Whether you’re looking to become a teacher or to gain general work experience, this programme will allow you to develop your professional skills and give you lots to talk about in future job interviews, as well as experience to lean on when working in any career. There’s nothing like standing at the front of a classroom for developing your confidence, public speaking skills, creativity, people-management and communication skills, among others – and all while having lots of fun and learning about Thailand. These skills and experiences will be vital no matter what career you’ll go into. You’ll certainly stand out more in job interviews with the stories you’ll have to tell!

If you’re thinking about becoming a teacher, this is the perfect way to try your hand at teaching and gain a valuable TESOL qualification, setting you up to teach English around the world or online post-programme, while being supported every step of the way and experiencing a new way of life. By the end of your placement you’ll have experience planning and delivering not just standalone English classes but a series of classes that fit a curriculum, and be very confident standing in front of a classroom. This experience, combined with the TEFL qualification you’ll attain, will put you in very good stead to go into TEFL jobs in Thailand (one of the biggest TEFL markets in the world!) or elsewhere. For more on this, read our ‘job prospects’ section.

This programme is more than a chance to develop your teaching skills,  it’s an invitation to embrace the rhythm of Thai life. Things can feel less structured or even chaotic at first, but there’s a lot to learn from their relaxed, flexible approach. You’ll come to understand, and adopt, the meaning of sabai sabai, a beautiful Thai expression for living with ease, balance, and contentment. Our placement locations are the places few travellers ever reach, yet they leave the deepest impression.

Thailand is known as the ‘Land of Smiles’, but could equally be known as the ‘Land of Beautiful Temples’, ‘Land of Rice Fields’, or the ‘Land of Tasty Street Food’. You’ll likely know of Thailand for its beaches and crystal blue ocean, but this programme will show you an entirely different side to Thailand. Thai people are incredibly friendly and, in the areas you’ll be staying, live a slower pace of life than most of us do back home.

We work with lots of schools but wherever you end up, you can expect to enjoy rice field views, temple visits, cycling around enjoying the sunset, local markets and chilled out evenings before an early night. While we recommend you spend most of your weekends in your village or town, or exploring the local area with your hosts, you can also look at taking trips to enjoy historic sites like Sukhothai, enjoy nature in national parks like Khao Yai, or see what life could be like as a digital nomad in Chiang Mai.  

One of the best ways to experience Thailand is through its food!  Each region offers its own culinary treasures. In the north, you’ll discover khao soi, a rich, coconut-based curry noodle soup topped with crispy noodles and fragrant pickled vegetables. In the northeast, or Isaan, the cuisine is famously fiery and tangy like som tam, a spicy green papaya salad, bursts with lime and chili. Central Thailand delights with classics like tom yum, a hot and sour soup infused with lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime. Down south, flavours are intense and aromatic, with dishes like massaman curry, rich with coconut milk, peanuts, and warming spices.

Meals are more than nourishment in Thailand, they’re moments to slow down, savour, and share. So expect a lively evening or two around a Thai BBQ! 

Locals in Thailand’s tourist destinations usually have a good level of English, but the English level can be lower outside of these places. You’ll still find some people that are proficient at English, but you’ll be surprised at the bonds you can make with people across language barriers!

Your TEFL certification along with your teaching experience will allow you to go on to seek teaching jobs in many countries around the world! You can earn good salaries teaching in-person in many regions (and many of our participants have done so!) or also online around your studies or work back home – or around travel if you want to try out being a digital nomad. Our Thailand programme sets you up especially well for a job in Thailand, and schools will be glad to see some Thailand-experience on an applicant’s CV. 

If you’re not a degree holder you can still apply for jobs in many countries. In Southeast Asia, Cambodia is open to teachers with no degree, as are plenty of countries in South America. Many European countries, such as Spain, Germany, and Italy, are also open to non-degree holders, although specific requirements will vary between schools. 

As well as opening doors for English teaching, the TEFL qualification and your experience can open doors to work as a teaching assistant in the UK, and boost your application to do a PGCE if you want to go on to become a teacher in UK schools. If you want to go down this route, we recommend looking at Teach First, and they’ll fast-track your application if you show you’ve done a programme with us – just ask us for the confirmation code that you’ll need. 

Even if you find that teaching isn’t for you, having a TEFL qualification and the programme experience will be a big boost to your CV! Teaching experience displays many skills to employers, particularly public speaking and confidence, as well as an ability to work on and implement a plan. Spending an extended period abroad suggests a high level of independence and open-mindedness, along with the ability to work with a range of people from different backgrounds.

Teaching abroad can also open up many other doors and career opportunities outside of schools. Long-time friends of Gotoco have leveraged their TEFL jobs to become full-time travel writers, work in Tokyo’s tech industry, and even set up their own businesses. An expat bar in Beijing, Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh isn’t just good fun, it’s also a great place to make new connections!