TEFLPlus

The best place to buy your airline ticket to Thailand

Li Sasaki — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:48:04 +0000

Where’s the best place to buy your ticket to Thailand? Those interested in taking our TEFL teacher training program at TEFLPlus ask this question on a daily basis, and the truth is there is no one answer to this question. There are two things to consider when buying your ticket: price and flexibility, and the two rarely come hand in hand. There are three popular places one considers when looking for a ticket to Asia: online discount websites such as Expedia.com or Orbitz.com, buying direct from the carrier’s website and your local travel agent.

If cost is the biggest concern, it’s best to check prices from all sources, and don’t forget about airport taxes! Start off by getting the prices online from the discount websites and comparing them with the prices offered on the carrier’s websites. Once you find the best price, contact your local travel agent who specializes in flights to Asia and see if he can’t beat it.

If you’d like to keep an open return date or fly “open jaws” your best bet is to try a travel agent or book on the carrier’s website directly. Pay extra attention to the fine print and note any rescheduling fees.

Flying directly to Phuket (airport code: HKT) is generally more expensive compared to touching down in Bangkok (airport code: BKK). Domestic flights on Air Asia, Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways and Nok Air run daily. One-way tickets from Bangkok to Phuket usually cost around US $40-80 when bought well in advance. The cost of domestic flights should be calculated in your final cost when deciding where you fly into.

Congratulations to our January 16, 2012 two-week Teaching Practice trainee

Li Sasaki — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:31:49 +0000

For those who have had some TEFL training, primarily online, but lack the classroom experience to bolster their resume, our one or two-week teaching practice course is a perfect fit. Zamil took a popular online teaching English as a second language course before arriving at TEFLPlus. He started his teaching practice course two weeks ago, and has been able to both practice what he learned online with real students as well as learn our teaching methodology under the guidance and supervision of our TEFL trainers.

You can see what Zamil thought of our two-week Teaching Practice course on YouTube.

Teaching Practice courses can be scheduled at any time. Training is done one-to-one so you’ll have plenty of time to interact with our instructors as well as get the classroom experience you need to start teaching English abroad.

In addition to our Teaching Practice course, TEFLPlus offers two ESL teacher training courses. Our four-week advancedTEFL course is an international standard 125-hour course with ten hours of teaching practice. Our one-week 40-hour introTEFL course covers most of the material as our four-week course at an accelerated pace. Our introTEFL and advancedTEFL courses often sell out, so if you have any questions about our course in Patong, or about becoming a certified English teacher in Thailand, contact us today!

Pre-order coffee at Bean & Gone for your next TEFL break

Li Sasaki — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:28:54 +0000

All of our classes at TEFLPlus and Patong Language School run on the hour and are 50 minutes long. This leaves 10 minutes between classes to stretch your legs, finish your homework, or get a coffee at our favorite coffee shop, Bean and Gone. Sometimes, there isn’t enough time to do everything. Now, you can maximize your coffee drinking time by pre-ordering your next latte, cappuccino or smoothie. Just hand in your completed order form to Champ, and he will have your drink ready at the requested time. Precious minutes will be saved, and you will avoid smoothie brain freeze.

Would you like your ice cream in a cone, cup or bun?

Li Sasaki — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:35:53 +0000

Every day around 3pm the coconut ice cream van drives down Soi Aroonsom past our school in Patong. The unmistakable midi rendition of Beethoven’s Für Elise can be heard just as the van turns the corner from the main road. On a hot day, freshly made coconut ice cream sure hits the spot and people of all ages can be seen flocking to the purple lunchbox-shaped mini-minivan on its daily route as it idles around Patong.

There’s only one thing on the menu: refreshing, cool, coconut ice cream. You can opt to enjoy it in a cup, a cone or a hot dog-style bun. OK, its probably just a hot dog bun, but this is by far the best way to enjoy this 20 Baht treat. What you’ll get is a bun layered with a bed of sticky rice and three scoops of fresh coconut ice cream straight from the machine all topped with toasted peanuts. A little salty, a little sweet and 100% delicious. You can attack your pastry packaged delight with the provided spoon or just bite right in.

This is only one of the many interesting things you get to see and taste in Thailand. If you’re interested in enrolling in a TEFL course in Phuket to become a certified ESL teacher, contact us today and we’ll let you know when the ice cream truck comes around next.

Delicious discounts for TEFLPlus and PLS students

Li Sasaki — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:31:08 +0000

Students at Patong Language School and TEFLPlus can now enjoy discounts on all sandwiches at Delicious, Patong’s newest European-style sandwich shop in Patong. Situated right across the street from our TEFL training center, Delicious offers Belgian-style sandwiches, ice cream, hamburgers, French fries and more. They also have a wide selection of hard to find Belgian beers.

Whether you’re a language student at Patong Language School, or a TEFL trainee on your lunch break, why not try a Dutch Baguette with gouda cheese and ham or a Belgian Ciabatta stuffed with French fries.

Ask the front desk for your Delicious discount card today!

A warm welcome to our January 16 advancedTEFL trainees

Li Sasaki — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:14:18 +0000

All of us at TEFLPlus would like to welcome all of our January 16, 2012 advancedTEFL trainees to Patong! To keep class sizes small, the trainees were split into two groups. Stefan started the morning with orientation at 10am. After orientation, everyone went to their respective classrooms to finish off the morning session.

By lunch time, the TEFL staff, trainers and trainees made the quick walk to the Aspery Hotel to enjoy a Thai buffet lunch. The food and service was excellent as always, and everyone left with full bellies.

In just four weeks, these trainees will become certified ESL teachers who have gained the skills they need to work in countless countries around the world. You can be one too! Our next four-week advancedTEFL course in Patong, Phuket starts on February 27, 2012 and spaces are filling up fast.

Don’t have a mobile phone for your stay in Phuket? No problem.

Li Sasaki — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:17:41 +0000

Our advancedTEFL course in Patong, Phuket takes four weeks and is a great investment for those looking to teach english as a foreign language. Most trainees decide to come a few days early or leave a little late to enjoy all that Phuket has to offer. Although Phuket is a tropical island, its also the biggest island in Thailand. Whether you’re travelling with friends or on a solo journey, it’s always a good idea to have a cell phone with you.

If you don’t plan on staying in Thailand to work as an ESL teacher after taking our TEFL course, buying a cheap mobile phone could be our best bet. Base model Nokia and Samsung phones can be had for under 600 Baht. Try looking on the top floor of Big C in Junceylon Shopping Center in Patong first. After, you can pick up a Thai SIM card at one of the small shops on the third floor in IT Island, and you can start making calls immediately.

Our first introTEFL course of 2012!

Li Sasaki — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:36:39 +0000

Our first introTEFL course of 2012 has just started. Over the next week, our instructors will cover all of the necessary skills to teach English as a foreign language to students all over the world. ESL teachers are in-demand, and taking our one-week introTEFL course is your fast track to becoming a certified English teacher.

TEFLPlus teacher training course start dates for 2012 & 2013!

Li Sasaki — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:50:17 +0000

All of the 2012 and 2013 start dates for our four-week advancedTEFL and one-week introTEFL courses are now up on our website. If you’ve thought about becoming a certified ESL teacher and have the opportunity to work anywhere in the world, it’s a great time to start planning your adventure. An internationally-recognized 120-hour TEFL certificate could be your ticket to a new life.

We’re always available to answer all of your questions. If you think that this could be for you, drop us a line.

Our four-week TEFL course start dates can be found on our advancedTEFL course dates page.

Our one-week TEFL course start dates can be found on our introTEFL course dates page.

Video of the New Year’s Eve celebration, Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Li Sasaki — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:39:40 +0000

Patong Beach is a great place to celebrate New Year’s Eve and this year was no exception. Thousands of Thais, expats and tourists of all ages flocked to Patong Beach to watch the impressive fireworks and launch fire-fueled lanterns.

The major fireworks displays were centered around Bangla Road and the football field near Loma Park. There were also many other “independent” displays. A great time was had by all.

If you weren’t able to join us this year, there’s always next year. You can catch a glimpse of this year’s festivities on our latest YouTube video and see why you too should come to Phuket to learn a new language at Patong Language School Language School or become a certified English teacher at TEFLPlus.