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Deicide

I am currently teaching in Korea but am itching to get out of this place (I dislike it here like many here). How is Thailand? Is it hygienic? Would I need vaccinations? Can one actually earn decent money over there? I have heard that one just breaks even as an EFL teacher? Any and all information would be appreciated...cheers....

massivegeoff · Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 43 Location: thailand

thailand is great. nice weather, lovely people, cheap to live.

i took cholera and stuff like that before i came out. you don't need malarial tablets or anything...you might consider rabies vaccinations, but i just stay away from rude looking dogs.

money...mmmm. i gather pay here is pretty poor compared to NEAsia, but i wouldn't know. there is a REALLY good section on ajarn.com about cost of living. personally i wouldn't get out of bed for less than 40000 baht a month, and that's only outside of bangkok.

have a look at ajarn.com....loads of info about living in los. it's a warmer climate than korea and there is a bit less garlic in the air i expect! (though if you miss your bibmbap there are some great restaurants on sukhomvit soi 12!).

Kent F. Kruhoeffer · Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Posts: 2129 Location: 中国

I spent a year in Korea - I know it can be grinding.

Thailand is lots of fun, but be prepared to earn

half or slightly less than half of what you're

earning in Korea, assuming you're on

2 million Won or thereabouts.

Compounding the salary cut described above,

you probably won't get free housing and airfare.

Only the top international schools offer those perks,

and we don't know enough about your credentials to say

whether you'd qualify for one of those cushy, top-shelf gigs.

As I mentioned in my PM a few days ago,

you'd be smart to bring along 3 or 4K in cash

as insurance against a possible change-of-heart.

Breaking even is a fairly accurate description, imho.

re: hygiene

If you're really anal about hygiene,

Thailand can take some getting used to.

There's a lot of pollution and smog in Bangkok -

which goes hand in hand with the traffic congestion

and generally high population density of a city this size.

In short, you'd be taking a major financial hit by moving here.

Think twice and consider Thailand for an extended holiday

before throwing away whatever it is you have now.

I don't mean to sound overly negative here;

I'm just trying to present a fair comparison.

i.e., there are times when I really love it here

and times when I miss making those monthly trips

to the Korean bank when I was saving $800 per month.

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

tedkarma · Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 12:39 pm Post subject:

Ditto on Kent's comments. Thailand is a financial hit if you are used to Korean finances. You will have to budget and be careful not to be out on the town too often - to break even.

Conversely - the people are much nicer - it is not a push and shove environment. The weather is not freezing cold (which I hate).

It is probably best to have a financial cushion when you come here - as suggested above.

Deicide · Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 12:53 pm Post subject: Lads...

none of this sounds too appetizing...especially the money thing, I shall ponder over the dillema for a while....cheers to all...

Coco the Monkey · Joined: 25 May 2006 Posts: 11 Location: USA

Dear Decide,

After four and a half years of working in Korea, I made the leap to Thailand. It was a financial hit. I went from earning 2,100,000 Won at a Korean university to 40,000 baht a month at a private school in Bangkok. I eventually became a coordinator and started earning 65,000+, but had I stayed on as a teacher, I would have earned 45,000 baht a month. Livable, but not "Korean cushy." Once I realized I wasn't going to save much, I simply took on the attitude that this would be a well-deserved time for a different experience after Korea...and there is nothing wrong with that. I taught two years in Thailand before moving on.

If you make the jump to SE Asia, bring some reserve cash. I'm sure you are getting a bonus at the end of your Korean contract and don't forget your Korean pension as well. That's a nice nest egg to start out in a new country especially if you are unsure.

Have you been to Thailand yet? Vacationing there is much different from working there. Ironically given Thailand's reputation for mai pen rai, I ended up working a lot harder in Bangkok than I did at the Korean university. It took awhile to get the bali bali out of my system. My experience teaching in Thailand felt more like the time I spent at a hogwan, but with beautiful weather, smiles, and lovely kids. Contrasted to my Korean university job, Thailand took on more contrasts. Gone were the two month university vacations, the "summer camps" in which I only taught 10 hours a week and spent the rest of my time with sport. Gone were the days when I could survive on private tutoring and save my paycheck.

As I taught in Thailand I'd get emails from my friends still in Korea telling me how much supplemental money they were earning, especially at camps. I was working hard in BKK, but for a fraction of what they were earning and I have a B.A. and a CELTA. My Bangkok apartment became a hub for the vacationing teacher friends from Korea who'd blow into town for a couple days before retreating to an island. I'd be in my shirt and tie sweating and greeting Thai children and parents at 7:30am. They'd be enroute to Samui or Phi Phi.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you.

Sincerely,

Coco the Monkey

Deicide

joe beets · Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Posts: 37

You come across as a hostage with some internet priveleges.
Why on earth would you stay in a miserable situation like that if you had a choice?

You do have a choice, you know.

jb

Deicide · Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:06 am Post subject:

Khyron · Joined: 10 Mar 2006 Posts: 291 Location: Tokyo Metro City

maximmm · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 59

Yeah... I've changed my mind about Korea. It's not that bad. Problems in Thai schools can be even worse, unfortunately. Though again, working in hagwons in Korea is generally not a good idea and if you wish to enjoy your job there, I'd highly recommend working in public school.
I came to Thailand thinking the exact same thing. However, public schools here are generally not unlike hagwons in Korea. Students have little discipline and you get little support from Thai staff, if any at all. It does seem that when working here... you have to accept this mentality of "mai pen rai" and ignore discipline problems, teach as if your students were listening, even though they may be talking on the phone to their friends in other classes:)
We are not allowed to fail students even at high school level. We are not allowed to use physical punishment, even though every other Thai teacher is carrying a "teaching" stick the length of which is not far from being that of my height.
I do think that when teaching here, it's advisable to teach elder students... the ones who have a grasp on, at least, basic English. This way, they are more motivated... (I teach the younger bunch, so I'm not so lucky, but I've seen the senior students and their interest level and behavior are much better) and you can use at least some form of phychological form of discipline by trying to make them understand the importance of English and how it may affect their future. With younger students... given that most of them don't speak English well, without ability in Thai, there is little that you can do (though this depends on the level of support from the Thai staff). In Korea, outside of University gigs, vacation times are rather short, but here they are much longer... though, given your financial status, it may be more difficult to enjoy the time off. Korea can get to you... but I'm not sure that Thailand is a good replacement, though for the purpose of vacations, this may be an ideal country.
cheers.