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laurac
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 24
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 Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 3:06 pm Post subject: advice wanted!!!! |
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hi,
I am doing my TESOL cousre in the next couple of months and i am begining the daunting process of checking out countries, schools, recruitres, etc..... blah blah blah.....
I have spent the last few days checking out things in China basically because there seems to be a large amount of jobs there and also because i dont hold a BA and that does not seem to be a problem there, If i choose China i would like to have a job set up already, and i know now how to go about that. I just worry that China and its culture is not really for me.
Anyway onto Thailand.
I am now looking into Thailand and am looking for some advice. As i said before i dont hold a BA and know that can be a problem in Thailand, so maybe it would be better just to fly over and look, that seems to work better in Thailand then in China. Money wise i have a few �thousand ( brithish ) put away. what kind of Visa would i need if i was just to fly in and look for work??????????????????? Thai culture and the country does excite me more than china but maybe i would be better going to china first then coming over to thailand with some teaching experience in hand.
Can anyone give some " just turning up and looking " advice and is Bangkok the best place to look, i am a bit of a beach babe so would prefer a beachy place with a good social aspect, can anyone tell me of good places to go and check things out where work is not too hard to come by.
How are the working conditions in Thailand, what to expect???????? even better has anyone done China and Thailand that would be willing to tell me the good and bad of both????????
Thanks and sorry for yapping on a bit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  |
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sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| that can be a problem in Thailand, so maybe it would be better just to fly over and look, that seems to work better in Thailand then in China. |
Yes, go to Thailand to look for work.
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| what kind of Visa would i need if i was just to fly in and look for work??????????????????? |
You should be able to get a free 30-day visa on arrival or you can get a 60-day tourist visa that costs about 1200 baht [?]
Check http://www.thaivisa.com/ for more info.
Some will say try and get a non-immigrant visa in your home country, which you might try to do, but you don't need that unless you actually find a job.
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| is Bangkok the best place to look, i am a bit of a beach babe so would prefer a beachy place with a good social aspect, |
Jobs abound in Bangkok but maybe you could check out Phuket, or Hat Yai/Songkhla, Hua Hin, etc. by the sea... |
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Sheep-Goats
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 527
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 5:48 am Post subject: |
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I've taught in both of the countries you mentioned.
No degree in China is circumventable and you'll have perhaps 40% of the same opportunities people with degrees have -- especially if you're willing to try the boondocks (which is a severe test of your patience, adaptablitily, and ability to live like a peasant) or speak some semi-garbled form of Chinese. There's a drastic shortage of English native speakers in China, and the salary you'll make in China won't do diddly for your bank account after a year, so there are opportunities for you there. In the near future this situation is likely to stay the same in China.
No degree in Thailand is, despite the country's reputation, much more of a problem. You'll have about 10% of the same opportunites people with degrees have. Many schools will hire you but pay you markedly less. Others will ignore your applications. Some will only have part time by the hour stuff for you. You can make it here, and there are schools that don't care about your degree, but they're generally schools that only those with no other option would choose anyway. This means that, yeah, you'll have a job and be in Thailand -- but you probably won't really be able to enjoy it. In the near future in Thailand I would have to assume that having a degree will become more important than it is now.
Cambodia's situation is much like China's. Vietnam's is much like Thailand's.
You may be able to do something in Korea, but someone will steal something from you. You can basically forget about Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, much of the middle east, and having a cost-of-living job in Europe.
Why not get a degree first? Studying in a school's a lot more pleasant than teaching in one, and many schools in the states (or in England) have study abroad programs that will let you do a year in another country and receive credit at home. So you can get your travel fix and a degree (go for a BEd if you're genuinely interested in teaching). |
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ContemporaryDog
Joined: 21 May 2003
Posts: 1477
Location: Wuhan, China
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 5:26 am Post subject: |
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I think Hong Kong and the ME are also out of bounds for those WITH a Degree!
Unless of course they either have proper teaching qualifications (HK) or about 5 years experience plus Masters (ME)... |
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kenkannif
Joined: 07 Apr 2004
Posts: 550
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:20 am Post subject: |
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| sigmoid wrote: |
| Some will say try and get a non-immigrant visa in your home country, which you might try to do, but you don't need that unless you actually find a job. |
Yes, it's definitely worth while to get a multiple entry Non-imm Visa of some kind, especially if you don't have a degree. PM me and I might be able to help (not you Siggy, the OP!) 
I personally think that if you don't hold a degree you'll still be able to get good work. And it is possible (if the school can be bothered to do it) to get you a WP without a degree!
I strongly disagree with this statement as well:
| Sheep-Goats wrote: |
| You'll have about 10% of the same opportunites people with degrees have. Many schools will hire you but pay you markedly less. |
Utter nonsense IMO and IME! While it does make it a fair bit harder you're not going to lose out anywhere near that much. |
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Sheep-Goats
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 527
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:25 am Post subject: |
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| kenkannif wrote: |
I strongly disagree with this statement as well:
| Sheep-Goats wrote: |
| You'll have about 10% of the same opportunites people with degrees have. Many schools will hire you but pay you markedly less. |
Utter nonsense IMO and IME! While it does make it a fair bit harder you're not going to lose out anywhere near that much. |
Most of your experience is with language schools, ken. The degree is much more important outside of that arena, and most available jobs are indeed ouside of that arena.
However, I don't feel that "you'll have about 10% of the same opportunities" is that bad a prognosis for someone who lacks what the state and most DOSes would consider to be a fundamental qualification. It means she has a 10% chance of getting exactly the same thing as those who are qualified! |
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Sheep-Goats
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 527
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:28 am Post subject: |
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| ContemporaryDog wrote: |
I think Hong Kong and the ME are also out of bounds for those WITH a Degree!
Unless of course they either have proper teaching qualifications (HK) or about 5 years experience plus Masters (ME)... |
Honestly, I feel that there have to be ways into Hong Kong and the Middle East without those kinds of qualifications -- and I feel that way because I've spoken to plenty of people who have taught in either place on much less. |
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kenkannif
Joined: 07 Apr 2004
Posts: 550
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| Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 5:34 am Post subject: |
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| Sheep-Goats wrote: |
| kenkannif wrote: |
I strongly disagree with this statement as well:
| Sheep-Goats wrote: |
| You'll have about 10% of the same opportunites people with degrees have. Many schools will hire you but pay you markedly less. |
Utter nonsense IMO and IME! While it does make it a fair bit harder you're not going to lose out anywhere near that much. |
Most of your experience is with language schools, ken. The degree is much more important outside of that arena, and most available jobs are indeed ouside of that arena.
However, I don't feel that "you'll have about 10% of the same opportunities" is that bad a prognosis for someone who lacks what the state and most DOSes would consider to be a fundamental qualification. It means she has a 10% chance of getting exactly the same thing as those who are qualified! |
We'll have to agree to disagree then. And no most of my experience is not just with language schools at all! You've got businesses, goverment and private schools, unis etc. However I'd say just as much work goes through language schools (a lot of government and private schools go through them) as other types of teaching work. |
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kenkannif
Joined: 07 Apr 2004
Posts: 550
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| Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 5:35 am Post subject: |
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| Sheep-Goats wrote: |
| ContemporaryDog wrote: |
I think Hong Kong and the ME are also out of bounds for those WITH a Degree!
Unless of course they either have proper teaching qualifications (HK) or about 5 years experience plus Masters (ME)... |
Honestly, I feel that there have to be ways into Hong Kong and the Middle East without those kinds of qualifications -- and I feel that way because I've spoken to plenty of people who have taught in either place on much less. |
100% agree with the above though! |
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Klava
Joined: 23 Jan 2005
Posts: 12
Location: China, Wenzhou
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 7:28 am Post subject: |
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Just in case you're considering China seriously.
Please, read the Chinese forum and job journal on this website first. As for me, after teaching in China for 6 months I can't wait to go to Thailand. (I'm looking for a job there right now) I really tried to like it here and some moments there were special indeed, but it's just not my cup of tea.
If you're going to China, don't sign the contract until you personally see the school, your apartment and your classes. It will be really great if you'll have the opportunity to talk to foreign teachers at the school. Chinese tend to lie so much about your working conditions and the city/town you'll be living at just to get you to sign the contract. I was coming to a city of a one million population and an hour away from the big city... well .. in reality it is a village of 20000 and 5 hours away in the mountains from the big city. And these kind of things are happening constantly. |
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Welshguy
Joined: 06 Jan 2005
Posts: 143
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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You do need a degree to satisfy requirements for a Thai working visa without a doubt. However I have personally worked with more than one DOS who didnt have one and it didnt seem to make that much difference to their situation although this may be the exception not the rule.
If you like the beach life then you could do worse than try somewhere like Surrathani in the south. OK its not the most happening place on the planet but it is a nice town, people are very friendly and helpful, you can get a soi house for 4000 ba month or less and its the main transit point to the islands for those coming by train from BK. We used to finish work at three and be on the piss on samui a couple of hours later. The SEATRAN ferry service is a big improvement on the old one and there are a number of schools and vocational institutions in need of teachers as well as the chain schools (AUA and ECC). Work can also be had on an ad hoc basis on the actual islands but it tends to be sporadic and hard to come by in my experience.
Happy Days
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kenkannif
Joined: 07 Apr 2004
Posts: 550
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| Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 6:21 am Post subject: |
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| Welshguy wrote: |
| You do need a degree to satisfy requirements for a Thai working visa without a doubt. |
No you don't mate. I know people (for example LDMA from Ajarn.com) who don't have a degree but have a work permit (FYI there is NO such thing as a work Visa.....it's generally a Non-imm B (or O) with a work permit on top that acts to extend it!).
Here's a link to tell you how it's possible!
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15452&st=30
As you can see a fair few of us know people that have done it. For sure it's not easy, but with your employers assistance it's definitely doable! |
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Welshguy
Joined: 06 Jan 2005
Posts: 143
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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Fair play. The link seems to offer an option for the degree-less. Good work fella.
W |
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kenkannif
Joined: 07 Apr 2004
Posts: 550
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| Happy to help, although like most things here in Thailand, it's still a case of easier said than done! |
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