Job Discussion Forums

Hed_Kandi · Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Posts: 45

Can someone tell me what the availability of teaching positions is in these Towns ?

Also, I'd like to know a little bit more about each place. Has anyone been to either of these places ???

wix · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 250 Location: Earth

I have only been in Surat Thani for a few months. I can't comment on the exact status of the TEFL market here, but there are jobs available. A few have been advertised recently on ajarn.com

Surat Thani is a pretty unattractive city and I don't think it has much to offer. If you are interested in Surat because of its proximity to the islands and beaches remember Koh Samui is a three hour bus and ferry trip away. The nearest decent beach is 70 kms from the city. I think there are better locations in Thailand.

bluffer · Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 5:30 am Post subject:

There are quite a few jobs down there. You do have to be quite proactive in approaching schools direct though. They are not great payers - maybe 25-35k tops.

Be wary of agencies or people promising to place you in schools down there. there are a few bad stories starting to appear.

http://www.ajarnforum.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=4665

Sheep-Goats · Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 527

Surat Thani shouldn't be too tough but the town itself if pretty damn dull and ugly. It's the closest big town in Thailand to the Samui archipelago, but if you're lookign to spend your weekends on the island the 3 hour (Samui) or 5 hour (Pangan) one way ferry rides can be off-putting, as the additonal cost of renting a bungalow when you already have an apartment in ST.

I haven't been to Krabi town. I imagine the market there is a lot tighter than Surat Thani. And Krabi ain't as cheap as Surat Thani either. Its a place that a lot of budget travellers have to skip over these days -- which says something. Maybe not something that meaningful, but something. Pretty, though.

Hed_Kandi · Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Posts: 45

Welshguy · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 143

I lived in Surat for a while and it is true that there are better places to be in Thailand for sure. Having said that it's not too hard to get yourself started there. The ESL market is expanding with the opening of a couple of new centres in addition to AUA and ECC. There are positions in public sector schools as well but they tend to pay less. ECC seems to have most of the corporate stuff such as it is and you can find yourself doing a fair bit of commuting on some of their gigs. Salaries in my experience dont come close to 35-40 at base. Some of the Surat orientated job ads on Ajarn.com are in the 20-25 range. It is easier to access Samui nowadays what with the new ferry service but its still a bit of a trek. Its not actually that easy to keep popping back and forth whenever you like on a teachers salary either as prices are pitched at gouging tourists rather than servicing locals.
Living costs wise you have the full range available to you. Serviced apartments e.g Sintini mansions are about 3000 a month for a small basic room with own facilities and are basically used by lower income thais and travelling snakeoil salesmen. A small terraced house known as a townhouse can be rented for 3-4000 a month, this will be a two bedroomed affair but may not have a kitchen. You can eat well and cheaply all over the place and there are a number of good restaurants for the odd blowout. There are a couple of reasonable bars and clubs nowadays and a new place opened within the last year which seems to have mopped up most of the expats. It aint rock 'n'roll central by any means and I was frequently bored stupid there it must be said.
In its favour? The people are friendly and approachable, you can pick up private work when you have been around a little while and they have a very relaxed attitude to you opening a school in your living room. This saves busfare to work!! You can get around it pretty easily for 20-30 baht and for those missing home there is always the Tesco Lotus mall which is why you came to Thailand in the first place obviously.

Krabi Town is a pleasant place to hang for a while but I saw little capacity for work there though I only spent a couple of weeks in the place. I was stopped several times and asked if I would be prepared to open a school down there by complete strangers so if you are the entrepenurial type then maybe you could do something in that direction. A couple of thousand english would get you started and Krabi province is gorgeous.

Good luck.