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.

Would recommend Media Kids to begin your journey of teaching in Thailand. They support you with a lot of factors about teaching. Better salary, especially being so close to Bangkok where everything is a lot more expensive would be better, as well as other expenses such as transport reimbursement for doing a visa run. Other than those things Media Kids has been a good route for embarking on my journey for teaching in Thailand.

The company I did my training with placed me with MediaKids Academy and I was very happy with the agency and staff overall. They provided an orientation, support materials, constant communication and check-ins and assisted me with finding housing. Also, based on other organizations I felt their compensation and benefits were better than average. They also do a great job hosting English day camps and involving the local teachers. I had a lot of fun and learned some new games by participating in those.