Job Discussion Forums

[ShoeyMcFee]

I'm planning on moving from Japan to Thailand (probably Bangkok) next spring.
I have a BA, a 60hr TEFL, and 3 years (and rising) teaching experience including quite a bit in childrens curriculum development and teacher recruitment as well as general managerial duties (I've occupied head teacher type role). I'm 27 and from the UK.

From reading around I get the impression that I'd be coming in with above average qualifications and can probably afford to be somewhat picky about what I take.

On the one hand I want to start under decent conditions, but at the same time I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by being overly demanding. Having done recruitment in Japan and Korea I know that even good school owners aren't interesting in hiring ppl with come with a list of demands regardless of how good a candidate they otherwise are.

Would appreciate any feedback regards to what extent I could realistically expect the following:
- Pay that's closer to 40,000 than it is to 30,000.
- 5 day working week.
- No split shifts/a working day that all occurs within an 8/9 hour period.
- No straight runs (without break) longer than 4/5 hours.
- Work permit being thouroughly dealt with by the employer (being walked through it rather than trying to blunder my way through it in a new city using a new language etc...).
- Sane class sizes (idealy under 10 certainly under 20).

I'm imagining that all of the above would be rather a lot to ask, and am aware and accepting of the fact that it's not gonna be as squeaky clean and smooth sailing as Japan. Just trying to gauge how different it's going to be.

cheers
Shoey

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

Shoey,

35,000 B per month and up

Brtish Council pays about B60,000 and up form what I've heard.

saturday and even sunday are teaching days often in Thailand.

Who were you hiring for in Japan - Nova, GEOS, Berlitz?

[sigmoid]

I would say by teaching in Thailand that you will be selling yourself short. Why bother?

[ShoeyMcFee]

I didn't do recruitment on a large scale for any of the big companies, just for a few privately run schools, so it was a case of trying to find exactly what the owners wanted since I was dealing with them 1 on 1, plus I'd ultimately be training and working alongside whoever I hired so it tended to be a pretty arduous process there were weeks when I spent more time doing recruitment than I actually did teaching!

As to why the change of scene, well 1st and foremost for it's own sake, as soon as ai visited Bangkok I could immediately feel the energy/vibe, something which is sorely lacking throughout most of Japan.
Plus I'm told there are more opportunities and prospects in Thailand than there are in Japan, where seemingly even the best laid plans of mice and men, will simply be crushed by the advertising might of that damn Nova Usagi, and then Geos and the other big hitters will come along and dance on you're grave.

[sigmoid]

[Sheep-Goats]

Would appreciate any feedback regards to what extent I could realistically expect the following:

- Pay that's closer to 40,000 than it is to 30,000.

You can find that, but most likely you'll start at 30 or 35k and make it to 40 or 50k through overtime. There are a lot of teachers here with your qualifications, and not many jobs that offer more than 35k base. If you do find 40 or so it'll be at a upper-end language school (inlingua, International House, Wall Street, are the players here) as an international school won't even look at you unless you have a degree in EDUCATION.


- 5 day working week.

You can do it, but if you do you'll likely find that you'll need to work in the evenings at least to make enough money to let you do what you want and not eat into savings. Those five days might well be Tuesday through Saturday, though.


- No split shifts/a working day that all occurs within an 8/9 hour period.

8 hour period, sure. No split shifts, no. Many schools will expect you to *beep* around in the office even if you don't have classes to teach, so a split schedule is often an irrelevant consideration if you're a rule-following kind of guy.


- No straight runs (without break) longer than 4/5 hours.

No.


- Work permit being thouroughly dealt with by the employer (being walked through it rather than trying to blunder my way through it in a new city using a new language etc...).

Yes, but you'll probably pay the fees. Most teachers spend between 10 and 20 thousand baht on the fees and on lost overtime wages during the excruciating process of getting both a year long visa and an attached work permit. The good news is that the school will most likely step you through it. In my opinion, it's better to go without one still (if you're given that option), despite recent efforts by the Thai goverment to make Thailand more legitimate in those kinds of arenas.


- Sane class sizes (idealy under 10 certainly under 20).

No way. Some of your classes will be like that, most will have between 20 and 30 students.


You need about 40k a month to have a moderate lifestyle and save for airfare onward if you're living in Bangkok. Good luck.

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

i was offered Baht 23,000 per month to teach 30 hours per week at a university - And that was a faculty position!

LOL!!

[Sheep-Goats]

[zorro (2)]

you don't need to have a degree in education to work in international schools in thailand. i didn't have one, but worked in one of the better schools in bangkok. i just knew the right people.

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

I was told by my CELTA trainer that you needed a B.Ed to teach in an international school.

I have also been told that my M.A. TESOL is not enough to work in an international school in other Asian countries - B.Ed needed.

So, if you know the right folks, you can land a job in a Thai international school without the B.Ed?

Sounds odd.

[zorro (2)]

i started work for bangkok patana in august 2003 with only my celta. my job was as an esl instructor for ks1 kids. i do beleive that at the time thaksin was tightening the pre-requisites for teaching in international schools, but this was only as far as experience was concerned (2 years experience as an esl instrutor). not sure how the situation stands now.

at the same time that i was employed another teacher from the same language school as i previously worked in was hired as an esl instructor for ks2. she didn't have a B.Ed either but did have a lot of experience.

so, if there is anyone out there who has good experience and truly wants to work in an international school, i'd recommend you still apply because you never know how lucky you may be....

good luck.

[Sheep-Goats]

[zorro (2)]

patana is actually ECIS accredited and has been since 2001.

my job title wasn't 'teacher' at the school, but 'esl instructor'. the difference being that i didn't teach the students, rather provided support for them in and out of the class.

on the pay scale at the school, i was above the class assistants but below the teachers with B.Ed/PGCE. the perks were that i could charge upto 1500 baht for private tuitions and then be chauffered home due to the students families wealth.

My main point for this is that i am living evidence that it is possible to work in an international school simply by knowing the right people, and sending off speculative applications. it also might help if you contact the schools with a view to working voluntarily for them for a while. this is what i did (and i'm talking 3 or 4 times here not months). this lead to me being put on the substitute esl instructors list, which then lead to a job.

keep applying i say.

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

Yeah, that's how I interpreted 'International School' to be.
That they were affiliated with a school board or school back in a country like the U.K or the U.S.

He told us that the position he was offered (he had a B.Ed) was paying over Baht 100,000 per month (B. 150,000 if I remember correctly).

I have no reason to believe that he was making this up but do you think his info is accurate?

Don't know what the hours would've been like.

But thought crossed my mind to go back and do a 1 year B.Ed in Ontario after hearing that LOL!!!

Thks.

[zorro (2)]

the teachers at patana earn around 120,000 per month with a nice apartment thrown in. they also get flights and tasty completion bonuses (something like �7,000 for completion of a four year contract) along with other more usual perks (pensions etc).

experiencing working with the 'big boys' of international teaching, has made me want to do a pgce which i'm currently applying for now. its not only the money and the lifestyle... yes it is actually