Job Discussion Forums

[hologated]

Hey everyone,

I'm heading off to Thailand (sooner or later...) and would like to teach while there... the discussions here have been most informative, but I still have a few questions, stemming from ignorance to inexperience travelling in Asia.


1/ How should I got about getting a cell phone once in Thailand? I presume this is much easier / more efficient / cheaper than a land-line.

2/ How should a farang teacher of English dress? How formal do I need to dress in order to be polite? Would it just be easier to bring along money with which to buy clothes once I got there?

3/ I don't know if the Brits out there need health insurance while abroad, but for better or worse I, as an American, need to pay my own way. Is there any advice people out there might have for me?

4/ Trans-Pacific transactions - how easy / difficult is it to get money to and from America? If I have a checking account Stateside and several in Thailand, how would I go about getting funds from the one to the other. Whats more, any recommendations on how to maintain contact with my bank in the US?

Thanks for the help


Hologated

[Sheep-Goats]

1/ How should I got about getting a cell phone once in Thailand? I presume this is much easier / more efficient / cheaper than a land-line.

MBK is a big mall in "downtown" Bangkok. Three floors are devoted to cell phones. The shop keepers are used to clueless farang buying their first phones and will lead you through it. Thias like Nokia pones and Dtac service. Farang like Nokia phones and GSM service.

I only pay 10B a minute to call America using my normal service (25 cents).


2/ How should a farang teacher of English dress? How formal do I need to dress in order to be polite? Would it just be easier to bring along money with which to buy clothes once I got there?

Very formally. Long sleeves, tie, dress shoes, dark pants. Some schools may require white shirts only, and schools that don't may appreciate it if you wear them anyway. Buy your clothes here from a tailor. In the interim, MBK also has a few discount type shops for holdover shirts and pants which will be cheaper than back home and probably more suited to the climate material-wise.


3/ I don't know if the Brits out there need health insurance while abroad, but for better or worse I, as an American, need to pay my own way. Is there any advice people out there might have for me?

Buy travel insurance online before you go to cover you for two or three months. Once you're here most schools provide pretty good healthcare. Even if they don't, healthcare here is dirt cheap and of very high quality -- BUPA is the "best" company. Insurance agents here will be happy to sell you a policy once you're working -- but your school will not be happy to let you opt out of their scheme to fund the rest of yours. Good insurance usually runs about 1000B a month. Passable insurance about half that.


4/ Trans-Pacific transactions - how easy / difficult is it to get money to and from America? If I have a checking account Stateside and several in Thailand, how would I go about getting funds from the one to the other. Whats more, any recommendations on how to maintain contact with my bank in the US?

This can be a big problem. Most people use a trusted person back home and filter funds through them. Some banks here are better than others at transfers (Siam Commerical has the best rep. with liquidity issues), many people do their at-home banking strictly through the internet.

Apart from this advice, the only other thing I can offer is that you should put that question to a banker, not to EFL teachers. Particularly those in Thailand, who generally have no money to transfer anyway.

[hologated]

Thank you much for the response... I have a few more questions and hopefully people will be able to be as informative as you have been...

1/ I've purchased a one way ticket to bangkok by way of japan. Seeing as I do not yet have employment lined up for my time in Thailand, can anyone recommend me a course of action regarding my application for visas? Obviously the 30 day tourist visas seem like the best route until I find someone who might sponsor me for a work visa, but how hard would it be to convince immigration officials that I am a tourist when I have no return ticket?

2/ I am planning on living/working in chiangmai, but as I mentioned I do not yet have employment. Given that I will arrive in late january and that the school year starts in march, it seems like I would have enough time to find something before the academic year kicked off. Is this reasonable?

3/ Given that I will have approximately 5 weeks of downtime in chiangmai, what would you recommend regarding housing/etc - should I find an apartment ASAP on the assumption that I will be able to afford it? Are thai apartments generally leased month to month, or does one have to sign a year long lease?

4/ Just how little should someone without TEFL/TESOL certification, but a degree from a well regarded university (ie, ME) expect to make monthly?


Thank you much for the help .

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hello hologated:

1. At the airport, immigration officials will not ask to see a return ticket --- unless you look strung-out on heroin.

After you arrive in Chiang Mai, this link might be of interest - if your 30 days runs out before you secure a firm offer:
http://www.asiatradingonline.com/visasruns.htm (Chiang Mai to Mae Sai visa runs)

2. Maybe a typo on your part? The academic year ends in March and begins again in June. Regardless of that --- Start making contacts and e-mailing your resume now and try to set up some interviews before you arrive. Your chances of actually landing a job over the internet are fairly slim, but you can get your foot in the door, so to speak.

note: The Chiang Mai TEFL market is more competitive than the Bangkok market since many people would rather live in Chiang Mai, for obvious reasons. The result is: more applicants for Chiang Mai TEFL positions, fewer 'posted' job offers and generally lower salaries than in Bangkok.

3. Wait until you arrive before worrying too much about an apartment. Your chances of finding something decent & economical are much better when you are on the ground in Chiang Mai and have time to scout around on foot. Apartment leases are fairly 'loose & easy' in Thailand, but most landlords like you to commit for a year. Whether you actually stay a full year is no big deal as deposits are low (by western standards) and most people can afford to lose the deposit if something 'unexpected' should suddenly pop up. By all means, begin the apartment hunt soon after you arrive (with or without a job) since hotels will eat up your budget faster than a hooker on roller-skates.

4. Salaries do vary. At language schools, typical TEFL teachers in Chiang Mai are earning from 20,000 Baht per month on the lower end to 35,000 Baht on the higher end. You can earn more at a good international school, but the competition for those positions is more intense. That's why I'm suggesting in #2 that you try to get your foot in the door with some schools before you arrive.

Good luck!

_________________

note: 1$US = 39 Baht

You can click here for daily rates: http://www.krungsri.com/eng/50/511.asp (Bank of Ayudhya)

[hologated]

here goes a'gin...

Obviously having my undergraduate degree can only help my job search... but what should I bring as proof that I did indeed graduate college? I imagine getting the framed diploma through the x-ray machine would be fun... .

again, thanks for the help... this place is invaluable.

[hologated]

Does anyone know of a good place to get travel insurance?

[hologated]

hey... again..

Given that I'll be arriving at something of a down time in the Thai academic cycle, do you recommend that I spring for a course for TEFL or the equivalent? There is a listing on Dave's for a course that would pay the prospective teacher to take the course, which sounds fishy to me. In general how worth it are these course? Can the difference in salary that such a certification might justify cover the cost of the course? Do you find them worthwhile?

Sorry for the repeated postings... the closer the departure date the more scattered the thoughts.

cheers

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Greetings Hologated:

Absolutely bring your original diploma along. Take it out of the frame and bring it.

With so many fake degrees floating around Thailand, you will need the original diploma for your work permit.

As for travel insurance: someone else will need to advise you on that one. I have no bank account, no drivers' license, no credit cards and no insurance of any kind.

I live hand-to-mouth.

Taking a TEFL course while you're here is an option, yes.

Up to you.

Will it make a huge difference in your immediate Thai Baht salary? Probably not --- but it might land you a better position down the road, or open up some doors that would otherwise be closed without TEFL certification. If you're planning on making TEFL a full-time career, it's probably a good investment. If you're thinking of doing this for just a year or 2, I'd save my money.

For most schools out there (imho) the priority of qualifications looks something like this:

1. You are a native speaker of English
2. You have an undergraduate degree
3. You look half-decent in a tie or dress
4. You have a TEFL certificate
5. You know the difference between a perfect future and the future perfect

Hope that helps?

[Sheep-Goats]

Bring your original degree and transcripts. Take a TEFL course for your own / your students' good rather than for a salary jump. The downtime in the academic cycle is actually often a high time for language schools and other private purveyors of English (the exception being the holiday month of April). Buy travel insurance online or at the airport.