So far I have had the best experience going through CIEE/OEG. They have been supportive from the beginning and through my time in Thailand. The orientation they provided was meaningful and gave us the opportunity to meet some amazing people! I love where I was placed in the East and I still receive emails even after I have already been placed and teaching. Although the program was expensive, it was worth every dollar because they really do help you throughout every step of the way. I LOVE Thailand and I am so glad I did this!

I applied to the Teach in Thailand program in February 2018 and started in May 2018. I will be in Thailand for a whole year and would definitely recommend doing this via CIEE. While it might appear quite costly to begin with, you soon discover it is worth it in comparison with other companies.

CIEE will ensure that your accommodation is provided, placement is arranged and communicate all steps of the process, both pre-arrival and when you get there. Airport transfers were also arranged when I arrived. Furthermore, you have the opportunity to participate in a week long orientation program where you get to learn more about Thai culture, experience some TEFL training, take a cultural trip and meet fellow people on the program. It's all extremely valuable and a great way for connecting with people so that you can travel on weekends or holidays. CIEE are in close partnership with OEG (Overseas Ed Group) whose contact details we have and can reach out to for support at any point during our stay.

I was very fortunate to be placed in a great school in Bangkok and I really do love the secondary level children that I teach. There are some really beautiful things to see here along with great food and culture. The people are very friendly and will go out of their way to help you, and ensure you are looked after! I haven't had much opportunity to travel at the moment but I have plans to visit Chiang Mai, Koh Samet, Ayutthaya, Erawan Falls and more!

Things to note before you consider applying:

- This is a real job. I cannot stress this enough. You will be expected to be in school teaching every day and you should take it seriously. For the majority of people, there will be plenty of time for travel as there are longer breaks in October and April, as well as national holidays/weekends throughout the year. It is worth noting however that holidays will vary from school to school and you will find out your own specific arrangements once you arrive at your placement. For example, some schools get Christian holidays whereas others do not. Some have shorter breaks etc.
- Come with an open mind and do not expect things to always go to plan. You will often find arrangements change but that's just part of the culture here - everything is done with minimum stress levels and no matter what happens, it will always work out.
- Finally, while Thailand is quite cheap in comparison with the likes of the US or UK - you should quickly learn not to compare prices with back home. The salary you receive will be in line with Thai salaries and therefore you will just need to be considerate of that in your spending. Having said that, it's relatively easy to eat what you want and do some travelling with the money we earn.

I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone considering it. Thailand has such a rich culture and is so different to anything you will ever do anywhere else. It offers great teaching experience, especially if you are a beginner, and helps you to find yourself as a person a lot more! There's plenty of opportunity to make friends as there is a huge expat community here but it also requires some effort from you to maintain those relationships! You will never feel lonely, just hot (all the time) and be full of smiles.

I can honestly say that teaching in Thailand has been one of the best experiences of my life and I don't believe I would have ever done it without CIEE. I had always wanted to work and live aboard, but I had no idea where to even begin. However, after discovering CIEE through a recommendation from a friend, the idea of living abroad was suddenly much less daunting! It may seem a bit costly, but it is definitely worth it. The staff (Kerry in particular) is amazing and always ready and willing to help you with anything. The orientation was very helpful and fun. Plus, the program in Thailand has the added benefit of partnering with a Thai company, OEG, so you will have in-country support while you are here as well. It has been a great experience thus far.

I absolutely love teaching in Thailand. My students have been my favorite part about this whole experience. They have such a positive energy that even on "bad days" I can't help but smile in class. Their joy and eagerness to learn is quite contagious! I would highly recommend taking the leap and applying.

Some advice before applying:
DO RESEARCH! Thailand is much different than the US. Read up on things like the culture, the weather, and the food before coming. It will greatly help you in the long run.
Be flexible. Thailand will probably not be anything like what you are used to, but if you approach the journey with an open mind and embrace the differences, you will definitely love it here.
Take your job teaching seriously. You were hired to be a teacher, so teach! It is incredibly rewarding to teach here in Thailand, the students are often so eager to learn. So please don't view this as a "paid vacation."

I have been in Thailand now for almost a year and it is going to be very, VERY hard to leave. I am actually considering extending my stay! The experiences you will get to have by becoming part of your school and town's community are unprecedented. I have made so many great friends here, traveled to so many great places, and seen so many things I thought I would never see. Overall, Thailand is a wonderful and breathtaking country and I am so grateful for the time I have been able to spend here.

Teaching in Phu Sang, Phayao is a wonderful experience living in a small town with nice people. It is very rural, and so traveling two hours to Chiang Rai is required to get much western food or supplies. The people are very nice here, and the housing is average for the area: No AC but a decent living space that one can cook in. The students are riotous characters and it's a challenge but also a joy to deliver lessons to them.

Being able to teach in Thailand has been an amazing learning experience. I have been able to immerse myself in another culture and way of life and would not have had it any other way.
CIEE was incredibly helpful during both the training and the preparation process. I felt very informed and knew what to expect (as much as you can anyways). While they were able to place me with my boyfriend, CIEE did not place us in a primary school as we requested. This has really affected my teaching experience as I have had a lot of trouble adjusting to working with middle school students.

Pros:
They take care of everything for you on the front end and help prepare you for the Thai experience.
The pay is good compared to the cost of living so you have plenty of additional income to travel and see the country.
It is a very immersive cultural experience that is worth every hardship and rainy day.

Cons:
I did not have a ton of support after being placed in the program. I think it would have been there if I reached out, but they don't really check in on you at any point.
It is a different culture and a different style of living. There is a lot of adjusting to do and I have had to get used to having many bug-related problems among other things.

As a teacher with 5 years experience teaching elementary school in the US, I was equal parts excited and anxious as I made the decision to further my career and gain more experience teaching abroad in Thailand. CIEE/OEG was helpful with the transition process, especially when there was a miscommunication regarding our living accommodations when we first arrived at our placement. The four months I spent at my school teaching Thai students are ones I will never forget. The students are so excited you are there to help them learn and grow. I know I learned as much from them as they did from me. One most memorable time was when we celebrated the Christmas holiday and all classes each had their own party with delicious food, music, and gift exchange. They invited me right in and wanted me to be part of it all! I will never forgot the students’ and teachers’ hospitality from such an amazing part of the world.

My five months teaching English in Thailand was unforgettable! I was placed in the quaint Northern Thailand Isaan city of Khon Kaen. My kilometer walk from my eight story condo to Anuban Khon Kaen School I looked forward to every morning. My "chicken on a stick" lady greeted me with a smile and an enthusiastic, "Saw-tee-kah TEACHER!" Many friendly waves and an occasional ride from families at school made this walk fun and a way to forget about the heat.
Teaching in a Thailand School was an amazing experience. Students were eager to greet me every morning and their work was always done with effort and neatness, almost like an art piece. There were many celebrations at school during my five months teaching. Waikru Day there was dancing, singing and flower giving to the teacher. The Queen's birthday was full of many magical and colorful Thai traditions. I also went on a total of four field trips that included many hours on (and off) the bus.
I formed many relationships during my time in Thailand. I became close with three other English teachers whom I traveled with on weekends to Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Nong Khai, and Koh Samet. We had similar backgrounds and dreams and experienced the Thai culture together. I am still in contact with them today. I also formed new relationships with Thai families and some of my students.
If you are thinking about going to teach in Thailand....DO IT! There will be times of frustration and sheer joy. Be open-minded, a learner and experience independence. It all makes you a better person. This experience will impact the rest of your life.

Packing up and leaving my air-conditioned home, with heated water, a queen bed with multiple fluffy pillows, the easily accessible grocery store around the corner, 24/7 food delivery service, and my loving family and friends to living in Rayong, Thailand where I have a shared bathroom, a shower with freezing cold water, one 7 eleven, and a variety of spiders, insects, and geckos to keep me company was a difficult transition that also included teaching english to high schoolers for the first time. There were times I felt it was too much, particularly when I first arrived in Bangkok and was informed that my luggage was being held at the airport due to complications resulting in the airport holding all of my belongings for two weeks or when all of the money in my wallet was stollen while I was running on the school track. It's funny though because if I could rewind and undue all of the difficult things that happened to me I wouldn't change a thing, none of it, because I have come so far and I have learned so much from all of my mistakes. This experience has made me less afraid. Less afraid to ask questions, to try, to fail and to learn. The relationships I've built here have been so genuine and humbling. My tutoring sessions with my students quickly became hang out sessions where we would not only learn but go out to dinner, water parks, or make sandwiches and watch a movie. I became not only a teacher but a friend. I even attended a thai wedding for one of my co-workers and wore a traditional thai dress. As my year abroad is coming to an end I can't help but plan for my next trip hopefully teaching english at another school in another part of the world where I can use the skills I have gained here in Thailand and continue to better myself and make a difference in someone else's life.