Job Discussion Forums

[miriamcs]

Hi,

1) I'm planning on doing the CELTA course with ECC. My concern with the course is that they seem less involved in helping to find a job than some other options. I just graduated from college and this is my first time travelling abroad by myself and I'm unsure how exactly I will be able to know whether a job is a good one, whether the salary offered is reasonable, whether the location is good, etc. Do you know anything about the job assistance that ECC offers and do you think that there will be at least enough assistance to help me find these things out?
TEFL international seems much more helpful in these regards but there seems to be a lot of skepticism about his organization on this board. Is this skepticism founded? Other organizations charge about four times as much and they guarantee to find you a job, cover various insurances and stuff but you don't get a real TEFL certificate, I don't think, plus the prices are exorbatant.

2) My boyfriend will be in the states and it's very important to me that I am able to stay in touch with him. Does anyone have a recommendation in terms of cell phones, internet, etc? Are international phone cards the best way to go? Should I bring my laptop and buy a wireless service? Are there cellphones you can get where you can call the U.S. for reasonable prices?

3) I'm having difficulty deciding where I would like to live. I am really coming to Thailand to learn about the country and the people. I am not terribly interested in the drinking/partying scene and would prefer to get to knowmore Thai people than foreigners. This makes me think that perhaps I shouldn't stay in Bangkok. At the same time, I don't want to be in a situation where I am the only person that speaks English and so I don't want to be "in the middle of nowhere" either. Is there something of an in between?

[kparsons]

Hi Miriam-

We did our CELTA at ECC in Bangkok, and we really enjoyed it. They didn't hold our hands and help us type our resumes in order to find jobs, but we did have one session on the sort of places to check out, the questions to ask, the things (and schools) to avoid, etc. We had a fantastic time in Bangkok (and at ECC!). Don't worry about drinking and partying -- no one will be doing much of that during the course -- no time for it. If you do end up at ECC, check out Patumwan House on Soi Kasem San 1 for the month. It's a splendid hotel, a short walk to school, and they offer great monthly rates (hugely discounted from their nightly).

As for the phone thing, lots of places offer pretty cheap overseas calling services. I don't know what to tell you on the cell phone front, but your best bet may either be Skype (which the other person will need to be a member of as well) or Vonage. Skype is a plug-it-into-the-computer-and-roll service -- I've never used it, so I can't really speak for it. We have Vonage, which we are alternatingly overjoyed and frustrated w/(more overjoyed than not, I suppose). Vonage uses your internet line as your phone line. You're actually able to transfer your existing phone number over and that is the number people call to contact you (unlike Skype, they do not need to be members -- they can call you from any phone, anywhere in the world). The nice thing about that is that when you're in Bangkok (or whereever), the call still remains a local call for your boyfriend or whoever. The service is cheap ($15 a month or so), and all you need is a router (given to you at sign up), which you plug into a high speed internet line anywhere in the world. We were unable to use ours much, as our hotel didn't have internet service in the rooms, but we were able to take it to internet cafes to use, and it worked great.

Okay, I'm done writing the next great American novel -- feel free to contact me if you have any other questions, etc.

-Kathleen