Job Discussion Forums

[Superman99]

Hi All Jedi Master Tefler's

I need to draw on your vast knowledge of which country would be the best for a 'wet behind the ears' first time teacher.

I'm a 27 year old male from South Africa, I don't have a degree and have just finished my TESOL course.
I did the TESOL course because i want to travel the world and suck the marrow out of life.

I'm undecided between going to China or Thailand.
My criteria is fairly simple, I need warm weather and would like to teach on the coast or as close to the coast as possible.

I believe that Northern China has great weather and having been to Koh Samui, Thailand I know the weather is awesome, but I've been given so many conflicting reports as to which country is better to teach in.

From what I've researched, the following is what I believe to be true....

China:
Higher earning potential, with the ability of saving (being frugal).
Reimbursement of airfare at the end of your contract plus bonus for staying the full term of your contract, accommodation etc.
Organise a job from S.A through a recruitment agency.
Good teacher support (at most schools/language institutions).
Long, hard working hours (once again at most schools, if not all schools).
More difficult to organise Visa's/working permits etc.

Thailand:
More relaxed environment to teach in.
Less earnings but saving is still possible.
Buy a good pair of walking shoes and start knocking on doors asking for jobs.
Easier and quicker to organise working permits/Visa's etc.
No airfare reimbursement and no perks as such (accommodation/bonuses etc.)
Don't go through a recruitment agency.
Not great teacher support or training (again, at most schools).

....would really appreciate your input on the above.

In general, my goal is to teach in a country for a year and save as much as possible in order to move to the next country and repeat the cycle and obviously enjoy myself as much as possible while teaching.

A good and fairly large Expat community would be awesome as far as networking and getting to know the ropes.

Ideally, initially I would like to live communally with fellow English teachers from the same school (safety in numbers and all that).

I would really appreciate any advice or guidance that you could give me.

[santi84]

You will be an illegal worker, a degree is required for both. Schools that hire illegal workers tend to not provide much teacher support anyways. I wouldn't count on getting any promised airfare reimbursement or even your paycheque on a regular basis, these are the consequences of working illegally.

All things equal, Thailand (IMO) has better weather, but I would think very closely about how this plan to make $ and change countries every year is going to happen without any proper qualifications. Yes, this used to be a common practice, but not so much anymore. Do you at least have some back-up funds to help you in case your employer decides to screw you over.

[tttompatz]

The days of the backpacker-teacher with nothing more than a high-school completion and TEFL cert are pretty much gone the way of the dodo-bird.

Degrees are required in all but a couple of SE Asian countries for legal work with visas and permits. Thailand and China are NOT two of those countries. You have no chance of legal work (with PROPER visas and permits) in either country.

Can you find illegal work = yes. Working on a tourist visa in Thailand and doing regular border runs is still done but salaries are low (5000 rand/mo) with no benefits.

In China there are those working on a business visa rather than a proper (Z) work visa. Just don't tick off the wrong official (since you are technically illegal). Salaries in the 4000 rand/mo plus housing are what you are likely to be looking at.

You can still work in Cambodia and Laos but those days are also numbered with ASEAN 2015 looming on the horizon (when the degree will be a requirement for all teachers not just TEFL sorts). Salaries are also quite low (4000-5000 rand).

.

[Superman99]

[Superman99]

[Superman99]

Apart from Cambodia and Laos, does anyone know if there are any other S.E Asian countries where you can legally teach without a degree?

Is there anyone who is currently working in Cambodia or Laos that can give me an idea of how it is to teach there? (maybe i should create a new topic Cambodia vs. Laos ....please help!!!)

Thank you sooo much for all your input, i really appreciate it!

[nomad soul]

You'll get more exposure and thus, more useful responses if you post your questions in the Asia forum: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewforum.php?f=31

[Superman99]