Job Discussion Forums

[canadiangirlsrock]

Hi all, justed wanted some information on whether or not I would qualify to be a legal teacher in Thailand. I have a 2yr. associates degree and TESOL. Also, I have been in Taiwan teaching for the past year.

Thanks in advance for those that respond!

[sigmoid]

Apparently it is possible to get hired and get a work permit with a certificate, but I don't know much about the details. It seems to depend on the school.

[kenkannif]

Taiwan IMO harder to get legalled up than in Thailand, so you should be okay I think.

[Sheep-Goats]

Taiwan is in some ways more lax than Thailand, in some ways less.

It's hard to give you a clear cut answer, cangirl. There are three bodies involved in whether you are "legal" in Thailand or not. Immigration will let anyone in, but to get a non-tourist visa they'll want the Department of Labour's seal of approval. The Department of Labour is actually fairly open minded about the realities of who's good to hire and who's not, and it's possible that they'll give someone with an associates degree a seal of approval if the school that's asking for it is one that's favored in the office or if it's a non-mainstream type of school (language school, for example). However, the folks at the Dept. of Labour don't want to step on any toes in the Ministry of Education (that body actually outranks the Dept. of Labour in the Thai governmental system somewhat, plus Thais pay a lot of lipservice to honoring education and all that), so if your school happens to be one that the Ministry keeps a close eye on (private grade schools and high schools are often under a magnifying glass -- as opposed to goverment ones) it may turn out that anything less than a full BA is a no-way-Jose.

But, because all of the people in these departments are friends, and because they'll all know the foreigner visa handling man at your school, a lot can be done on the basis of relationships -- and a lot can be blockaded for those same reasons. You may even find, for example, that the guy from the school, who's supposed to be helping you with your visa, is actually drawing the process out just to try to foster better relationships with whatever official he's got on his mind at the moment.

You can find legal work with an associates, but some doors will also definetly be closed to you -- and unfortunaly there's really no way to know in advance which jobs are which. You might even be able to get a uni job at some nasty little Rajabat -- even though the idea of someone with an associate's teaching Uni classes is pretty much a gross inversion of what one would expect. (Note that uni jobs poorly paid aren't generally thought of as being very good in Thailand, though, so don't count your chance at a Rajabat as a good way to go.)

Oh, and if you come to Thailand you'll have to really start dressing up for work. I've been in Taiwan for two weeks now sercing out a good job and the state of dress for a Taiwan based English teacher is a shock to my Thai acclimated system. I mean, cutoff jean shorts and a black Tshirt with a skull on it? C'mon!

[laura1d]

Hi there,

Here is my input...

I have a TEFL certifiactea nd NO degree. I have a work permit and visa to teach here. I work at a government high school.

It is possible, but given the posts I have read here it is luck aswell. I had no problem at all - and neither have any other teachers without a degree that I know.

However, some people do have problems. I agree that it is the place that you live - and the politics between your school and the Department of Labour (or whatever their official title is).

If you are truly interested in work here (btw) I have to go back to Europe and my job needs to be filled!!! pm me if interested....

Cheers
Laura