Paid Teaching Program in Thailand with TravelBud (TESOL)

We found out about Travelbud through a posting on Facebook. Immediately I was intrigued about the programs they offered and how everything worked. Travelling and working abroad was a bucket list item that my husband and I had discussed when we were still in high school. After having a Skype call with Peter, we were sold! This was something we needed to do and Travelbud was the company who was going to help us. We applied for the teach in Thailand course and sent through all our necessary documents. Everything was so easy! Travelbud went out of their way to provide a seamless experience for us. All of a sudden we were boarding a plane and beginning our adventure and we have never looked back.
What we learnt while abroad (just a few):
1. Yes you are here to travel and experience the culture and have an incredible experience but as a teacher, your students should come first! Always put your best foot forward for your students.
2. Embrace the culture and the people you meet. It may not be what you are used to but it doesn't make it wrong, just different. You'll be surprised at the incredible experiences you have once you accept this.
3. Do your best to make meaningful friendships while you are aboard. Your life will be so much richer for it.
Teaching in Thailand, and Thailand itself, has opened our eyes to what is truly important in life. I am sure that your experience travelling and teaching/volunteering abroad will be the same for you, should you choose to allow it.

Going through Travel-Bud was fantastic from start to end.
I had a million and one questions before I went over (The jitters were real) but dealing with Peter was great in that he answered each and everyone of them, gave his own personal accounts of what I should expect on the other side and advice for aspects I hadn't quite thought of.

The orientation month consisted of culture related excursions (making Thai food, going to temples, meeting elephants and learning the basics of Thai language)
My favourite part was the fact that we stayed with a group of 30 of us for the first month, since we were all in this together, we bonded A LOT quicker than your normal friendship. Every night we were bonding over food, games, drinking by the pool, playing guitar, doing yoga in the park, making fun of each others accents and sharing why we had embarked on this new chapter.
I'm still in touch with most of these people and during the holidays we would meet up in different cities around Thailand. Now that I'm back home we often FaceTime one another and they're friendships I'll treasure forever.

The teaching part was great too, for the first year I was a teacher at a government Thai school, where I was the only foreigner. Sometimes it would get lonely but the Thai teachers honestly put in SO much effort to converse with me and make me feel comfortable.
My last 6 months I was an MEP teacher (I taught one class of 6 year olds all the subjects from English, maths, Science, Health and Art) at a wealthier school, where I worked alongside 3 other English teachers. Both had pro's and con's but I wouldn't give up either experience!

If you're interested in going over, I would suggest DO IT. If you really don't enjoy it - fly home. But if you do, imagine all the stories you can tell your grandkids one day?! This journey honestly grows you in a way you can only understand once you've gone through it. I'm so thankful I didn't let fear hold me back because now I can't shut up about all the adventures I experienced and people I met.

Coming to teach in Thailand was the best decision I ever made for myself. I have grown in so many ways I never thought I would. What I love the most about Thailand is the Thai people that are very friendly and the delicious Thai food. Working with Thai kids is a pleasure as are keen to learn. Overall I’m so happy that I was able to have this experience and so grateful to TravelBud for making it possible!

This is an amazing program. The mandatory TESOL training course does a good job getting you prepared to be a teacher here, but nothing compares to the real thing. Working with Thai students is an absolute blast. They are fun-loving, hard-working, and simply a pleasure to be around. As the title states, DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO TRAVEL. Theses students greatly benefit from learning English, as it is the most used language between Asean countries, as well as much of the world. You can literally help open doors to the world for kids here if you are willing to work hard for them. Absolutely would recommend this program for anyone who wants to help out and enjoy the amazing country that Thailand is!

TravelBud helped me to get where I was going. Through TravelBud I got set up with their in-country partner company in Thailand. I traveled to Thailand with their help, completed a TESOL course and have been happily teaching here for 8 months. They were supportive all along and always there to answer questions and check in. It made the move across the world so much easier. Would definitely recommend this company as it is reliable and leads to a rewarding experience. Thanks for everything!

I want to thank Travelbud for all the help and assistance they provided without them it would not be possible. Saskia Smuts was a real rose as she always provided feedback on the many questions I have. I will always refer friends to the organization as I feel it makes the process al lot easier.

My trip in Thailand has been up and down with lots of good and some bad moments, but I have never regretted coming to Thailand and I wish to be doing this.

It would be pretty sick if I could win a trip overseas as my birthday is almost and would love to take my girlfriend somewhere nice.

Thank you very much

My experience was incredible. I was petrified getting on the plane 6 months ago and leaving everything behind, but as soon as I landed, and began making a new life for myself, I found not only was I fully capable of anything, but also, my home was wherever I am. This revelation led way to traveling across South East Asia, sometimes without a destination in mind, and sometimes without a place to stay. My travels have been nothing short of an adventure and I'm excited for the next chapter!

I am a naturally anxious person and going abroad to teach was one of the scariest things I'd ever done. TravelBud was so helpful in calming my nerves and ensuring everything was prepared so that I had less to worry about and could enjoy myself more. Overall it was the best decision I could have made and I'm so happy that I was able to have this experience and so grateful to TravelBud for making it possible!

I have nothing but amazing things to say about TravelBud and Saskia who helped me from the beginning of my experiences, through the transition and followed up with me once I was placed. I am someone who has always gone into all my experiences with expectations, how can you not? But my expectations were not fulfilled and it turned out to be a blessing. Thailand has changed my life for the better and I feel so thankful for everything TravelBud has done for me and XploreAsia.

I graduated from University with a science degree and no clue what I wanted the next step to be. I knew I wanted to travel, but I felt pressured to jump into a 9-5 job. I did, and I quit 3 months later. After that I focused most of my attention on how I could affordably travel to other parts of the world. This program is great because not only does it allow you to experience completely different things from your home country, but it also gives you the chance to create strong bonds with the people in the TESOL course. The course helps you to not feel so alone in a land so foreign, and also helps you integrate yourself into the country and understand the customs and what is expected of you. Also, the staff was very helpful when it came to our group's 20 thousand questions, and I was very happy they were there and were so friendly. In fact, my flight had been delayed for 2 days and the staff responded quickly, helped me adjust my travel plans, and waited for me at my accommodation when I arrived. I had considered just up and moving to another country and finding a teaching position there without the TESOL course or certification, but I am SO happy I chose to do this program. It's worth the money and time. I'm currently placed in Trang City, Thailand, which is located in the south, and I absolutely love it and my job! Friends from my course were also placed in the south, so we make weekend trips to each other or plan island hopping adventures whenever we can. This was the best decision of my life and I don't regret it one bit :)

I came to Thailand not knowing what to expect but so many wonderful and amazing things have happened to me! I never thought I would love teaching this much, and I can't wait to learn and experience more. I thought I wanted to teach primary kids but I got high school kids, and I absolutely adore them - they are so sweet! I have met so many different kinds of people from all over the world that have shared their amazing stories with me, and that just makes me more excited for the future!

I have been teaching in Thailand for 3 months now and I am so lucky to have this opportunity. I want to thank travelbud for helping get everything organized and started in a new country. I was worried about living in an unfamiliar place but they helped ease the transition and help me feel like I was not alone in the process. I know that I can email them at any time if I have questions about something. I was in a teacher in the states but teaching students that don't understand me is definetly a challenge but the tesol course helped me with strategies and lessons to use.

I had no idea exactly what I was getting into when I decided I was going to teach English halfway across the world. I had never taught before and going to a country so vastly different from the western world can be quite daunting. However, the staff and help provided along the way were so helpful every step of the way, even after their jobs were over. I still feel like I can go to them for any questions of concerns I may have

Everything about our experience so far has been incredible. There have been one or two hiccups along the way but nothing we couldn't handle and the XploreAsia & TrabelBud staff were always there to assist. The course was fun and smooth and our lecturer and coordinator were both professional and awesome.

We were both a little surprised about the cost of accommodation during the course (it was double the price we expected as the price is per person rather than per room) but this was more a misinterpretation of the information provided to us. We were also surprised to learn that the course was through XploreAsia rather than through TravelBud but at the end of the day everything worked out perfectly.

I worked and lived closely with 29 other people and if I could I would do it all over again. Although it was exhausting, and kept us busy 24/7 I met some amazing people that I will never forget and also learned how to teach kids English. I feel really prepared to teach, and this wouldn't have been possible if I didn't do the TESOL course. I was nervous that I would be left stranded in the middle of nowhere having to figure things out on my own but the process was smoother than I thought, and now I am sitting writing this in my new apartment! I don't think I could have done this without TravelBud's help.