Teach English in Thailand with Mediakids

Do not work for MediaKids unless you enjoy working long hours on nights and weekends. For almost 2 years I worked as both a teacher and an office consultant for MK and the only reason I stayed that long is because of the unbelievably smart, fun and kind Thai staff that work there.

HOWEVER, the woman who runs the company forces all of them, and her teachers, to drop whatever they are doing for the sake of work. Here are some examples:

- As a teacher, I was asked to teach 24 periods per week, which is the maximum. Not the end of the world in and of itself. Except those 24 periods couldn't cover as many of the students as the school wanted, so MK gave them the go ahead to put 100+ students in my classroom each period.
- As a consultant, I averaged 2 working weekends per month. The month I finally decided I'd had enough of the CEO's demands, I was forced to work 4 weekends in a row. Just shy of 30 straight days.
- As a friend of the staff that still works at MediaKids, I invited some of my former colleagues to my wedding. I gave them several months warning so they could request this one Sunday evening off. Denied.

The woman who runs MediaKids is incredibly wealthy. And yet she almost never rewards her loyal staff with pay raises or even simple praise. She makes them work 80-hour weeks and refuses to pay them anything close to what they would get at any other Thai company.

And if you teach for MediaKids, she'll do the same to you.

MEDIA KIDS have been absolutely fabulous in helping me through moving countries from the UK to Thailand and changing my career into becoming a TEFL teacher.

Having decided that Thailand was the country I was determined to teach in, but being completely bewildered where to even start - Media Kids from the word go have been fantastic.
I had plenty of Skype interviews, but Media Kids just felt completely the correct choice to go for, they made everything seem possible and easily doable (which it is.)
The company is young and enthusiastic, yet competent and utterly supportive. They are experienced and will go the extra mile to help when you need it.
Even before leaving the UK, they were on hand to help. They properly listened to all of my requests about where in Thailand I wanted to move to and why (I absolutely love where I've been placed in the North of Thailand - it ticks every box I asked for,) they listened to all of my concerns about getting all my documents in order before coming out here - and never made me feel silly for asking the most ridiculous of questions.
Even on arrival at the orientation, they remembered me which was a great personal and welcoming touch!
Now that I'm a few months into teaching and working with Media Kids, they remain ace. There's a team designated for your area, and they really are on hand whenever you need them - even if it's for translating a sign in a shop (thank you Kwan!!)
Any questions or worries I've had about the curriculum and / or teaching, they're there to help, without any judgement.
They really are super friendly and accommodating, I feel like I have a totally understanding support network to fall back on.
Now I'm in Thailand and I've met other TEFL teachers who use other companies, it seems like they have to do a lot of their own leg work with all the legal paperwork, to sorting out phone contracts, finding their own accommodation, navigating new curriculum's etc... (which trust me - if you don't speak or read Thai is pretty hardcore...!) but Media Kids take all that stress off and either do it for you - or guide you through every step of the way. Which is a huge deal breaker if nothing else!
They've made an exciting (but daunting!) experience all the better and I couldn't have made a better choice in choosing Media Kids.
Thank you!

Choose Media Kids to help you every step of the way. I had so many Skype interviews with different teaching agencies back home in England, but it was an obvious choice to go with Media Kids. They’ve helped me every step of the way providing all the information I needed before jetting off, orientation in Bangkok, an easy to use teaching curriculum, to settling into life and actually working in Northern Thailand. This is only my first term teaching and it’s been as smooth as Thai silk. I have a team of assistants at MK to help me whenever I need them and I’m looking forward to many more months with Media Kids by my side.

After being in a job that had me physically and mentally exhausted I needed a change, thankfully I had recently finished my TEFL course and found a job opportunity to teach in Thailand. A week after I applied to MediaKids I had an interview, the next day I was offered the job at my choice of schools. Less than a month later I had arrived in Bangkok. I had a warm welcome when I arrived at the hotel, spent the evening getting my bearings and then got ready for the three day orientation which was interesting, taught me some basic Thai and explained various elements of teaching along with practising lessons with the rest of the new teachers. I had 5 days before I started teaching once the orientation finished, so I flew up to Chiang Mai where I climbed waterfalls, explored a cave temple and relaxed at some hot springs. Once I eventually arrived in my town, a nice rural area in the North of Thailand, I had a weekend to explore. I got to meet the Thai teachers and the director of the school, everyone was incredibly welcoming, the foreign teachers were introduced at a school assembly and we were each presented with some flowers which now decorate my desk in the office, a week after that we were taken out for a welcome meal which was absolutely incredibly, and presented with another plant, which decorates the head of my bed. Teaching has been an entirely unique experience, it started off very tough but as the students got used to me they are more talkative and even speak to me in English when they see me around town. While this is a small rural town there is still a lot to do, if you know where to look. I have made many friends here, and there is now a group of about 12 of us teachers who often meet up in the evenings or at weekends. Just yesterday, we hired motorbikes for 200 baht, roughly the price of a pint of beer back home, and spent the day driving through the mountains, visiting temples and relaxing by some rivers and waterfalls before returning to the weekly night market in town. If you are feeling stuck in your life, or just need to get away from everything, I would highly recomend applying to a MediaKids job listing and start a new life, have some incredible new experiences, see a brand new world with a totally different culture, enrich some young lives and have 24/7 support from the agency while you are doing all of this.

As a city boy, I never thought I would enjoy small town life so much as I do in Nachuak, Mahasarakham. Besides the financial savings (rent is fully paid for), the social connections one forms in the town and the school, moreover, is next to none. The Isan people are so warm and work with students at Nachuakpittayasan School is indeed the most rewarding part of this experience. I will miss them the most. If you are worried about teaching in a small town, fear not, there is a direct overnight bus from Nachuak to Bangkok every evening and you can connect to major cities in the region via Borabue or Mahasarakham bus stations. The town has some quaint coffee shops and restaurants in addition to Dictionary Park swimming resort for those oh so hot days - and there are many. I fully recommend the program with MediaKids since they provide you with all the logistics support you need.

MediaKids is a fine company to work for.

The curriculum could be improved by adding different versions of tests and assignments for higher or lower levels. The flashcards are adequate, but lack cultural sensitivity and diversity in that they are quite typically eurocentric and patriarchal. However, this kind of thing is par for the course with most companies no matter the industry. Also the images used in the vocabulary cards are often insufficient to demonstrate the concept in question and could greatly benefit from the addition of Thai translations. Some teachers in rural areas will have to print the vocab cards themselves when they arrive at their schools, which is slightly disappointing. Props for games and activities may have to be made by the teachers in some schools, which is time-consuming. The corporate hierarchy is vague and undefined so it is difficult to know who to ask about certain issues, and in some cases the staff either cannot or will not help to resolve miscommunications or find solutions to problems within the school. There is a lack of organization within the company that is often frustrating for a new teacher. However, once you get used to the lack of interdepartmental communication and oversight, it's actually quite nice because you have a lot of freedom to teach the lessons how you want without any micromanaging (or regular managing for that matter). The curriculum consultants are friendly, helpful and effective. HR should be more concerned with teacher retention.

Mediakids, for me it means opening chapter in Thailand. Before that I was teaching in various countries but this is the first experience in Thailand for me. And Mediakids made this transition as smooth as possible. Support from Mediakids staff is great and also the Thai teachers at school are very helpful. Even though Im here only one month I already made loads and loads of new friends. So I would definitely recommend this program to starting teachers and even the skilled professionals.

I've loved my experience so far in Thailand with MediaKids. They supported me from my application to my arrival in Thailand - the orientation was a great way to meet people and learn more about the teaching experience. There is always a staff member ready to help you if you need it, literally about any problem you might have. I've loved my experience so far and am glad I chose such an established company to work with - especially as it is my first time teaching abroad full time.