Bali - 4-week 140-hour intensive TEFL / TESOL course

Choosing to do your TEFL course with Samui TEFL will be one of the best decisions of your life. From the time you send your first email, to graduation and even after that, Rosanne and Kathryn are there to help you.

Rosanne does a great job of providing you with all the necessary information before arriving on Koh Samui and even helps with booking accommodation, as well as transport once you arrive. If you have any questions regarding the course or the island, don't hesitate to ask her. She also helps you with your job search and is a good resource for any travel related Thailand questions you may have.

The course itself can be a bit intense at times, especially during the first week. However, it is very well organized and you are known what's expected of you from the start. The first lesson plan may seem stressful, but I promise it gets better. You'll have help from your classmates too, as the teaching practices are done in pairs. The more creative you get, the funner your lessons will be. The Thai children absolutely love it when you bring new activities to the classroom, so don't be afraid to create something new.

Kathryn, the trainer, is extremely knowledgeable and fun! She wants you to understand the material and she will do whatever it takes to make sure you do. Grammar is definitely not my strong suit and we reviewed it many times before it started to sink in. She's also super helpful when it comes to lesson planning, and a great motivator before all of your teacher practices.

Choeng Mon is a perfect location for the course. Many restaurants and shops are only a short walk away from the school. It's quiet and relaxing during the day with just the right amount of night life at night. If it's not crazy enough for you, Chaweng is only a cheap songthaew away.

I would highly recommend this course to any individual that is looking to teach English as a foreign language. I promise you won't be disappointed!

From the moment you show an interest in the course Rosanne is there to help you through every step, including finding accommodation and answering those random questions.
The island is just beautiful and a fantastic location for the course (far better than an online course).
The course itself is fantastically run, Kathryn, the teacher is extremely knowledgeable and will not continue onto the next area of study unless the whole class has understood fully. It covers everything you could need to know to get started as a successful TEFL teacher, all you have to do is take the advice on board. The practicals were held at a local primary school where the children just loved having their English lessons taught by the TEFLers. You also have a chance to teach some adults incase that's the area you wish to go in to. You don't just get thrown into teaching alone either which I found very reassuring. After each practical you get written feedback which is in-depth and extremely helpful.

The course really is wonderful! If you're even considering it, just go for it!

I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to do a TEFL course in South East Asia. Koh Samui is a very nice island and the school is located in the rather quiet area Choeng Mon. This definintely benefits to not partying too much and hence neglecting the course ;) Kathryn is an excellent teacher and the years and years of experience definitely contribute to the high level of teaching in the course. Rosanne is extremely dedicated and helps with the job hunt, paper work, lesson planning and much more. Both of them work great as a team. The school facilities are perfect, including a students lounge, classroom and a pool. The course is a lot of work, but it definitely pays off, as it prepares sou for the world of teaching.
A big thank you to Rosanne and Kathryn for making the stay on Koh Samui so pleasant and enjoyable!

I had just moved to Thailand from the U.S and was looking to obtain a teaching position on the island. Since Samui TEFL was recommended by a reliable source who teaches here on Koh Samui, I felt more than comfortable trusting the recommendation. My confidence was further solidified once I met Kathryn, the course instructor, and Rosanne, her business partner. I was impressed by both their presence and their professionalism.

The course is four weeks long with classes held Monday through Friday from 9 am to around 3 pm. It's run out of a home in Choeng Mon from a small intimate (air-conditioned!) classroom downstairs. There's a comfortable sala to relax in during break times, a pool right out back and a kitchen for student use. It's best to bring your own computer but the course does provide computers and printers in the sala area. Accommodations with reasonable prices are available right next door.

The days were filled with lessons on grammar, teaching tips, Thai culture, demo lessons, and lesson planning for teaching practicums (done outside the course at local schools). Although you may find yourself quite busy with coursework, you can still find time to enjoy the beach and local attractions. Make sure you make an effort to do so, as there's so much to see and experience on this beautiful island.

If you're expecting this experience to be a cakewalk, you've signed up for the wrong course. You definitely earn the certification and you paid for it, so be thankful. Overall, the course exceeded my expectations. I found the instructor Kathryn had a wealth of knowledge that she was eager to share with her students, which made for a productive learning environment. It was professionally run and ultimately beneficial to my new careers as an ESL teacher. Highly recommend it!

I would highly recommend this course as a top choice for anyone looking to teach English as a foreign language. Coming from the USA, straight out of college, with a degree in political science, I had no experience teaching in an official capacity and was quite nervous about my ability to teach English to non-native speakers. Turns out there was no need to worry- Kathryn is a highly skilled and capable instructor, and through her teaching and guidance my classmates and I acquired the many skills one needs to teach ESL.

Samui TEFL is located on the beautiful island of Koh Samui, where you are never short of idyllic surroundings. There is always something to do- whether it be hiking to a waterfall, perusing the street markets, or sunbathing on the beach- and no shortage of people to meet and have fun with.

Although a month sounds like a long time, the course flies by. Before you know it you have your first teaching practicum and are in front of a class, teaching excited students who are eager to learn. In my opinion, the TP's are the most valuable aspect of the course, as they are an opportunity to apply what you have learned in a real classroom setting. After the first one, you feel much more confident about your abilities and they help in soothing some of the anxiety/nerves you may have.

Picking the right TEFL course is extremely important, and Samui TEFL is undoubtedly the only way to go.

I can highly recommend this course. Both Kathryn and Rosanne help and support you the whole way. The facilities provided are excellent and the course gives you the skills you need to be able to Teach. I had so much fun during my time at Samui TEFL. The teaching practices are great as they give you experience of what it is like in the real world. Don't be put off or concerned if you are worried about grammar. I hated grammar and by the end of my course I understood it and know how to teach it. Plus you get to study on a tropical island in Thailand! It truly is an amazing course and one that change your life and open the world up to you.

After a lot of deliberation and research on many courses for Teaching English abroad I finally decided on starting this new challenge with Samui TEFL, a small school on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand, which trains people of all ages to become proficient and creative English teachers.

There are so many schools and different programs on offer that the process of picking a school was frustrating and confusing. A real benefit to me was the honest and extremely prompt communication from Rosanne Turner, co-owner of the school and currently the course administrator. Having explained that I liked the course but had concerns about it being accepted in Vietnam as a sufficient qualification Rosanne immediately put me in touch with a contact in Vietnam who could give further guidance. Kathryn Webb, the course trainer and director, was also very helpful with advice from a different angle, having owned and run an English school in Italy prior to joining Samui TEFL. Despite several emails and many questions Rosanne was always extremely informative and even though it was potential business for her school she never came across as trying to sell the course. Her advice and opinions were unbiased and realistic and it was very comforting to get genuine, trustworthy advice from knowledgeable sources without feeling like there was an agenda or that it was seen purely as a business opportunity.

As for the course itself, day to day there was a lot of work. This involved theoretical work and learning grammar basics as well as teaching techniques, lesson planning and creating resources for the lessons. It can be quite intense at times, especially when creating resources before the teaching practices but Kathryn believes in giving students as much opportunity as is realistically possible to prepare in class and avail of her experience rather than flounder on your own after class, unsure of whether an idea will work or not. This in class preparation time makes things a lot less stressful and also means that there is less wasted time working on a flawed idea as Kathryn can quickly point out any problems and help adapt ideas so they will work better in the teaching practices.

Although there is a lot of practical time in class, work does have to be done outside of the school hours of 8.30am – 5.00pm and Kathryn is contactable via email with questions or to review lesson plans all evening and also early in the morning, I’m not sure how she is able to read and reply to everyone, but she does!

The teaching practices is a real strength for Samui TEFL as all teaching practices are with non-English speakers and no teaching practice is teaching your peers. The range of levels for the teaching practices is well organised with classes ranging from kindergarten all through primary age and even adult classes with the Thai Teaching Assistants from the International School of Samui.

There are other benefits, not necessarily educational, of doing a course on Koh Samui. Being a tropical island has it’s benefits when you do have free time with many beautiful beaches and tropical blue water to enjoy. There is also a bustling night-life scene in case you have a Saturday night free and there are walking streets and food markets in different areas of the island each night, serving delicious and very reasonably priced street food. The one downside to completing a TEFL course on a tropical island is having to do teaching practices in schools without aircon, as the combination of nerves and heat inevitably mean perspiration!

The accommodation for Samui TEFL is another bonus for this school. Most accommodation options offered are right next door to the school which is just a short walk from the village of Choeng Mon. Accommodation options range from a basic bungalow to a two-bedroom villa with a kitchen. The kitchen was great asfood could be bought from Tesco and cooked when it was convenient so relying on eating out every night was not an issue.

I think I arrived for the course quite well prepared. Suitable clothes for teaching practices is a must. Whilst there are options to purchase clothes on Ko Samui, the choice is not great. A better option, which I chose to do, is to buy clothes in Bangkok at one of the many shopping malls, Platinum is a good choice for value with wholesale options available.
I would recommend for anyone heading to do this or any similar course to bring a laptop. The school has laptops which can be used but if there are a number of students who need to use the school laptops there could be a supply problem. On my course one girl had an iPad but it seemed to be more of a hindrance to use than was worth it.

The highlight of the course for me (apart from graduating!) was seeing the children react positively and smile when they were praised, when they were involved in activities in class and when they got questions correct. This was especially nice when you knew it was one of the quieter children who took more encouragement to participate; often thier reaction would be subtle, a small smile to their friend after going back to their seat or after you give them a Hi-Five for joining in. From their little smile you could see that something had made their day, be it holding the teacher’s hand or getting a little smiley face on their worksheet, and it made my day as well.

A few further miscellaneous positives of the school are the welcome lunch provided by Kathryn and Rosanne and the close bonds formed from having a small class of no more than 10 students. Also, Rosanne and Samui TEFL really try to get all students successfully employed by the end of the course, and have dedicated jobs pages which are only accessible for past graduates.
Both Rosanne and Kathryn genuinely want to keep in touch with the students after the course and are interested to find out about their teaching experience in different schools which is nice and shows the personal aspect of this course.

The course at Samui TEFL helped me to develop new skills such as classroom management as well as improving my confidence with regard to having to stand in front of a class of 50 non-English speaking students. This was one aspect I was apprehensive of but I feel much more capable now than prior to the course. I have also improved my creative abilities thanks to having to make materials and lesson plans from scratch as well as my organisational skills, again from planning lessons in a methodical way, as taught by Kathryn.

Overall I could not have been happier with the course that Samui TEFL provide with the exception of a longer course being offered. Rosanne and Kathryn are a fantastic team who complement each other very well. I would certainly advise anyone considering a TEFL to at least get in touch with Samui TEFL and ask some questions.

I think the best way to sum up my feelings for the Samui TEFL course and the team there, in Rosanne and Kathryn, would be to say that I would happily recommend any family member or friend to undertake the course without any hesitation.

I am now over halfway through the course and I am very impressed with it. The first week is a bit crazy as we are given so much information. From week 2 onwards it is a lot of fun, it's amazing that we get to experience teaching so early in the course as it enables us to find our strengths and weaknesses early on so we know what to improve on straight away.
Kathryn is a really amazing teacher, she really knows her stuff! She is very good at giving constructive feedback and you can tell she really cares about all her students. Rosanne offers a lot of support as well and we are able to email with any queries we have regarding the course, our CVs, etc. I am very very happy with my decision to embark on this adventure with Samui TEFL!