What's Included in the TEFL Heaven Volunteer Teaching Projects?
5 days training in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) is provided which will enable you to prepare well for your teaching placement. You will be presented with a 30 hour TEFL certificate at the end of your stay in Thailand. The TEFL certificate is issued and accredited through British TEFL.
9 nights in a paradise location is included, but free Thai massages are not. There are plenty available though, should you choose to have one at around 300 THB per hour (£5 GBP).
Support and assistance - if you have any questions and queries regarding Thai way of life or cultural issues and also to assist you in the unlikely case that you come across any problems.
Big taste of Thai culture - You will be staying with a Thai family who will be seeking to help you integrate into Thai culture. We hope that you would want to spend time with them in the evenings but you are free to meet up with other TEFL Heaven volunteers in your spare time. Thailand is very different from the Western world in many ways but we hope that you will look to embrace this and even seek to learn a little Thai from your host family.
Accommodation is provided for the Volunteer Teaching Project both during the TEFL training and the TEFL placement. You will most likely be sharing (quad occupancy) during training. When on placement you will most likely be on your own with a host family, depending on the area and the school. You should have your own room and will be quite basic: bed, shared bathroom, fan or air conditioning.
Food is provided during the 4 weeks teaching placement, but not on the paradise location for the first 10 days or so. However, food costs are very cheap: 100 THB/£2 per meal on the training resort and half that price when in placement, if you ever decide to eat out. Food is much cheaper in non-tourist places.
Internal travel within Thailand is provided. transport from Bangkok airport to the TEFL training venue to the teaching placement is provided. You may have to make your own way to school in the morning however, by walking, bus or motorbike.
Airport pickup is provided, as well as transfers to temporary accommodation in Bangkok before we take you to get TEFL trained.
The Thai visa is needed to volunteer with us. You will have to meet the cost of this visa in your home country before you arrive, which currently is £55 GBP in the UK. We give you directions on how to apply for the visa, which is called a non-immigrant O visa and lasts a total of 90 days.
A network of fellow trainees and other teachers will accompany you on the TEFL course on the island and will be around you at your teaching placement.
Most of the people we recruit are very outgoing – you have to be to be a teacher!
An orientation in Thai language and culture is also provided, so you can try and get by on your own. You will need to know the numbers (so you don’t get ripped off) and how to get around in Thai. You will also need to know the dos and don’ts of Thai culture. We want you fully supported and prepared!
Social events will be organised from time to time and you are welcome to get on board and come exploring with us all!
Other things that may not be physically included are of a more intrinsic nature. This is an experience of a lifetime, and many of our trainees gain a lifetime of experience in just one trip. This will be an experience you will never forget and you will want to make sure you capture the moment on camera. We suggest you bring a very big memory card, or a laptop to store your photo’s on.
Still not inspired yet? Watch this video made by one of our teachers for us:
