Vantage | 120-Hour TEFL/TESOL Certification | Hybrid Option

I was looking to teach English in Bangkok to Thai students as I believed I could made a difference to these individual learners. I wanted to motivate them to become something more than they were by helping them learn English. And being a young teacher, I thought it would help me connect with the students better too.

So my aspirations were good. The problem was I didn’t really know to teach—outside the years I spent observing as a student on the other side of the desk.

Vantage took care of all that—and more. I was taught to create lessons through the communicative approach. The program breaks down into six key areas of study from language awareness, to teaching materials, one-to-one tutoring to teaching techniques. I was also surprised to learn that the skills I learned go further beyond just teaching. I also came away from the course as a better presenter and public speaker.

The heart of turning teacher candidates like me into full-blown professionals is, however, the observed teaching practices. Here theory meets practice. And I got detailed feedback after each session from the Vantage trainers. They highlighted what I was doing well and gave me a challenge for my next session on areas that still need to be worked on. After six observed teaching practices, I was ready to begin fulfilling my aspirations.

The trainers at Vantage have decades of experience. They’re world class. They also experts in testing and know how to use language proficiency systems to test students and to source teaching material appropriate to the level of the students were teaching. No other TEFL program I looked at covers this key area.

I’m a non-native English speaker and I had no previous teaching experience, so I was more than a little worried about my new career choice.

I found that Vantage TEFL was the right place to take the course. A read a lot of their reviews—and even online videos—where non-native speakers were talking about the advantages of not being a native speaker of English. I knew then these were the guys for me.

Vantage first built a strong foundation. I first learned how to create great lesson plans. Only after learning this phase, did I enter the classroom and do the most rewarding part of the course—my observed practice teaching classes. I was consistently building up teaching mythologies, grammar knowledge and training techniques that were both powerful and effective. The detailed feedback I got after each lesson in order to improve my teaching skills made me even better after each session and gave me even more confidence.

It was during these practice teaching sessions that my confidence as a teacher really grew. By the sixth practice, I felt I was ready to teach anyone anywhere.

Vantage was also absolutely fantastic in their job preparation. During my last week, we created my own personal Power Resume with a Cover Letter. I was then coached in effective interview techniques.

Something worked! I got hired the Monday after my Friday graduation.

I would definitely recommend Vantage TEFL Program for anyone considering coming to Thailand to become a teacher.

I was planning to return home after traveling in Thailand for a few weeks, but I began researching TEFL courses. However, I was concerned that I didn’t have enough experience or qualifications to be a teacher.

My research led me to Vantage TEFL—mostly through their remarkable reviews online.
Probably what I found to be most rewarding were the six hours of practical teaching experience as well as the power resume building and job placement support I got.

Vantage, unlike many other TEFL programs, gives each student at least six hours of practical teaching experience in front of actual university students. The process of creating lesson plans—and first getting professional feedback on those—was a huge factor in giving me the confidence that I was ready to step into a classroom.

My primary course instructor had over 20 years of teaching experience. Vantage instructors are available to guide you each step of the way. The instructors also have additional information that you will need to be a teacher, which is not covered in the course book, through their supplemental book that they’ve clearly taken many hours to build based on their teaching experience.

They’ll answer your questions not only throughout the course but after you graduate too. They also show you how your past work can be used—they call it transferable skills—to build a career in teaching.

I spent a lot of time researching TEFL courses including online and face to face courses. I made the decision that an In-Class course would be far more beneficial, as it offered was a practical component to the course of real-time teaching with real non-English speaking students.

My investigation led me to Vantage as it met all my expectations. First and foremost, it had to be internationally recognized and accredited by a reputable educational Institution. Secondly, they had to have more than just a couple of hours of actual teaching practice. Thirdly, the trainers not only had to meet but exceed stringent academic requirements for teaching TEFL. Having Cambridge University accreditation and backed by Fort Hays State University certainly met the criteria. Kevin, the Courses Director, answered all my follow-up questions and showed me around their training center.

Teaching a language is much more about getting the students to speak—and motivating them to do so. The course pushed me well beyond my comfort zone on some occasions. Trainer Chris was always there to encourage us. As a trainer, you would be hard to find someone any better. With the level of experience he has, his knowledge of the industry and how he always goes above and beyond with every aspect of the training. He will do everything in his power to ensure that you are prepared and confident with teaching English to others, as well as making sure you are enjoying the course. And he does this all with a sense of humour.

I certainly had many rewarding experiences during the practicum sessions. Without the 6 hours of observed teaching we were required to do, I would have found it far more difficult to become a confident teacher. While I was more than nervous at my first session, by the sixth lesson. I felt far more confident, relaxed and knew what to expect from the class and from myself. The feedback from Vantage and my fellow trainees were, productive, and invaluable. The Thai students were fantastic, very polite and a joy to teach.

By doing this course, be prepared to step outside your comfort zone. The experience, feedback, and encouragement received throughout the course from the team at Vantage are second to none.

Doing my TEFL training at Vantage was an amazing experience. The course certainly gave me the necessary skills to be able to successfully teach English as a second language.

I approached this TEFL course knowing I had a lot to learn, so I was more than interested to see how learning to be a language teacher could all be boiled down to a one month course.

The course is broken up into bite-sized pieces that are easy to digest. Functional pieces such as grammar and vocabulary are broken up into easy to understand parts that give the student a refresher—and a new appreciation—in proper English grammar.

The classes that teach functional teaching techniques are also broken up into small, easy to digest, portions that provide the students with a format that is easy to learn, reproduce, and perform.
However, the heart of the program—at least in terms of me becoming a professional teacher—are the observed teaching practices. What I learned in Vantage’s classes, I now had to apply to a real classroom of non-English speaking students. The feedback I got from each class was invaluable and really contributed to the development of my confidence as a teacher. It doesn’t hurt that the Thai students we had were a great to work with and a joy to teach.

The last important pieces to the course are the preparation given to help get students settled in Bangkok by providing practical and specific information as to where to stay, how to get to class, where to shop and to do the everyday.

Lastly, the faculty and staff are a wealth of knowledge in helping students understand the many job opportunities available in Thailand and in Southeast Asia. I highly recommend this course for those serious about a career in the English training industry.

I had over ten years of experience as a trainer in the medical industry where I delivered customized training for doctors in clinical applications. I’m also a native English speaker, so I was really questioning what a TEFL program could offer me.

In short, I learned how to teach a language. While my background made me very comfortable presenting to just about anyone and how to work a room. I soon realized there are some key differences between presenting a product than getting someone to successfully acquire a second language.

At Vantage, we learned about the different teaching mythologies and then put a key method into practice into our observed teaching practices. I soon realized to get someone else to reproduce the communications skills inherent in a language we’re really different than to teach someone facts and figures.

I first learned how to develop a guided lesson plan—which I got great feedback on—then deliver it in front of a live classroom of non-English speaking students.

After each observed teaching session, I got extremely valuable coaching from the Vantage trainers. They would also present me a new challenge to tackle for the next teaching practice They wanted to see more than just a single good teacher performance. We were being coached for overall growth in each and every individual session as the practicum went on. More than anything else, this made me into the teacher that I became by the end of the course.

Doing my TEFL training at Vantage in Bangkok was a fantastic experience. The trainers have a ton of experience so I learned so much more than what I read in the textbook. This program is highly professional and just the ticket for those starting a career as a language teacher.

I didn’t have much clue as to what a TEFL course would require before I started. Before, all my training had been based in sciences and not the arts which is where I would have previously classified languages.

What I found both theory and methodologies of teaching languages were much more evidence-based than I originally thought. But during the observed practice teaching sessions of my training, I got to try all my newly learned techniques out on non-English speaking students. This is where art met science. I got a ton of great feedback which I incorporated into my next teaching session. I surprisingly found this to be the part I liked best.

I found this course to be a very satisfying experience. The trainers are incredibly friendly and eager to help you succeed. They are quite knowledgeable, but have a levity which facilitates your learning.

The emphasis is on the practical—what works in the classroom. They do not bog you down with theoretical diatribes, but keep things simple and palatable. They also have a local knowledge which will help in particular if you are looking for work in Thailand. They have a specialized job coach who will both plug you into their extensive network of schools, but also develop your Power Resume and supporting job documentation materials.

I was very worried about doing a TEFL course because as a Thai, I was the same nationality as my students. I was also apprehensive about being in a course with all native speakers

The good news was that the class sizes were kept small so every student got a personal level of attention. Their trainer has wide-ranging experience in teaching English and in creating teaching curriculums and supporting materials. He really went out of his way to see how I doing and giving me constructive advice each step of the way turning me into a professional teacher. All this was a lot of work, but the course was always engaging, interesting and even fun.

Vantage made me realize that, as a non-native speaker, I had advantages. They told me that the process of learning a second language—something native English speakers rarely do—was very helpful in motivating students in second language acquisition.

I actually found I become a role model for my Thai students. Many times after class and they came up and told me that they didn’t really believe they could ever speak English like their American teachers. The fact that I’ve mastered English gave them hope and they were encouraged to keep trying.

Vantage’s TEFL program was truly world-class. I was developed into a teacher each step of the way during my practice sessions. I got very useful feedback after each class and I was challenged to incorporate something new into my next teaching session. As I grew more confident after each practice session, I became more competent in the classroom. I couldn’t have done this without these guys!