Job Discussion Forums

[henscombe]

I was in Thailand for nearly three years until 2002 and taught at ( what I thought was) a decent Thai government school in Dusit. Totally unqualified to teach English and with no degree, the company I worked for "obtained" one for me, and I was able to get a work permit. As things turned out, I liked my job, was not bad at it, and regret not having stayed in Thailand longer.
After three years back in England, I would now like to return to Thailand but do not know how the current regulations would affect my chances of finding work. Further, I imagine that the lack of a degree or any kind of teaching qualification would surely be an obstacle these days even if in the past it was one that could be overcome. I'm not restricting myself to teaching jobs, but, from experience, I know that the majority of available work is in that field.
Any help, advice or guidance from people best placed to provide it would be greatly appreciated.

[kenkannif]

You'll get work okay.

While it is possible to get a TL and thus WP without a degree you need the backing of your employer (which is often nigh on impossible to get).

So really you have two or possibly three options.

Try it and who knows?

Get a degree (or comparable) and then come over.

Come over and get work but look to do a degree this end (or by distance or online).

[Sgt Killjoy]

Think twice about using a fake degree in Thailand. There have been cases where schools have turned in teachers who worked on fake documentation when they got through using them. There are enough school in Thailand that will give you a job with just your experience and some kind of tefl certificate. No matter the past, in the present you would be wise to drop any ideas of a fake degree.

[kenkannif]

^ With the new verification process it's nigh on impossible (kind of) to use a fake degree.

[Sgt Killjoy]

what new verification process? As of the end of August, they were accepting only photocopies. Gave my original and all they wnated was a photocopy.

[kenkannif]

Was that a new application or a renewal?

The schools now have to verify (in most locations it seems, certainly Bangers), or supposedly verify them themselves nowadays (with risk of possible imprisonment if they're later found to be fake).

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hello henscombe in Dudley


On top of kenkannif's good advice above,

here's what I'd recommend in practical terms -

and strictly off the top of my head:


In lieu of a degree, it might be smart to invest

in a high quality 120 hour TEFL certificate.


CELTA and Trinity certTESOL both spring to mind.

There are other good ones, like Text-and-Talk's,

and the 130 hour SIT TESOL offered by AUA,

but the CELTA and Trinity certTESOL are still the

most widely recognized EFL qualifications on the planet.


With a recognized cert & previous teaching experience in Thailand,

I feel pretty confident that you'd find a decent position

without resorting to anything shady.


Having a solid TEFL qualification like the ones mentioned above

would also help when it comes time to discuss the possibility

of applying for a work permit.


PS:


Do you have a letter of recommendation

from the school you worked for back in 2002 ?

If you do, that's great. If you don't, try to get one !


PS2:


If you opted for the Trinity certTESOL, you could do that in England

whereas you could do the CELTA, the SIT TESOL or Text-And-Talk's

TEFL for Target Learners course --- right here in Thailand.


related links:


http://www.cambridgeesol.org/teaching/celta.htm (CELTA)

http://www.auathailand.org/education/SitmainPage.htm (SIT TESOL)

http://www.teflteachthai.com/ (TEFL for Target Learner Groups @ Text-And-Talk Academy)

http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=tesol_certificate.home (Trinity certTESOL)

[Sgt Killjoy]

It was a new one, not a renewal. And I doubt they did anything to verify it, wouldn't have had a problem and if they needed help verifying, it would have helped them out. Kind of dismayed that my diploma sat in the desk for two weeks and all they did was photocopy it here in the office to take it to the powers that be.

[kenkannif]

^ Yeah while they're supposed to, they don't have to...but they have to say they have....err if you 'get' what I mean?

Although not sure if this applies everywhere at the moment.

[henscombe]

Thanks for all the help. My initial instincts were that things had tightened up somewhat, but I guess, to a large extent, it still depends on which side of bed the official gets out of. I don't have a letter of recommendation but will endeavour to get one when I visit next month. I'll do some research on the courses/training and go from there.
Once again, thanks.