Is MediaKids All That?
When I first accepted a teaching position with MediaKids I was living in Southern California and I had never been to Asia. My consultant was sweet, but the minute I realized the big step I was about to take I second guessed everything; similar to buyer’s remorse.
I had nightmares that I was going to arrive and some shifty person in a barely running car was going to pick me up, drive me 50 miles to some deserted building and harvest my organs like the movie Salt. I didn’t want the same fate as Scarlett Johansson’s character, so I brought pepper spray with me.
Thankfully, I have never needed to use the pepper spray, and I’m happy to report I have all my organs. On top of all that good news, MediaKids has given me an opportunity to live the life of my dreams.
Of course, there’s imperfections and everyone has their own experiences; but here is not only my experience, but that of many teachers with which I have worked.
- MediaKids is a bridge – Let’s be honest, there is no way I would have found my tiny school in smack-dab-middle-of-rice-fields, Thailand. Also, there is no way my school would have had the resources to find this Cali girl with their limited English department. MediaKids took me from my world and gave me a rabbit-hole to jump to a new world, and that’s a big deal.
- MediaKids is low commitment – When I was looking for teaching positions, most of them were 1-2 year contracts. Yikes! While I have been here longer than that now, I didn’t know if I would like Thailand or like teaching. I chose MediaKids because they only require that I work 4 months, after that I can find another job, go home, travel, anything I want. I have chosen to travel during the breaks and continue working through the year with this company because I love the low commitment it requires of me. I can live my life in four month blocks and plan my future a little at a time.
- MediaKids knows immigration – Don’t underestimate the incredible hassle that is immigration. Every country has immigration policies, and every country makes it slightly difficult for immigrants to work. MediaKids is a well-known company with a great reputation among all the immigration offices. The best part of MediaKids is that they do all the paperwork for you and it’s done correctly so you’re not making several trips back and forth to offices. Not all teaching positions have this advantage and it’s hugely underrated among people that have never had to do their own paperwork with no help from employers.
- MediaKids follows through –I have never been paid late, I have never been paid less than what I was owed and I have never had to fight for what I was due. As an immigrant with very little rights, this is important. It’s one thing to want more from a company and it’s a completely other thing to have to fight for what was promised. I am safe with MediaKids.
- MediaKids provides material –There are schools that want you to bring your ideas, your own curriculum, and your own experience to the table; which is great if you have any. When I arrived I didn’t know what to teach to my primary students. After a couple of lessons, I was able to take the MediaKids curriculum and use it as an outline to develop some amazing lessons. These short lesson plans have helped me become a better teacher and afforded me freedom to develop thoughtful lessons.
Will you find holes in the system? Yes. Will you realize you have new desires upon your arrival? Yes. However, if you’re anything like me, you will realize that MediaKids is far from a nightmare, in fact they are a company of dreams.
For more information stories about Brittany Rose’s experience in Thailand, visit her personal blog: thewindowseat.tumblr.com
