United States
US
Louise Allonby
Teach Enrich Empower
Taking a Leap of Faith in Thailand
Hi, my name’s Louise and I’m 23 years old. Back in July 2014, I had just finished studying my degree and I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life after university. All I was certain of, was that I wanted to travel long term.
This is when I decided to apply to do a TEFL, which I hoped would help me to be able to do something unique and out of my comfort zone. I have found that holding a TEFL certificate has opened up many doors for me, especially now that I have got a year of teaching experience under my belt.
About my TEFL experience
Taking a TEFL course with The TEFL Academy helped me a lot with different classroom situations. I learnt about classroom management, which came in very useful with 56 10-year-olds. I learnt about lesson planning and structure, which is very important because you want to keep the kids entertained and interested in learning English. If you can manage that, life will be easier and you will find that your relationship with the students is enhanced because they will want to engage with you.
“Taking a TEFL course with The TEFL Academy helped me a lot.”
Teaching TEFL in Thailand
I am currently teaching in rural Thailand, in a small town located in the Buriram province. I have been here a year now and have taught in 2 government primary schools in this area. My first school had 1800 students and 1000 of them I taught, with classes averaging at about 56 students. It was a bit daunting and scary at first but ended up being so much fun. My second school had about 1000 students and I only taught about 400 of them. It was kind of nice to take a back seat after a crazy-busy first term. I had two very similar schools but two completely different experiences.
Thailand is rich in culture and very hot. Both have taken a while to get used to but once you settle in and learn about the life here and fully emerge yourself in it, you are in for a life-changing journey. I have friends and local families that have accepted me into their homes like their own and it has truly made me feel lucky that I have this chapter in my life to look back on and it made realize just how kind-hearted and welcoming the Thai people are.
My TEFL career plans
I have nearly finished a year teaching here in Thailand and my next plan is to carry on teaching. I will be heading to Spain next to teach at an English camp for 7 months. After that, who knows where the next adventure will take me.
If I was to give any advice to anyone considering teaching overseas, I would say ‘take that leap of faith’, what could possibly go wrong? I am so glad I took the risk because I knew that if I didn’t, I would have regretted it later on in life. Don’t let this be one of your regrets. I promise, you will have the time of your life.
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