Job Discussion Forums

Vince · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 559 Location: U.S.

From what I've read, the minimum requirements for a work visa are a bachelor degree and a TEFL certificate. Is that correct? I have a BA in English and taught EFL for six years in Japan. Would I still need a certificate? If so, are there minimum hours or other requirements for a certificate to be acceptable for the visa?

laconic · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 10:50 pm Post subject:

With a degree in English and your years of ESL teaching experience, you will have no problem (absent a tefl certificate) finding a position that will provide you a work permit and everything else to make you a legal teacher in Thailand.

As information, Thailand does not have a work visa per se and uses instead a separate work permit joined to the appropriate non-immigrant visa.

On the other hand, if you have time and money to spare, you can always do a tefl certificate later if you think it will benefit you in some way or other.

Vince · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 559 Location: U.S.

Thanks for your reply. It's good to know I'm qualified as is. If I were to spend the time and money for additional course work, I'd rather apply it to an MA.

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

It depends where you apply, Vince.

Some schools require a cert, some don't.

There is no official MOE policy on the subject.

Read this interview with Thai MOE in Chiang Mai.

Here's a short excerpt, reposted from that interview:

'Foreign teacher�s qualifications are decided at the discretion of each individual education institute.
At this present time there are no rigid rules regarding the hiring of foreign teachers.'

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