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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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 Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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| trasheed wrote: |
| tttompatz wrote: |
Yes, that was a typo... $24-30k per anum (60k thb / month).
Still a comfortable wage for a newbie starting out and lots of room to move up to the better jobs ($50-60k per anum - 150k thb per month) at top schools.
Also, at decent bilingual schools the tuition for the kids will be free or highly subsidized. I pay ~$300/yr inclusive of books, uniforms and extra curricular activities.
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Thank you very much, everyone, for all of your responses!
John (tttompatz), of course that sparked a million questions for me lol.
Is the $24-30k/yr entry level or with experience?
What is the housing like in Thailand?
Can you provide any links for my research?
Are the jobs provided by recruiter or are they like applying for classified ads?
I was really wanting to go to Korea, but I know the schooling and child care may be an issue there. |
50-60k thb/month is pretty much the normal entry level wage for teachers with home country certification as a teacher and an anglophone passport when headed for jobs in bilingual schools or lower tier international schools.
Basic EFL types start at about 30-35k fresh off the plane with no experience.
Housing depends a lot on where you live. In BKK you get a basic 2-bedroom apartment for 15k thb. I live in a provincial capital about 90 km outside of BKK and have a 2-bedroom townhouse with 2 bathrooms, den and all the mod cons and the rent is 3000 thb/month plus utilities.
DECENT (school) jobs are found on the ground at the start of each academic term (March to May (new academic year start) or Oct. (mid year break)).
Language academies hire year round with the slowest time and highest competition happening from Dec - Feb. (fewest jobs at the end of the school year and highest numbers of applicants - backpackers trying to extend their stay in the sun).
Unlike Korea, recruiter and Thailand are 2 words that do not go well together.
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 10:49 pm Post subject: Re: Single parent of 3 wants to teach abroad |
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| trasheed wrote: |
| I was reading in the forum where Asia or Latin America would be my best bets for looking for work as an ESL teacher overseas with dependents. My aim is to go overseas to save money and give my children a valuable experience traveling overseas and teaching them other languages. |
Exposing them to a new language for the first two kids will be easier than for the 10 year old. And what about you? HOw will you communicate with the teachers.?
I suggest the Middle East, your employer might help pay for intl school fees and you might be able to hire a tutor to teach them other languages.
1. Later on, you-ll need 2 years experience.
2. Try to get some experience.
3. Depends on the country and school. Intl schools where I am are about 20K usd a year. Per child. HOmecshooling may work, for the older one. A friend of mine brought his 6th and 8th grader here. Dad is a foriegner, Mom is a local. Kids didn't speak the local language. They were put into school, the oldest one lastet 6 months, then was homeschooled for the rest of the year. Now is back home living with his grandparents. The second one is in his second year styudying at a locl school, but will be moving back home, with his mom. HIs dad will finish his contract then go back home. The reason they'[re going back home is entirely due to the kids' schooling.
4. CHina I got 700 usd a month. Peru, up to 1500 usd. There's NO way I could have afforded intl schools, or private schools. And public schools were not an option at all due to the horrible quality.
5. Shouldn'[t
6. It's harder that's for sure. As for time, it really depends. Though I'll have to say it's hard for me to support one baby on a TEFL salary. I can't imagine 3 kids. I know I can stay where I am for about 5 years, then when she's school age I'll have to decide really hard if I want to go home or go to the MIddle East. And staying will be easier for me, since she was born abroad and will be fluent in the local language when she goes to school. BUt again, I wouldn't be able to communicate with her teachers or read anything, easily, that comes home from school. |
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trasheed
Joined: 06 Jul 2012
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:05 am Post subject: Re: Single parent of 3 wants to teach abroad |
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| naturegirl321 wrote: |
I suggest the Middle East, your employer might help pay for intl school fees and you might be able to hire a tutor to teach them other languages.
1. Later on, you-ll need 2 years experience.
2. Try to get some experience.
3. Depends on the country and school. Intl schools where I am are about 20K usd a year. Per child. HOmecshooling may work, for the older one. A friend of mine brought his 6th and 8th grader here. Dad is a foriegner, Mom is a local. Kids didn't speak the local language. They were put into school, the oldest one lastet 6 months, then was homeschooled for the rest of the year. Now is back home living with his grandparents. The second one is in his second year styudying at a locl school, but will be moving back home, with his mom. HIs dad will finish his contract then go back home. The reason they'[re going back home is entirely due to the kids' schooling.
4. CHina I got 700 usd a month. Peru, up to 1500 usd. There's NO way I could have afforded intl schools, or private schools. And public schools were not an option at all due to the horrible quality.
5. Shouldn'[t
6. It's harder that's for sure. As for time, it really depends. Though I'll have to say it's hard for me to support one baby on a TEFL salary. I can't imagine 3 kids. I know I can stay where I am for about 5 years, then when she's school age I'll have to decide really hard if I want to go home or go to the MIddle East. And staying will be easier for me, since she was born abroad and will be fluent in the local language when she goes to school. BUt again, I wouldn't be able to communicate with her teachers or read anything, easily, that comes home from school. |
It seems that since my daughter is going into the 5th grade, she might be okay if the 6th grader did well for 2 years. But I am seriously considering Thailand now, I think it will be an exciting experience for all of us. I don't have a husband to send kids back to for homeschooling, but I can get a tutor to help us all with learning some practical Thai lol. I'm sure we'll be fine and people do well with less than that. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:06 am Post subject: Re: Single parent of 3 wants to teach abroad |
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| naturegirl321 wrote: |
| I suggest the Middle East, your employer might help pay for intl school fees and you might be able to hire a tutor to teach them other languages. |
Without a few years of solid TEFL experience, the Middle East is out of reach for the OP if she wants to reap the benefits and salary offered by direct-hire employers. And then, those benefits---education allowance and housing---won't be enough with 3 children to consider. Moreover, she may not even be allowed to bring her children. Recruiters/contractors in KSA would be interested in her; however, they're dodgy and again, she won't be able to bring her children. In fact, being a single parent in this conservative, patriarchal region is extremely difficult. |
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trasheed
Joined: 06 Jul 2012
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:08 am Post subject: Re: Single parent of 3 wants to teach abroad |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| naturegirl321 wrote: |
| I suggest the Middle East, your employer might help pay for intl school fees and you might be able to hire a tutor to teach them other languages. |
Without a few years of solid TEFL experience, the Middle East is out of reach for the OP if she wants to reap the benefits and salary offered by direct-hire employers. And then, those benefits---education allowance and housing---won't be enough with 3 children to consider. Moreover, she may not even be allowed to bring her children. Recruiters/contractors in KSA would be interested in her; however, they're dodgy and again, she won't be able to bring her children. In fact, being a single parent in this conservative, patriarchal region is extremely difficult. |
Yes, everything I've heard about the Middle East seems to require experience. I'm personally less interested in teaching in the Middle East than I am Latin America, also. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 1:40 pm Post subject: Re: Single parent of 3 wants to teach abroad |
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| trasheed wrote: |
| It seems that since my daughter is going into the 5th grade, she might be okay if the 6th grader did well for 2 years. But I am seriously considering Thailand now, I think it will be an exciting experience for all of us. I don't have a husband to send kids back to for homeschooling, but I can get a tutor to help us all with learning some practical Thai lol. I'm sure we'll be fine and people do well with less than that. |
I'm not sure about Thai, but this child was "half-half" meaning half foreign and half Korean. NOt sure if it was easier or harder for him. Look-wise I mean.
Just have a back up plan or two.
Latin America might be harder. At least from what I know, if you can't get into international schools and don't have connections, it's going to be a tough couple of start up years. |
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corniche
Joined: 04 Jun 2012
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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It sounds like Trasheed will be getting certification, or already has it.
You should apply to International Schools, and have your children attend the same school.
Are you thinking about Latin America, including Brazil? Race is certainly not an issue there. It is not an issue in many other countries as well. The US is so much more prejudiced in this respect, and has bad attitudes towards single mothers as well. There are working single mothers everywhere in the world.
Michigan has such a large Middle Eastern population. Maybe you can make some connections to directly contact universities and schools.
If there is a father on the birth certificate, you might need a notarised letter for travel permission, and a court order of sole custody to obtain a passport. If not, you are free to go. |
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Rhubarb
Joined: 08 Jun 2012
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 1:31 am Post subject: |
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What worked for me, about 10 years ago: (keep in mind all $ amounts may be way different today; I have no clue!)
Also a single mom, my kids were 5 & 6. We went to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to a one month, intensive Spanish course that cost $1000 for the month, for all 3 of us, plus $1000/month for a homestay. We shared one bedroom in a family home. During that month, I made arrangements to barter tutoring for room and board with various members of the host family. Their daughter was a grad student who needed help editing a translation of her master's thesis, as well as English conversation practice. 3 other adult family members wanted tutoring, and we stayed about 6 months. I also tutored other people, contacted through the family, for cash. During that time, I had a couple job offers to teach English formally in English language schools, but I had obligations back in the states, and had to get back. I don't remember what the salary offers were, but I recall thinking it would be enough for us to live on modestly. I feel I could have established a pretty good life for us if I had chosen to stay. Oh, I forgot to mention - I had a BS degree in education, but no teaching experience at that time. As a homeschooling family, I did not look into tuition costs, and daycare was not an issue with the flexible schedule of tutoring.
If you have any cash available for travel, I would advise going to the land of your dreams as an extended vacation, and see what you can do with a little creativity.
All the best! |
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