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

My Vantage TEFL journey began in the beginning of January 2020 and ended in early February. I’m an instructor pilot in the aviation industry looking to teach Aviation English, and I felt like a TEFL would be a good place to start. After comparing courses, I came across something called Engage, Study, Activate. This is the teaching methodology that is taught by Vantage TEFL, and it places a heavy emphasis on being able to USE language effectively. I’m Thai, and I’m familiar with how the education system here teaches us to be grammar experts who can’t utter a word of English in a real conversation. This seemed like the best way to reverse that.

Due to the pandemic there was only one other student in the class, which became a bonus for us because we were able to interact with Chris, our instructor, more. He did an excellent job in translating what would otherwise be a bland course book into highly engaging and informative lessons. I was amazed that he was able to hold our interest all day throughout the month-long course. Chris has a unique ability to use a book, a whiteboard, and his plethora of experience to keep lessons interesting. I loved the discussions we had in class, where we shared experiences and knowledge. I can honestly say that more than half of what I got from the course came from such discussions (you can’t find most of them in the book!).

I like how the Practicum, which comprised of 6 real classes, were spread out throughout the latter half of the course. This gave me a chance to get feedback after each class and improve my next classes. I really felt that I grew after each class (given online due to the pandemic), because Chris’ critiques were straightforward, to-the-point, and very constructive. This wouldn’t have been very practical had the 6 classes been back to back on the final week.

When you’re done with the course, Kevin is always there to help guide you through your job search journey. Although he doesn’t teach the TEFL course himself, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share if you catch him outside of class times.

All in all, I wish the course had been longer. Call me dramatic, but I honestly think this was the best investment I had made so far, and I feel that Vantage has helped unlock a new chapter in life for me. Thank you Chris and Kevin!

P.s. if you’re bringing a car, be aware of the big parking fees. Park elsewhere and take the BTS if you can!

I signed up for the Virtual Vantage course since I was not able to be in Thailand due to coronavirus restrictions. As I decided to start teaching online first—this course provided a strong foundation for online instruction—I went ahead and got certified now rather than wait for the world to open up.
The Virtual Vantage course is 100% online and it’s divided into two parts: theory and practice teaching.
The theory aspect of the course is delivered by Vantage’s partner iTTT which is a big name in the TEFL industry. The course book is 20 units which are all clear and relevant and quite interesting. Here I learnt a lot of theory and the information in these units taught me how to create my own lessons and to teach with the proper methodology. You have 6 months to finish the course book. I did it without any pressure at my own pace in about 3 months.
The online course gave me the flexibility to learn new teaching methods while I was still able to do my daily obligations. It was also really great that many resources were provided that I used to create lessons. For a new teacher, this was more than appreciated.
The observed teaching practice part of the course was delivered by Vantage. I really liked my practicum where I taught 6 classes each one on a different language point.
Before I even taught a class, I submitted all my lesson plans to Vantage’s trainers in advance and I got detail feedback on each one.
Then I was ready to try my hand at teaching. I had the opportunity to do 1 to 1 lesson as well as group classes. Vantage trainers Kevin and Chris were amazing, and they helped me and advised me every stage of the way from creating the lesson to delivering the lesson to a class.
After each class, they gave me detailed feedback which help me to improve my performance for the next lesson. I gained more confidence in myself and they shattered any doubts that I had.
I believe this part of the course was extremely beneficial. It’s important because you get to experience what it feels like to be in front of a group of students and you can see firsthand how your lesson plan actually worked. Again, this experience gave me more confidence and my new teaching skills will definitely be an asset whenever and to whomever I end up teaching.
Lastly, I was pleasantly surprised that not only Vantage guide you throughout the whole teaching training course, but they also provide valuable job support. I developed my own Power Resume with their help and got valuable advice in job hunting. This clearly show that Vantage really care about its students.
If you’re serious about starting a new career in teaching, these are the people to talk to.

Vantage’s In-Class TEFL is intensive and challenging, but I was always learning and eager to attend class each day.

Their trainers — Kevin, Chris and Ryan are topnotch coaches. More importantly, they are proper professionals driven to make you achieve to the best of your ability.

Lead trainer Chris is highly focused, and every class is well-prepared. Disciplined and deliberate, he makes a wealth of TELF material easy to understand and use.

The foreign language component is a great introduction to Thai culture and language in a way that is meaningful and relevant — particularly the do’s and don’ts for foreign teachers in a Thai school.

Kevin is Vantage’s Jobs Coach. He sat with me as we crafted my own individual Power Resume. He worked with me on interviewing skills and how to handle objections that could come up in meeting with a school.

Vantage’s TEFL service doesn’t end with the course. Having just completed the course, I’m now working with them in researching the best job opportunities that match my requirements and then securing interviews.

Vantage is ideal for those seeking a career move into education. They gave me not only the knowledge and skills I need to be a good teacher, but also the confidence to be an effective one.

My observed practice teaching included a range of students — including college students and very young learners. The feedback I got from the trainers after each session was invaluable in making me a better teacher after each class.

I came into this course unsure of my ability to teach, but came out confident I can teach anyone, anywhere.

I highly recommend Vantage. These are the people to work with for anyone considering a career in the classroom.

I completed the Hybrid or Combined Course, where I did the coursebook online, and then I did my observed teaching practices (OTPs) to real students in live classrooms.

The online course is organized into 20 units—you have to complete a test at the end of each unit to show you have mastered the content in order to move on.

For me, the grammar related units proved to be the more difficult, so I spent extra time on those sections relearning what I studied years ago in grade school. I then completed the Phase One’s summative essay (500 to 1,000 words).

Phase Two are the OTPs. The in-class teaching practices were great! The English proficiency level and ages of the students were shared with me in order to prepare my lesson plans. I got immediate assistance on my lesson planning, and I felt comfortable and ready to teach the class.

After each teaching session, I first did a self-evaluation using Vantage’s form to guide me in that process. Then I got invaluable feedback from their trainer’s ‘observation’ of my classes. I felt I really grew as a teacher during the OTP phase two.

Vantage were great in their job services as well. I was placed immediately with a prestigious school in Bangkok. I left my old job in the hospitality field on a Friday and I was a brand new teacher the next Monday!

Their partners also sorted out my visa problems as my old visa was converted over to my new school. No need to leave Thailand to get a new visa which is problematic during this coronavirus crisis. Vantage really offered the full service package.

So far, I’m really enjoying my new career as a teacher. Vantage will also share with you a lot of content on lesson planning, potential activities, tips and tricks—all that you can use in your future teaching career.

I highly recommend this TEFL course for anyone who wants to make a career change into education.

I arrived to Thailand a week or so before the Kingdom essentially shut down its borders. After some five months or so having a great time hanging out at the beach, I began to think about how I could reinvent my life. My career in the entertainment business had been pretty much wiped out overnight—at least for the foreseeable future.

Teaching English seemed like a great choice given the unstable demand for teachers and the face that I was a native English speaker. While I had no real classroom know-how, I wondered how my voice training and experience as a professional singer would make me a good language teacher.

The single best move I made was to discover the Vantage TEFL teaching course in Bangkok. It was a life-changing decision.

The four-week course of intensive training reigniting my life again. Their Lead Trainer has decades of experience and is one of the finest English language teachers in Thailand. He doesn’t lecture and instead uses a workshop style that always engages his trainees. A key strength is that he instructs with uncompromising attention to detail.

It was the observed teaching sessions that made this course so special. Theory and grammar is all very useful—indeed essential—but Vantage will also show you how to use grammar in context of teaching a language topic and not in isolation that is the hallmark of traditional language teaching.

We taught real-life lessons in schools, to students of various ages and abilities, and it was here that the knowledge we got from our course book was transformed into viable teaching skills we’ll need to be successful in the classroom.
I also got to work one-on-one with Vantage’s Jobs Coach. He help me with all my future career questions. His guidance in job searches, resume writing, and interview techniques was of great value.

His ‘Power Resume’ is as advertised—a highly effective marketing brochure that sparked an interest in a product—me! I had a job offer even before I graduated! And I was getting offers to interview to everyone I contacted.

This is a five-star course which gave me a whole new lease of life. Doing my TEFL at Vantage was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Postscript update: In the two weeks since graduation, I’ve applied for five jobs and I got offered for all five positions.

Vantage’s Power Resumes really work! Indeed at a couple of interviews they mentioned how professional my job documentation was some of the best they’ve seen.

I’ve accepted a job as the Head of Music at a prestigious Bangkok school where I will be teaching theory & appreciation in English. Things couldn’t be rosier.

I’m a Canadian expat who has lived in Thailand for 30 some years. Covid dramatically affected my business in the hospitality industry, so I needed another income source and I looked at teaching English as a variable possibility. But I had never taught before and really didn’t even know how to get started until I found Vantage.

Vantage TEFL, with Chris and Kevin, is without doubt an invaluable asset that I would highly recommend.

In just four weeks, I learned from 2 professionals with a wealth of experience, what it takes to create and deliver a successful class. In effect, to become a “good” teacher.
I gained confidence with each practice lesson I taught, and the feedback I got guided and directed me to comfortable and confident with each subsequent class.

I’ve been taught methodologies how to teach that makes it engaging and fun for both the student and teacher. More importantly, it enabled my students to use English to speak in a second language.

I now have the confidence to teach anyone, anywhere.

The course has now ended, but the help does not. Kevin caters to what age, level, school, you might like to teach and guide you to several opportunities of interest.

If you need to start a new career as I did, these are the guys to be talking to.

I wanted to make a career change into teaching English abroad, but I had no formal training nor experience. A friend’s recommendation and my subsequent research pointed me to Vantage.

Vantage turned out to be an impressive program. I cannot overstate the support I was given and the overall quality of their TEFL training. My self-confidence grew dramatically as I went through the course, and I had a solid job offer by the time I finished.

Last year, in a pre-COVID era, I wanted to do some advance study. At Vantage’s suggestion, I enrolled in their Combined Course, which allowed me to access their online TEFL course book for self-study. The plan was to come to Bangkok early this year and do my observed teaching practices in Thai schools.

COVID put a halt to the Bangkok training. However, by that time, Vantage had developed their virtual program. I switch to Virtual Vantage, which allowed me to get practical teaching experience—with real students in a live class--via Zoom.

Kevin and Chris always went the extra mile. They directly monitored every class I taught and followed up with a one-on-one video conference to discuss my strengths and identify areas for improvement. A lot of what you read about online teaching is really about one-on-one instruction. Teaching a group online is way different—definitely more challenging than individual coaching and also being in a traditional classroom.

If you can succeed in online group teaching, you definitely will excel at classroom teaching. And at rate, I’m really glad I now have online teaching skills as I see this as rapidly growing market for teachers.

I’m already putting all my training to good use. The week after graduation I’ve had my first classes and Vantage’s teaching materials, methods, and invaluable feedback enabled me to guide engaging and productive classes. The ESA teaching formula I learned allowed me to quickly ascertain the student’s language level, and guide a conversation that included my being able to practice some grammar points.

Most importantly, Vantage’s program has given me the self-confidence to rapidly refine my teaching ability. People skills are crucial, as is the willingness to listen to the student. The deceptively simple approach of asking the students what they want to get out of the classes, along with their interests, is worth its weight in gold.

I did a lot of research before committing to this course.

I have a bachelor’s degree in education and formal training and experience in this field. So I was more than a bit skeptical of what a one month TEFL course could add to my skills and background.

This course completely exceeded all of my expectations. Chris, the lead teacher, has decades of knowledge about what to teach and how to teach it. Kevin is their Jobs Coach and he’s a pro with creating resumes that are impactful and giving career advice. A great teaching position was found even before I finished the course!

The Vantage team have created an environment that promotes hard work and all the tools to grow into a successful English teacher.

Their observed practice teaching sessions were amazing. First, we taught primary aged students in a Thai government school. Later we taught college students online. To experience both a traditional classroom and an online platform really gave me a great feel for the spectrum of English language teaching.

I walked away with confidence and tools for further developing my teaching practice.
Was there anything not to like? Hmmm…well I graduated on a Friday and started my new job on Monday…maybe a bit of a break would have been nice.

I would recommend Vantage again and again to anyone considering a career in teaching English overseas.