Paid Teach English in Thailand Program

Marie Kondo was on to something in her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The book centered around the question “Does it spark joy?”...for me this simple question changed my life. As a overworked American passionate person about education, I found myself experiencing a burnout that was draining my life. I knew I needed change and my wanderlust soul was beginning to consume my thoughts. That's when I found Greenheart Travel...and I would have to say that's when Thailand found me.

After months of research on living and teaching in Thailand, I found no other organization that offered the structured support and guidance to live this dream like Greenheart Travel. From visa, resume, and cultural preparation, Greenheart made the adventure possible, easy, and informative. Kara answered every question that I had and continues to be in contact since I've been here. If you are reading this, it means you are thinking about embarking on this wild adventure...and as many Thais would say "why not?" Haha Go for it! It will change your life!

The TESOL course with XploreAsia prepares you in every way they can to not only be a great teacher but also how to culturally adjust to living in Thailand. Some participants from other partnered organizations with XploreAsia had horror stories of their preparation agencies...none of which I could relate to because Greenheart provided so much detailed information on what to expect and how to prepare.

Now, you might be asking "Is it all sunshine and rainbows?" Well, if you come in April or May, you have the sunshine part right as it is quite hot and the sun can be quite intense haha But as someone who hates cold weather, I lather on the sunscreen with a smile and carry an umbrella with me everywhere I go (comes in handy to shield the sun AND when it just randomly rains out of nowhere). Eventually you'll get used to the sweat...so don't sweat it ;-)

As far as adjusting to life in your placement city, you may experience a shock from going from being around people 24/7 during the TESOL course and having everything planned, organized, and easy to moving to your placement city alone, lost, and possibly not being able to communicate well. Buying the right size sheets at Tesco or Big C may be more of a complicated task than one realizes when you can't read the packaging and the sales assistant doesn't speak English haha After awhile you'll begin to adjust to venturing out on your own and depending on your placement, you may meet other foreign teachers who will help along the way. I live in the heart of Bangkok and I honestly think it has made my transition a bit more convenient and easier to adjust to. I quickly set out to make local Thai friends which has been a benefit in multiple ways! Thais knows all the good places to eat, the secrets of getting around, and best places to visit on holiday ;-)

There are many things I have come to love about Thailand. The food, the weather, the beautiful landscapes, and the low cost of living are just a few to mention about living in the "land of smiles." However, to me, the most important and refreshing has been the laid back "mai bpen rai" lifestyle. If you don't know what that means, look it up...you'll enjoy the research. It's been a game changer for me. Bringing me back to my point about Marie Kondo's "spark joy" mentality, I have come to love, embrace, and appreciate simplicity.

There is just something to be said about simplicity; it’s simply liberating and Thailand is a perfect environment to experience and embrace it. I am loving it more and more each day and if you were like me...stressed to the max all the time because of the rat race of your culture...I encourage you to simply ask yourself "why?" Then take a look at Greenheart's Teach in Thailand opportunity and ask yourself "why not?" haha You won't regret it.

I wish you the best on your quest for adventure.

Greenheart are fantastic at providing support from the moment you land in the country. I arrived and was picked up by a driver arranged by greenheart, and then driven to my hotel room (sharing with another teacher). We then spent the next week having all our important documents sorted, applications for teaching jobs filled out and phones sorted, as well as Thai lessons, culture lessons, teaching lessons and wonderful activities such as muai thai and visiting an elephant sanctuary. I felt 100% supported by greenheart staff to get a teaching job, although flexibility on this front was required on my part as this changed once or twice before it was finalised. as well as emotionally and psychically supported for the rest of my time in Thailand. I ended up working for a school and a learning centre in Ayutthaya, a beautiful historic town, the learning centre was fantastic, wonderfully organised and gave me a variety of students in terms of age and requirements. The school was far less organised and I had some trouble here trying to make my lessons a success, however, I felt i could call upon Greenheart should I encounter any problems. I found the culture and language lessons provided by Greenheart at the beginning very helpful, as well as technical support of getting a SIM card and bank account, all of which would have been very difficult to do alone. I had a wonderful placement and a perfect place to live, and still keep in touch now with some of the fellow teacher I met there. A fantastic experience, so much so that I decided to use Greenheart again in 2018 for a home stay programme in China.

When I first began researching teaching programs around Asia I never thought it was as complex and confusing as it is. I found Greenheart and they were encouraging and helpful. They don't hold your hand through every step, but they are supportive and make sure you feel informed and safe as you prepare for a huge leap into the unknown. As mentioned, the teaching world in Thailand/SE Asia can be complex. You'll work with partner organizations/agencies, since Greenheart doesn't actually serve or have access to every school in the country. Fortunately, I personally never had any major issues or emergencies while navigating some of the confusing transitions throughout the teaching process, but I always felt that Greenheart had my back and would have done their best to help had I needed it. I completed the TESOL course and initial placement, and fell in love with Thailand. I have since transitioned to other jobs, but I attribute a lot of my initial success to the fact that I came through Greenheart.

Teaching English in Thailand has been the most challenging and rewarding experience for me. I'm typing this review as I sit in my thai classroom watching music videos with my students on the last day of classes! I highly recommend this program to anyone who has a passion for adventure, travel, children, and being out of their comfort zone. I completed the TESOL course here in Thailand and met life long friends. In fact, four of us are backpacking Vietnam and Cambodia after we finish teaching! During the placement process, I was told I would be teaching 16-18 year olds (I am 22). I came into this experience assuming I would be teaching younger kids, so this was scary news at first. Now that I have been teaching them for 4 months, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Watching my seniors graduate was so special for me. I did something I never thought I'd be able to do and I couldn't have done it without Greenheart Travel.

Greenheart travel works with you from the visa preparation up until you're ready for your next adventure. They are very quick with replying to any concerns or questions you have about your program, accommodation, pay etc. I felt Greenheart always have an answer that was honest and accurate. Sarah, my program coordinator was very helpful and patient with me when I would e-mail her frequently with questions. They keep you in the loop with what is going on in their company as well as events and opportunities for Greenheart alumni. I always recommend Greenheart to friends and strangers when they are looking for an adventure similar to mine! I am so lucky to have gone through this company and experiened the year & a half away in Thailand that I did! I will forever cherish that experience.

I did the TESOL course in Hua Hin. What I expected to be just a step before starting teaching was a surprisingly amazing experience. The atmosphere it's just great, in only one week every one participating in the program become friends. The teachers and the stuff were also great, showing us around and helping us orginize extra excursions on the weekends.
I totally recommend doing the TESOL in Thailand instead of online.
After one amazing month, we were send to our placements. My school is a private one and it's great. I asked to be in the South teaching highschool but I am North teaching Highschools, but it is obvious that they cannot give everyone the perfect conditions, you have to accept that and you will fall in love with your place.

The decision to teach abroad is so empowering! The love from the students is validating and the ability to prove to yourself that you can leave everything familiar and comfortable to you and still overcome all challenges is the cherry on the cake. Adjusting to a big move like this is never easy, but I am so thankful to have gone through Greenheart Travel because they were incredibly supportive during those hard times. Everyone is genuinely there to help and support you through this journey because they KNOW what it's like to be in your shoes as they've all experienced the same endeavor. I think that is very important and key contributing factor to what makes them so amazing! I highly recommend taking on an adventure like this through Greenheart Travel! <3

I went through Greenheart Travel's TESOL course in Thailand in December 2018 to January 2019. The course was in Hua Hin, Thailand. This part of Thailand has plenty of adventure activities to do on the weekend such as waterfalls, temple caves, and elephant sanctuaries. However, this location is a town for foreign westerners looking for a beach town in good relation to Bangkok and southern islands. So western accommodations were available, but it is not authentic Thailand. With that being said the TESOL course prepares you for what teaching in authentic Thailand is like. This is an intensive and amazing course that could prepare you for teaching in any Asian country. I highly recommend getting your TESOL if you want to earn money while traveling and I suggest doing it through Greenheart Travel in person at one of their locations.