entry 6: choosing a tefl course

How do you pick a TEFL course?

Last Saturday our group met to discuss our Thailand adventure. There are 6 of us considering going, 4 definites and 2 maybe's. One of the major discussion topics was what TEFL course to pick, if we were going to pick any at all.

Our first concern was value. We wanted to get the most comprehensive and helpful course at a reasonable price. Courses and programs can range from $300 to over $2000, but obviously the cheaper they are, the less support is given with them.

Secondly, we wanted to pick an accredited course. Technically, there are no TEFL requirements in Thailand. Any Native English speaker can teach there as long as they have a four-year degree. However, having a TEFL certificate and having one that is accredited by the Thailand Ministry of Education greatly improves your chances of getting a job with a higher pay.

We also wanted to do our course on-site. There are a ton of online TEFL courses, but we determined that being in Thailand with other students, immersed in the culture would be the most beneficial way for us to learn and feel prepared to teach Thai students.

Reviews were also important to us. We wanted to make sure that other people who had gone through our chosen course were successful. We talked with a girl who went through the program we ended up choosing who has been teaching in Southeast Asia for a few years now. She highly recommended the program, as well as all of the other reviews posted about it.

Lastly, perks. What else can the course offer? Our big concerns were questions with logistics like visa information and job support. Other factors we considered were accommodation, cultural immersion experiences, Thai lessons, discounts, and connections. Some courses just offer the course by itself. Some programs cover everything and guarantee job placement. However, we wanted to have the flexibility to choose our location, so we chose a program without guaranteed placement, but with support with resumes, interviews, and job listing resources as well as a great reputation with local schools.

So what course did we choose?

We chose to go through TEFL Campus in Phuket. They met all our of criteria and when we reached out about questions, they responded quickly and were extremely friendly and happy to provide information. We're waiting to apply as a group, so we've decided on a deadline of June 1st for everyone to decide if they are coming or not. We're hoping to apply as a group so that we can get the group discount and all be in the same course and same accommodation.

Everyone has their own concerns when looking into a course, so just because we chose this one doesn't mean there aren't others out there that would be perfect for someone else. I'll be sure to update the blog once I've taken the course to give my opinion on how it went.