Job Discussion Forums

[Movin' and Groovin']

Ok, to answer your questions, I've worked for them the whole of the Thai school year and am extending my contract for next year. The hours are 8 - 4 and that's it, no evenings or weekends unless you find yourself some private work

I'm in a fairly small town, but there is easy enough access to get most places interesting.

Not really inspections of how I dress, it's more or less up to you, just as long as you look the part of a respectable teacher. They collect my lesson plans at the end of each term.

The company provides accommodation but it varies wherever you stay. The school that you are hired out to work for is required to find accommodation for you that has the minimum requirements of a bed, a chair, a table/desk and a fan (if no a/c)

I've not had any problems with them really, the biggest hassle was when something was wrong with my visa papers and I couldn't get my 1 year visa, but MediaKids sent someone up my way with new papers and took me to the immigration office and sorted everything out for me within a week. So that's that.

Hope that helps

[MaiPenRai]

To anyone thinking about working with MediaKids, let me offer my honest opinion. I should mention that my opinions may be considered biased by some as I have worked with the company for nearly 3 years as a teacher placed in schools and as a teacher trainer. I will however "hold no punches". I no longer work for the company because I am heading to Korea to make some money.

1. MediaKids does recruit teachers to work in Thai government schools. HOWEVER, they are quite unlike many recruiters. They have never left any teachers to fend for themselves. A coordinator is always available to aid teachers when problems arise. Yes, problems do arise... this is Thailand, and if you expect to have a hassle free experience here, I think you are looking in the wrong place. You are not always going to get the answer that you want either.

2. In three years, teachers have always been paid on time and in the rare instance that a mistake is made, it is corrected relatively shortly. They even offer advances...who does that?!

3. As most of the posts on daves state, the biggest issue is the SCHOOL, not the recruiter. Yes, it is a crap shot as to what your school will be like. I have been to most of the current schools that are working with MediaKids and I would say that 75%-80% of them are good schools that I could work for. The others are mostly fine, but have some issues. There are 2 or 3, out of about 25, that I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole. All in all, the odds of getting a good school are pretty good. Most of the schools are rural and they are just happy to have a farang at their school that is presentable, reliable and good with the students.

4. MediaKids basically does the entire Visa/Work permit process for the teachers. Yes, there are MANY problems that arise when dealing with Immigration and Labour in Thailand, but they have ALL been sorted out in the past. Different provinces have different procedures, whether or not they are suppossed to. And anyone who has been in Thailand for an extended period of time can tell you that Immigration and Labour can be the easiest or most difficult places depending on which officer you get and what side of the bed they woke up on.

5. They dont have much of a curriculum in place, but I have always liked that because it means I can teach what I want.

6. There can be big discrepencies in accommodations. Some people get TV's, hot water, AC, fridges, etc., while you may get none of these perks. I never understood why people complained about FREE accommodations anyway.

To sum it up without rambling. IMHO MediaKids is a safe bet for first timers to Thailand looking to teach. I think Kenkannif summed it up by saying that there are worse, but there is also better. You can find higher paying jobs out there, but if you are new to the whole process, MediaKids does most of the work for you. Expect some problems along the way with almost any school or company. They are a company so they do make money. Schools pay them to take care of all the little stuff and some of the big stuff.

BTW, sethness, the link worked fine for me and I suggest that you look at the website before judging it. While it might be an amateurish website, it offers an honest look at what you will be getting into if you decide to work with the company. The testimonials are from both schools and past and present teachers. Some even offer criticism of the company, which is not oft seen in testimonials. I wrote most of the text for the website and it, again, "holds no punches". It offers pros AND cons of working in Thai government schools and is honest about EXACTLY what is expected of the teachers. There are pictures of accommodations that show top end and lower end of the spectrum. It is not "sugar-coated". The only thing is that it has not been updated for the upcoming school year, so not all of the info will still apply. Best to ask all the right questions when applying.

Remember, there are 2 sides to every story. Anyone who is thinking about working with this company is welcome to PM me and I will try to answer all your questions HONESTLY.

Chok Dee

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[sigmoid]

Thanks for an informative post, but

[world_traveller]

People say it's difficult to save money in Thailand...I make about $1000 canadian here (before rent, which is $550) and can manage to survive here somehow. I'm thinking about going to teach in Thailand where my income would be about $800...with no rent to pay. If Media kids sends it's teachers to more rural area of the country, and I'm not really interested in much of the night life (ie. beer, parties, late nights or big city trips) would it really be that difficult to save some money?? I heard a couple places that the average Thais income is 7,000 THB per month...so technically you should be able to have a decent lifestyle, and save some money every month?

I'm really excited about visiting Thailand...but from everything I've been reading people say it's impossible to save money. I'm thinking that's because they're used to a pretty cheap lifestyle...

I'm really sorry for rambling on here...basically what I'm wanting to know is anyone who worked for Media kids...is it really that difficult to save some money while teaching in Thailand, especially in more rural areas??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

[Movin' and Groovin']

Hey hey

I work for MediaKids and live in a fairly rural area. I find it very easy to save money. Depending on how frugal you are you can get by on 200baht a day. As I spend more weekends out of my town than in, I tend to save during the week and splurge a bit on the weekend. The nice thing about being in the rural towns is the people will get to know you and you will get Thai prices (which make things very cheap) What MediaKids pays is a very decent salary for small towns. Again though, it all depends on you and what you're prepared to live with/without.

[lovemyboys]

:? hi there...i'm also considering a contract with mediakids...not having a degree, i was thinking it's not a bad idea to line something up and it's only nov-mar. my contract seems vague and i have many questions still to ask..does anyone have any recent info on them...i've asked for a school in chain mai..they said no problem...all seems to easy...no telephone interview and when i asked about escrow, they said no because they "trust" the teachers.....any info would be greatly appreciated