How Much Does it Cost to Get a TEFL in Thailand?

Thailand is waiting for you to come on over and lounge on its beaches with a coconut in hand while chatting with your new bestie that you met while TEFL-ing. In the heart of southeast Asia you will fall in love with the lush national parks, tropical beaches, and serene temples that pop up throughout the country. If you’re interested in teaching abroad, it’s crucial to get a TEFL certification. Thailand is a great spot to kick start your career teaching abroad!

Even if you’re feeling iffy about living and teaching in Thailand, you can still get a TEFL in Thailand and then move elsewhere post-course. Why not take the course in a country that’s affordable, friendly, scenic, delish, and offers plenty of adventures during your weekends away from your studies? You’ll be able to meet brand new like-minded classmates from around the world. Before you know it, you’ll have a TEFL certificate in hand and the ability to literally make the world your playground while teaching abroad. 

Here’s how to get your TEFL certificate in Thailand for cheap—we don’t want anyone going broke in the process!

Why consider getting a TEFL in Thailand?

What other places offer such beautiful backdrops among your TEFL courses? Thailand is Thailand! There’s so much to do in this country that you will have plenty to keep you occupied in your downtime. Whether you love the big city and need high rises out your window, prefer some green countryside, or are dying to go spend your free time getting massages on the beach, you can find a TEFL center in an area that is perfect for you. Bonus—The cost to get TEFL certified in Thailand is not going to break the bank!

Getting your TEFL in Thailand is a great way to dip your toes into life abroad and get some real cultural immersion. Whether you’ve been traveling for ten or more years or just got your first passport yesterday, Thailand is a fun and exciting place regardless of your background in international travels. 

Keep in mind that there are not major requirements go to Thailand and get a TEFL certification. Thailand schools, however, cannot legally hire you if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree. 

How much does it cost to get TEFL certified in Thailand?

You will likely spend between $1,000-$2,000 just to cover the typical costs of tuition for TEFL courses in Thailand. However, Thailand has a wide price range depending on the added perks of your training center. Some offer accommodation and meals while others do not. There’s no reason for you to pay more than $2,000 for a four week course if there is not free housing included. And there is no reason to pay less than $1,000 unless it’s online. When looking up your program fees make sure to see what is included and compare the programs that are best for you. You’ve likely heard “you get what you pay for” and it’s true! 

• International TEFL Academy has a four-week TEFL course that is offered in the lush city of Chiang Mai. Although they do not provide accommodation, a studio in Chiang Mai is as low as $100 for a month. Once you graduate, local Thai staff help with job placements. Want to spend your weekends bathing with elephants or hiking to various temples? Why not?! ITA fees start at $1,395 if you register for the early bird price. 
• GoEco is now telling you to drop everything and check Google images for “Koh Samui” #Paradise! This six week TEFL program includes accommodation in a hotel for the first few weeks and then a transfer to a bungalow if that’s your vibe. The first four weeks of training are in the TEFL course itself and for the second two weeks you will spend time in the classroom as a lead teacher. The cost for this program is $2,120. Although that may seem pricey off the bat, remember that it includes lunch each day and your accommodation. Six weeks of meaningful beach travel will never feel sooooo good. Beach sunsets every night after a long day of training? Yes please! 
  

If you want to find an affordable TEFL certificate program in Thailand, you’ll need to shop around to weigh value over cost.

[Check Out More TEFL in Thailand Programs]

Typical costs to get TEFL certified in Thailand

Living in Thailand is much cheaper than living in western countries. If you choose big city living in Bangkok over relaxed and low-key Chiang Mai you will find yourself spending a bit more. Also, if you head to Thailand during peak season, November through February, you may find prices to be more than other parts of the year. However, regardless of the time of year and location in Thailand, you can rest assured that your cost of living will be very reasonable. 

1. Program fees

TEFL Thailand program fees will vary. Before you immediately sign up for a program that offers housing, do some research to see if you can save money by booking your own accommodation. Yes, it may be nice to have airport pickup, housing taken care of, and a free meal each day, but if you can do it cheaper, see if it’s worth it! The program fees will likely be the most expensive part of your time spent in Thailand while getting TEFL certified.

2. Living expenses

Since you’re probably not going to live at your TEFL training center / starve yourself for four weeks, here are typical living expenses you can expect while getting certified.

Rent: Bangkok can end up being almost twice as expensive as other parts of Thailand. But If you love the city and want to experience Bangkok, do it! In Bangkok you will likely spend a minimum of $450 per month while living in smaller cities can be as low as $100 per month. Maybe you can find some roomies or couchsurf a bit to cut those costs! 

If you plan to rent a place in Thailand, prepare to pay a deposit. It’s very easy to find a reasonable and furnished room without a long term commitment. 

Food: Eat local to save moola during your TEFL course in Thailand. If you go to the markets, you can find basic staples for pennies! And even eating out at a hole in the wall restaurant will only put you back $2-$3. The same goes with street food. Load up on fruit, crepes, and mysterious meat-on-a-sticks to sustain your hunger and save some money. 

Transportation: If you’re in Bangkok you can hop on motorbike taxis for $1-$2 or take public transit for about the same cost. It’s really easy to get around Bangkok and, if possible, try to live within walking distance from your TEFL center.

If outside of the city you will likely rely on the red trucks known as Songthaews or Grab (the Uber of southeast Asia). Those cute little tuk-tuks may look fun but are very pricey as they cater to tourists! You can also use Mobike which is a bike share app that is offered in Chiang Mai and costs as little as $2 per month to pop around the city. 

Phone: You may want to consider getting a sim card for the duration of your TEFL course. Thai sim cards are very cheap and can be as low as just $10 a month for unlimited 4g data. If you bring your unlocked phone to Thailand you should plan on grabbing a sim from True Move or AIS. This can assure you that you won’t get lost or can contact someone if you think you may show up late for your TEFL class because you were too busy testing out the new street food en route. 

3. Visa costs

You can enter Thailand for thirty days without having to worry about a visa. However, even with a four week course, that’s cutting it close! It’s highly recommended that you apply for a 60-day tourist visa from your home country so that you can enjoy some time in Thailand before or after your course and not worry about having to flee the country. 

How horrible would it be if all your new best TEFL pals planned a post-TEFL course party down in the islands but your visa expired and you had to sadly say you couldn’t join in on the fun?! NO FOMO PLEASE. 

A 60-day tourist visa will cost around $40-$50. Make sure that if you go this route, you obtain it no more than three months before you head to Thailand. If you wish to stay in Thailand longer than those 60 days and job hunt, you can apply for a 30 day extension at immigration for about $60. But don’t tell immigration you are job hunting! You are just “seeing more of the country.” Ahem you didn’t hear this from me. This will then give you a maximum of three months in the country. You will either need to secure a job in that time frame or leave the country and travel a bit before coming back to Thailand. 

If you choose to stay in Thailand to teach after your course, you will need to leave the country to obtain your work visa. So keep into account you may need a bit of travel cushion if you’re looking for employment opportunities in Thailand after your course. Some schools will pay those fees while others won’t be as generous. So wait…. “I might be forced to travel more around southeast Asia?” YEP. #YOLO

Warning: Do NOT overstay your visa! Thailand is cracking down on tourists and you don’t want to be cut off from ever being allowed to visit again!

4. Travel insurance

Luckily, healthcare in Thailand is very cheap so if you get bruised up from tripping over your feet on the way to class you can rest assured that a hospital bill won’t break the bank. However, it’s always good to have travel insurance when heading abroad. Look into options for this before you head out so that you are all set to be your healthiest self overseas. Mom will be happy to know you’re in good hands. Additionally, some people get travel insurance for their belongings; so if you have a nice camera or computer, you may want to weight the pros and cons if those are worth getting insured.

[The 411 on Health Insurance Abroad]

5. Beach trip budget

All your classmates are ditching their lesson plans for the weekend and are heading off to the beach. Flights around Thailand are cheap! Like cheap cheap. Ever pay $40 round trip to paradise?! You need to take into account that you may want a “fun money” budget while TEFL-ing in Thailand. You don’t want to realize you’re drawing money from an ATM through an account that has shriveled away. Dad won’t be too impressed if you are making calls over Whatsapp to transfer over more money. 

6. Cushion a budget to stay in Thailand forever…?

That TEFL class FLEW by and you are having anxiety at the thought of having to pack up and leave. The tears are coming and you have found that you fell in love and can’t deal with the heartbreak of saying goodbye to Thai. “Wait, but I have no money for my next month’s rent!?” Have some extra funds just in case you decide that you will snag a job immediately and stay long-term. You likely will not get paid until the end of your first month so need to have some money for start up costs. Whatever you do, don’t go be one of those sleazy “begpackers” who are crying to the locals in the streets asking for travel money! 

How to TEFL in Thailand on a budget

So you’ve got that fear of “how will I pay for it?!” scrolling through your head. Fear not, if you have a dream of covering the costs of getting TEFL certified in Thailand, it can be done. 

• Fundraise! Have you heard of FundMyTravel? Well now you have! It’s a great website to share your goals to head to Thailand and get TEFL certified. Likely you’ll need to come up with a descriptive and meaningful “about me” section to convince people that what you are doing is worthwhile. No you’re not asking people to fund your massages and full moon parties in Thailand; you’re going so that you can get certified to teach! Add in pics, videos, and as much info as you can to trigger those heart strings of your parents besties who can help fund your soon-to-be travels. 
  
• Eat local. Thailand is affordable. However, that does not mean you should go to western restaurants every night and guzzle back mojitos. You need to learn to love to eat at local hole in the wall spots. But, but, but…. I’m scared, you tremble to yourself. No, don’t be. If you want to live in Thailand, you need to adapt. And we believe in you!  
  
• Do free activities during your downtime. If you’re truly on a budget you can do a million things for free (or really cheap) around Thailand. Want to know how much it costs to go for a sunset walk on the beach? $0. How much does it cost to hike up to Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai? $2 entry fee. But, I really wanted to go see Wat Pho in Bangkok. Ok, that will knock you back $3 and includes a bottle of water and all the #instapics you can get. Rent a bicycle, walk around Lumpini Park, play in a waterfall, or stroll through the colorful markets. Enjoying life in Thailand does not mean that you will have to throw money away! 
  
• Learn a bit of the lingo. Typical meals should be $2-$3 and as high as $10 if you are going the more western or boozey route. However, Thai’s have their own number system and if you can read their numbers, you will find much cheaper items in the swirly Thai lettering. Gasp! Wait, so there could be a western price and a Thai price? OMG. If you can memorize 1-10 and 100-1000 by the hundreds you will be able to decode the prices and find that you have cracked the puzzle! A Thai local may be so impressed that they will give you their discount. “Lot dai mai?” means “can I have a discount?” Boom, you say that with a shiny smile and you automatically can pull down your price in the markets. However, as fun as it is to go haggling, be respectful. What a few bucks means to a westerner could mean a lot more to a Thai. So if you think the price is fair, just pay it. Don’t become so stingy that you turn greedy.  
  

[Check Out Some More Ways to Pay for Your TEFL Certification Abroad]

You’re ready to cover the cost to get TEFL certified in Thailand!

Can you smell the salt water, taste the mangos, and imagine those golden temples waiting for your arrival? Almost! Get TEFL certified in Thailand for cheap and be one of the many brave adventurers heading off into the land of teaching ESL abroad. You will not regret having spent some real time in Thailand to learn the culture and advance your career and international experience!

Getting a TEFL in Thailand will change your life. All you need is to pinpoint your time frame and perfect Thai location to make that dream come true. Even if money is a bit tight now, remember that once you are certified you will have access to many jobs around the world and be making back that $$$$ ASAP. What are you waiting for!? Get abroad to Thailand and adventure away!

Compare Low Cost TEFL Programs in Thailand with MyGoAbroad