Program Reviews

I was a little concerned about teaching English as I’m not a native English speaker and the idea that this could be a problem followed me all along the first week of my training.

The school environment was really nice and the training team was highly professional.
I always felt comfortable during all the lessons, also the professionalism of my TEFL trainer was the key that turned my initial reluctance about teaching English into a blooming self-confidence. For me, this was the key to completing this course successfully.

Throughout the lessons and with the aid of all the course materials in Vantage’s curriculum, I had the chance not just to study and learn but to improve my teaching skills through planned practice and expert feedback. We had 6 hours of observed teaching in an accredited college—real non-English speaking students—that made a huge difference in knowing what to do and what to avoid. For me, this real live classroom experience was the key ingredient in learning how to teach.

This program reinforced my self-confidence and gave me all the requisite tools to overcome my weakness in becoming a good teacher. I felt proud to be able to teach English as a very useful life skill to a non-native speaker.

I can definitely say that my experience in this school gave me all the necessary skills I was looking for to be a teacher. I would recommend Vantage without hesitation to anyone looking for a career in teaching.

I started this course with strong reservations as I wasn’t good at speaking in front of people as I’m a pretty reserved and shy person. I was afraid these aspects of my character would cause me a lot of difficulty working in a classroom as a teacher.

Thank God my reservations were unfounded. Vantage’s course gave me all the skills I needed to confidently—and successfully—teach an English class. It showed me that language teaching is much more about motivating students to speak, and not just delivering a lecture or presentation. Chris taught me how to structure, plan, and execute lessons and how to keep the attention and interest of a class, and Kevin helped me navigate the job market and write what he called a “Power Resume.” As I was extremely busy doing lesson plans during the course, I came back the week after the course was finished to do my job-related stuff.

One thing that appealed to me from the beginning was the small class sizes at Vantage. Their website promised there would be no more than 8 trainees on my course. That turned out to be great as we all got a ton of individual attention. In addition to our feedback from the lead trainer Chris, we had to analyze each other’s teaching in a productive and meaningful way. Our class bonded really well and I think I made some friends for life!

I had some quite rewarding experiences during the practicum sessions or observed teaching practices. Without the 6 hours of observed teaching we were required to do, I don’t think I would feel half as confident as I do about becoming a teacher. It made me very nervous, and the first lesson or two were frankly quite discouraging, but by the sixth lesson I felt much very confident and knew exactly what to expect from the class and from myself. The feedback from Chris and from my classmates was invaluable—both encouraging and productive. I also had to observed—and give feedback on—the other trainees in my class, which so really helped in my development as a teacher.

Although the course was challenging, it was equally engaging, and rewarding. If you want to take this course, then be prepared to step outside of your comfort zone, and you will gain some very rewarding experiences. Facing a classroom was very hard at first, and there was a lot of work to stay on top of, but it’s all part of the intensive and immersive experience that Vantage provides.

I first tried teaching English to a class of 16 young students through a volunteer program in Cambodia. I was given no formal training and I was thrown in and basically just had to “wing it,” But I discovered I loved teaching and I knew that if I wanted to become a professional teacher that I would need formal training to do it to the best of my abilities.

I first tried an online only TEFL course which didn’t prepare me at all for facing a classroom. I then discovered Vantage’s TEFL program. From everything I researched, I believed this was the course I had been looking for; little did I know that it would be so much more!

On the first day of training, Kevin personally greeted me with a warm welcome and he took the time to get to know me as well as give me an orientation about Bangkok. I was extremely impressed by how friendly, professional, helpful and knowledgeable he was.

The course was taught by Chris who is an outstanding teacher who cares a tremendously about his students. It’s hard to find instructor such as him these days. The 4-week course is intensive between all the training, lesson planning, observed teaching practice, achievement exams, and portfolio you need to build. Chris guides you through the maze step-by-step and have fun throughout the process. He gave me plenty of constructive feedback after each of my observed teaching practices, I improve significantly with every new lesson I taught.

Kevin is also their “Jobs Coach. He assisted me in building a “Power Resume.” Believe me, it’s not misnamed. I had sent my old resume out to several companies before and didn’t get one single response. After sending out my new Power Resume, I was literally contacted by every single one, all of which were very eager to schedule interviews. Thank you, Kevin!

I could go on about so many other great things about Vantage’s TEFL training, but the bottom line is that if you are serious about a professional career as an English teacher, take your TEFL here. The Vantage team is outstanding and they’ll be there with you every step of the way. I can confidently say that choosing Vantage’s TEFL training in Bangkok was the best decision I could have made to prepare, motivate and excite me to begin my teaching career

Vantage’s website was one of my first impressions of this company. In doing my initial research on which program I wanted to do in Thailand, I found too many TEFL programs had a lot of information about the touristic interests in their area, but they were weak in detail on the actual TEFL course and teaching methodologies.

Going through Vantage’s website, I learned the key areas of study within my TEFL course and the teaching methodologies. They also had great information on the English Teaching Industry and what they saw as the future trends within the industry. I also liked the webpage on Careers within the English teaching industry and it was great to learn about potential career paths that led from teaching.

The actual course was even better. There was a great deal of information to cover, but the trainers were always there and always supportive. It was intensive, but at the same time, it was fun and interesting. The course book and supplementary materials were very comprehensive and I plan to keep mine as they will be a great reference during my teaching career.
Even if you’re not quite sure about being an English teacher this course is very worthwhile as the resume writing and interview techniques we covered were also highly professional.
If you are a non-native speaker, as I am, they give you a lot of tips on how to succeed in the classroom.

A super big thanks to Chris, Ryan, and Kevin—the Vantage training team—for such an incredible experience at Vantage. I would definitely recommend this school to anyone looking for TEFL training opportunity and I’ve already told some close friends who are thinking about possible teaching careers.

I was on a very tight budget and needed a basic place to stay for the duration of the course. For Vantage, this was not a problem. Their Thai sales director took me around their neighborhood and we found a quant place that’s was within what I wanted to spend.

The TEFL course itself was very comprehensive. We covered the pro and cons of all the different teaching methodologies and practiced the ESA approach—Engage, Study and Activate—in our teaching practices.

The lead trainer, Chris is great. Extremely knowledgeable and highly experienced, his feedback on my observed teaching practices really helped my development as a new teacher. I felt I got a little better each class I taught and I’m now confident I can successfully teach English.

Vantage’s job placement services were also excellent. I got one-to-one help in creating an individual “Power Resume” and cover letter. Through their alumni network of working teachers, I got a great job led.

The stars seemed to be aligned and everything is falling into place. I graduated on a Friday, had interviews the following week, got one job offer and I’ve been invited to do a demo class at a prestigious Thai school. Stay tuned!

The first part my class was completed online back in the States, where I studied teaching theory and methodology. I then came out to Thailand to do my ‘practicum’— the six classes of observed teaching practices—in real classrooms with real Thai students.

The online part of my “Combined Class” allowed me to learn to my schedule. This part of the course is pretty extensive and covers a lot of theories on language teaching. The videos of experienced teachers was also done in this part of the class.

Having said that, studying online didn’t give me the real confidence I need to stand in front of a class and teach. I arrived in Bangkok still anxious about doing the real teaching. Vantage invited me to join the current In-Class course, not just for review the book material, but to participate in the peer teaching activities of the class. They use peer teaching as a first step before stepping into a live classroom. And this part isn’t just teaching, I also had to observe and take detailed notes on my co-trainees performance. I learn quite a bit from doing this.

The practicum itself was a fantastic experience. Thai students are great to teach as they are both very attentive and polite. The feedback I got from the Vantage trainers and insights from my co-trainees were invaluable in the development of me as a professional teacher.

For four full weeks, I learned new things every day. And although there was a lot to cover in a relatively short timeframe, I was being guided step by step.

After each lesson plan, I was given feedback and that really helped me prepare to stand in front of real students in a live classroom. We even did peer teaching as an initial step, which really helped overcome my stage fright in standing up before the students.

I got great feedback after each class I taught. I was then given a challenge for my next teaching session, which addressed areas that still weren’t (yet) really mastered. The instructors were excellent and always available for any help.

Overall, I am extremely satisfied. I feel I’m ready to teach now and that was hardly the case before I joined the course.

Chris was my course lecturer and he is just amazing. The way he taught each unit and gave feedbacks was very effective.

Ryan taught me some Thai language and culture. He is so genuine and also so good at teaching foreign language.

Kevin gave me guidance for job employment. He talked personally with me about my interests and gave me ideas about a creating my own Power Resume. We sat down and did that the week after the course finished.

I highly recommend this curse to anyone who is interested in teaching. Even if your goal is not to teach English, this course covers most everything about teaching and gives you the skills so that you will be able to teach any subject to anyone.

What I really lacked at the beginning of my course was confidence. I was very shy to stand up in front of a class and deliver what I thought was a speech. I soon learned that I delivered a language class and not a lecture and I didn’t have to be an extrovert because I was taught to put the focus on my students—not me.

For me, the teaching practices at the college were great and the feedback given by trainer Chris after every lesson was really valuable. I couldn’t wait for my next teaching session.
Vantage’s TEFL class is intense and a bit exhausting but it was always interesting and engaging. Most importantly, the end results were rewarding.

Thank you, Chris, Kevin, and Ryan for your patience, guidance, and help throughout the course.
I have already recommended this course to some of my close friends.

I was initially torn between this program and other options that "guaranteed" jobs. In the end, I realized that what I needed was a course that would meet my individual needs.

After speaking to the Course Director for an afternoon I realized that Vantage would deliver a program that was much more personalized to my particular requirements.

We had eight in our class, which to me is about right. The other TEFL providers on my short list typically had class sizes about twice that, which may be ok for the lecture style learning, but not optimum for the training I was looking for.

I was dead right about getting individual attention.

The week after the course was over, I came in and spent a whole afternoon, crafting a killer resume with their help. It was a one-on-one private session that I probably couldn’t have gotten elsewhere.

Kevin really analyzed my background to help me best position myself by highlighting my skills and previous results and not just a laundry list of traditional duties that most resumes list.
My decision to choose Vantage proved itself over and over again.

The staff at TEFL goes above and beyond to give their students the best training experience. Having never taught overseas before I had no idea what to expect.

We did our teaching practicum to college students who were really fun to teach. I was taught lesson planning, classroom management and provided with a plethora of resources that make the transition into teaching seamlessly.

I feel 100% more confident having finished this course then when I first arrived.
Vantage is the course for anyone who is serious about teaching abroad.

First off, I want to advise that Vantage’s TEFL class is intensive. You’ll be covering new material each day and you will be challenged. Having said that, the trainers always keep in fun and engaging and the time really flew by. We learned a number of new things in each and every class.

I came away from this course confident that I could enter a classroom and successfully teach English.

A lot of that came from the observed teaching practices, where we taught on the direction of our trainers. We then got a lot of detailed feedback. We also got a new ‘challenge’ to incorporate into our next teaching practice. I felt I got a little better after each class I taught.

The bottom line is that I’ve now have a solid foundation. Give me a couple of months of actual teaching experience and I believe I can become an exceptional teacher who will make a difference in my student’s lives.