i-to-i TEFL

TEFL teaching in Thailand

Submitted by Ana - United Kingdom | March 16, 2018

I thoroughly enjoyed teaching and living in Thailand. I met some amazing people along the way and it is definitely something I would recommend to anyone! When I wasn’t teaching during the week, the weekends were spent travelling the country. I loved the culture, the food and the whole experience was amazing! Teaching the kids was the best, it is classroom training you can’t get anywhere else and the 120 hour TEFL course was the perfect set up for working abroad. Can’t fault it!

Program: Teach Abroad with an i-to-i TEFL Course

An excellent introduction to working and living in Vietnam

Submitted by Laura Anderson - - | January 06, 2018

i-to-i’s Vietnam internship is a great introduction to working and living in Hanoi. I’ve no complaints from sign-up to pairing with their in-country partner, ELC, and the included 120-hour TEFL course is bolstered with 20 hours of classroom training.

Vietnam also offers the best rates of pay and the cheapest living costs, so you make back the fee and leave the internship with a nice travel package.

I had every weekend free and used these to either explore Vietnam’s capital or travel the country; Hanoi is a great base.

Accommodation is basic but fine - and mostly importantly free including all bills. Electricity is the most expensive commodity here and there are no hidden fees. There is a bit of variation between the shared houses, some are better than others, but that's the same anywhere with any kind of student accommodation, and once you finish the internship, rent is super cheap in Hanoi.

BME is the English centre we worked for, teaching in public schools around Hanoi. They ferry you door to door by car taxi, a frustrating mode of transport in my opinion, and are at times unreliable, but they do try to make the experience a good one for you, something which is quite clear by the large community of teachers who either still work for BME (myself included) or still live in Hanoi. I bump into people all the time who started on this programme who are a great support network. BME pay on time every month and make sure that every teacher is working and living there legally: this means visas, work permits, foreigner residency, etc.

Life and work in Vietnam is not going to be the same as what you’ve experienced before. Communication lapses and miscommunication via language and cultural barriers are rife, but you will learn to adapt, teach, work and succeed in any and every environment.

What could be improved?

Training essentially. The August intake gets two weeks to settle in, train, etc. whereas the January intake has only one. The TEFL course (both online and classroom) itself has some interesting ideas to keep in mind, but a lot of it is not helpful when you start teaching in Vietnam. In Hanoi, your class can contain anything up to 60 little babies squeezed into bolted-to-the-floor desks - and you may rock up to a school where the power is out and has no sign of coming back on! BME do offer initial lesson plans and some amount of training, but be prepared to independently learn day by day.

I use a lot of songs in my younger grade lessons, it's a great, fun way to teach and learn that they can do from their seats. I would have found and introduction to this in the training very helpful indeed.

Program: Join the Vietnam Supported TEFL Job

Valuable experience with appropriate support

Submitted by Rebecca - Norwich England | January 04, 2018

My experience with i-to-i TEFL was fantastic, communication was good and explained everything I needed to know about the internship. I was offered a discount as I already held my 140 TEFL course, and had the chance to do another 20 classroom course during orientation which was good (although not specific to the teaching we would be doing in Hanoi). ELC who run the internship were very informative and supportive whenever I had any problems. BME the education company who we worked for in Hanoi were, majority of the time, quite unorganised, I do not know if this is a Vietnam thing or just for the company, but be prepared for things not to go to plan sometimes! The overall experience was amazing, the opportunity to see Vietnam and use my TEFL with the comfort of the support from the internship is definitely worth paying for.

Program: Join the Vietnam Supported TEFL Job

TEFL in Hanoi

Submitted by Samantha - Cork Ireland | January 03, 2018

Overall I really enjoyed the programme because it gave me the opportunity to move abroad with a certain degree of hand holding. I had some issues with the package I purchased. I had already completed my TEFL studies which I was told was no issue and I would finish the 2 day class training once I reached Vietnam. However when I sent on my certificate I was informed that I-to-I did not work with this company and I would have to complete 120 hours of TEFL in less than a month. The companies in Vietnam can be difficult to work with and at times manipulative but the help with Visas and housing etc was useful. The programme is good if not a little pricey.

Program: Join the Vietnam Supported TEFL Job

Teaching TEFL

Submitted by Johny Fountain - Fortvalley Georgia United States | October 01, 2017

This is the most amazing course , it’s lesson’s are very informative and insightful. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone. I can’t wait to go on to the next step of this journey . And finally be able to go teach in Thailand.

Program: Get TEFL Certified with an 120 Hour Online TEFL Course