Teach English in Thailand with Mediakids

Working for MediaKids has been my first experience teaching abroad and I have to say that they've done a great job at providing support for the logistical challenges of working in Thailand. My cultural consultants were very responsive and reassuring whenever I had questions about immigration, visas, work permits, holidays, or needed someone to help represent my interests to the administration at my placement school.

MediaKids has also provided great tools for my classroom. As a first-time teacher it was incredibly helpful to be given an outline for the semester, as well as recommended vocabulary and suggested classroom activities. At the same time, they give teachers room to personalize their lessons and cater to the varying level of students.

One thing I would note is that there seems to be a lot of disparity in people’s experiences working for this company. Some schools are very demanding and strict while others are pretty flexible and low-key. The level of students of the same age also varies from school to school. While my students are mostly polite and eager to learn, I have friends from orientation that have struggled with student behavioral issues and been unable to find support from MediaKids or their placement school. This variety might be unavoidable, due to the number of different schools across the country that use MediaKids ESL teachers, but it is still important to note if you’re considering working for them.

To conclude, it doesn’t seem like MediaKids is above the curve as far as ESL employers in Thailand. The pay and benefits provided by the company seem average for local standards (new teachers at public schools in rural areas). Also, regardless of which company or school you chose to work for, I imagine a lot of your experience living in Thailand will be dependent on your initiative and interests. All that being said, MediaKids is still a solid choice and I would recommend them as my experience being an employee of the company has been a generally good one.

Everyone has their reason for coming to Thailand. Some come for the adventure, some come for the partying, some come for the culture, and some--like me--have come for work. As I got on the plane that would take me to Bangkok for my orientation with MediaKids, I was, understandably, very nervous. Spending four months teaching hundreds of kids who speak a language that I don't seemed particularly daunting. But after the three-day orientation course with MediaKids, that nervousness was largely put to rest. From day one they did their best to quell any fears we had and make everything as clear as possible to us about what we should expect during this chapter of our lives. I left orientation with confidence I didn't expect to have and have never looked back. Yes, I was still a bit nervous on day one of teaching, but, because of MediaKids and their excellent staff, I was prepared. I'm over three months in now and can say that MediaKids still continues to be a delightful company to work for. Just about everyone I interact with from the company is very nice and genuinely cares about any issue I may have. It is quite refreshing to work for a company like them. If someone asks me about teaching English in Thailand, I will definitely speak favorably of MediaKids.

This experience allowed me to be exposed to the Thai culture. I am able to speak a little bit of Thai now. I met many great teachers through this program. They pick you up from the airport, which I thought was great. My Area Consultants were very helpful when I needed them.

My school had a mid semester break. It allowed me to travel to other parts of Thailand on my spare time. I got to visit Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Koh Larn, U-Thong, Korat, and of course Bangkok.

I worked with high school students in Essan. The children can be fun to work with. They have a lot of fun school activities you can observe.

Working with MediaKids has been a memorable experience. I am going to continue working with MediaKids because this company is definitely a stepping stone to broaden my horizon, to learn, and teach in many other countries. Although there were emails lost in translation, MediaKids always got back to me with prudent information I was seeking. I will definitely recommend MediaKids to any other person looking to start their career in teaching abroad or simply trying to see the world by learning and teaching.

Teaching with Media Kids was life changing. I found myself pushing out of my comfort zone all to have the most fun and teach my students the best I could. I grew as a person and came to love all my children along the way. Working with MK was easy, they take care of the legalities of living and working in Thailand, that was the biggest help. I would recommend working with MK and definitely recommend teaching in Thailand.

If you enjoy the social aspect of life, make sure you posted in an area where there are other foreigners.

When you sign up with Media Kids they do get you to fill out a preference form, they use this form to place you to the best of their ability. Many areas are in rural Thailand but you can make the most out of any situation 😉

Overall my experience has been good. It’s an awesome opportunity to be able to teach English abroad.

This is my first experience teaching in a foreign country and I didn't regret doing it. The experiences I had for the past 3 months plus will make me a better teacher for sure. I got to learn the culture of Thailand through the daily encounter I have with my students and my co-teachers. I will always remember how my colleagues laugh at me when they let me repeat a Thai word which I failed badly. On the other side, Salary-wise , its not that big specially if you have a family to support but I did make the most out of my stay with my school and Mediakids.

Media kids is a good way to begin your teaching experience in Thailand however I was placed in a location I didnt want and had problems with regards to getting my wages from my Thai bank into my UK and Mediakids also seemed to have no idea how to do this which I was very surprised by.

Very helpful with somethings however I still sometimes felt I did not have the support system they advertised.