Rarely has one of our TEFL course trainees struggled so valiantly with heartbreaking personal problems and yet succeeded so brilliantly in our course. Naturally, we are very proud of her, and will now let her tell you in her own words about her experiences:

"In January, 2003, my husband was diagnosed with having a brain tumour but unfortunately the health service in the UK made no real effort to help him. His health got worse and cancer started to go to other parts of his body. In October, 2005, it was suggested that he should go abroad to get treatment and after looking into it Thailand was the place he came. After successful treatment in November and then again in December of 2005, he was almost cancer free but again on his return to the UK no follow-up treatment was given and the cancer started to grow and spread again. In May 2006, we decided that he must again return to Thailand for his treatment for an indefinite period of time so he would have some chance of having a good standard of treatment. Whilst in surgery for his first operation, it was discovered that he has a heart problem that has gone unnoticed in the UK, and he also has an infection of the heart.

After my husband sorted a place for us to stay I joined him with our two small children. It was then that I decided that I would like to work here whilst my husband continued his treatment. A friend of the family suggested that I should do a TEFL course with TEXT-AND-TALK, as native English speaking teachers are in demand in Thailand. I looked around on the Internet and also went to the offices of some of the other places that do TEFL courses and agreed that TEXT-AND-TALK seemed to be the one place that cared about teaching you to become a teacher, rather than just taking your money from you. My husband encouraged me to do the course and reassured me that he would be able to look after the children for six weeks whilst I did it.

I started the course on the 10th June, 2006. It was not easy and required a lot of time and effort. The modules they give you to study from really help, and the teacher explains everything very clearly so it is easier to understand. The exams are well spread so you have time to a absorb the information. I found the week where I was doing my teaching practise very hard, as I was going to TEXT-AND-TALK during the day, then I would go straight to the hospital with my husband, followed by returning to TEXT-AND-TALK for my teaching practice, then finally I would be able to go home and spend some time with our children. After they went to bed, I would be able to sit down and write my lesson plans for the next teaching practise. We were given many useful suggessions and tips from our teacher that will help us to achieve a very high teaching standard. All my hard work (and my husband's) was paid off when my final mark of an A- was given.

I am pleased that I chose TEXT-AND-TALK to do the course, as I cannot see how the amount of information you need to know to become a good teacher could be learnt well in anything under a lengthy program of intensive face-to-face tutoring. Several courses offer short training periods, usually one week, that in my opinion after completing a TEFL is too small a time frame to achieve a good standard for your future students.

My fellow trainees were really nice. We all got on well and would try to help each other out where we could. They we all aware of my husband's health and asked me everyday how he was, which I really appreciated. They too got good marks and worked hard for them.

I am grateful to everyone at TEXT-AND-TALK and my fellow trainees for not only helping me achieve my goal, but for also making it fun. Most of all, I am grateful and thankful to my husband because even with everything he has going on, he is still there supporting me and encouraging me, and it is because of him that I was able to do the course in the first place and therefore become a teacher."

Editor's Note: We absolutely guarantee that Stephanie will find a good job! She is indeed a model for all of us, and will be a great teacher for her students.