Job Discussion Forums

[yadasacker]

Hi Folks,

I'm currently on the fence as to whether or not I should accept a position with this program. http://www.teflcoursethailand.com/stp_pattaya.shtml

I applied last week (on Monday) and was accepted into the program as of Wednesday. The application process was literally me just submitting a resume and then having a conversation with the program coordinator.

The program coordinator is being very friendly, yet he's really trying to pressure me into accepting the position.

Also, he gave me a few contact people to ask questions to that have been part of the program in the past and when they wrote back, they couldn't even write an email in proper English. I found this kind of strange.

I feel like there has to be some sort of catch, however, I could be completely wrong.

For $500 I get the TEFL Cert. and they house me during this time while 100% finding me a job when I'm done with the certification.

My major concerns are...

1. Do you definitely recommend getting the TEFL cert. before heading to a country such as Thailand?
2. What kind of housing do you think I'll be given?? They are pretty vague when asking them so I thought a past student may have a better idea? I obviously don't need luxury, but I don't want to live in a roach infested place either. I'll be there in the dead of the summer, what are the chances of having AC?
3. Is the pay of B30,000 a month a good wage? It seems to be somewhat on the low end of some other schools that I've read about on the internet, however, room and board and the class to get my certification is paid for other than the $500.

Thanks for all of your help.

[Extraordinary Rendition]

I lived, and taught, in Pattaya for over four years. As an aside, I love the place, and when I think of "home" I now think of Pattaya.

30,000 baht/month. If you don't have any other income, or substantial disposable cash, you're not going to be able to enjoy Pattaya. Trying to live on that income alone, you'll likely become angry and frustrated, unless you have the ability to live a very ascetic lifestyle (in Pattaya ). Hey, if you can do that, you don't need to worry about air conditioning.

The accommodation will be a room, with an ensuite WC. That's how most foreigners live in Thailand, it's the norm.

The certificate will be fine for Thailand, but not so useful if you ever decide to teach elsewhere. Think about a CELTA/Trinity/SIT, if you can swing it financially (by all means, do it in Thailand). You'll get a better job, and will have more flexibility in the long run.

The guaranteed job is very likely to be teaching children. I hate doing that, but some people actually like it - just be aware of that. But it takes a knack to teach a language to little ones with their two-minute attention spans. A knack I don't have, and no amount of training is likely to help you acquire (yet I have a young friend, ex-military, who's great at it!). You don't need any kind of guarantee to get a job at 30,000. Just being alive (or nearly) and on the spot will do it (I'm assuming you have some kind of Bachelor's degree). Look on Ajarn.com and get a feel for the job market and decide for yourself.

[Fike2308]

www.telfintl.com is a total scam and should be avoided at all costs.

PM for more information.

MOD EDIT is not to be trusted!

MOD EDIT

[Pauleddy]

If it sounds too good to be true, then it prolly is....

This is a scam.

There have been a number of dodgy TEFL cert courses in Thailand over recent times.

You need to ensure that any course is certified, like the CELTA, which comes under Univ Cambridge. A TESOL should be accredited by Trinity College. Don't just take the trainer's word, research it.

The scam re these placement schools is that, after your 4 weeks training, you become part of the cannon fodder being sent to state schools which are sometimes 'low quality' in terms of facilities and corrupt Thai management. ALSO, the TEFL people earn out of you. They ask the school for a placement FEE, which they pocket. THAT'S WHY they trap you in for a 500 dollar cost. They double or treble that when they send you on.

You, poor soul, have never been to Thailand and so they are preying on your ignorance. There are many good jobs here.

The best thing to do is to pay full price and do a TEFL cert CELTA or TESOL in the UK or the USA...THEN come here.

PEd

[Extraordinary Rendition]

Pauleddy, Wouldn't you agree a CELTA or Trinity cert., or an SIT course, done in Thailand would be a good idea? The OP would be in Thailand, there'd be practice teaching with Thai learners, the course provider could help with a decent job... Are you saying that even the CELTA course in Thailand is inferior? All CELTA courses are supposed to be monitored by UCLES... I'm just curious...

[Rachel123]

I moved from Thailand and traveling in India presently. Well having a degree is not enough now a day to teach in Thailand especially with the changing visa rules.



Hand on experience and confidence in classroom is very important and that�s what the certificate is for. At the end of the day you are a teacher!!! And not walking into a classroom to just show your face.



I don�t agree totally with the above posting as he or she is discrediting the education system in Thailand. I agree certificate is not important but experience is imp. The certificate is a paper of acknowledgement that you did prepare to teach. There is no point denying Schools in Thailand prefer TESOL/TEFL/CELTA qualified teachers especially if you are with no teaching experience.



Also who says the teaching certificate is not important?. Other countries like China, Vietnam, Korea and even European countries acknowledge this certification.



Think again before taking any decision and especially if you are going for the first time to Thailand or a first time teacher TESOL will be immensely helpful

Also I have done the TEFL International program its worth. And you will be glad to know that I came to know about TEFLINTL from this website only. How can it be a Scam and if so why have Dave given the top most banner in the website to TEFL International. I would definitely like to know this.....

[Extraordinary Rendition]

As Detective Joe Friday would say, "just the facts, ma'am, just the facts".

1. If one wishes to have the maximum flexibility for an unknowable future, the CELTA and Trinity cert. still have the greatest worldwide recognition of the "initial" English language teaching certifications. This is not to say that the training on such a course is any better than any other initial certification course.

2. The Thai government regulations require only a Bachelor's degree (any field) to obtain a work permit for teaching English.

3. There are many, many English teaching jobs available in Thailand for holders of a Bachelor's degree without any additional qualification, paying more than 30,000 baht per month.

4. If you think I was recommending that the OP not take any training course, you are mistaken. I believe such courses are invaluable for persons wishing to teach English as a foreign or second language. I only wanted the OP to be aware of facts #2 and #3 above.

5. 30,000 baht per month is not enough to allow a pleasant standard of living in Pattaya. (You may argue that this is an opinion; I disagree.)

An opinion: A CELTA obtained in Bangkok, or elsewhere in Thailand, will provide a better chance at obtaining a better-paying job in Thailand than other options, including the option of obtaining a CELTA outside of Thailand (for the reasons stated in my previous post); Bangkok is the closest place to Pattaya in which to obtain a CELTA, and Bangkok itself has the most job opportunities in Thailand.

[Fike2308]

http://teflblacklist.blogspot.com/2007/11/tefl-international.html

[No Moss]

I did the TEFL International course in Ban Phe in 2003 under Dave Hopkins. I enjoyed the course, as did the rest of the students. The class was full. The content was pretty good. Grammar and the phonetic alphabet parts were weak, the teaching practice very well-done. I was happy with the course. It is recognized throughout Asia as far as I know.

30,000 is definitely not enough for Pattaya or Bangkok. Both places have plenty of places to spend your money, and you'll be frustrated unless you have at least 50% more. You'd need about 60,000 to live like a tourist in Pattaya, maybe a little bit less after you get to know all the bargains.

You can make considerably more in Bangkok, especially teaching privates, than you can in Pattaya. Rent and, uh, entertainment will be higher in Bangkok.

I have no idea about the teaching programs that TEFL Int'l offers--they offer many of them. I wouldn't participate in any of them. The cert makes things easier, on the other hand, when you're applying for a job. At least you've demonstrated that you're serious enough to take a course, which puts you ahead of many.

[Pauleddy]

Yes, the Ban Phe set up has had a lot of schtick on the Thai web boards.

Dave's eslcafe is 'worldwide' and tends to be used more by newbies who haven't yet made it to Thailand. Locally we have several sites wherein people trade information etc.

I have heard good things about the actual course at Ban Phe (about 4 hours from Bangkok by bus) BUT you should read the prev. link. There appear to have been a lot of issues going on.

PEd

[arnavah]

Yet another person here (i.e. me) who has been trying to find out reliable information on TEFL International. I've been on the edge of taking the plunge into the Ban Phe program, but then I did a search on the internet and read some disturbing claims. There's no way that I can verify the veracity of the claims. What would be most helpful for this discussion is feedback from alumni of the program who have taken the course, including the 4-month teaching stint, in the last year or so.

It seems that, as one previous poster said, the course was of quite high quality initially. Could it be that its standards have declined since then?On TEFL International's web site, the course dates for some of the European locations for its Tesol course have not been updated since 2005 or 2006.

The offer of training, certification and four months of paid teaching is attractive. But without reliable and recent recommendations, I may opt for the CELTA course.

[Pauleddy]

I believe that one of the senior people at Ban Phe left recently.

You need to enrol on www.ajarn.com

and www.teflwatch.org

to ask opinions.

I would ALWAYS do a CELTA or TESOL. A lot of home-grown courses here would not be accepted once you leave here.

PV

[beckstyle]

If you have the money to go and get a CELTA or Trinity, Id say go for it. But if you dont have the cash flow, the Special Thai Projects put out by TEFL are a good opportunity to get a cert. Most job advert Ive seen accept a TEFL International cert.

I did the Ban Phe project back in April 2007. It was kinda intense but not bad. In the evenings and on weekends there was def a party atmosphere. Although, it is a great way to make a network of friends in Thailand. Im still friends w/a lot of the people I met there.

Keep in mind you most likely wont have much input on where you are placed for your job. I knew a few people placed in Phuket, a few at other beach areas, but most were in the middle of nowhere. But thats actually good if you want to really get into Thai culture.

[chon nom]

Doing the course in Chiang Mai; It's professional and well run. We know what school were doing and the conditions are good. There are two of us
though and 60,000 Baht is a lot more than 30.
Just wanted to let you know it's not an outright scam. If you're a newbie,
chances are that much worse than this will happen to you in Korea, etc.
I think it's a good intro to ESL in Asia, and at any rate it's only a 4-month
contract. Then you can worry about more money when you, you know,
know how to teach.