A good question that occasionally pops up on social media is "should I take a TEFL course in Thailand or in my home country (USA, England, etc)?

I've noticed that the question never really gets a decent answer, so I turned to a number of Thailand's TEFL course providers and asked them for their input.

First off, I didn't want this article to be crammed with ‘marketing speak' - but a fair question deserves a fair answer.

So here are ten reasons put forward as to why taking the course in Thailand could be a good move.

You'll familiarize yourself with the language difficulties that Thai students have.

I took a TEFL course many years ago at a language center in Birmingham. I can still picture the group of ten students that were the ‘guinea pigs' for our observed teaching practice sessions.

There was a smashing fellow from Iran, who could barely string a four-word sentence together. There were a couple of Scandinavians, who were almost native speaker fluent - and a bunch of French and Spanish students who fell somewhere in the middle.

As a teacher you had to prepare a ‘one-size-fits-nobody' lesson plan and just hope for the best.

Some students found the lesson ridiculously easy, whilst other students (particularly the Iranian guy who just sat in a corner eating his pen) struggled throughout.

At least with a classroom full of young Thai students, all of your participants have more or less the same language ability. And you'll soon become familiar with common student errors.

"I go to shopping" anyone?

You'll gain some knowledge of Thai culture

I've been here over 20 years and I'm still learning. I've committed major errors in Thai classrooms and the consequences have haunted me for days afterwards.

Many Thailand TEFL courses include a Thai culture component, which is valuable even though you might have read an outdated guidebook and think you know it all.

Thai culture can be an extremely complex animal.

Thailand is a relatively safe place to travel and study in and of course it's a nice environment.

Although the front pages of Thai newspapers are often splattered with photos of grisly murders and horrendous traffic accidents, these incidents very rarely involve foreigners. Thailand is still a relatively safe country to walk around in, especially for single females.

However, like anywhere else in the world, have a few too many sniffs of the barmaid's apron and stagger around unlit areas acting like a prat and trouble probably won't be that far away - so yes, you'll need to bring common sense with you.

And of course Thailand is probably a nicer place to study when compared to doing a month-long course in the rain and cold of an English January. I think we can all agree on that one.

Trainees are in a situation where they can research job opportunities and perhaps even attend interviews.

Although TEFL courses are hard work and don't allow trainees much in the way of free time, you'll be here in Thailand and you'll be 'on the ground'.

Job opportunities are sure to pop up and you could be first in line to grab them with a personal phone call or even a knock on the door.

Opportunity to mix with teachers who are in the same boat.

I always love the camaraderie and the social aspect of studying and participating in group courses.

And with a group of TEFL course participants, you all have the same objective - to secure a decent teaching gig. On a TEFL course in Thailand, most participants will share the goal of eventually working in Thailand.

Even your peers can be a valuable source of job and Thailand information.

Perhaps you may have someone on the course who has already lived in Thailand for a length of time and has only just decided to train as a teacher. Perhaps they know of job opportunities in their own town or city?

You can experience first hand how certain methodology works (or does not work) with Thai students

To quote one of Thailand's TEFL course providers directly - "for the more serious teachers, the challenge of being in an ESL or EFL class in Thailand makes their learning to teach more effective because Thailand has never been colonized by an English speaking nation. Therefore teaching Thai students English as a foreign or second language is in the truest sense of the term what the job demands, especially due to the low level of English exposure. So you can see first hand how the teaching methodology, techniques and principles work or do not work"

Thai students are motivated to learn with trainee teachers

Every time I've watched a video or been there in person to see a trainee teacher conduct an observed class, the Thai students have always had fun.

They always look extremely grateful for the opportunity to study with a friendly foreign face. A face they've never seen before.

New teachers are understandably nervous when they stand up in front of a large group for the first time with the eyes of the world on them - but young Thai students are never going to sit there with arms folded and insist on being entertained.

From what I've seen of this whole business, if I could choose my first ever group of students - they would be Thais. They are easily pleased. And for a teacher whose hands are shaking and whose knees are knocking - that's never a bad thing.

Cost of living is relatively cheap in Thailand

When I took my TEFL course, I was fortunate to have my parents' home to use as a crash pad. The only expenses I had was the daily bus fare to and from the training centre and some money for lunch in the school canteen.

For many trainees this is probably not an option so they will need to factor in the cost of accommodation, meals and also transportation. Thailand can be great value for money on all those fronts!

Those trainees working in other Asian countries view Thailand as a nice break

Trainees can sometimes be westerners living in other Asian countries such as Japan or Korea, where the cost of living is much higher. Not only does Thailand offer a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo or Seoul but renting accommodation and feeding yourself are generally cheaper too.

The opportunity to combine study with a holiday either before or after the course

I always think this is a great idea. Why not take in a week or two of pure relaxation before you start your training course or better still, finish the program and treat yourself to a few weeks of travel in Thailand before you take up a teaching job?

Obviously much depends on your financial situation in these cases.