Vantage 120-Hour TEFL Certification

I can’t believe how much I learned in 4 short weeks! Vantage’s course was more than amazing and I feel that I realized a very high degree of personal and professional accomplishment.

I never would have received the type of training I had with Vantage had I completed an online course or went to any other in-person school in Thailand. I now have the confidence that I need to work anywhere and teach any student at any proficiency level.

There was a lot of additional online resources and teaching materials through Vantage’s shared Dropbox, which I can continue to access well after my course has completed.

Vantage doesn’t lecture. They run a discussion type forum and we got a lot of insight from their lead trainer who has 25+ years of teaching experience trainers. He was more than able to answer all my questions.

During the length of the course, you will need to remain focused and use the weekends to create your lesson plans and catch up on your portfolio. I was also given personalized help with resume writing and a lot of attention.

I am completely satisfied with Vantage TEFL. It was money well spent.

After just a week or so of classes, it’s not a surprise why Vantage is the leading TEFL course provider in Thailand.

The facilities are superb and Chris, our course instructor, was tremendously supportive throughout the one month. This is an intensive course as there’s a lot of course material to cover, but he was always very engaging so our interest never waned.

Having the opportunity to teach Thai students during our observed practice teaching session was an invaluable experience and Chris ensured we were prepared from start to finish. And that started with first learning how to do professional lesson planning.

We also received separate training on job applications and how to build our Power Resume by course director Kevin. That was great as it meant that job offers were on the table as soon as we received our Certification!

My training at Vantage was world class. And their trainers are second to none.

Vantage immediately put my worries to rest. As I was relatively new to Thailand, had some key concerns about working in a foreign educational system. Vantage runs small classes as they teach via the workshop approach. The course was intensive, but always engaging, so the time just flew by.

The small class meant that the course highly personalized and we got a ton of help that I’m sure we wouldn’t in a larger size class. The trainers had nothing but time for us and I was provided with support each step of the way.

We did our observed teaching practice sessions at a nursing college—a really great experience. First, we had to formulate an ‘approved’ lesson plan before stepping into the classroom. After the class, observations from the trainers helped us improve immeasurably after each practice lesson. This was critical in my development as a professional teacher. After doing a live practicum, I don’t see how anyone could contemplate doing an online-only TEFL course and believe they were getting any practical training in the art of education.

Vantage showed me how to reach my full training potential. They really built up my confidence. They went out of their way to give us the foundational skill set to teach English and the platform to become great teachers.

If you’re thinking about a career in education, I would recommend Vantage without hesitation.

My experience at Vantage TEFL has been one of the most intensive, yet stimulating courses, that I have ever done.

The lead trainer Chris was very knowledgeable and articulate about the different concepts of the English language. He’s not your typical instructor. First off, he teaches in a workshop rather than lecturer style. He engages each student in a highly personal way that applies to their way of thinking and their personality.

As a trainee, the staff is not only knowledgeable in instructing TEFL, but has great hospitality in making the trainees feel very comfortable in learning, understanding and getting acclimated to Thai culture to give you the best environment to learn.

This course has a part called the Foreign Language Experience where the objective is to have you sit on the other side of the desk so you can experience what it’s like for your students when you’re teaching them English. The trainer Ryan instructed our class in a creative and he engaged us as learners into an unfamiliar world of culture and grammar.
The quality of training given at Vantage far exceeded my expectations and I definitely got money’s worth. As I had been out of school a while I was definitely rusty in areas like grammar but that was no challenge for the staff. I was encouraged and sharpened every step of the way.

Finally, Manager Kevin goes way beyond reach to give you deep insight on tips to sharpen your resume, and how to land an interview. I came in the week after I graduated and he landed me an interview for the very next day!

The Vantage team are an outstanding team of professionals who really enjoy what they do. If you want to embark on a career in teaching, these are the guys to see.

I did Vantage’s Combined Course. That’s where you do the course book online—20 units that I did over three months. I then came to Bangkok to do my practice teaching with Vantage. I was also invited to attend any of their In-Class sessions as well, which was great because their classroom discussions added a dimension to the material that you won’t get from the online section.

Vantage is fond of saying that “new teachers are born in the classroom.” While I was skeptical at first, the hands-on teaching experience was amazing. The trainers have decades of experience of teaching overseas in a lot of different countries. I got great expert feedback after each session. There was a lot of difference between my early and last teaching practices. I really saw myself developing into a professional teacher towards the end of practicum.

I also got invaluable knowhow on how to create a successful lesson plan over the six sessions because each class had to be on a different language topic. Once you know how to do a lesson plan of what you’re going to do for an hour with your students, you really gain a sense of confidence before even stepping into the classroom.

Kevin and Chris were super helpful. Chris was always available to answer my questions and give advice on my lesson plans. I was also invited to attend any of their In-Class sessions as well. Kevin helped so much with jobs and resume writing. He got me my first job offer as I was finishing my course.

The Combined course turned out to be as advertised: the best of both worlds. I would recommend Vantage to anyone looking for a professional TEFL certification program.

The Vantage TEFL course was excellent. Even before it started, I got great advice and even greater service. That’s because at the last minute, I had to change my course dates due to some personal issues at home. One quick email sorted out all my problems and Vantage immediately rescheduled my training and accommodation reservations to dates that worked really well.

As for the course itself, Chris, the lead trainer, is the best. His grammar explanations were more than just a refresher as he gave me a whole new way of looking at what I originally thought of as the most boring part of teaching English. He has a great way of making mundane subjects engaging and relevant and I’ve learned great way to present this to my students.

One of the best parts of the course were practice teaching sessions we did at the nursing college. This is where I really learned to teach. Both the Vantage trainers have decades of teaching experience and it shows in spades. The observed feedback I got was eye-opening and we were always given a new ‘challenge’—an area we were still weak in—to incorporate into the next teaching session.

Vantage was a truly amazing experience and I would definitely recommend that anyone starting out a career in teaching get in touch with these guys. They really know what they’re doing.

I graduated from Vantage TEFL on the Friday and Vantage set up an interview for the following Monday, which led to a great position being offered. I couldn’t have done this any faster. Vantage has agreements with some of Thailand’s leading teacher placement agencies who provided teachers into Thailand’s top schools. I actually had two different job offers to choose from on that first Monday.

The TEFL course at Vantage gave me the foundational teaching skill and hence the confidence I needed during my interviews. I could show schools how to prepare a lesson plan that would engage my students. I was told as these companies had hired many other Vantage TEFL graduates, they knew I would be successful in the classroom.

For me, the heart and soul was the six hours of observed practice teaching, and the expert feedback I got after each session. I developed my skills after each class. My trainers kept saying that new teachers are born in the classroom and I'm now I’m a firm believer.
Vantage trainers always put in the extra time and effort into their students to turn them into professional ESL teachers.

Without hesitation. I would recommend Vantage TEFL to anyone who is considering becoming a professional teacher in Thailand.

Vantage trainers were exceptionally knowledgeable. The lead trainer, Chris, has two and a half decades of teaching experience and it shows. That comes through in class discussions and it adds a whole a perspective that goes way beyond the course book.

The course itself was exceptionally well taught. And while it was intensive it was always engaging so I relished all the elbow grease I was putting in.

Vantage like to say that new teachers are born in the classroom. For me, the teacher practicum portion of the course was the heart of my training. We were first guided on creating an effective lesson plan where we have to incorporate the ESA teaching mythology into a classroom setting. These were checked by Vantage and in the first ones, we had to go through a few rounds of revisions until we got it right.

Then to the classroom. I was pretty nervous in my first teaching session but by the final practice sessions, it knew I had acquired professional foundation as a language teacher. I’m 100% confident on my abilities to successfully teach English.

The job placement services I got were excellent. I sat down with Kevin, their Jobs Coach, and created a Power Resume and supporting documentation like the cover and thank you letters. In my last week, they even lined up interviews for me so I literally hit the ground running immediately after graduation.

The bottom line for me is that after training at Vantage, I now feel I have the skill set to walk into any classroom anywhere anytime and be a successful teacher.

I would highly recommend Vantage’s approach to teacher training to anyone who’s serious about teaching on a highly professional level.

Vantage’s professionalism consistently surpassed my expectations in their one month TEFL training learning course!

I learned a ton about teaching techniques and educational theory from the Vantage curriculum. But their lead trainer, Chris, put in all in perspective for me given his 25 years+ experience of teaching overseas. The wealth of his classroom experience that came out in our classroom discussions put a lot of what the course book said into perspective.

Vantage particularly excels in their practicum—the observed teaching practices—where my new teacher skills were born. After each teaching practice, I was given fantastic feedback from the trainers that showed me where I was strong and, diplomatically challenged me in areas where I still weak. But before I enter the classroom, I first had to learn how to make a lesson plan that would successfully meet the learning needs of my students.

Vantage also met my special requirements. I use a service dog and they were able to both find me accommodation that would allow my dog ‘Tagg’, but they even found a way to use Tagg’s highly trained obedience regimen in to a hugely popular and highly effective practice class.

In Canada, I was a popular keynote motivational speaker—based on my book ‘Moving Forward’. The one absolute I’ve consistently advanced in my talks is that we must walk before we run in any avenue of life. Vantage’s program completely embodies just that!

They also helped me achieve a highly competitive advantage in the teaching marketplace. The Power Resume they created was miles above what I had before. Just the week after graduation, Vantage’s powerful networking resource landed me interviews with leading recruiting companies in Thailand,

To those seeking a high level of professional training, Vantage is the best choice you could make. It comes highly recommended.

I have worked in the US education system—mostly in California—as a teacher and as an administrator for over two decades. I decided to do a TEFL certification as I want to expand my teaching qualifications to students studying English.

Thailand offers many TEFL program choices. I read many of the reviews and contacted the key schools. Vantage responded immediately with full information on my questions regarding accommodation options, travel, and visa arrangements—basically everything I wanted to know about TEFL. In the end, I felt completely confident in choosing Vantage for my certification.

As a veteran teacher, I have trained under many different models of teaching methods. The ESA (Engage, Study, Activate) approach which Vantage implements is super teacher and student friendly. Lessons were easy to create and could be adapted to the specific needs of my students.

Chris, the lead trainer, has decades of experience and it shows. He’s unbelievably knowledgeable of all aspects of teaching English. Any questions I had regarding my lessons or material presented in class were answered very thoroughly yet easy to understand. This is an intense course—it’s only four weeks. And while there were a few times where I did feel a little overwhelmed, the lessons were engaging, meaningful and, importantly, fun. Vantage really helped me change the way I thought about teaching in a positive way.

Another fantastic aspect of Vantage is I was able to implement my lesson plans with real non-English speaking students at a nursing college. I saw firsthand the effectiveness of the ESA method. My Thai Students were fun to work with—even though they were at an A1/A2 level of English. The entire experience was incredibly rewarding.

Vantage has their own Jobs Coach. Kevin sat with me one-on-one and we created a created a “power resume”, which including a video and cover letter. My new resume highlights my strengths and is so much stronger and effective. I was also coached interviewing strategies and tips, many of which I wasn’t aware of before.

Finally, a word about the accommodations. The recommended apartment where I stayed is located in a great area—surrounded by wonderful cafes, fantastic food markets, shopping centers, movie theaters—and much more—all within a 10-15 minute walking distance. This area is incredibly safe, inexpensive and fun.

My TEFL experience help me see the endless possible opportunities of teaching English abroad. It also renewed my excitement about education. Vantage absolutely receives my highest recommendation for TEFL certification.

I chose to study with Vantage TEFL due to their unique offering of the Combined Course. The course curriculum I did online over three months as I was working full time. Then, during a 2 weeks annual leave, I did my practice teaching in Bangkok afternoons/evenings.
Vantage was more than accommodating and let me attend any of their regular sessions with their full-time students that I chose.

The teaching practices were eye-opening. I had to do one lesson plan for my online portion. Now I had to do six more—each one on a separate language topic. I got great feedback on each one so by the time I stepped into the classroom I had a plan that I was more than confident would be successful.

It was extremely satisfying to put my lesson plans into practice and see the real-life application of my online learning. And after delivering each practice teaching session I was ‘debriefed’ by the trainers on my teaching performance and what they would like to see in the upcoming session.

I learned a lot of knowledge on the online part of the course, but it was only through real teaching that my knowledge became teaching skills.

Having gone through the combined course, I believe I was sensible with my decision as it allowed me the flexibility to study when and where I wanted, but still receive the same high-quality qualification.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Vantage TEFL to anyone considering such a qualification and the practical exposure offered in a course like this offers an unparalleled experience to any solely online class.

The Vantage instructors and staff were highly professional, super knowledgeable and, importantly, had a great sense of humor. The lead trainer gave us an easy-to-understand grammar review. He has decades of classroom experience and his practical advice of what to expect and do in the classroom went far beyond the course book.

We got one-on-one help and feedback for each of the six lesson plans we had to create for each practice teaching session. These all had to be on a different language topic. Then we got great feedback on each session as well as a new challenge for the next classroom. We also had to observe the other trainees and it was incredible to watch them all get better day by day, session by session.
Vantage has a Jobs Coach and he trained us in resume writing and interviewing techniques. I worked with him on creating my own Power Resume and other job supporting materials like cover letters and thank you notes.

The Vantage trainers have lived in Bangkok for years so they imparted a ton of local knowledge about the Thailand which was very helpful to many in my class.

This was a fantastic course. I’m now professionally certified and I'm ready to teach.

Though I already had success as a teacher, I wanted to learn best teaching practices for teaching students learning English as a second language. I chose Vantage as it’s certification came from an American accredited university.

The course was very insightful on all levels. I first learned how to formulate great lesson plans that would be successful in the classroom.

Vantage emphasizes the ESA teaching methodology and it’s a smart and more effective than the techniques I had had been using before. I will continue to use this technique moving forward.

Many schools I taught at previously had no course plan little in materials. Beyond the actual learning experience, Vantage gives its students a vast database of teaching books, worksheets, video and other relevant materials that will be a big head start in my next professional teaching assignment.

Another big plus—in terms of employment—were photos and videos of me teaching a real class that I agreed to have posted online. I can show these to prospective employers and they can see me actually teaching. The fact that the practice teaching is done in a real nursing college will also be impressive to an interviewer. This will be far more persuasive than interviewing with an online earned certificate with which requires no real practical teaching experience to acquire.

I attained world-class teaching certification from an internationally recognized school. As a result of Vantages professional training, time-proven techniques, and expertise in job placement, I already had a full-time teaching job only days after finishing the course. I can’t imagine a more satisfying experience.

Vantage TEFL was both a challenging yet a highly rewarding experience.

I first learned how to create a lesson plan that I could resource materials for and then successfully deliver to a class. I received the right tools to effectively reach all age groups of students.

The observed teaching practice was extremely helpful and this is where I really developed the skills I needed to learn how to teach. I found myself improving every lesson—both through my self-evaluations and the excellent feedback provided by the course instructors.
In addition to critiquing my last performance, I was always given a new challenge to incorporate into my next teaching session.

I am confident that the knowledge I’ve learned and the skills I have formed in this course will stay with me throughout my teaching career.

Even before I left Texas, I was getting all the information from Vantage I needed to get me to Thailand and enrolled in the course effortlessly.

In the course, we learned about what teaching EFL involves and reviewed the basics of English. I liked the way we alternated between the two. Chris, the lead trainer, is incredibly versed in all the topics introduced. His whiteboard work offers shortcuts and mnemonic devices to remember things (like key grammar points). To top it off he has a good sense of humor so the class flows along nicely with a few laughs between and during unit teaching
That brings me to the heart of the course—the six observed teacher lessons. This was the heart of the course in my opinion. It started the second week of training so I had near instant classroom experience. In the end, you had the knowledge and the skill of what teaching EFL was all about. I would never have been able to get in front of a class without an experience like this.

Kevin is their Jobs Coach—the trainer for the resume writing and interview techniques portion of the course. This information and preparation were excellent as it is geared toward finding a teaching position in Thailand. He is a wealth of information about Thai job sources and the global EFL industry.