Get Paid to Teach in Thailand | 1 or 2 Semester options

When I first signed up to teach abroad, I thought it would be a fun way to travel a bit, learn about a new culture, and have the chance to expand my love of teaching in a new school. I thought that I would have a leg up on others in the program since I am a certified teacher in the states with 3 years of teaching experience. I thought I would have to worry more about planning trips than teaching the students. Then I arrived in Thailand and discovered that it didn't matter that I had taught previously. It didn't matter that I had a degree in education. It didn't matter that I had taught English before. The teaching part is the hardest part. It was almost harder coming from a background in teaching because I know what kind of control and expectations I have in my own classroom at home, yet that is not how the system works here in Thailand. The school will change up the schedule without telling you, the students will miss class for a practice that you had no idea was taking place, and the curriculum is either non-existent, or so specific that you physically don't have enough hours in the school day to teach it all. The students think of you as a substitute teacher- considering you are only there for a short period of time. The subject that you are teaching is not their core subject- Thai is. English is the second language. English class is the second priority. Teaching English in a different country is nowhere near the same as teaching English in America. Looking back on the past 2 months, I have realized that maybe I don't need to be the teacher who stays late doing work, adding on extra projects and activities. Maybe I don't have to kill myself bending over backwards for no pay like I do in the states. Maybe I can use this as an opportunity to explore, to travel, to find myself. Which is exactly what I have been doing. I have had the time and resources to go on trips almost every weekend. I have been able to check off things on my bucket list constantly. I have been able to do things that I would only dream of being able to do in the states. It has been a dream come true and I can't wait to continue this journey for the next 4 months.

If a friend was considering teaching abroad I would tell them to do it, 100%. They would likely develop their own set of reasons for leaving the comfort zone / exploring / trying to be the best teacher possible the whole time. I would recommend CIEE's teach abroad program specifically because first, it's regarded quite highly here. My coordinator prioritizes CIEE's ESL teachers because she says they're always well trained and that her opinion is not rare. Further, CIEE provides a really nice balance of support and independence. They take care of all of the aspects that would have been insanely stressful to figure out while in your home country (placement in a legitimate school, a good living arrangement, definite pay), they orient you for a week, and then they are as involved in the rest of your time as you want them to be. I'm extremely comforted to know that I have their support for the next few months if I need it, but I'm also so grateful for theindependence I'm enjoying over here.

There are a lot of positives that have come with this program, like the information given to us about our host country and what to expect, the help with the visa process (if you do the plus program), and the fact that CIEE helps ensure you've gathered the right documents, have multiple copies, and they give packing suggestions (which were very helpful). Equally, or even more important, is the fact that they've found a reasonable international health insurance to work with, AND took much of the legwork off of us as individuals when it comes to finding placement for an overseas job. I have some friends who have done other programs that seem to have a larger rate of completion, and there were times I didn't feel as well prepared as I would have liked (hence why not 10/10), but overall it is/was a decent program to go through and I'm content with my decision to go through CIEE.