Great course. Provides a good base of knowledge and also the knowledge on how to go about continuing to learn and advance should you choose to. Actual practice teaching and lesson planning along with learning aspects of the English language that we, as native speakers, might not be consciously aware of that are very important to teaching English to speakers of other languages.
On a more personal note, if you are like me and tend to do better with more gradual learning, you may find this course a bit stressful. It's very much a dive-right-in style, which it has to be because of the amount of content they fit into a very short time. It's still very doable and just try to be open to making mistakes. The more you make in the course the more you can avoid later in an actual job. The staff are good about giving constructive criticism and helping you learn from each experience. They can also be very direct in telling you if you have certain things that you really need to work on. Again, if you're like me, just remember that now is the time to hear this stuff so you can be aware of it and work on it for your actual job if you are planning on getting a job after.
The area was very enjoyable. Lots of places and things to do within walking distance, and even more if you rent a motorbike. Buses were easy to use, especially since most of the people were very friendly and helpful even if you didn't know any Thai. The beaches were stunning. The food was excellent. There was not a lot of time during the course to go do larger things like island tours or zip-lining, elephant sanctuary, staying the night elsewhere. Certainly doable, but there is a bit of work outside the classroom, so I personally didn't have time to do a lot of sightseeing and such during the course. For that reason, if you don't plan on staying in Thailand, I would recommend, if you can, at least staying a couple weeks after the course.
Stayed at both Phuket Center Apartments (only for 4 days) and Sakul House (for the rest of the time). Both were great. Phuket Center Apartments (PCA) has larger rooms with a more western style shower and much less noise pollution from the road. The internet seemed a bit tricky for the few days I was there, but maybe easy enough to get used to. There is a great little store right outside of PCA for snacks and water, soap, shampoo, etc. Very close to lots of restaurants and shops and a walking street market on the weekends. Sakul House is a bit more homey, less hotel-like. It came to feel like a second home. Rooms are smaller, but still plenty of room, especially since most of the time other than sleeping and homework is spent outside the room. The road noise is definitely loud if you're not used to that sort of thing. The owner is awesome and the lady that cleans the rooms as well. Also within easy walking distance of several restaurants and still pretty easy walking distance into Old Phuket, even though it's farther than from PCA. There's even a new market that opened up right next to it. The giant weekend market is about a 20 minute walk from Sakul. Both are easy walking distance to the school.
Both the course and Thailand were amazing. Would highly recommend this to anyone interested in teaching English as a foreign language and even if you're not interested in that, I would highly recommend visiting Thailand. Learned lots and had a ton of fun.
What would you improve about this program?
Not a lot in the way of snacks/refreshments provided at the school. There is a cafe nearby, though. The Thai lessons didn't seem very well thought-out/planned. Although this might have been because the normal person who did the Thai lessons wasn't available the month I was there...
Didn't feel like I was always on the same page as the instructors when it came to lesson planning, not totally following their line of thought, etc., and got the sense that I needed to be or I was doing it wrong in their opinion. Was great getting their feedback and hearing their thoughts since they have so much experience, but might also be nice if they gave a bit more direction if they're wanting something specific, or be more open to the fact that some people won't be thinking on their same wavelength, especially if they've never done anything like this before. Doesn't mean we're stupid or can't do it or won't get better. Just that we don't know what they know and don't have the experience they have. Things they think are very simple might not be so simple for others. Maybe be more aware of this when giving feedback and criticism so it doesn't come across as though, if you don't pick everything up perfectly in the very short time of the course, then you are not doing well at all.
Also, would be nice to make sure it's very clear that things like sunscreen and bug spray, while available, are expensive. So it's a good idea to bring them with you if you can.
