Program Reviews

As a city boy, I never thought I would enjoy small town life so much as I do in Nachuak, Mahasarakham. Besides the financial savings (rent is fully paid for), the social connections one forms in the town and the school, moreover, is next to none. The Isan people are so warm and work with students at Nachuakpittayasan School is indeed the most rewarding part of this experience. I will miss them the most. If you are worried about teaching in a small town, fear not, there is a direct overnight bus from Nachuak to Bangkok every evening and you can connect to major cities in the region via Borabue or Mahasarakham bus stations. The town has some quaint coffee shops and restaurants in addition to Dictionary Park swimming resort for those oh so hot days - and there are many. I fully recommend the program with MediaKids since they provide you with all the logistics support you need.

MediaKids is a fine company to work for.

The curriculum could be improved by adding different versions of tests and assignments for higher or lower levels. The flashcards are adequate, but lack cultural sensitivity and diversity in that they are quite typically eurocentric and patriarchal. However, this kind of thing is par for the course with most companies no matter the industry. Also the images used in the vocabulary cards are often insufficient to demonstrate the concept in question and could greatly benefit from the addition of Thai translations. Some teachers in rural areas will have to print the vocab cards themselves when they arrive at their schools, which is slightly disappointing. Props for games and activities may have to be made by the teachers in some schools, which is time-consuming. The corporate hierarchy is vague and undefined so it is difficult to know who to ask about certain issues, and in some cases the staff either cannot or will not help to resolve miscommunications or find solutions to problems within the school. There is a lack of organization within the company that is often frustrating for a new teacher. However, once you get used to the lack of interdepartmental communication and oversight, it's actually quite nice because you have a lot of freedom to teach the lessons how you want without any micromanaging (or regular managing for that matter). The curriculum consultants are friendly, helpful and effective. HR should be more concerned with teacher retention.

Mediakids, for me it means opening chapter in Thailand. Before that I was teaching in various countries but this is the first experience in Thailand for me. And Mediakids made this transition as smooth as possible. Support from Mediakids staff is great and also the Thai teachers at school are very helpful. Even though Im here only one month I already made loads and loads of new friends. So I would definitely recommend this program to starting teachers and even the skilled professionals.

I've loved my experience so far in Thailand with MediaKids. They supported me from my application to my arrival in Thailand - the orientation was a great way to meet people and learn more about the teaching experience. There is always a staff member ready to help you if you need it, literally about any problem you might have. I've loved my experience so far and am glad I chose such an established company to work with - especially as it is my first time teaching abroad full time.

Would recommend Media Kids to begin your journey of teaching in Thailand. They support you with a lot of factors about teaching. Better salary, especially being so close to Bangkok where everything is a lot more expensive would be better, as well as other expenses such as transport reimbursement for doing a visa run. Other than those things Media Kids has been a good route for embarking on my journey for teaching in Thailand.

The company I did my training with placed me with MediaKids Academy and I was very happy with the agency and staff overall. They provided an orientation, support materials, constant communication and check-ins and assisted me with finding housing. Also, based on other organizations I felt their compensation and benefits were better than average. They also do a great job hosting English day camps and involving the local teachers. I had a lot of fun and learned some new games by participating in those.

Straight after graduating from university I decided to leave home and everything i knew which, to this day, i still think was a huge step and risk to take. When I was offered the position with GoTEFL I still was not 100% sure it was the right thing to do but I also wanted to travel, explore different parts of the world and have an adventure.

However, once I arrived in Chiang Mai and was greeted at the airport by a staff member from GoTEFL I was reassured that I had made a good choice. The staff were very friendly and understanding of the fact that moving to a country so far away from home was a scary thing for most of us in the group. They made me feel comfortable by providing some lessons in Thai culture, basic Thai language and excursions to experience the culture and bond with the other members of the group.

The course also made me fully prepared for teaching life in Thailand. I didn't have any experience with teaching before arriving in Thailand but over the 4 weeks on the course I was given the opportunity to learn and practice the teaching techniques in classrooms in different schools across the city. To this day, I still believe teaching is based on individual styles but the course allowed me to explore different teaching methods to determine which approach suited best with me.

I have also made life-long friends from the course. Although I was not placed in the same town with any of the other GoTEFLers we met up on so many occasions and I also travelled around Thailand, Laos and Vietnam with some of the friends I made on this course.

I am now living and teaching in China in a city close to Shanghai. I really love teaching ESL and the lifestyle of living abroad - meeting and befriending so many people from all over the world. I look back to 2 years ago, to how scared I was to accept the position on this course, and I realise how independent I have become, how much I have learnt from travelling and the people I have met and how I am no longer afraid to travel and experience the world.

The GoTEFL course was the starting point for me as it gave me the confidence needed to live so far away from and I would encourage you to take this opportunity because you really won't regret it. I recommend this for anyone who is like I was 2 years - wanting to explore the world but not knowing the best way to do so. This course provides the essentials for adapting to life/teaching in Thailand, and abroad in general. It also provides the opportunity to meet some amazing people and create unforgettable memories with them.

Get ready for an adventure unlike anything you have experienced. Moving to Thailand for a year to teach English in the Isan region was and incredibly huge step into the unkown. This choice led to new lifelong friends, adventure after adventure, a widened view of the world and the beautiful people in it, and a sense of confidence knowing that I can literally move all the way across the world and have support. Knowing that after your TEFL course you are automatically placed with a school and you will have employment and a group of very helpful and friendly Media Kids agents takes alot of the guess work and worry out of it. Be ready to have your mind and heart opened. Even when there was a struggle or a hard time I never had to look far for listening ear and a helpful hand. This was a great way for me to travel and have a job to support myself. The challenges and the rewards that choosing this program brought into my life expanded my views, thoughts, and myself in a way that nothing else could have.

I had a lot of fun during the course. I made a lot of great friends, and the course itself really set me up for success as a teacher in Thailand. I'm half Thai by blood, but born and raised in New Zealand. However even I wasn't prepared to go straight into teaching without a proper TEFL certification, knowledge of Thai culture in the classroom, or expectations of being a foreigner in a small town community. I got all this training and support from the in-class training and the teaching practicals at a Thai school. I also knew exactly where I would be teaching before I even got to Thailand, thanks to the guaranteed job placement aspect of the program. And I was fully supported throughout my two semesters as a teacher. So all-in-all, it was a great experience and I'm thankful for having joined.