What do I do?

Hi, just wanted to put your mind at ease, I travelled on my own to thailand two years ago and i was terrified, but honestly as a lone female traveller I had NO problems there! even in the madness of bangkok i felt safer than i feel in london now!  I loved it so much that im wanting to head back over there and do some teaching! If anyone has any advice on where the best place to teach is i'd be greatful! I'll be on my own so would love to go somewhere im likely to get some western company when i get homesick, would like to be able to drink some rum occasionally but oither than that i'm open to suggestions...

Seriously thinking about the internship myself, sounds like a laugh!

Hi I think i'm in the same boat as JillyAnn, I really want to go to Thailand to teach, but the idea of going there alone without a job first is pretty terrifying :/

Right now?  Not really.  With all the Red Shirt nonsense, BKK will be potentially troublesome for the next few weeks at least.  Beyond that, however, once they lift the curfew and things return to normal, Thailand is very safe for foreigners.  Your biggest concern will be pickpocketing and petty theft, but those things happen pretty much anywhere.  Thailand relies on tourism for most of it's money, so it is in the best interest of the Thai to make your stay a happy one.  It's not called the land of smiles for no reason.

If you really just can't make yourself go on your own, then the best bet is an internship like the one on this site.

Also, when you get to BKK let me know!  I still have friends there and can tell you some more about some places to go and things to do.  And how to avoid tuk-tuk drivers trying to take you to a ping pong show.

Thank you so much! All of you(: But isit advisable for me to travel to Thailand alone? I really wanna do this but yet I'm quite scared to head down on my own.

Hey Jilly,

That's great you're wanting to head abroad! I'd say there are far more opportunities in Thailand than Cambodia, so that might be a good place to start. To get some more advice you should chat to a couple of these people who are teaching in Thailand at the minute:

http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/garethopenshaw

http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/1klynch

http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/martin170587

You might also want to check out the Thailand Internship - it's a good option if you're a TEFL newbie as you get loads of support: http://www.onlinetefl.com/teaching-internships/thailand/

Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to give me a shout!

In Thailand having a degree is helpful, it's possible to get a work permit without one but it requires extra work on the school's part so they won't do it unless they really can't find someone.  In Cambodia, on the other hand, a decent picture and CV will land you a job.  No degree or TEFL required.  A TEFL certificate will help you be a better teacher, but likely not help you land a job in either country.

In both cases it's better to look for jobs once you are actually in the country.  The I to I program for Thailand would probably be a safe bet, and for that you just sign up on the website, but should you choose to do it alone your best bet would be to get a 60 day visa, show up in Bangkok, and look for work.  You should be able to live comfortably there for 2 months for around $600 if you are careful with money.

This is a website to find apartments in BKK:

http://www.mrroomfinder.com/

I lived in the Marina House for 3 months and couldn't recommend it more ( http://www.mrroomfinder.com/detail.php?id=1828 ).

To meet people in either country, if you're not a member of couchsurfing yet, join:

www.couchsurfing.org

And finally, for jobs in Thailand look here:

http://www.jpteachers.com/

Hope that helps!

Do you mean you want to do the TEFL course in Cambodia/Thailand or do you want to teach there?