4. The Beaches. Simply world class in every aspect. You’d be hard pressed to find anywhere as stunning as the beaches in the south of Thailand, especially around Krabi and Koh Phi Phi. Furthermore, even Koh Samet – a few hours from Bangkok – has arguably got equally as impressive white sand beaches.  The year round warm temperatures mean it’s never not time to go to the beach!

As Kerry wisely says, “it all just feels normal now”

• the socks and sandals combo
• wearing pajamas outside, at any time of the day or night!
• ice cream and bread
• being called ‘sir’ when you are clearly a woman
• feeling safer on a motorcycle taxi than in a taxi (and if you can text on the back of motorcycle too, your pretty much a local)
• the amazing things carried on mopeds with ease
• Thai’s looking in your trolley if you go to a supermarket, because they want to see what the “falang” is buying!
• drinks in a bag
• eating fruit with salt, chili and / or sugar
• after mentioning one is from England hearing “MANCHESTER UNITED/CHELSEA” and/or every other football team that can be listed
• flushing the toilet with a bowl!
• eating large and ugly crunchy insects, and making it appear as if they are the tastiest Delicatessen ever
• queuing is an alien concept, and pushing in is definitely not rude

Ben tells us of his experience with the Del-Boy of Pat pong market – “No……this is quality fake from China, not bad fake from Taiwan”

We love it!!

Written by Tessa Finn

There appear to be so many options when you search for Gap year ideas and programs.

What to choose and what are the benefits?

Whether you are planning a gap year before university or are a high school leaver or graduate – a gap year abroad is an exceptionally appealing pull from normality.

The options are endless, from adventure trips to beach trips – volunteering to paid work and internships.  Personally, after leaving university a couple of years ago I felt my degree time was wasted as there appeared to be limited jobs and prospects.

I recently read an online Guardian article** ‘Graduates warned 70 applicants for every job’ (Guardian online July 2010). This articles emphasizes ‘the most intense scramble to get a job this summer’ (Guardian, 2010).  As more people attend university and jobs decrease it is a scary time as competition on the job market soars. This article sent alarm bells ringing for me, it referred to certain large companies having as many as 205 applicants for one job! This increase to 68.2 average applicants per job is the highest ever recorded according to the Guardian’s survey of over 200 firms.

This can have a demotivating effect when looking for work, especially if you are looking for something specific and the competition is so fierce.

However, all is not doom and gloom! The opportunities to do something amazing while the job market may be so depressing are immense.  Working holiday visas are extremely popular, supporting oneself through working to travel, what could be better? I lived in New Zealand on a 2 year holiday working visa and had the time of my life! Living in Wellington and travelling around was a great way to see the world and experience living and working in another country.

Volunteering is an option that always appealed to me and I think it appeals to a lot of people. There are various reasons for doing so, wanting to give something back, wanting to experience a different culture or way of life; or wanting to just remove yourself from your current lifestyle and take stock of your life.

In the same realm of volunteering are such options as paid work internships, programs with organizations and work experience abroad. These all offer a break from the norm of working nine to five and can be a welcome inspiration to those not sure what to do or those wanting to explore.

A very popular route now is of course TEFL! Teaching English as a foreign language is a great way to travel and see the world and in both funding travelling and gaining phenomenal work experience, it is a great way to stand out from the work force crowd. Along with valuable work experience and transferrable skills gained, it shows an independent initiative which can be refreshing. ESL teaching is everywhere now! Therefore if you gain a TEFL or CELTA certificate the opportunities are literally endless. Many places are crying out for Native Speakers who are enthusiastic and flexible. South America (we might be venturing there to teach soon- fingers crossed!), Europe, South East Asia, Japan, Korea, China – the list of popular and amazing places to use your TEFL skills are endless and exciting.

Therefore all hope should not be lost in this current climate. Graduates and young people ‘need both short-term and long-term career goals’, as this is a ‘very tough climate. It doesn’t mean you should be put off applying for the profession of your choice’ (Guardian, 2010). This is so true and also justifies the want to explore and do something different – work abroad or volunteer abroad! We only live once and life is very short. Do it! Break away from the monotony of the rat race. 

Tessa Finn

Teach and Learn.

Experience Teaching Abroad with TEFL Heaven

www.teflheaven.com

**Source

Jeevan Vasagar, education editor

The Guardian, Tuesday 6 July 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jul/06/graduates-face-tougher-jobs-fight

Leaving England (or any Western country) and landing in Bangkok can be an ultra-culture shock, but why?

One of the first things that struck me when I came to Thailand is the fact that the year is 2554. Um, What? Are we living in the future? Research into why is equally fascinating and confusing. But one explanation (always subjective when comes to religion, right!), is that the ?Buddhist Era is reckoned to have an epochal year 0 from 11 March 545 (BC), based on the belief that was the date of the death of Gautama Buddha? (Good old Wiki). Also, King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) set the start of a new year as April 1st in 2455 (BE), (1912), which is why Thailand, Cambodia and Laos celebrate Songkran festival every year. However in 1940, Prime Minister Phibunsongkhram pronounced the change of the start of the new year to January (2484 BE); therefore, the Thai Buddhist Era (BE) equals that of the Christian Era plus 543 years. The official New Year starts Jan 1 as in the western world, but Songkran is still celebrated as the ‘old’ New Year, it’s such an awesome and massive celebration. I still cannot get used to it being the year 2554. The calendar on my computer today says ‘7/11/2554’ which is just crazy town.

Rungwit (TEFL Heaven extraordinaire) was telling me about when he went to England. He said that whenever he got asked for ID whilst out, the security and bouncers would think his ID was fake because his date of birth reads ‘2525’. This made me laugh for absolutely ages, because I can envisage him stood at the door looking very confused as the ‘bouncers’ look at him like he’s an ‘ickle bit crazy. How can he born in a year in the future? Beats me!

An aspect massively associated with Thailand is that of massage, particularly Thai massage. Yesterday after meeting a friend in Bangkok I decided to skip out of the rush and bustle of Onnut and slip in for a Thai Massage. It was so bizarre. I have had Thai massages before, but they did not hurt even remotely as much as last night. It was strange for a few reasons. Firstly, it was given to me by a man, (a little bit uncomfortable and weird!); secondly it hurt, a lot. Thirdly, out of the corner of my eye I could see a large half naked man to the right of me having a massage and making what can only be described as bedroom noises. (Brothel, much?).

His vocals were telling everyone in the vicinity that he loved his massage, which is cool, but it was an assault on my ears and the corners of my eyes. My massage hurt a lot and I wanted to tell him to stop, he kept saying ‘jep mai?’, and I answered ‘jep mak’. ‘Yes, it is sore, very sore indeed’. Yet today, sat in the office I feel great, all stretched out and my muscles feel uber relaxed.

The large culture differences can stem from the relaxed attitude in Thailand. Everything is so laid back its horizontal. My experience of the UK and its fast paced seriousness is in direct contrast to life out here. A perfect example was when I went to have my hair washed and blow-dried at a salon in Udon Thani. I arrived ten minutes before they were closing and obviously expected them to tell me where to get off. However, she washed my hair for ages, dried it, brushed it, straightened it….for aggges. I actually got irritated because she was taking so long to do my hair. This is hilarious when you think about it. I should have been grateful and patient but instead I was in a rush and wanted her to hurry up. I did think to myself, ‘don’t you want to go home?’. She straightened my hair with so much patience (aka slowness) that is was clear she went beyond the levels of customer service to the extreme levels of actually being really nice and kind.

Food! Rice, noodles, yummy soups and curries, ice-cream with bread. Even those who totally love the food are sometimes shocked by, a) the random crazy bugs and insects eaten here and b) how ridiculously spicy everything is. This is not to say these are bad things at all, in fact, the contrary. Thai diet is excellent hence longevity in life span as all the food is so good for you; fish, chilies, garlic. When I think of food in Thailand, one word comes to mind – sharing. It is a massive part of Thai culture to share, well, everything. I was used to getting one dish and eating myself, but here everything is share, share and um, share. A thousand dishes of food and a big bowl of rice equals a feast of all feasts. It would actually be considered quite rude to not share when everyone else is sharing. This kind sharing nature extends to just about everything. I remember telling my teacher I liked her necklace and she took it off to give me. I obviously did not accept, but the altruism is contagious without a doubt.
Fruit is like the national past time in Thailand. I love all the different shapes colors sizes and tastes of all the fruits. I remember in school the teachers asking me individually, ‘In England you have?’ and the answer would always be ‘No, it’s too cold for these exotic fruits to grow in the UK’, ha-ha. One thing I love is how fish sauce, sugar and chilies are mixed together and then used as a dipping sauce for sour mango or Santol which is bitter and squishy but delicious. I love ‘pitaya’ (dragon fruit) and I miss eating different fruits at lunch with all the teachers. Apparently the faces I pulled when eating sour fruit were really funny and I guess even when I didn’t like it, the most important thing was that I had tried it and pulled a great face while doing so!

Songkran, which is in April is an awesome celebration and is one of my favourite things about Thailand. Songkran is a Sanskrit word in Thai form which means the entry of the sun into any sign of the Zodiac. But the Songkran in this particular instance is when the sun enters the sign of Aries or the Ram. Beyond being so much fun, it is an important way to recognize the ‘old’ New Year in Thailand.

An aspect I found really hard in regards to culture and living up in the North East of Thailand was covering up. When I started teaching, I realized how I actually didn’t have any clothes that didn’t show all my legs and/or were lowly cut and showed all my arms. It really is about respect in this regard because no one will ever tell you to put more clothes on but when you are a teacher, it should be an unwritten rule in my opinion. That’s not to say everyone should walk around in a full on body wrap; but that dress should be tasteful and respectful (a perfect example is visiting temples). The honest truth is that although it may be felt you may be dressing inappropriately it would not really ever be voiced to you as this would be loss of face, and its therefore important to use your initiative and remember to cover up. I had never ever realized how my wardrobe contained nothing long sleeved or ‘covery-upey’.

Written by Tessa Finn

Sometimes when you are training it doesn’t even feel real that you will actually be teaching in the next month. It feels so surreal. It can be the most anxious time of your placement, it is quite frankly so exciting and nerve racking – pumped full of adrenaline.

I can only speak from my personal experience but I remember finishing my TEFL course on Koh Chang Island, and knowing that our group would split and go their separate ways. Our training group had inevitably become close and the instant and long term friendships we made were so exciting. It was very sad to leave the people who I had bonded with. You share such an intense and emotional experience with the people you meet. Especially, as everyone is away from home; exploring and experiencing different and exciting things together.

Some of my friends were placed in the same or similar areas or even the same school, but most of us were alone. Even though I have traveled on my own and lived away from home for long periods of time; I was terrified at the notion of being left on my own to start my placement. I realised that I was on my own and that no one could speak any English.

This was, however, the beginning of the best experience of my life.

The best advice I received (which I hated at the time because I felt it was patronising) was that I need to just ‘go with the flow’ in Thailand. I found it impossible to have lessons planned and then have my class cancelled at the last minute only to be told later that I am actually still teaching those lessons. It was at first a little frustrating, but this was clearly because I was on the wrong time zone. When I fully embraced the culture I understood this is Sabai Sabai. Why should I stress and worry when no one else is? I then really understood that the laid-back and chilled out attitude and flexibility is actually ace, and the UK should be more like this. I found work in England and some people way to serious, stressful and negative.

In my little village I was removed from any such pressures and just pretty much stood still in time! I would cycle to school; visit the local markets and randomly converse in half Thai half English with everyone in the village…. along with their sons, daughters, brothers, sons, mothers and fathers…

In fact I miss teaching so much. I had never taught before coming out here with TEFL Heaven / Experience Teaching Abroad. I had worked in nurseries and crèches, but that is very different. Some people have taught before coming out here and that is awesome to be able to transfer skills and experience over to TEFL teaching. Of course TEFL teaching is quite different from teaching Native speakers.

Some of my friends were in bigger cities too which was awesome. They had some luxuries which I did not (like a supermarket!). Their experience was different to mine obviously but no experience I guess can be ‘better’ than another. I can only talk of my experience of teaching and how much I loved my village and my school. On reflection, leaving training was a time I felt some real homesickness. I had already been away for two months in Cambodia before I came over to Thailand to have my TEFL training and so leaving my group to settle into my new home for the next six months was a whole new kettle of fish. Homesickness is hard because it makes you want to go home to see and or eat the things you miss!! It can become so intense and emotional that it overrides everything.

I remember on my birthday I was feeling super lonely and I messaged one of my best friends Nicky. I said how lonely I was and I missed my friends and I didn’t know what to do for my birthday because I was lonely. Her reply was ‘You’re in Thailand, get over it!’ ‘Go to a beach, have a massage but basically get over yourself because you’re so lucky to be living in Thailand’. Ha. It was so true. I needed a wakeup call to remember where I was and the unique experience I was lucky to be having. Now I have started working with ETA in my HR Executive role after teaching I still suffer from homesickness sometimes. Thank goodness for Skype and bread! (These two things in combination make homesickness go away…..)

Tessa Finn

1/11/2554

Throw in a beach resort with a swimming pool; amazing Thai food intergrated with some serious study time and let us begin…….

An exclusive ‘Week in the life’ written by six of our trainee teachers – September/October 2011.

After a hard days training.. a beautiful sunset moment

Day One  – Sunday 25^th September 2011

Written by Megan Maguire

To mark our first day on ‘elephant island’ a couple of us went elephant trekking. It was amazing, we rode through the jungle seeing all sorts of other strange creatures (snakes, crocodiles, spiders, the list goes on). Afterwards we swam with the beautiful elephants and seen them in a whole new light – they were so playful and friendly.

After arriving back at the resort (and of course uploading all my photos onto Facebook to make my friends jealous!) I headed for an early night. Having my first day of training to look forward to, I needed it.

It was a wonderful day on the island and what an introduction to our new lives in Thailand.

Megan

My name’s Megan Maguire, I’m 22. I’m from Glasgow and have just graduated from the University of Strathclyde studying International Business. I studied in Hong Kong as part of my degree and have wanted to do more travelling since. I think teaching is a really exciting way to do this and am so excited about going to my school and settling into my first Thai home.

Day Two – Monday 26^th September

Written by Sophie Greaves

Today was the first day of training and I woke up feeling slightly apprehensive and extremely excited! After a breakfast which consisted of fruit, eggs, noodles and the strongest coffee I have ever known I felt raring to go. As soon as the training began I felt relaxed and at ease because the trainers and the other trainees were all so lovely.  We were put into pairs and spent the morning planning and presenting a short lesson.  It was lots of fun as we got to use our imagination and be as creative as possible. In the afternoon we had a Thai lesson where we got an insight into how the students feel when learning a new language. After a day of studying we went out as a group for a Thai meal. I sampled the Penang and I will warn everybody it is extremely HOT! All in all it was a very enjoyable first day J

Sophie

My name is Sophie Greaves. I studied English literature and American studies. I am 24 and am from Kent.  After coming on holiday to Thailand a couple of years ago I fell in love with the country and knew that I wanted to return. I have also been interested in teaching abroad for ages and TEFL heaven really appealed to me. After spending some time in England working as a teacher I knew that I wanted to gain some experience working abroad.

Day Three – Tuesday 27^th September 2011

Written by Terri Hounsom

At breakfast Today everyone was very smiley and excitable – thanks to the getting-to-know-you activities from yesterday we’re over first day nerves, and are ready to get TEFL-ing! After a fun warm-up to wake up our brains we got down to business: today we would focus on lesson planning. Our senior trainer, Kerry, spent the morning telling us the importance of planning our lessons – after all an organised lesson benefits both students and teachers! She taught us how to structure a good TEFL lesson and showed us a few examples before handing out the second task – actually planning one!

We were given time to plan our lessons to an age group of our choice, and received lots of help and support from Jenny, one of the trainers who has been teaching in Thailand herself after training with ETA. It’s really helpful having Jenny and Tessa here, who have both completed the TEFL and then gone on to work in schools around Thailand, as they can not only train us in the theoretical side of the TEFL, but they can also give practical advice about the classroom – what activities students will find enjoyable, and which ones will just descend into pure chaos!

After lunch we had another Thai lesson – today focussing on numbers and asking ‘how old are you?’. With two questions under our belt we’re definitely almost ready to hit the town and start chatting to all the friendly Thais around Koh Chang, although being such sensible students that’ll probably have to wait until the weekend.

In the evenings most people hang around the resort, swimming in one of the two pools, or having dinner and skyping friends and family back home. Tonight the hot topic around the dinner table was the lessons we have to give tomorrow – it’ll be the first time we teach alone! As most people got down to lesson planning and making resources, we realised that tomorrow is going to be a big day – and we can’t wait!

Terri

I am an English and American Lit graduate from Kent, and I’ve worked in schools in England for the past few years. I love working with teenagers, and teaching English, but I really wanted to travel – and doing a TEFL seemed like the perfect opportunity! Thailand is the furthest I’ve ever been, and I plan on seeing a lot of Asia whilst I’m here, and I love what I’ve seen so far!

Day Four – Wednesday 28^th September 2011

Written by Christelle Young

I woke up feeling rather nervous as today we had to teach a 10 minute lesson putting previously learnt structures into practice. I had prepared my lesson the day before and felt quite confident in the activities I had chosen to use. I felt that TEFL Heaven had prepared us well for this task and had given us a structure to help us and teach the lesson. I managed to get up in time for our FREE breakfast eating some museli and a couple of delicious pancakes with syrup. Having a good breakfast helped me feel better about the day’s events. We started the session with a couple of warm- up activities; these are fun and active games which could be used in the classroom when we are in our placement. We then were divided in to 3 groups of 10 and asked to teach our 10 minute lesson. Everyone in my group did extremely well with their lesson and I gained many ideas and games that I could use in further lesson. My fellow Koh Chang group were extremely supportive and encouraging and this made me feel comfortable in teaching them. I believe this task went really well and I really enjoyed the whole process. In the afternoon we were given a Thai lesson, it has been amazing to learn some Thai and be able to communicate with the locals. These lessons are taught in such a fun and active way that I feel I am picking up the vocabulary really quickly.

After training I enjoyed a nice relaxing swim in the resorts swimming pool which overlooks the resort and sea, the view is stunning! For dinner I had a Pad Thai which is currently my favourite Thai dish and not spicy; ‘Mai Pet’.  There is plenty to do in Koh Chang but today I stayed in the resorts restaurant and chatted with some of my new friends. It was nice and chilled to hang out and get to know people more.

All in all I think it was a very good day!

Christelle

My name is Christelle Young, I am 28 years old. I studied performing arts and dance at university and have been working as a drama teacher in Kent England for the past 3 years. I have always wanted to travel and I thought that studying whilst in Thailand was an awesome idea. I look forward to teaching in Thailand and maybe using my TEFL qualification in other countries around the world.

Day Five – Thursday 29^th September 2011

Written by Lydia Knight

I woke up to the sound of the waves and prepared myself for a morning jog along the golden sandy beach. The storms the previous night had taken the electricity out and so I had a cold shower. It certainly woke me up!!!! I delivered a presentation with a fellow trainee on how to give instructions for activities. In the evening myself and a few friends that I had recently made went out for a Thai meal which was delicious and a good opportunity to meet the locals. We were able to practice our Thai conversation skills which was great fun. We all sang songs and it was a great way to end the day.

Lydia

My name is Lydia. I studied Psychology (BSc) and am from Manchester.  I came to Thailand because I wanted to experience a different culture, meet new people and have fun. Tefl heaven has given me an opportunity to do all these things and most importantly to teach English to the students. It is an amazing experience for anyone wanting to sample a different way of life in a warm and friendly country.

Day Five – Friday 30^th September 2011

Written by Stephanie McEwan

It’s almost the weekend…you would not believe how tiring it is when you are training all week! Luckily Kerry has been an absolute star and let us delay today’s task until Monday – and even gave us the afternoon off to plan it. Yay!

After spending a couple of hours working – which consisted a little more of researching our placement areas than actual work – me a few of the other girls took a walk along the beach into town for an infamous Thai massage. I won’t lie…I’m not normally a huge fan of massages. I like my personal space and I’m extremely ticklish, so the thought of a stranger massaging me isn’t really high on my list of priorities. When push came to shove I chickened out and opted for a foot massage. I would highly recommend it but my masseuse was rather confused as I spent most of the time laughing at the others who were being stretched, pulled and clicked in every direction. The looks on their faces were HILARIOUS. Some of them enjoyed it, others not so much but I guess you guys will have to wait and see for yourself!

We grabbed some dinner in town and headed back to the resort. Most of the others trainees had headed out for dinner and drinks a couple of hours earlier. There were still a few kicking about with Kerry and Sid who as always were willing for a jenga tournament.  Finally relaxing with new friends…it was the perfect way to round off an exhausting week and to keep us fresh for a busy day tomorrow. We only have two weekends and we plan to make the most of them!

Stefanie

My name is Stef. I’m 22 and I’m from Glasgow, Scotland. I have just recently graduated from university and I seen TEFL heaven advertised in a prospects email when I was trying to avoid my dissertation way back in March. I’ve always liked kids and wanted to travel and experience other cultures, and this seemed the perfect way to do it. My Thai adventure has only just started and I can’t wait to see what else that it has in store!

Blog constructed by Tessa Finn

Tefl Heaven rules

I will start the story of my journey on Friday – my last day of teaching. It was extremely sad to leave my school and all my students and teachers. I am surprised I did not cry as the range of emotions felt when you bond with your students are immense. My teaching months flew by; they do say time flies when you’re having fun. I have been teaching in Akat Amouni which is a small village in North East Thailand; it quickly became my home. Cycling to school everyday; eating rice for breakfast and eating ice cream and bread (yes, bread). Teaching English to my Pratom (primary school) students has been without a doubt one of the most rewarding, exciting and challenging experiences of my life. Yet new chapters of  challenges, learning and fun awaits. Moving to Bangkok to start my new job with ETA was immensely exciting and very scary.  A big city with cars and buses and other white people… how could I possibly cope?!  I took the overnight bus from the nearest town all the way down to Bangkok. After 12 hours of partially sleeping and watching random films I arrived in Bangkok. I was super lucky to have a friend whose friend’s sister’s husband (welcome to Thailand) offered to pick me up and take me to the ETA/Echo office.

I arrived in Bangkok at 6 am (which was about ten hours earlier than I had predicted!). I called Kerry (Director) and after no answer become increasingly worried I had the wrong apartment/office/road/district and that I would be stranded for life. It was fabulous to see Kerry again and meet Sid (Business Support). Kerry was my trainer on Ko Chang, and it is awesome that she is training me to become a Trainer.  I am very lucky to working with such great people. That evening the ‘falang’ in Kerry and I took over and we decided to go shopping and buy cheese. Cheese, crackers and just about anything Western we could find. It feels like so long since I had eaten cheese and I missed it big time. We took a trip to the supermarket, (busy roads and traffic-eep) on a motorbike and before we knew it were in ‘falang’ heaven. Cheese: potatoes, baked beans, mayonnaise. It was utter heaven. (Tefl heaven?!) Rice and spicy food is damn good, but I needed a western food injection into my diet after months of sticky rice and Isaan food. We have eaten like kings since I arrived; pasta and cheese on Sunday night and last night we made BURGERS! It was as good as it sounds.

Today is my first day in the office and I am feeling excited about my new job role as Human Resources Executive and Trainer.  Kerry, Mike, Emily, Sid, Rungwit, Nadine and Ben have all been so welcoming to the company. This week I am in the ETA/ECHO office and familiarising myself with all I will be doing. On Saturday the true adventure starts as we head off to Ko Chang with our September interns who will start their fabulous teaching experiences soon. I remember my experience on Ko Chang being wonderful. Meeting new people and learning so much about myself (and that was just in a week). I am looking forward to meeting our September interns, and I hope that my ability to help train these new fabulous teachers is as good as the training I received. The course and training on Ko Chang is very significant as it is an introduction of what to expect teaching English in Thailand. When I was a trainee teacher on Ko Chang, the stark differences in people on my course was awesome. Some people had never taught before, others had taught College level.   A girl on my course used to be a chartered accountant in Australia before deciding it was no longer what she wanted to do.  It is exciting to talk to different people and learn of their reasons for wanting to teach in Thailand. I made a lot of friends through my training.  It is intriguing how our lives became so entwined; you share the same experiences together travelling in the “same boat”.  Personally, when I was a trainee I was a little scared by all the talk of lesson plans and teaching styles!  This is why the training course on Ko Chang is brilliant and vital as it is informative and relevant to your teching experience.  There aren’t many jobs where you can change young peoples’ lives and not require any training.

Ahh memories of our teacher training on Ko Chang island early 2011

Lots of hard work but lots of fun too!

During this week 21st – 23^rd September 2011, I will be travelling to the airport to meet our Ko Chang teachers and show them to their accommodation.  I am going to be a regular visitor to the airport this week with 31 people joining us! I will meet them getting of their flights. It is a really personable touch to greet people at Bangkok airport after their long flight.

We leave for Ko Chang Island on Saturday 24^th September 2011. I am very excited to meet our interns; I guess they may be feeling anxious and excited anticipating the journey on which they are about to embark. I too felt the same and it is invaluable to have a strong network of support behind you and that is exactly what ETA/Tefl Heaven have provided for me.

The reason I am most excited about my job is because I love what I will be doing. I love the company I work for. I love their collective personality; their friendliness; their honesty and their work ethic. Above all, I love teaching and am very lucky to be in a position where I am still surrounded by what I love – teaching English to amazing students. I am a very lucky girl as the life changing experience and journey I have embarked upon in Thailand has only just begun. Bravo to the ETA team

For more information on how fab we are, visit our website:

http://teflheaven.com

ETA - It's in the game!

Here at TEFL Heaven, we are not afraid to tell you about our major competitor, i-to-i. And let me tell you why. We usually aren’t one to boast too much (not directly in words anyhow) about why we are so good, but we felt that people had to be told the truth about the differences between our programs because a few people have asked us what the difference is, being somewhat confused over it all. It should be clear to everyone just how we do differ compared to i-to-i after this post!

i-to-i’s Teach in Thailand Internship from the outset looks quite similar to TEFL Heaven’s TEFL Internship program, but let me tell you why TEFL Heaven’s TEFL Internship blows the i-to-i Teach in Thailand Internship completely out of the water for value!

The biggies:

1. We actually train you practically in TEFL by doing it face-to-face (and on a paradise island!). i-to-i will put you on a distance learning TEFL, so you have to slog it out before you arrive.

2. You get a nice 5 day induction in Bangkok with i-to-i before you start teaching, with probably around 60 people (that was their number last time, but I think it increased to 100 for next term). We give you 3 weeks induction/ TEFL training on a paradise island with another 23 trainees. You stay with them for 3 weeks in a lovely setting so friendships are solidified (as much as they can be) whereas you’ll probably forget everyone but the guy that sat next to you with i-to-i.

3. With i-to-i, for the actual teaching placement, you get paid 10,000 THB plus a bonus of 2,500 THB, and I think the bonus comes only if you don’t take a sickie that month. With TEFL Heaven teaching placements you get 30,000 THB per month. That is one of the main differences to be honest, and probably a big persuading factor to anyone reading this. But i-to-i will provide accommodation, so let’s add on another 4000 THB per month onto that wage because that’s how much a single studio apartment costs in Thailand. So i-to-i (or Lawoe really) pay 16500 THB per month if you don’t take a sick day, and TEFL Heaven offer you 30,000 THB per month.

That’s a difference of 13500 THB (around 300 GBP), per month!  On that basis alone we are better!!

4. With i-to-i, if you book onto their course, you pay them the full amount first then apply for the teaching placement later, knowing that it’s not guaranteed and you could be rejected by Lawoe, who deal with their placements. Also, you will find that many people have to wait a long time to even hear back from Lawoe, confirming they’ve been accepted or rejected.

If you do get rejected, you get the difference between the cost of the TEFL and the cost of the placement back from i-to-i, but you still have to pay for the distance learning TEFL and you don’t get a refund on that.

So in effect, i-to-i will keep the money you paid for the TEFL, and you are left without a job to go to and your dream of heading to Thailand to teach has just been flushed down the toilet, along with about £200 GBP. This is a bit concerning to us here at TEFL Heaven because you were sold the “Internship” and not just the TEFL. I think anyone in this situation could probably file a County Court Judgement against i-to-i if they don’t give you a full refund. But they are probably quite sneaky in the fact that they have put it in the terms and conditions that we all know no one bothers to read.

So anyway, with TEFL Heaven, once we deem you worthy we will open the booking for you, of which you only pay a portion to secure your spot, then the rest one month before you leave, and if we do deem you worthy and you do book, your placement is guaranteed, no fiddling around with refunds or rejections.

5. And last of the biggies, i-to-i’s Teach in Thailand Internship is a whopping $2000 USD or £1250 GBP!!! TEFL Heaven’s TEFL Internship is only £895 GBP or $1430 USD.

and some other smaller differences:

1. TEFL Heaven is a division of Experience Teaching Abroad Ltd, or ETA as we like to be called. We are a small personal company who know the names and not the numbers of those we bring to Thailand. i-to-i is a multi-million pound organisation, hence how they have a very fancy website (which we are very jealous of by the way!).

2. You can stay longer with our internships and renew your contract after 4.5 months. I am not sure if you can do this with i-to-i/ Lawoe.

3. Did I mention that we train you in TEFL for 3 weeks on a paradise island?