Paid Teach English in Thailand Program

Overall, I had an amazing experience teaching in Thailand through Greenheart Travel! Greenheart Travel did an excellent throughout the pre-departure process and during my time in Thailand to communicate all the necessary information and ensure that everything went smoothly! With the help of this program, I felt very prepared every step of the way and was able to have an incredible experience and meet so many wonderful friends along the way! I would definitely recommend this program to anyone hoping to teach English abroad!

If you're thinking of teaching abroad, my advice is to just go for it. It definitely won't be easy, but it will certainly be worth it.. and I promise you that if you talk yourself out of this opportunity you will spend the rest of your life asking yourself "what if?" More importantly, once you do decide to go for it, I highly recommend using a program (aka Greenheart) because there will be times when you need help or are feeling helpless and they can be an amazing leg to stand on.

Before I submitted my application, my mom and I traveled to Chicago to visit the Greenheart office where we met Sara, the program manager. She answered every question that my mom and I had and made us both feel 100% comfortable with me taking the leap and moving to Thailand for a year. Sara even reassured my mom that if there was ever any issue or concern, my mom could contact her personally and she would take care of the problem herself.

After completing my TESOL course in Hua Hin with 30 strangers who became my family, I was dropped off alone in central Bangkok at my new apartment building. I had been fighting with a bout of homesickness for the past three days and in the midst of it, I had to leave for my placement and everything just started to become very real. Fumbling through the front door with my 100 pounds of luggage, I held back tears because for the first time since moving abroad, I was really truly alone. I gave myself a mental pep talk to hold it together until I got to my room as I walked to the front desk to sign a rental agreement for this apartment (which I needed asap considering I had to be at my new school at 7 a.m. the next morning). I managed to keep my cool until I tried to pay, and as I frantically dug through my wallet I discovered that my US credit card was gone. In your first month, you won't be working yet so you won't be getting paid. That means whatever money you bring with you is all the money that you have to get you by, and I had suddenly lost access to mine. Cue the opening of the floodgates. I became overwhelmed with emotion as I handed over almost all of my cash just to get the lady to let me stay in the apartment for ONE NIGHT. I had no idea what I was going to do and I called my mom in a fit of hysterics. My mom insisted that I contact Greenheart or my employment agency for help but I insisted back that it was too embarrassing and I would just figure something out. However, the next morning I woke up to several messages from Sara, my TESOL course company, and my employment agency. I was given multiple options on how to transfer money into a Thai account that I could access and how to get a new card to me ASAP, etc. Essentially, the problem had already been solved for me and I barely had to lift a finger. Little did I know, my overprotective (yet so well meaning) mother had contacted Sara herself in a panic, and Sara stuck true to her word, solving the problem as quick as humanly possible. If I had been completely on my own with no program to have my back, who knows how long I would have had to go without any money. And if Sara hadn't been so attentive and great, my mom probably would have hopped on the first flight out here just to give me $50 to get through the week.

All in all, now I can laugh at the hot mess that I was that day and now I am happy as can be living my life in Bangkok. I have several people to thank for that, and Sara from Greenheart is definitely one of them. I said it once and I'll say it again: if you're thinking of teaching abroad... just go for it!

If you are reading this review, you have probably already decided to teach in Thailand. Good, because I could go on and on as to why it is one of the best things you could do for yourself, but we are already on the same page. Now, if you are wondering if Greenheart Travel is the organization through which you should teach in Thailand, the answer is yes! Each person I talked to at Greenheart seemed genuinely interested and excited for me the entire process. They stick with you the whole way through your time, and don't just drop you off in Thailand for you to fend for yourself. (I have heard horror stories about this.) Greenheart Travel takes care of so much for you and makes sure you are informed, so by the time you get to Thailand you have very little to worry about. The cultural orientation week and the TESOL course was fun and informative. Now that I am in my placement city, I am having the time of my life.

When I originally decided to take the TESOL course and move to Thailand to teach English, I was unaware of all the steps and difficulties it took to get there. However, Greenheart Travel made these complications easy and stress free during my time preparing to go abroad! They were there for every step, and answered any frantic questions I sent via email within a few hours. I think I even took their program for granted a little bit, because when I arrived in Thailand with no problems, I met people who had used other companies and had run into a number of issues before arriving. Even after being placed in a school, Greenheart would keep in contact to help assist with any problems. I honestly felt that they actually cared about each participant having a meaningful and memorable experience (I met many other Greenheart teachers once I was in Thailand who echoed the same feeling). However, possibly the most beneficial aspect of going through Greenheart Travel was the extensive and EXTREMELY helpful network of alumni. Even though I hadn't met most of them, if I was traveling anywhere in the country, needed help with a lesson plan, had a questions about the culture, or even help when returning back to the U.S, I could always reach out to the alumni for advice and suggestions. It was like having a friend in every area of the country, and that was honestly invaluable. I highly recommend this program!

Greenheart Travel was excellent in both preparing me to teach in Thailand and in helping me get there! They are there for you every step of the way. At times I would start to have questions, and before I could even reach out to them there would be an email with the answer in my inbox! They really have the whole Thai/teach abroad system down, and were super responsive if I ever needed help with anything!

I'm currently teaching with a British agency in Thailand. I started with Greenheart in the US. They have a Thai partner that they basically passed me off to when I arrived here. That partner did my TESOL training and got me the job with my current agency. So I've had 3 different groups overseeing my trip at the various stages. I think I made the best decision by going with Greenheart to get me started. They have have professional staff and a great support group on social media to help answer any questions. They are also culturally aware and chose a Thai partner that shares that awareness. With my current agency I met a lot of other teachers that are here for the wrong reasons and completely unprepared. Greenheart's Thai partner provided us with Thai language, culture, history lessons, and more, all with great staff. Additionally, the group I was with was filled with pretty great people.

I do think that there was some misinformation upfront about some details (like what you should bring, for example), but it was nothing serious and can be attributed to 1) the Thai way of life which involves misinformation or last minute information and 2) English teachers are in high demand so all of these entities are struggling to keep up with the workload so details can get compromised. Fortunately, there is a great support system online where you can ask virtually anything and someone will offer insight. I definitely recommend Greenheart over the others.

Moving to the other side of the globe can be both daunting and extremely stressful. Greenheart took all that stress away and made the entire process easy so that instead of worrying about the nitty gritty details of getting my visa and preparing all the forms and documents needed for my life in Thailand, I was able to focus more on mentally preparing myself for the journey. Sara was great, she always answered my emails the day of and had answers for both the big and small questions. Also, the Facebook community was incredibly useful and answered all the questions I had from what immunizations to get to what kind of bag to pack. Greenheart made the transition truly smooth and easy. Although it is a little pricey, it is absolutely worth it to go with a reputable company that makes the process stress free! I would 100% go Greenheart again and recommend it HIGHLY to anyone thinking of making the jump abroad! just do it!!!

If you're looking to teach abroad in Thailand and want an easy and smooth transition abroad, choose this program! Sara is AMAZING and makes the process very simple. She answers any emails, phone calls or questions you have within what seems like 30 seconds of reaching out to her! Obtaining your visa is made very easy and the program is definitely worth all of the other pre-departure assistance you receive. Once you've transitioned abroad you are paired up with another agency, but Greenheart continues to reach out to you and make sure you're adjusting smoothly. If for no other reason, go with Greenheart for Sara! She's wonderful!