Hi Campers!
We've noticed that a lot of very good reviews for Camp Thailand have been posted on GoAbroad. That's good news and I'm sure most of them are completely genuine. However, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of. A company can often get customers to review positively by offering an incentive. In this case it could be something like a discount or a good grade or a placement. The reason we think this might be the case here is because suddenly a whole bunch of reviews went up at the beginning of January. That plus Philip Crabb's reputation for threatening people he think might say something negative.
So let's quickly review the main positives and negatives of Camp Thailand.
Positives:
Terrific group experience and camp atmosphere. Easy to make friends.
Interesting expeditions and activities, e.g. elephant sanctuary, etc.
Meaningful experience teaching to Thai children.
Helpful and creative Americamp reps, e.g. Dean.
Negatives:
Unaccredited TEFL certificate. Basically a junk qualification. Placements should be free too.
Over-priced. Most activities can be done independently at fraction of cost.
Rigid structure and subordination to the tyrannical Philip Crabb (formerly Philip Dunne of Island TEFL).
Also, remember that, although you may be working as a volunteer when you teach in the Thai schools, Americamp and Camp Thailand are making a mint out of the whole thing. Just do the maths, work out how much you pay and how many campers there are. You'll quickly get an idea of the kind of money involved.
Good luck. Hope you make the choice that's right for you!
EFL Greg
