Estimating your Total Expenses
The TEFL Budget Planner is a free tool to estimate your total TEFL-related costs to become TEFL certified and until you get paid working as a teacher in Thailand.
Its spread out over three months as that’s a conservative plan to complete your one-month In-Class TEFL course, interview and secure a position, begin teaching and get your first paycheck at the end of your initial month.
As most all schools pay at the end of the month, we’re assuming—conservatively again—that it’s at the end of the third month when you will start to receive income. Some may receive a partial paycheck in the second month, but that depends on the actual start date and the policy of your new employer.
So to be safe, it's best to assume you'll need to support yourself from your savings for approximately three months from arriving in Thailand to getting paid.
Expenses for accommodation, transportation, and food are based on real Thai costs and our experience of living in Bangkok for decades. We have chosen the middle road approach…not too Spartan a lifestyle and not too luxurious. You can, of course, adjust any of these cost inputs based upon your personal preferences and budget considerations.
A Three Month Plan
In Month One, are the core expenses to become TEFL certified over four weeks. It includes course tuition, internet, and incidental costs as well as food and accommodation.
Add your own row(s) to include additional expenditures like entertainment and Thai travel to complete your budget planner.
In Month Two, you'll be interviewing after graduation. Transportation costs will probably increase as you need to get around town (and upcountry) to see schools and institutions. Your TEFL tuition fee is listed as paid as that cost was covered in the first month.
In Month Three, You’ll be working—earning money—but you won’t get paid until the end of this month. That means you’re still living off your savings. Included in this month is the cost of securing new accommodation as you may wish to move closer to your new school. This is, of course, an optional expense.
Long-term room rentals are typically one month’s rent plus two months deposit. These costs are figured in. We’ve also returned to you one month’s deposit at the end of Month Two for the service apartment near Vantage TEFL’s training center you stayed in Months One and Two.
Your TELF Budget Planner SpreadSheet
You can see the total expenses for each month separately as well as a running cumulative total for the months combined.
Finally, in Month Three, we’ve added all the costs for all three months together to give you a good idea of the total investment you’ll need to make to become professionally certified and began a teaching career in Thailand.
Your Vantage Excel TEFL Budget Planner is available for download at the bottom of this page.
Just Add Airfare
There’s just one more major cost to add your airfare.
We haven’t included that as people are coming to Vantage’s Bangkok training center from all other the world. And also as airfares to Thailand can vary widely.
Add your airfare costs to the expenses you’ve already itemized on the planner and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the total investment you’ll need to make to become a professional teacher.
How To Get Started
Step one is to download the free TEFL Budget Planner below.
Each month is on a separate tab.
Most of the expenses are already inputted. If you have a particular need that's not on the spreadsheet simply add rows as needed above the month's total row to include that cost. Add your airfare and you should get a cumulative total on Tab (Month) 3 that will give you an estimate of your total expenses until the paychecks start rolling in.
You can also do scenario analysis where you change your assumptions on particular expenses. Food is a good example. You can see how that can affect your total bill if you eat more local, which in Thailand will be significantly cheaper.
Another Consideration in your TEFL Course Investment
For many teaching positions and government teaching jobs, completing your 120-hour Vantage TEFL Certification will increase your monthly salary by $100-$150 in many cases.
That's at least $1,200 over the course of a year, essentially repaying your TEFL tuition just from the extra salary. Year two that's all profit.
Your TEFL certification will ensure not only will you know what to do in the classroom, but the market will also recognize your qualifications and reward you as a professional teacher.
Are You Ready to Teach Abroad?
Apply now for your Vantage TEFL certification course and start teaching in a matter of months!
Speak with a Vantage advisor today to put together your personal plan for teaching English abroad.
Send us an email or call us at (66) 02-511-5316 to have a conversation today,
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1873/15-16 Sena Center, Phaholyothin Rd.
Ladyao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900
Tel: 02-511-3516
Fax: 02-511-3515