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

After 10 years in corporate America, I left to pursue something with a higher purpose. Unsure what I was going to do, I stumbled across Samui TEFL program online and signed up on a whim. I had zero teaching experience and had never worked with kids in my life, so I was a bit reluctant to say the least. Teaching English in a foreign land was an intriguing thought but I was skeptical whether I would succeed. It turns out, I signed up for the best TEFL program in existence. Kathryn is an excellent teacher and will undoubtedly prepare you for teaching. She showed us how fun teaching can be with proper planning and enthusiasm.

The class is intense and can be overwhelming at times but it is so worth it. The teaching practices are an invaluable experience that will give you the confidence you need to teach your own class. After seeing the joy in the kids faces, you’ll quickly fall in love with teaching in Thailand.

Roseanne was a superstar at helping us get jobs upon completion of the course. Everyone that wanted a job, had one by the end of the course. She knows all the ins and outs of working in Thailand and was a great resource for information and connections.

I thoroughly enjoyed the class at Samui TEFL and would highly recommend it to anyone seeking a new career, sabbatical, or just a new adventure in life. :)

This course was perfect. Great location on the beautiful Koh Samui island. A fantastic teacher called Kathryn. She ran a lingustics school in Italy for many years and is an expert in her field. The course is a perfect blend between a hell of a lot of work and achievabilty. As long as you put in 100% you should pass the course.
The course includes 6-7 hours of in class teaching, roughly 2 hours with Kindergaten level, 2 hours with Prathom, 2 hours with Mathayom and 1 hour teaching adults (teaching assistants) . The schools we attended were lovely.
Class sizes were also ideal, our class had just 12 students but there may be 20 in a class. Samui TEFL has great contact links with job agencies based all throughout Thailand and we enter the job searching phase just over 1 week through the course with full guidance from Samui TEFL.
I entered the English teaching profession with great confidence as I had been fully prepared for the role.

I am an American who taught for one year in the States before deciding to come to Thailand, and I chose Samui TEFL after a friend recommended the course. I am SO thrilled and happy with this entire organization! My teacher showed up so excited to teach us every day, and gave us tricks and tips on how to be successful, not only as an instructor but as a classroom teacher with class management skills (SO important!). Grammar is tricky, but my instructor made sure that my classmates and I had lots of practice to brush up on our skills. We were taught how to create detailed and organized lesson plans, which helped us to execute exciting successful lessons with real students on the island, prepare us for our future jobs, and give us the ability to teach in any school environment successfully. The Samui TEFL class size is small (we had 13 in our TEFL class) which was great because we all became fast friends from all walks of life from all around the globe. Koh Samui is absolutely STUNNING and the beach is a 2 minute walk from T Phak Phink (where you must stay because Joy, who owns the hotel, treats you like family and the accommodations could not be any nicer!). The course is indeed challenging, but if you are passionate about teaching and getting your TEFL certification, Samui TEFL is the organization for you. You will not come across better people who truly care about you and your success. You will also receive immense amount of help while you apply to jobs after the course! I am recommending this course highly to all of my friends and family, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Samui TEFL review

Deciding to do the Samui TEFL course was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Around two months before the course was due to start I was unsure of my plans for the year, knowing only that I wanted to travel and teach. As I was going through all of my options I decided to email Rosanne and ask her about some of the concerns that I had over living in Thailand, the teaching atmosphere there, the possibility of getting a job, and how easy or difficult it would be to get a visa and then later, a work permit. She responded immediately and with an overwhelming wealth of information. She answered all of my questions and on top of that sent me pictures and links all about Koh Samui in particular and Thailand in general. I was sold. From then on out she remained a constant source of comfort, reassuring me at every turn and helping me with any small question or concern.

When I arrived in Bangkok there was somebody waiting for me at my gate (arranged by Rosanne). He took me to my connecting flight to Koh Samui, and when I arrived on the island I was met by a taxi driver who took me straight to my hotel, T Phak Phink (my accommodation had also been arranged by Rosanne in advance of my arrival). And so my wonderful adventure began. From before I even arrived in Thailand I felt that I would be well looked after, and Rosanne went above and beyond expectations. After my first day of class I was blown away by Katherine’s unrelenting energy and enthusiasm, and the genuine care that she showed each and every one of us. She continued to amaze throughout the course- she literally thinks of everything and gives of her time so willingly. She cares about every one of her students and will go out of her way to help you out or to reassure you.

I have been teaching in a school in Thailand now for a month (a job that Rosanne helped me to find and secure) and I am thankful every day for the Samui TEFL course. I feel more than prepared for every single classroom situation and I do not find it in the least bit daunting walking into a classroom and finding myself faced by 50 expectant and eager faces every day. I know that this entirely due to Katherine and Rosanne’s expert guidance and assistance.

My advice to anyone thinking about doing their TEFL course on Koh Samui- do it. If you are willing to put in some hard work, collaborate with partners, and enter a classroom with energy and joy then you will be well served doing Katherine and Rosanne’s course. This is by no means a relaxed holiday on the beach, you will put in many many hours, but what you get out of the experience will be priceless. In my month on Koh Samui I met friends who I will treasure and love for life, I learned about myself, I learned about Thailand, I learned about respect, and I learned a value for education that I am passionate about passing on to my students. So, work hard, study for your tests, stay in T Phak Phink and chat to Joy every day, grab a cocktail at Rakk and Meena’s, eat fruit on the beach, make wonderful friends, rent a scooter for the day and get lost- trust me, you’ll find that you’re exactly where you need to be.

I signed up for this TEFL course hoping it would inspire me to start a career in teaching, and it has certainly done that!

I hadn't done any research into other TEFL courses, I trusted a friend who picked this one, and I'm so glad I did. Kathryn is an engaging and enthusiastic teacher, you can really tell she wants you to do your best. Rosanne is a great support and full of really useful information, whether it be about where to eat on the island, or helping to create the perfect resume to get you hired straight away.

I'm now working in a beautiful school in Chachoengsao teaching K2 kids (5 year olds). In true Thai style I was thrown straight into teaching my 30 kids with no induction, and I really would have struggled without everything I learnt at Samui TEFL. But with all the knowledge and confidence I had gained from the course and my course mates, I felt happy to go ahead and teach straight away.

There's no denying that it gets stressful at times, but help each other and what you put in is what you'll get out!! I had the best month with Samui TEFL and I would do it 100 times over if I could!

Thank you so much Kathryn and Rosanne!!!

Samui TEFL was such a great experience! I learned so much, and made so many new lifelong friends. The course was a lot of work, and weekdays were usually spent studying and/or preparing for a TP (teaching practice). However, the time spent working and studying wasn't bad because most people worked together. Our group would put on a youtube playlist, get snacks & socialize....I mean study! :P But really, to survive this course you just have to be a good team member & get work done, study what you don't know, help others, and ask others for help.

The most important thing though! Get to know the people on your course! It's pretty easy when you're working 8+ hours together 5 days a week! Soon, your group of classmates become your Samui family. This is such a great opportunity to meet people from all over the world. I'm so fortunate now to have so many friends teaching around Thailand! :)

Rosanne and Kathryn are such great instructors and mentors. The classes were well organised and interesting. The grammar section was tough, but Kathryn explained it very well. She also did a lesson in Italian which was awesome. You got to see a foreign language lesson from the student's perspective. Rosanne helped find legit agencies and jobs in Thailand. Both, Rosanne and Kathryn, gave useful feedback after the TPs so we could improve next time. They are also great people in general. I know that I can always ask for advice from them.

Next week I start teaching lessons at my new school. I feel prepared because of Samui TEFL.

I'm so glad that I took the Samui TEFL course!

PHOTO: The view from the computer room!

TIPS:
- If you have a laptop bring it. There are only 2 computers in the computer room & are only available to 6pm M-F.

FOOD TIPS:
- Get fresh coconuts everyday! They are so yummy! :P
- Get Massaman Curry from the Post Office. It's the best! Rosanne and Kathryn can tell you where it is.
- Look for the coffee stand on the way to the classroom (it's green) & get some iced milk tea! So sweet and good!

My boyfriend and I began searching for TEFL courses a few months back. The one that kept springing to mind was Samui TEFL! With its glittering reviews, this was the course for us...and it did not disappoint. In fact, it exceeded our expectations.
I had already done my PGCE in England, but I found that this was extremely useful when doing my TEFL. It really helped me to refresh and use my previous knowledge and experience in a different way. Everything seemed to make sense now! In some ways, the course taught me more in a month than I learnt during my teacher training!
Don't get me wrong, the course is intense and hard work, but the rewards are great. After the first day, my boyfriend especially, was feeling very overwhelmed. However, the amazing support and encouragement that we received from Kathryn, our course instructor, was incredible. She is an amazing teacher, one of those that you'll always remember! By the end of day 2, my boyfriend was fully reassured and back on track.
As well as that, Kathryn and Roseanne are the ultimate TEFL Masters - if you have any questions, they have all the answers. They are also very helpful and friendly, they will assist you in any way that they can, whenever they can.
Another big advantage of this course is that you get to do your teacher pracs in actual Thai schools with actual Thai students. You also teach a wide range of ages, from kindergarten to adults. The practices are extremely useful and have proven to be invaluable when you get a job (as we've found out as we're now working near Krabi)
If you're still unsure about the course because you're nervous, or because you think that with your PGCE, it won't be useful...don't be. You get to live on a beautiful island, make friends for life (missing everyone already), and are taught by the world's best TEFL Masters! What more could you wish for?
Thankyou so much Kathryn and Roseanne for giving us an unforgettable, life changing experience, and for being the awesome individuals that you are :-)

I came from way overseas (Trinidad & Tobago) to do this course, and I could not be more satisfied. Of course, it was a huge decision, but all questions and concerns were responded to honestly and promptly by Rosanne, making the decision to attend an easy one.

The classroom and suggested accommodations were clean and well-kept, and certainly encouraged a learning environment. There was a nice mix of theory and practice, with hours of teaching real Thai students from Kindergarten to Adult levels.

Kathryn is just amazing in the amount that she knows and is perhaps the best teacher to whom I have ever been exposed. Not only is she knowledgeable and adept at sharing that knowledge, she and Rosanne are also kind and helpful both in and out of the classroom. They were eager to ensure that we maximised the course; as well as all that the popular touristy island of Koh Samui had to offer.

In the second week, we began getting prepared and advised on applying for jobs, and all persons interested in getting hired had several positions available to choose from before the course was even completed.

We all became such a close-knit class, worked and played hard together, and made some friendships that I am sure will last forever.

It was an amazing journey, great teaching, wonderful fun, hard work, but definitely worth it as I am sure that we are as prepared as we can be for the world of TEFL teaching.

If you're interested in TEFL, DEFINITELY do this course!!