Locations and Addresses

EFL Greg again!

One very important thing to check out when you book your camp is whether there will be any recourse in the event of dissatisfaction. Remember, you'll be handing over a fairly large sum of money. So what if the camp or course comes up short in any way? Will you be able to get a refund, etc? 

First, always check the terms and conditions of the company. If they seem unreasonably harsh, that's probably a warning sign. The other important factor is whether or not they have an address in the UK or the USA. If you're trying to claim in a developing country, like Cambodia or Thailand, there's a good chance you'll just get brushed off. That's why it's essential that any camp has a proper address in a fully developed country, i.e. a country with a properly working legal system.

Recently, we made enquiries to Americamp about Camp Thailand, because Camp Thailand gives Americamp's Manchester address as their own. So we asked Americamp if they guaranteed courses in Thailand in the event of any dissatisfaction. Initially, they claimed that all applicants were vetted in Manchester and that they had representatives in Thailand. However, when we applied to Camp Thailand, we were offered an Island TEFL course instead, with none of the camp experience frills, and there was certainly no mention of Americamp representatives. So we probed a bit further, but Americamp then went silent on us and we heard no more from them, even though they said their CEO herself would reply. 

So to us that sounds highly dubious. The courses actually run directly by Americamp are almost certainly fine, but any of the camps in developing countries, such as Thailand or Cambodia, for example, are wholly unguaranteed. You may have a good experience, but, on the other hand, you could equally easily find yourself seriously short changed.

So do check this kind of thing out. Never make assumptions!

Happy course hunting,
Greg

Camp Thailand

We have received quite a few reviews and comments on Camp Thailand, which seems to be based in Surin, but also with camps in Phuket and Chiang Mai. It also has the backing of Americamp, which is certainly superficially a plus. However, it's unclear whether Camp Thailand is a franchise or a company in its own right. The man running it is Philip Crabb  (click here). Interestingly, Philip Crabb is the same man as Philip Dunne, who used to run Island TEFL, and the Camp Thailand courses are basically the same as the Island TEFL ones. As one would expect, the  website is very impressive, with lots of bells and whistles - and, of course, testimonials. But always beware of testimonials. No company is going to give any kind of negative report about itself. It's also very easy for companies to massage testimonials on their own and other sites (e.g. GoAbroad) by giving students an incentive to post a review. That could be in the form of a discount or a pass or a special position. To get an idea of the kind of standards to expect from Camp Thailand and some of its early history, simply google "Island TEFL Review" and a good mix of reports will come up.

Do check out the other posts on this blog too. Just click on the blog title in big letters right at the top to get to the latest post. Read particularly the posts about accreditation and pricing. Finally, and importantly, read the comments below.

Good luck with your search for a good summer camp.

Greg