Job Discussion Forums

[miriamcs]

Hi,

1) I'm planning on doing the CELTA course with ECC. My concern with the course is that they seem less involved in helping to find a job than some other options. I just graduated from college and this is my first time travelling abroad by myself and I'm unsure how exactly I will be able to know whether a job is a good one, whether the salary offered is reasonable, whether the location is good, etc. Do you know anything about the job assistance that ECC offers and do you think that there will be at least enough assistance to help me find these things out? I know they guarantee jobs for those willing to sign a one year contract, but unfortuantely, I will only be able to teach for 6 months because I am applying to graduate school
TEFL international seems much more helpful in these regards but there seems to be a lot of skepticism about his organization on this board. Is this skepticism founded? Other organizations charge about four times as much and they guarantee to find you a job, cover various insurances and stuff but you don't get a real TEFL certificate, I don't think, plus the prices are exorbatant.

2) My boyfriend will be in the states and it's very important to me that I am able to stay in touch with him. Does anyone have a recommendation in terms of cell phones, internet, etc? Are international phone cards the best way to go? Should I bring my laptop and buy a wireless service? Are there cellphones you can get where you can call the U.S. for reasonable prices?

3) I'm having difficulty deciding where I would like to live. I am really coming to Thailand to learn about the country and the people. I am not terribly interested in the drinking/partying scene and would prefer to get to knowmore Thai people than foreigners. This makes me think that perhaps I shouldn't stay in Bangkok. At the same time, I don't want to be in a situation where I am the only person that speaks English and so I don't want to be "in the middle of nowhere" either. Is there something of an in between?

[filiusterrae]

1) I did the CELTA at ECC a couple years ago - there's a session toward the end of the course that covers ways of finding jobs and all that jazz. if you find an offer and want somebody's advice on it, you can just ask whichever of the tutor's you trust the most - my experience was that they were good about that.

2) sorry, can't help you on the phone question, I just stick to e-mail.

3) don't get too set on a specific location - where you go is going to be determined by what jobs that meet your criteria are available at the time you finish the course. your 6 month requirement is likely going to narrow your options. there are plenty of small-medium sized cities throughout the country, almost all of which will have some sort of foreign teacher community, several of which are within a few hours of bangkok (should you feel a need).

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

re: #2


Sure, I'd bring the laptop along if I were you.

E-mail is cheap and there are dozens of

ISPs serving all of the major cities &

some of the not-so-major ones.


re: mobile phones


Absolutely everybody has one, even the kids.

For US $50 you can buy a brand new no-frills Nokia.

Be sure to buy an international SIM card and you're all set.


There are dozens of different service plans to choose from;

I have a DTAC international SIM card and have been using the

Happy Dprompt calling service; not the cheapest but very reliable.


related links on The Master Index Thailand

- just scroll way down to APPENDIX A


During my first year, I never called the USA

because I thought it would cost an arm and a leg.


When my mom had surgery last year,

I decided to call home - to hell with the cost.


Long story short; it was a lot cheaper than I had expected.


Since then, I call my brother and sister almost every weekend,

speak for roughly 15 minutes at a cost of maybe 150 Baht -

that's like $3 or $4, with a GREAT connection to boot.


You just need to adjust to the time zones;


i.e., Saturday night at 11 PM in Thailand, it's

11 AM Saturday morning on the east coast USA.


re: #3


There's no escaping foreigners !


They live, work & spend their holidays

in absolutely every corner of the country,

but that won't stop you from making friends

with Thais, if that's a major item on your agenda.


You can do that anywhere, even in Bangkok.


re: #1


TEFL International's onsite course is fine, but

the CELTA is more highy regarded and recognised,

so there's no real need for them to offer job placement.


With a degree and a CELTA, you can find a gig anywhere,

simply by applying to the schools that are advertising.

You don't really need anyone's help with that.


As filiusterrae mentioned, requesting a 6 month contract

may narrow your choices in the job hunt since most

schools want you to commit for 10 months.


Don't lose sleep over it though,

you can find short-term work.




















Thailand teaching and travel resources available here :::: The Master Index Thailand ::::

[bluffer]

If you dont want to work in Bangkok, the next obvious option is the bigger cities like Udon, Ayuttaya, Chiang Mai etc

There do seem to be more and more jobs turning up in the provincial cities. They might not have all the facilities of Bangkok, but if its quiet you want.......

have a look on the ajarn.com jobs page

http://www.teflasia.com/ajarn/jobs/index.html

and for communcation, every place will have an internet cafe and they will have MSN, Yahoo etc messengers and a lot of the better ones have Skype