How did you get involved with TEFL Campus?
The journey actually started when I was in my 3rd year of university. I wanted to study abroad in Thailand during my 4th year of university, but changed my mind right after I had been accepted into a study abroad program in Bangkok. I realized that I wanted to travel and immerse myself in another culture, not be cooped up studying. I was working on my degree in Linguistics, as well as a minor in Education, so I figured teaching English abroad was a realistic post-grad job option.
Still wanting to go to Thailand, I scoured the internet for a reputable TEFL certification program. One big thing I was looking for was activity on social media, and more specifically followers and subscribers. TEFL Campus surely fit the bill with an Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook account. I messaged a woman who had posted a review on the TEFL Campus Facebook page, asked her about the legitimacy of the program, and got a positive and encouraging response.
I signed up for the September course, graduated from university in August, and left for Thailand shortly after. On the last day of the course, the course director pulled me aside, offered me a job starting January, and the rest is history.
Group photo of TEFL Campus trainees and trainers.
What was your favorite part of getting TESOL certified in Phuket?
The food (and the people who make the food)! During my certification training, I was a regular customer at many restaurants. On my way to campus, there’s a lady who sells grilled pork sticks from her cart with sticky rice. I stopped by so often, she’d usually have my order (two bbq sticks and one stick rice) ready before I even got off my scooter.
Around the corner from campus is a great Thai restaurant that, to this day, I still get lunch from. The owner and I have great rapport and recently I created my own special (stir-fried chicken on a bed of cabbage)! On top of the incredible food and people, there’s just so much to do on your days off. You can go to the beach, go island hopping, zipline through the jungle, motocross through the jungle, take a nice drive on a scooter, hang out in the mall, visit one of the several markets around town, or just grab a beer with some friends.
How can teachers prepare for their time with TEFL Campus prior to arrival?
One of the great things about TEFL campus is that we don’t require any experience or specific knowledge prior to the course. However, one way you can prepare is by putting your “learning hat” on and get to know your learning style. “How do you take notes, if any? Do you use lined paper or blank paper? Do you need different colored pens? Do you respond better with pictures, writing, examples, or a mix of everything?” are just a few questions I’d suggest finding answers to.
Fatima participating in Lao Kra Top Maai (a Thai cultural dance involving bamboo sticks) at the Thalang Sunday Market in Phuket Town.
Another bit of advice is to grow comfortable with being uncomfortable. There will be moments throughout the course where you might feel completely out of your element, and that’s 100% okay. I suggest doing something that scares you a couple times before and during the course. It could be as simple as mustering up the courage to have a conversation with a stranger at a cafe, to jumping out of a plane with a parachute on your back (which, by the way, is a life-changing experience that I highly recommend).
Who would be the most successful type of TEFL Campus trainee?
The most successful type of TEFL Campus trainee is one who comes in with an open mind, is proactive, and willing to learn. To quote a graduate student instructor from my university, “We came here to learn, not to prove how much we already know.” Our trainees come from all different walks of life, some have just graduated college and some have been out of school for over two decades, so we understand that some might “get” things faster than others. Don’t let that discourage you! As trainers, it is our job to help you succeed; don’t be afraid to ask questions.
How much support do you give to your participants? How much time a day do you spend with them?
On any given day, we can spend an entire day with you. If a trainee has observed teaching practice that evening, it is possible we will be with them from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. At the bare minimum, we’ll be in the office for the entirety of the work day. As far as support, we don’t expect you to know the difference between an adverb of time and a preposition of time right off the bat. Similarly with OTP, we don't expect you to have mastered all the principles of ESA by your first lesson. We start by giving you a “ready made lesson” and allow you to grow more and more independent as the course progresses. We also provide extra handouts after a lecture and share relevant websites if you want to learn more. I am available via email and Facebook messenger, 30 minutes before class starts, at lunch, and during scheduled appointments. I also offer to facilitate group study sessions the weekend before the exam.
What is a typical day with TEFL Campus like, for both you and trainees?
In the morning we have class, what we like to call input sessions, and in the evening we have observed teaching practice, or OTPs for short, where you "output" what you've learned. On most days, input starts right at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 12:25 p.m. where trainees learn about grammar, phonetics, or the ESA (Engage, Study, Activate) methodology. Trainees get two 10 minute breaks during input before lunch, which is from 12:25 p.m. to 1:25 p.m.
Depending on the day, trainees may have OTPs. From 1:25 p.m.-4:00 p.m., trainees plan their 43 minute lesson with their trainer. Our Thai students from the community (who the trainees will be teaching) start trickling in around 4:00 p.m for their free English lesson. Once trainees finish their lesson plan, they will teach their lesson at either 4:30, 5:17, 6:30, or 7:17 p.m. Below is an example of how an evening of teaching is broken down:
Elementary Level 4:30-5:13pm (4 minute transition) 5:17-6:00pm
Intermediate Level 6:30-7:13pm (4 minute transition) 7:17-8:00pm
Trainees are paired up with a peer within each English level; one trainee teaches at 4:30 and the other teaches at 5:17. While a trainee is not teaching, they are observing their partner's lesson. During each lesson, the trainer is in the back observing and taking notes. At the end of the session, the trainer shares their notes with the trainees. The following day, trainees submit a written self evaluation where they reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of their lesson, as well as what they would have done differently. These days are definitely long, but the good news is, you only do it around twice a week and there isn’t OTP on Fridays!
Fatima with two TEFL Campus trainees and Pre-Intermediate level Thai students after an evening of lessons.
Have you seen participants benefit from their time with your organization?
Most definitely! I’ve seen trainees, who haven’t been in an educational setting for a while and are not confident in their abilities to become a teacher, blossom into confident individuals (as well as land jobs shortly after completing the course). Just recently, we had a trainee who hadn’t been in school for six years tell me how proud she was of herself for getting through the course and not giving up. There's always a nice sense of accomplishment in the room on the last day of the course. I keep in contact with former trainees and one thing we often discuss is how useful they've found their grammar/phonetics/ESA packets to be for lesson planning. Another comment I often here is how the live in-class practice really helped ease them into teaching, especially if they have never done it before. Our support doesn't stop once trainees have finished the course; we're always in the office or a text message away, happy to chat, discuss new career goals or just to catch up.
Why should future participants be excited to get involved with TEFL Campus?
In all honesty, it is a challenging, but very rewarding experience. You get the opportunity to form a community with people from all over the world. Each trainer has a different teaching style and different background in education; we hope that the variety shows you that there isn’t just one way to teach. TEFL Campus is near the center of Phuket with breathtaking beaches nearby and Thai culture prevalent everywhere; it’s an overall great place to live and learn.
