTP phase two.

Vantage were great in their job services as well. I was placed immediately with a prestigious school in Bangkok. I left my old job in the hospitality field on a Friday and I was a brand new teacher the next Monday!

Their partners also sorted out my visa problems as my old visa was converted over to my new school. No need to leave Thailand to get a new visa which is problematic during this coronavirus crisis. Vantage really offered the full service package.

So far, I’m really enjoying my new career as a teacher. Vantage will also share with you a lot of content on lesson planning, potential activities, tips and tricks—all that you can use in your future teaching career.

I highly recommend this TEFL course for anyone who wants to make a career change into education.