Graduate Level Courses in Education available in Southeast Asia? - Sold

The first thing that shocked me out of my American grip hold was the location of our housing during the TESOL training. Located on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, surrounded by tent-homes, is where you'll find the Marady Hotel, a strikingly Western comfort-zone in the middle of quite a poor section of Cambodia's capital. The staff is excellent, and always willing to show you around (especially when it comes to the nightlife of Phnom Penh).

More impressive, however, was the dedication of the staff to providing a solid two week course in teaching English, on par with many graduate courses offered in the United States. The staff was incredibly laid-back (we can take for example here just their attire of T-shirts and khaki shorts) which is very helpful when you have a roomful of students who are in a brand new country. They do not teach with intimidation; they seem to truly teach with care. They want you to have a good experience during training so that you will stay and continue to experience all the benefits of teaching abroad. Beyond the regular classroom activities, they also offer weekly gatherings to further break the ice amongst the students and between the students and teachers (for example, an outing on the "Love Boat" - a fantastic little trip one evening down the central river of Phnom Penh singing karaoke and enjoying an Angkor aboard a little wooden ship).

In the classroom, while the teachers may be laid back, they are also quite straightforward. If this intimidates you, then I'd question how ready you are to be living overseas in the first place. Cambodia and Thailand are not your home country, and you will be expected to conform to their rules and regulations, or else you may send yourself home. There are helpful hints and tools (especially when it comes to organizing Visas and creating resumes for teaching English abroad) that the instructors will help you with from beginning to end. If you follow their directions, you should have no problem securing a position as a teacher and acclimating to life in a wonderful new country!