(lively electronic music)
- Good morning!
My name is Devin,
and I will be taking over ITA's Instagram today
to showcase a day in my life here,
taking the in-person TEFL course in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
So, yeah, I have been in Chiang Mai
officially for one month.
I arrived four weeks ago,
right before the start of my course.
And
the course is an intense four week long process.
The partner school,
ITA's partner school here in Chiang Mai
has a really good setup.
For the first two weeks of the course,
you are a student yourself in the classroom
learning the methodology and actually learning grammar
because as native English speakers,
we don't really think about the way that we speak.
So, those first two weeks are really to get us thinking
about the way that we speak and to learn some methodology.
- I'll just order the grab now.
- All right. - Hey, guys!
- Morning. - Good morning.
- Hey!
- Morning meet up - Hi!
in our lobby.
- Yes, and I'm just ordering a grab to go to school.
- [Devin] (chuckling)
(car engine hums)
(quiet chuckle)
- [Devin] All right, guys, on our way to our last OTP.
How are we feeling?
Good?
Excited?
(cheering) - Whoo!
In the songthaew, Jordan? - [Group] (laughing)
- It's too early.
(children speaking in unison)
All right, we just finished our last OTP.
We're back in the teacher room right now.
How do we feel?
We just finished. - Yeah, good!
- Feeling good! Yeah, very good!
- Way to go, we're done!
- [Male] Whoo! - It's done!(laughing)
- Hopscotch! (children counting)
- One, two, three, four,
whoo!
High-five!
Good job!
- [Man] I always watch them, it's so interesting.
Well, you can get an Instagram takeover.
(voice drowned out by frying food)
- [Devin] Okay Eve, we are officially done
- Yay! with our course.
- [Devin] Now that we are finished,
could you tell me what was your favorite thing
about the course?
- Well what I really enjoyed was the friendships
that I've made here during during the course.
In the beginning I was a bit afraid,
I wasn't sure if I would make so many friends.
And I was also very afraid to stand in front of the class.
But I've overcome all that,
it was absolutely so great
and the setup of the course was so good.
We had theory and practice
and I actually feel very confident
standing in front of a class now.
And I'm actually just really excited
to start working. - (laughing) Yay!
- Okay, I'm back at my apartment now.
We actually
finished at school early today,
since it was our last OTP we didn't have to stick around
and lesson plan or anything.
So we were able to leave early.
So I'm back at my hotel and I figured I would show you guys
my hotel room.
So I am staying at the Prince Hotel.
I actually found this place through ITA's partner school.
When I gave my deposit in,
the school gave a list of hotel recommendations
that are both close by and a bit farther out
from the school.
We didn't have to stay in any of those,
they were just suggestions that they
offer for
students.
And so I saw the Prince Hotel,
I looked it up online and I liked it
so I decided to stay here
in the hopes that maybe a few of my classmates
would be staying here too
and it would just make it more fun and easier.
And that did happen.
There are, I think, five of us staying here from the course.
So we call ourselves the Prince crew.
But yeah, it was good, it was a good choice.
I'm glad that the school provides those suggestions.
Okay, so this is my hotel room at the Prince Hotel.
I have two beds, but I only sleep in that one.
It's really clean right now because here at the hotel,
the rooms are cleaned twice a week
every Monday and Thursday.
And they also bring in extra new towels, toilet paper,
and drinking water as well.
So it looks really clean today.
So those are the beds.
I have a little desk area, that's a bit messy.
A wardrobe to keep your clothes.
Bathroom.
I actually have
a shower and a tub.
Sink.
Then you come back through here and you go this way
and there's like a little sitting area
with an electric kettle which has been great
for tea and coffee.
And finally the best part of my room,
the part that I love the most is my balcony.
And just as a little follow up
to the expenses breakdown page.
When you do come for an in-person course,
the majority of your time is going to be spent in class.
Like I said every Monday through Friday
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
you are in school.
You get a 10 minute coffee break in the morning
and a hour lunch break and a 10 minute coffee break
in the afternoon.
So that doesn't leave much time
to do any other exploring or fun activity.
So expenses are pretty minimal during the course.
If you can manage your time well,
you can have some free time
maybe during the first two weekends
to get out and go on some adventures like we did.
But once weeks three and four start,
you'll just be lesson planning.
But the intensity of it pays off
because you really do come out feeling so prepared.
So, tomorrow is our last official day of the course.
We will go in and we will receive our certifications.
They will help us craft our resumes
and give us a little lesson
about job search guidance in Thailand
and what to expect for that.
And then after that, you're done!
So my plan now that I am done my course
is to find a job!
I do plan on
teaching in
a Thai school here in Chiang Mai.
So I will be searching for an apartment,
job hunting to schools,
and I also do plan to teach online as well
just to supplement my income and make a little extra money
to travel around while I'm here.
(motorbike rumbles)
- [Devin] More.
- [Man] We'll start for the first game
but there should be some more players turning up again.
- Even though she had more things to say.
- [Man] So she just pointed out the main ones that she
wanted to work on. - [Woman] Yeah.
- [Devin] (laughing) - Busted!
(laughing)
- So I am back home now in my hotel room
getting ready to go to bed.
Like I said, I have my last class tomorrow,
so I wanna be fresh and ready for that.
Thank you all for tuning into my story.
I hope that it showed you all
a good look into what a day in your life could be like
if you take an in-person TEFL course
anywhere around the world where ITA offers it.
And yeah, thanks for watching!
(upbeat electronic music)