CIEE TEFL: My Bridge From Topeka to Thailand

During this 10 week TEFL course I developed my awareness of the field and practices of TEFL and gained a deeper understanding of the components of the English language applicable to teaching EFL. I’ve also developed appropriate lesson plans for a variety of learners to aid both their receptive and productive skills and their use of English. This course has given me the confidence to step into my classroom in Thailand. The practicum gave me first-hand experience with teaching so I could better understand what was to come.

Now I'm in Thailand teaching English to 6th grade students and I use the skills I learned from my course every day. I have an awareness of how to build my lessons in a way that brings the learners along with me to eventually create projects using the English skills I taught them. I know many games and have access to many resources to keep English learning exciting. I'm able to blend together my new learnings from the teachers here in Thailand with my understanding of TEFL theory I learned in the course. Currently, I am having a nostalgically joyous time teaching Christmas to the children in my classrooms.

The CIEE TEFL program really helped me become a successful teacher equipping me with the skills and confidence to kickstart teaching English to Thai students. I would recommend the CIEE TEFL course to anyone who is going to teach overseas.