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International House CELTA in CHIANG MAI????
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macalkins



Joined: 17 Oct 2008
Posts: 3
Location: Kansas City

PostPosted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 1:29 am    Post subject: International House CELTA in CHIANG MAI???? Reply with quote

Hello all,

I am planning on going to Thailand in Februaray to get CELTA cetified.
I was wondering if anyone has had any good or bad experiences with the International House CELTA program? Is this program Legit?

Thanks,
Any responses would be great.
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CoolThailand



Joined: 08 Jun 2007
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Generally speaking the IH CELTA programmes are very professionally delivered, & generally demanding (else it wouldn't be worth doing) regardless of where in the world you happen to be.
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davidrwest2005



Joined: 30 Aug 2006
Posts: 12
Location: Hubei

PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:50 am    Post subject: CELTA in Chiang Mai Reply with quote

I did the CELTA in Chiang Mia during summer 2007. I would highly recommend it. It is intensive and that means what there was too learn is slowly working its way into my teaching.

One good thing about the Chiang Mai classes is that the actual center is outside of the city. It is on some private property which feels like a rustic resort. The Thai people who serve as our students for the teaching practicum have to travel from the city to get to us. This means that they cannot get to our classes until 6 pm. Because of the time requirements of the training, we cannot hold a standard 8 AM to 5 PM schedule. This required that the training started at 11 AM every weekday. This was great because we could plan lessons and research our reports in the morning hours and still sleep in a bit. This also meant that there was no need to burn the midnight oil and crunch out a paper at the last minute. That alone made the training great.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
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aaaronr



Joined: 08 Nov 2008
Posts: 82

PostPosted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:37 pm    Post subject: IH Bangkok CM Reply with quote

I did the CELTA course there in July with David.

I'd recommend learning what lesson plans are and how to create an effective one for reading, writing, grammar, listening, etc.

LPs will take you a lot of time if you haven't done one before. Most of us spent hours on them to do a 40 or 60 minute lesson.

Keep in mind you won't have much time to do them. You'll be in class all day then either teaching or observing your classmates.

Also, the written assignments are a pain in the butt. The lexicology one was horrible.

Your Thai students are pretty patient and understanding. They were the best part of the course. Keep in mind that most ESL jobs are teaching kids, so you will have to mke a big transition from CELTA. I couldn't quite make the transition.

I'd recommend you bring a memeory stick so you don't lose your LPs on the sometimes spotty computers. Also, get some of your own food from TESCO. I was pretty hungry all the time there.

Make sure to tip Neng the taxi driver well. He's a good man and will probably be one of your students. Avoid Lucky bar in CM. You have been warned.

Nugent Waterside is a nice place. However, you'll get cabin fever because most of your time will be spent going from your room to the computer room and back again. There's a little town called Hang Dong that is a 1.5 km walk. Not bad for a short getaway.

Don't forget to enjoy Thailand before or after the course. I saw most of Thailand from the window of a classroom.

I was really glad when the whole course was over because I was tired of the whole thig by the end. Give yourself some time to recover before you take any jobs.

Good luck.

PM me if you want more info or an example of a lesson plan.
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Howie



Joined: 18 Mar 2009
Posts: 22

PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 4:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a phone interview with IH in a few days. Has anybody had such an interview with them? How was it?
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MaiPenRai



Joined: 17 Jan 2006
Posts: 390
Location: BKK

PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 5:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, in general IH is a well run company and they focus a lot on their CELTA courses for most of their business. The most important thing about a TEFL/CELTA course is the trainers. Ask about who the trainers are and what education and experience they have. I think that they have a new trainer in Chiang Mai recently. As others have said, be prepared to work hard and for CELTA just do what they tell you. They have their set way and it doesn't matter how good you are, if you don't show that you are utilizing their techniques, or at least trying to, you probably wont do well. Just listen and do overly-prepared lesson plans and you will be fine.

The interview is pretty basic. Mostly they just want to see that you are serious about taking a serious course. they may ask things like why do you want to be a teacher? What would you do in certain situations? Don't worry they dont expect you to get it all right , they just want to see that you are thinking about it. The written pre-course task is also not something to be scared of. Just show that you made an effort to research some stuff. Again, it is not expected that you will get it all correct, that's why you are taking the course right!

Have fun and expect some long nights. Good advice to bring a flash drive/memory stick to save all of your lesson plans and materials.
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qcat79



Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:37 pm    Post subject: CELTA in Chiang Mai Reply with quote

all of the above is correct from the folks who experienced it. the fellow students (to be teachers) were an amazing set of folks. we absolutely all loved each other and had a great time. i'd say it was one of the best months i've ever had despite constantly feeling the pressures of meeting such short deadlines.

the upsides: it's rather removed from chiang mai so you don't get absorbed into any party scene whilst trying to concentrate on the course, the food cooked there is effing amazing. the rooms are quite nice and air-conditioned. you can go for nice walks in the morning down the dirt road if you're up to it. the fish pond is quite relaxing to look at. feeding the fish is an experience in itself. they're crazy! the students are great. it's such a relaxing atmosphere. ahh! and the sound of the geckos. we would count their hoots (or barks, or whatever the hell you call them). rarely would they hoot over 6 times in a row. it was fun to keep track all day and night.

the downsides: you can only use the computer room until 10-10:30 at night. the electricity shuts off occasionally. the manager/owner of the property doesn't allow the air-con on in the classrooms during the day. the lunch portions are kinda small (but tasty). you'll be bombarded with work to do, sometimes making you feel like you might get behind if you leave the campus for a weekend in chiang mai. you pretty much have to do all your shopping on the weekends 'cuz there's really no time to do so during the week. don't go if you're afraid of bugs and other crawlies. at night they swarm the dining hall (which is outside). you literallly have to duck so they all don't fly in your face. last, but not least, the internet connection suck out there. it's unreliable and slow.

all in all, i wouldn't exchange my time there for anything. it was a truly amazing experience and i still keep in contact with the friends i made through that course.

oh, and i doubt he will still be teaching there, but we had Gerald. he was an amazing teacher. i'll never forget him. he was brillant and funny as hell.
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MDDude



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 43
Location: Maryland, United States

PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 12:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello,

Did anyone do IH's "Extra Package"? That is the option where you pay for the CELTA, housing, and food all in one. Was it a good deal? Did it make life easier?

Did IH help you look for jobs when the course was done? I think I would like to work in the Bangkok area. Will getting trained up in Chiang Mai make that more difficult?
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daniel_hayes



Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 177

PostPosted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Inter'l House C.Mai course seems good. Would a Cert. from there be useful throughout Asia - particularly in Cambodia or Vietnam?

Also, are IH helpful with setting up jobs for students?

I lived for 9months in C.Mai and love the place. Great, great town.
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angelfire



Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 29
Location: United States

PostPosted: Mon May 18, 2009 4:57 pm    Post subject: DELTA Reply with quote

Hi. I'm new to the board. I already have a CELTA, but I am searching for a good place to do the DELTA (or even distance DELTA). Can anyone out there give me any information regarding programs or experiences with their DELTA?

angelfire
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MaiPenRai



Joined: 17 Jan 2006
Posts: 390
Location: BKK

PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I did my CELTA with IH in Bangkok and the trainers were excellent. Like 40 years of experience between them. I actually wanted to do it in Chiang Mia but circumstances prevented it. Chiang Mai is a beautiful place, but the course is held at a resort outside of the city so I have heard this creates problems. If you are thinking of doing a TEFL course, CELTA is still the best out there (dep on trainers IMO) and the most recognized. That is not to say that it is the right course for everyone, but it is the most recognized.

Seems like the DELTA is more popular in Vietnam. ILA seems to do it more often than others. I was thinking about doing it through them a few years down the road. Best bet would be to contact any CELTA providers and ask them about the DELTA. I think you need 3-5 years post CELTA before you can do the DELTA though.
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hkimball2



Joined: 11 Jul 2009
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 3:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MaiPenRai wrote:
Chiang Mai is a beautiful place, but the course is held at a resort outside of the city so I have heard this creates problems.



what types of problems? i've read that this is actually an upside to doing the IH course in chiang mai, because there are less distractions and the environment is well suited to the intense study schedule...

any further thoughts on this??? thanks
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aaaronr



Joined: 08 Nov 2008
Posts: 82

PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 4:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Agreed. You won't have much time to do anything but CELTA. Being out in the countryside kept me focused on the course, otherwise I would have gone far astray.

Enjoy Thailand before or after the course, not during (except or a Saturday or Sunday day trip).
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stu_miller



Joined: 03 Sep 2009
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:20 pm    Post subject: Re: IH Bangkok CM Reply with quote

aaaronr wrote:
I did the CELTA course there in July with David.

I'd recommend learning what lesson plans are and how to create an effective one for reading, writing, grammar, listening, etc.

LPs will take you a lot of time if you haven't done one before. Most of us spent hours on them to do a 40 or 60 minute lesson.

Keep in mind you won't have much time to do them. You'll be in class all day then either teaching or observing your classmates.

Also, the written assignments are a pain in the butt. The lexicology one was horrible.

Your Thai students are pretty patient and understanding. They were the best part of the course. Keep in mind that most ESL jobs are teaching kids, so you will have to mke a big transition from CELTA. I couldn't quite make the transition.

I'd recommend you bring a memeory stick so you don't lose your LPs on the sometimes spotty computers. Also, get some of your own food from TESCO. I was pretty hungry all the time there.

Make sure to tip Neng the taxi driver well. He's a good man and will probably be one of your students. Avoid Lucky bar in CM. You have been warned.

Nugent Waterside is a nice place. However, you'll get cabin fever because most of your time will be spent going from your room to the computer room and back again. There's a little town called Hang Dong that is a 1.5 km walk. Not bad for a short getaway.

Don't forget to enjoy Thailand before or after the course. I saw most of Thailand from the window of a classroom.

I was really glad when the whole course was over because I was tired of the whole thig by the end. Give yourself some time to recover before you take any jobs.

Good luck.

PM me if you want more info or an example of a lesson plan.



Hi Aaron

I will be doing the IH Chiang Mai CELTA in October... I would be very interested in an LP example if you have one available?

Thanks in advance!
Stu
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Yasuke



Joined: 10 Jan 2014
Posts: 178

PostPosted: Fri May 02, 2014 4:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How far is the location from the city center? I've tried to look up the address, but there seems to be nothing listed.
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