Welcome back and thank you for joining Amethyst and Sapphire once again on their journey.
After an intense and hectic four weeks, they have finally graduated from TEFL Koh Samui.
Graduation Celebrations
Advice to new TEFL Students
Firstly, this is not a holiday. The course is intense and for the 4 weeks you practically eat, sleep and think TEFL. Loads of resourcing, lesson planning, assignments and practice, practice, practice for teacher practicals. Do not put off what you can do today for tomorrow as you will fall behind and regret it. Over the 4 weeks you will gain the knowledge, invaluable practical skills and classroom management techniques to be able to teach English as a foreign language. The amount and level of practical teaching skills you will learn and acquire in these few short weeks is considerable. You are also learning by exposure to the very skills that you will need to be a successful TEFL teacher and you will surprise yourself how you start applying all you have learned in your teacher practicals.
As an online TEFL course does not provide you with actual teaching practice and exposure to class room management, the 4 week TEFL course comes highly recommended.
Young learners program
Emma (Bob Bar) birthday bash
Photo Gallery (since last blog update)
From Koh Samui Thailand to Cambodia
Only after starting the course and meeting with an Agent who places teachers in Thailand, they were advised that teaching posts for NON DEGREE holders puts them at a serious disadvantage.
Although it is an accepted norm to teach in Thailand on a tourist visa (illegally), without a degree and no work permit, there is a risk to being exploited and with Thailand’s visa entry regulations that are changing, extensions and reapplications for a tourist visa for teachers who do not have work permits, could prove to be problematic.
There are ways and means to get around this and to teach illegally in Thailand without a work permit, but our somewhat wiser 50 somethings, who we might add are usually risk takers, are not willing to take this kind of risk!
Advice to future NON DEGREE holders, unless you wanting to come over to Thailand and holiday first before applying for teaching posts in Cambodia or other countries where you can apply for a work permit without having a degree, you can consider applying directly to TEFL Cambodia.
So our non degree, very proud TEFL Graduates, with a touch of sadness, will be flying out from Koh Samui on Tuesday, 16th May 2017 after spending a glorious 6 weeks on this magnificent tropical island.
No long ferry rides and overnight bus trips this time……… Thank heavens. A one hour flight to Bangkok. Then after a 3 hour stop-over, they fly to Trat and then take a mini bus to the Hat Lek border post where they will apply for their visa entry into Cambodia.
The Universe has blessed them and they have been invited to spend their first few days with a family on Koh Kong where they will be assisted with applying for a 1 year work permit and given the low down of life in Cambodia. Through an ex colleague (who’s daughter is a TEFL teacher in Siem Reap, Cambodia), they have been put in touch with various contacts. After forwarding applications, our graduates will have their first interview with an International school on their arrival in Siem Reap.
Continue to travel along with them on their new, exciting adventure and future journey from Koh Samui, Thailand to Cambodia.
A sneak peek of a few places on their bucket list………
