Hannah Kynaston

“It was really easy to get a teaching job with my TEFL certificate.”

The two-day course with The TEFL Academy was really fun! I met so many people (I still speak to some of them now; one is working in Spain and another is also in Thailand!) who all shared my interests, and the course leader was lovely. We learned lots about how to effectively teach students, how to conduct successful ice breakers, how to engage with students. They taught us lots of fun games to play with classes to help them learn in a fun environment. The online course was brilliant too! It was full of useful information and I had plenty of time to complete it, so I could easily fit it in to my busy schedule.

I was eager to get out and see the world. And now I had a TEFL qualification so  it was easy to get a job abroad (as people kept telling me – though I was a bit sceptical). After saving up some money I handed in my notice and set out on my adventure.

My first stop was Dubai, then India and my final (planned) stop was Thailand. I fell in love with Thailand and after several weeks of backpacking in Thailand I decided I wanted to stay. I knew I needed some extra money to stay so I started looking for teaching jobs. It turns out everyone was right! It was really easy to get a teaching job in Thailand with my TEFL certificate! I got the first job I applied for! Amazing! I was so excited that I was going to be able to live and work in Thailand as a teacher.

My job was to teach at a primary school in Phuket, South Thailand. I was told I would be teaching Years 1-6 and that the children were aged 4-13. Then I was informed that my classes would have around 50 children in and that over one week I would be teaching around 1000 children. Well that was a bit nerve-wracking! I was never one for getting up and speaking in a room full of people and I had never worked with kids before in my life. Nor had I ever taught anyone! Safe to say I was pretty nervous.

My first day at school arrived and I was super nervous, but as I stepped into my first class all my nerves went away instantly! The children in my class were all super excited to see me! They waved, high fived me, hugged me and everyone was so happy! The lesson went so well! I played games with them and taught them some English! It was such a fantastic experience! And I was excited to go to my next class!

I’ve now been teaching for 4 months and I still love it just as much as I did on the first day. I have a laugh with the children and every day when I walk into school I’m greeted by the children who run over to me and hug me or high five me. It’s great! Even when my lessons don’t go to plan and they don’t understand something, it’s so easy to laugh about it and try again.

In my free time I get to see all the beautiful places/ beaches/ islands that Thailand has to offer. And when I just want to relax? Well, I go for a swim in my pool! My friend was right, it is possible to love your job and travel the world. I’d highly recommend completing a TEFL qualification. It’s so worth it! I was shy and not very confident but this experience has changed me for the better. Now I’m full of confidence and can happily walk into any classroom and teach.

I am currently so happy working in Thailand, though my future plans are to teach in Japan. How exciting is that? If you’re reading this, go and book yourself on to your nearest TEFL course now! If you think you’re too shy or you’re worried about anything, don’t be. Just go and do it! You’ll be fine. If I can do it, anyone can!