Paid Teaching Program in Thailand with TravelBud

My experience with TravelBud was far different from what the marketing suggested. Costs increased beyond what was advertised, communication became inconsistent, and the support I was promised wasn’t there when the placement became unstable. I was even routed through the special economic zone in Laos with little to no guidance, and the school they placed me with did not follow through on payments and I waited more than 8 months for a placement guarantee which made it impossible to stay in Thailand legally to wait any longer before my tourist visas expired. They would not issue a refund nor a partial refund for not getting me a guaranteed placement. What concerned me most was how quickly things fell apart after asking them basic questions. I encourage future teachers to check the Reddit reviews that cannot be astroturfed or mass flagged by their marketing team on Google to only show the good reviews and hide all the bad ones.

A few months ago, I decided to leave Canada to go teach abroad. I contacted Travelbud who helped me choose Thailand as my destination. They helped me with all the preparation stuff (documents, visa, info about the country, etc). They were always there if I had a question or needed an information to explain what were the next steps. Then, I started to work with their partner agency in-country partner (first, I didn't know I was about to work with another agency). Even if I was now preparing with in-country partner, people at Travelbud were still there to make sure everything was fine. So, after all the documents and visa preparation, packing and everything, I left home and came to Thailand. I did my TESOL course with the in-country partner in Hua Hin, and met a lot of nice people from all around the world. After a month, I left for my placement in Mahachai. I am now an English teacher living in Thailand. It's a completly crazy new experience, but I like it! I'm glad I chose that program to have the chance to live all the experiences I am living right now.

"Put me on a sandy beach in the south, please", I so naively requested all those months ago. When I first expressed to the ever so helpful TravelBud team my desire to be placed near water and warmth, I had no concept of where or how good it would be. Through the tireless efforts of members at TravelBud, most notably Aubrey, my big post-grad tropical living dreams came to fruition- and more. While of course, the beach and blue water is delightful here in Songkhla, there is a uniqueness and warmth to the community that draws me even more than the sand and sun. Although I've only been in Songkhla a little over a week, I am already dreading the day I depart. If that day comes, that is... People here have welcomed me with open arms. From the security guard who protects my apartment at night to my most wonderful Thai teacher I share a classroom with. There is something to be said about Thai culture's infamous "friendly" nature. It is genuinely, true. I feel honored to share the English language with my students, and thankful to TravelBud for exceeding my greatest expectations. At the end of our lives, we are not going to recall all the "instagramable" landscapes we ventured to as much as we will recall becoming part of a community greater than ourselves. To me, Songkhla is somehow both of those things. Thank you TravelBud for the peculiarly perfect placement.