Job Discussion Forums

[CPA]

Thanks for the advice. What is the best way to search for work in-country without knowing the language?

[EFL Educator]

Here in the Land Of Smiles just smile and speak English....offers will come your way in no time!

[suphanburi]

[TeachtheFuture]

Do not get a job through an agency as most of them offer very little in terms of salary and anything else. I made the mistake of doing that and giving myself the piece of mind of having a job before I moved to Thailand. The agency I went through skimmed about 10,000 baht off of the wages and we were apparently at the mercy of the agency for two years (thankfully I got out of there after a year).

As others have said the jobs are found on the ground in country. MOD EDIT. As the school year comes to a close more and more positions will be posted.

[Willy_In_Japan]

I've taught in Thailand. The students are FAR less interested in learning English. If the feeling that you are wasting your time trying to teach the students doesn't bother you, Thailand is fine.

One thing to consider is that in Thailand, unlike Japan, your visa is tied to your job. If you lose the job or change jobs, you are out of the country getting another visa. Personally, I think it is a PITA.

I've lived and worked in Japan and Thailand. I'd choose Japan if it was me.

[EFL Educator]

Thailand is truly amazing...and Thai students are amazing. Japan on the other hand isn't amazing at all....and the students are unamazing!

[Willy_In_Japan]

I was amazed that students sleep in class (on the floor even) and eat and socialize while the teacher is trying to teach.

I was amazed that the students who don't do a thing are expected to be passed.

I was amazed at the total apathy of learning English in Thailand.

Yup...totally amazing.

[Master Shake]

I taught in Tokyo, Japan last year and Bangkok, Thailand about 6 years ago. It's an interesting comparison. Though they're both east Asian countries, they are worlds apart. Here are some examples.

teaching/students: In both countries there is a huge demand for kids' lessons. Thai kids expect to have fun in lessons. If something is difficult or boring, (e.g. grammar exercises) they often won't do it. In Japan, once kids begin junior high school, English lessons are mostly geared toward preparing them to pass university entrance exams. 'Fun' activities are seen as a waste of time and there is a heavy emphasis on grammar and translation because that's what's in the uni. entrance exam. Which is better? Depends on your personality and views on teaching.

money You're going to live pretty frugally starting out in either country. The key difference is that in Japan leisure activities like going out, movies, lessons, weekend trips, etc. are much more expensive than in Thailand. Unless you live like a monk, you'll burn through your salary much faster in Japan. On the other hand, the the yen is a much stronger currency than the baht. Money you save (if any) will go a LOT further when it comes time to leave Japan.

cities Though they're both huge cities, living in Bangkok compared to Tokyo is like night and day. Bangkok has got it's nice areas, but it's a teeming, polluted, congested mess. Tokyo is actually a very livable city, but the cold, overworked, miserable people really put me off after a while. I'd advise against living in either capital. Not only will you have a more pleasant time outside of the capital, you'll experience more Thai/Japanese culture. You probably won't earn as much money though: most work is in the capital cities.

Anyway, I hope this is helpful. Good luck, wherever you end up!

[EFL Educator]

Thais work to live...on the other hand the Japanese live to work....it's also a lot more fun (sanuk) to live here and teach here in the Land Of Smiles than in Japan!!!!