Monday and Tuesday were spent in the classroom studying grammar. There is absolutely nothing fun to write about it. It is a necessary evil. Grammar isn’t extremely important in teaching English to foreign learners because their native teachers usually take care of that and I’ll be there for more speech and writing reinforcement. But, as… Continue reading
Category: TEFL Related
TEFL Certification Day 6 & 7: Student Monks
It’s now Monday and the first week of the course is completed. So far things are going far better than I expected. My confidence is through the roof and I have the itch to start teaching already. I enjoy standing up in front of my peers practicing and can’t wait to get more practice when… Continue reading
TEFL Certification Day 4 & 5: Going through the motions
Disclaimer: I want to warn readers that these posts are usually written after a long 8 hour day in the classroom after already completing my written assignments after class. Please do not expect perfect grammar as I’m not going to do any editing and will only be free writing as quickly as possible. I am… Continue reading
TEFL Certification Day 3: Back to School
Today was the first full day of the course. I just did a ton of hand writing so figure me for being a little short here. We started out with a class introduction and then went right into teaching methods. We are starting off this week by becoming students before we become teachers. The trainer… Continue reading
TEFL Certification Day 2: Orientation
After taking one last Sunday afternoon to sleep in, a few of us headed off in search of a place to purchase some work clothes. I’ve been backpacking since January so I didn’t bring along professional clothes for the classroom. There is no place to purchase anything in Ban Phe but I was assured from… Continue reading
TEFL Certification Course Day 1: Arrival to Ban Phe
Ban Phe pronounced: Ban Pay, small fishing village on the Gulf coast of Thailand in the Rayong province. After nearly 2 weeks enjoying myself in Pattaya it was time to say goodbye. I had a great time there and became a regular at one of the bars. The weather was bad during the entire stay… Continue reading
A Week of Bad Weather
When I arrived in Pattaya nearly 2 weeks ago my plan was to spend a few days and then move on to one of the islands to relax. Unfortunately, the weather has not been agreeable. Much of southern Thailand is under about 3 feet of water, especially some of the major island tourist destinations. Fortunately,… Continue reading
In the Region
I spent a week in Bangkok letting my wallet spill with the overpriced hotels and food around Sukhumvit Rd. It’s the price to pay to avoid Khao San Rd’s real dirty cheapies. I can tell I’m out of travel mode as I’m starting to feel like a bum. I don’t want to spend money moving… Continue reading
Got it!
In a fantastic turn of events and with a little help from my NEW guest house owner, I received an extended 60 day tourist visa for Thailand that will take me through the month of April so that I don’t have to make any visa runs during my TEFL certification course. The nice lady at… Continue reading
Thailand, you’re losing and Indonesia is winning
In the, Where Will Joey End Up Sweepstakes, Thailand is starting to fall precariously behind. I arrived to the island of Penang off the west coast of Malaysia earlier this week in an attempt to secure a 90 day education visa for my stay in Thailand. I was told Penang is the most lenient Thai… Continue reading