Thailand – TEFL and Teaching in Koh Samui

Koh Samui, Thailand’s second largest island, is located in Chumphon Archipelago province. This island is home to the original Full Moon party, an all-night beach party in celebration of the full moon. Though filled with five-star resorts and spas, there are still many opportunities to get a true taste of Thai culture, whether it’s eating Pad Thai, watching Ram Thai (“Thai Dance”), or attending the traditional Songkran festival.

Both the TEFL course and teaching placement are located on Koh Samui. The course is held in Bophut, north of Koh Samui’s most popular resort area of Chaweng, and the teaching placement will be held in Mae Nam, on the north shore.

Orientation (Included):
Upon arrival in Bangkok, you will be taken to a guesthouse and treated to an authentic Thai-style dinner. After breakfast the next morning, you will meet with the project coordinators for a ‘Welcome to Thailand’ orientation about the country, its culture, its customs and more. After the orientation you will go on a guided tour of Bangkok to get a real taste of Thailand’s unique culture.

TEFL Course: Prior to your English teaching experience, you will attend an intensive 4-week Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course in Bophut. Here you will learn the skills and methodology needed to teach English. This will include classes in language acquisition, classroom management and lesson planning.

On the first day you will have the opportunity to meet the other students in the course and will receive all the necessary teaching material. Certified teachers will provide you with 120 hours of classroom training in preparation for your placement. After passing the exam and completing the course requirements, you will be awarded a globally recognized TEFL certificate, detailed report and letter of recommendation.

Teaching Experience: Now that you have received your certification, you will begin the 2-week teaching experience of the project, working at a local government school. The school is located in the underdeveloped area of Mae Nam. You will teach children aged 6 to 12 with varying levels of English. For your first 8 hours of teaching, you will be under the supervision of an experienced TEFL qualified project manager.

This volunteer experience will not only help you become an exceptional teacher, but will also give you time to search for post-project employment.

A typical day: During your teaching experience, you will work Monday through Friday for 6 hours a day. After breakfast at 8:00 am, you will arrive at the school to set up the classroom and later welcome your students. Before your midday lunch break you will teach a few English lessons, which will continue in to the afternoon. After school you will have the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activities. Your weekends and evenings will be free to spend as you wish.

Post-Project Employment
Those who complete the TEFL course can go on to seek full-time employment through Samui’s school and agency networks. The project coordinators will help you prepare your application and assist with your job search. While we cannot guarantee job placement, having an English University Degree is a plus, increasing your chances for a better placement and higher salary.

Special Summer Course: From June 8 to 29, 2018, we will offer a special 3-week course. The course runs six days a week for extended hours.

Holidays: This project will not run in March 1 – May 31, 2018 and October 1 – 31, 2018 due to school closures.

Internet: WiFi is available at the training center and in the volunteer house.

Laundry: Laundry services are available for an additional fee.

Accommodations: During the program you will have separate accommodations for the TEFL course and the Teaching Experience. The accommodations during the teaching placement is included in the cost, however you will have to select and pay for your own accommodation during the TEFL course. During the TEFL course: You will select one of the two options below as your accommodation during the course, both of which are in close proximity to the training center. When you register, let your placement coordinator know which option you would prefer (subject to availability) and we will make the booking for you. Option 1 – Choeng Mon Beach Hotel: This hotel is right on the beach! The discounted rooms are the garden rooms near the back, with a rate of 12,000 baht for the course period. Included is use of the hotel’s gym and swimming pool. Rooms include weekly cleaning and wifi. The hotel also has a restaurant and is only about 150m from the training center. Any additional nights are 600 baht each. Option 2 – Choeng Mon Residence: Choeng Mon Residence is also a fairly new hotel. The hotel is approximately 200m from the beach and 200m from the training center. There is the option (subject to availability) of twin rooms or Queen size beds. It has air-conditioning, free wifi, hot water showers, TV, a refrigerator and kettle and small balconies. The rate is 12,000 baht for the room for the course period – one day before the course starts to one day after the course finishes. Cleaning once a week is included in this rate. During the teaching placement: You will stay in a volunteer house in Ban Tai on the northern tip of the island. The house has 3 bedrooms, a fully-equipped kitchen, a living area, 2 toilets and showers (1 with hot water), and a TV and DVD player for your enjoyment. There is also a communal swimming pool. It is possible that there will be water and electricity outages during your stay, but safe water for drinking and bathing is always available.

Food: You will have to organize your own food while you are on the TEFL course. Lunch is provided for the duration of your teaching placement but you will have to cook or purchase your own breakfast and dinner and all meals over the weekend. The volunteer house during your teaching placement is located about a minute’s walk from the nearest convenience store.

Please take note of this project’s minimum requirements:

• Minimum age of 18
• Police clearance
• Enthusiasm and flexibility
• Immunizations (consult your local travel clinic)

Past volunteers have thoroughly enjoyed spending their days off sunbathing on Bophut beach. For those of you who love to shop, the town of Chaweng along Beach Road is where you will find shops selling trendy clothes and a bazaar for knickknacks and souvenirs. Maybe you want to seek out the nightlife instead. Lamai is famous for its club and bar scene. You may want to celebrate completing your TEFL course with one of the many pub crawls along Lamai Road. If you are more of the adventurous type, there are fantastic elephant treks in Samui. Lastly, Thai cuisine lovers should try a cooking class to learn how to make delicious Thai dishes at home. Sign up for a class with Pai Cookery Class opposite The Super Pro Resort.