Excellent training; later support on the other hand...

Language Corps' four-week Southeast Asia TESOL program was very good. It was such a comfort to come to the region with a group; even though I didn't know anyone beforehand, many of us got pretty close. I'm sure the make-up of the people in each training session goes a long way to shaping how you feel about the program, and I'm lucky that the people in my group were so fun, yet took seriously that we were there to learn about teaching.

The first two weeks in Cambodia were a realistic, helpful, and in-depth crash-course in teaching methodology. The second two weeks split into our respective countries (Thailand, in this case) were stressful but necessary trial-by-fire practice teaching. I'm glad I was at an orphanage where the student number changed every day, so I learned about split-second lesson-plan adjustment. And the LC staff who observed were very supportive.

Where the Thailand branch of LC falls a bit short of the other branches is the post-graduation support in finding jobs. I'll admit that I did the program at a very unique time — the once-in-100-year 2011 floods, so jobs were hard to solidify. But as the Thailand LC office is located in Pattaya, it is much harder to keep in contact with graduates who are moving on to teach. Since more jobs are offered in the Bangkok area, and as the capital/biggest city it is a more suitable hub for job hunting, once I'd graduated and moved up to Bangkok to look for jobs, and the next group came in, the LC staff wasn't proactive in sending me job information or helping me find a job. Though they were there to look over the contract for the agency I eventually signed with. I understand as adults they did not need to hand-hold us after we'd graduated. But a little more transitional support, or more aid in job searching while still in the program, would have been nicer.