The Hua Hin Today team was invited to a graduation ceremony for about 60 new teachers that graduated with a certificate showing they have completed 120 hour in class TESOL from XploreAsia .
The graduation ceremony was held at Tessaban Ban Hua Hin School where the teachers had spent hours teaching the students English and at the same time getting teaching experience towards there in-class TESOL. As we toured the school we saw a lot of excited new teachers getting hands-on experience in classrooms and happy Tessaban Ban Thai Students enjoying communication in English.
For those of you don’t know what a TESOL certificate is, or maybe wonder what kind of business Xplore Asia conducts here is some information. A TESOL certificate stands for a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, a certificate that most countries expect from native English speakers when they come to Thailand to teach. The certificate gives the new teachers the skills to teach English to speakers of other languages. The TESOL qualification is accepted all over the world and therefore is a vital requirement for anyone wanting to teach English in Thailand or elsewhere.
Xplore Asia run both online and in-class Tesol courses all through year for people that want to teach. For in class TESOL courses they have two locations in Hua Hin and Yangon, Myanmar.
The TESOL In-class a 120 hour course is provided by expert trainers with years of industry experience. The four week course provides is comprehensive. The In-class TESOL also provides over 20 hours of real teaching experience through participation in a non-profit English camp providing community service. Items taught include theory and lesson planning, teaching grammar, reading, listening, speaking, classroom management and language & culture.
Xplore Asia was started by a group of dedicated Thai nationals and expatriates in Hua Hin who possess extensive experience working in the fields of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and international recruiting.
Additional to training, Xplore Asia arrange for job placement assistance and Visa support. To take part in their in class TESOL Course & placement services the requirement are simple:
• Must be native English speakers (for placement program only)
• Must be in good physical and mental health
• Must be between 19 and 50 years old
• Must be passport holders of any of the following countries: United States, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Applicants will get paid between 25,000 and 35,000 Baht per month once placed and the placement can be anywhere in Thailand and as well Korea or Myanmar.
Additionally to Tesol courses Xplore Asia offers volunter programs in Thailand of different lengths for teaching English. This could be at a local school, a monastery, an orphanage or even at community centres teaching elderly members of the community . All volunteers get a 60 hour TESOL cetification. Additional they do a Homestay Program. This is a cultural exchange where a local individual or family hosts a native English speaker. The Homestay Program offers clients the unique opportunity to completely immerse themselves within the Thai culture and lifestyle while simultaneously changing the host’s life forever. Recently Xplore Asia has started TEYL on-line Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) course. The purpose of the TEYL course is to meet the growing need for teachers with specific expertise in teaching young learners (kindergarten and primary school children).
I managed to chat to two young gentlemen on graduation day about to get their TESOL certification. I could almost feel the excitement brimming as I caught them after one of their last teaching days before being placed in various locations in Thailand:
Chris from Boston answered my query “Why teach in Thailand? “ I want to try something new. I love the culture and people of Thailand and teaching here is exiting and different”.
He gave his best trick to capture the kid’s attention in class “to use pantomime combined with English words to put through the meaning of what you are trying to say, thus letting them connect the action with the words yet making it fun for the students”. For older children with better English standards “using some Thai phrases if they get restless or frustrated, as that always gets their attention and a guaranteed laugh.
Austin from USA described his feeling on the last day before heading to his placement job in Lopburi: “Scarry, exiting, yet fun. The course has given me better confidence and I am ready put in action what I have learned”.
Good luck to all our new English teachers!
For more information on Explore Asia call: 083 645 3807
