Teach in Thailand with CIEE | Guaranteed Placement Before Departure

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.

I have loved teaching in Thailand so far! I have been here for a semester, and the experience has been great. CIEE was very helpful with orientation and I have been fully supported. I definitely would recommend! I think the best part about CIEE is that they have put us in good locations with people. I applied with my friend from home, and they placed us together. They have been very amenable with all my requests, and if anything bad were to ever happen, I feel confident that I would be supported

This was hands down the best experience of my life! I met people that became my life long friends! I got to emerge myself in the thai culture and it was amazing! I not only learned so much about their culture I also learned a lot about myself. This experience is something that I will remember forever! I would highly recommend teaching abroad. Seeing the how happy the students are to see you and get to know you is pretty amazing.

It was an opportunity that I’m grateful to have had, that I’ll never forget. I made lifelong friends and loved learning about the Thai culture. CIEE is a great company that has your back the entire duration of your trip :) I felt immediately welcomed in safe in my apartment and at the school I was teaching. Although there were a few bumps, they were always quickly resolved and overall it was a great experience!