Vantage Siam (Vantage TEFL Certification)

I took the 120 Hour onsite course in Bangkok, Thailand from January 6th to January 31st. In the January session I was the only student. My trainer was Chris Demetsopoullos. The course is taught by a very good teacher in a structured and comprehensive manner. The course goes through classroom management, parts of speech, grammar, lesson planning, special topics, and more. By the end of the course I felt confident to teach English, The 8 hours of teaching practice really helped. Basically, If Chris the instructor wasn't there to teach the course I couldn't recommend the course. The course does have some areas that need improvement specifically in job support, guidance, and administrative decorum.

THE GOOD
- The course is structured and you’re provided with course materials. While not an extensive course on all parts of teaching and the English language, It covers a lot of aspects of teaching the English language.
- Most students do 6 hours of supervised teaching practice but since I was the only one I got to do 8 hours
- Chris, the instructor, is very good at teaching the course material. His twenty five years of experience in education shows through and through. His classes were taught full substance, humor, and nuance. Classes are engaging and he makes every attempt to make the material interesting and relevant. I learned more about grammar and teaching than I thought I could, and that has a lot to do with Chris’s teaching ability.
- Course work is manageable and clear from the start. You receive a trainee binder at the start of the course which contains all the work you’ll need to complete and turn in.
- Resuming building portion of the course was helpful. Lots of examples and knowledge on interviewing strategy.
- The course is accredited by Lamar University and you receive masters credits.
- By the end of the course I felt competent and ready to teach English in a methodical and communicative approach.

My time spent with Vantage was nothing short of spectacular. Everyone was very welcoming and the trainers always extended their help when it was needed. Vantage TEFL is very supportive before, during and even after the course was completed.

Every lesson was taught so that everyone could learn. Every session was taught so that the students understood the information before moving on to the next unit. Vantage’s trainers always involved each student and made them feel like a team player.

The practice teaching was great! We taught diverse students in a range of settings. Teaching 6 and 7 years olds in a Thai government school with large class sizes of up to forty made me reach for skills I didn’t know I had. Then teaching smaller groups of 18 year old college kids in a nursing college was the other side of the spectrum. The valuable feedback I got from Vantage of each observed practice class made the next session that much better.

I never felt alone at Vantage and from the get-go they gave me assurance that no matter how many struggles that I would face, they would always have my back.

After the program was over I still received updates from the friendly staff and information about jobs available that fit my personal goals.

Thank your Vantage for the many opportunities that you provided and the long lasting friendship that we've made.

To be honest, I was a little skeptical in the beginning as to whether the Vantage TEFL course would be stimulating or interesting enough to hold my attention for 120 hours.
Vantage TEFL super exceeded my expectations in all areas!

Chris our lead trainer, has a couple of decades of teaching experience, and it shows as he gave us so many tips from his experience that you would not get on the online course. He’s a highly qualified trainer.

The communicative approach to language teaching—particularly the ESA method …Engage, Study, Activate was something new for me. I find this method works very well in theory and in practice…..it is basically a common-sense way of teaching a foreign language to non-native speakers.

We also learned how to formulate a viable lesson plan, which was the first step in our six observed teaching sessions. I got better and better every time I taught and I believe the self-evolution together with Vantage’s professional feedback was the key reason why.
The constructive criticism, support, and encouragement that the group received during the course has been fantastic and to leave knowing that that support continues is a wonderful safety net.

All in all, the course and the trainers at Vantage delivered a professional, world-class TEFL course.

I did a lot of research on which would be the best 120-hour In-Class program to take in Bangkok. That was the beginning of my journey.

For me the course content was really eye-opening. I learned a lot about the English language and how it’s structured--a language I've been speaking all my life!

The practice teaching is where it all came together. The theory of the classroom was put into lesson plans one language topic at time.

The Vantage trainers are experts at observation. They could immediately show me what my strengths were and identify any areas I needed to address. I got better with each of my practice sessions and my end I really felt I had the teaching skill set I need to begin my journey as a successful English teacher.

If you’re thinking long term—a career in education—this is the team you need.

I researched many TEFL course providers to see where I could get the best In-Class training. Vantage kept coming up again and again in multiple reviews.

But before choosing my course, I sent many e-mails to Kevin about my concerns about finding a teaching position after graduation in the hospitality field. He was more than helpful and always reassured me. He then gave me proper guidance on my creating a Power Resume and techniques to succeed in an interview.

I also had concerns regarding an In-Class vs an online TEFL. After two days spent with Chris, the lead trainer, I immediately felt that I have chosen the right course. He is really knowledgeable and he makes grammar fun! This and all the other techniques and tricks shared by the Vantage training team is invaluable and has no price tag on it.

Being able to train with real students in a live classroom--both kids and young adults—is a big strength of Vantage. The feedback and constructive criticism after each of my practice class saw me improve and gain confidence after each training session.

Vantage has been one of the best ‘Investments’ I’ve made for myself in a long time!