Job Discussion Forums

[Waldorf Salad]

I�ve worked in the EFL industry for about seven years, first in Taiwan and then in Korea. I�m in Bangkok now, ready to start looking for work. I�m Dutch, 40 years old with an MA in Psychology. I know it�s easy to find work in Thailand, even for non-native speakers. What I�m not sure about is how my non-native status will affect my chances to find a decent paying job. I guess that my experience and MA are a big plus, being a non-native speaker is clearly not. What I�d like to know is if there are any people in a similar situation reading this or if you know any. What could I realistically expect?
Another thing I want to know is what people prefer. A university, government school or private language school? I�ve read about the pros and cons of these different types of schools, but what do people with a master�s degree usually choose? My experience is mainly with language institutes (most of them rather crappy ones, I have to admit) and I wouldn�t mind trying something else, but I don�t see myself working for 30.000 bath or worse. Do universities hire non-natives? Is it easy to supplement the low university salary with well paid extra work? Any comments will be highly appreciated.

[BTSskytrain]

Kent is going to be your first and foremost authority on this. his research is as thorough as it gets on such matters and then some.

i can say however that you will certainly not want to work for baht 30,000 per month. making 50,000 - 60,000 baht (or more) per month is possible but you will have to find a niche and that's gonna take time. if you have the time and the bankroll then you could probably do quite well for yourself.

furthermore, i am not sure about your own situation. if your pronunciation and understanding of grammatical structure is very good, then i see no reason why you couldn't succeed in thailand. i've met bottom of the barrel teachers in bangkok who make very good money. sounds like you're not a bottom of the barrel teacher and could be a top notch teacher so i say just book your ticket and go. of course that's coming from skytrain the eternal optimist. ha.

what's the worst that could happen? you might have to go back to korea and get a university gig making 2.5 million won per month, 3 months of paid vacation, and all the perks that go along with it and there's nothing shabby about that.

by all means, give thailand a shot. you can always change course if need be.

chokdeekhap.
skytrain

[Waldorf Salad]

Thanks for your response. No ticket needed, I'm here already .

I have the time and the bankroll, but could you be a bit more specific? When you're talking about 50.000 - 60.000, you mean working at a private language school? Is it simply a matter of applying for jobs and waiting till I find a school that's willing to pay that much?

Going back to Korea is not an option. I can't work legally there (wrong passport) and I'm tired of that. Besides that, I don't like Korea, I love Thailand and want to settle down here.

[gusto102]

I don't think you will have a problem finding work... the 50,000 - 60,000 baht range may take some time. I know from experience that some of the Thai government schools, as shallow as it may sound, will not even consider applicants who are non-white or non-native speakers.

I know a French guy who speaks English quite well, albeit this is without an MA or experience, and was turned away from several schools before finding a job at some elementary school. I also know the owner of a private language school, who happens to be Polish, and he wouldn't even consider hiring a non-native speaker. There are just too many native speakers out here to choose from.

As far as where most people prefer working, it all depends on your personal preference. I am guessing that someone with a master's degree would prefer to utilize this qualification and teach at the university level. I know that a lot of elementary, secondary and private schools have very minimal qualification requirements for applicants (TEFL, BA, and/or experience... or just native speaker!).

I have experience at both a private and government school and prefer the latter. At a private school, you will work for every baht you earn... that is, if you are not teaching, you are not making any money. You are also generally required to teach a certain style or from a particular book. Most private schools seem more concerned about making money than about teaching and whether or not the student is actually learning.

Whereas at a government school you are paid the same salary every month regardless of how many hours you've spent teaching. That is, you are paid for Thai holidays and class cancellations. This week alone, I have had Monday off (day after Thai elections), Wednesday and Thursday are 'sport day' (no teaching), and classes are cancelled for Friday (some kind of meeting). The government school also allows you more class autonomy and more leeway in lesson planning.

But this is just my humble opinion based on two years of experience teaching here in the land of Thais.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

^ Hi


Having an MA in Psychology is good but only marginally relevant, i.e. it won't be a huge asset for landing a position at the 'big money' international schools - unless you have a BEd or K12 teaching certificate. If not, your appearance, the initial impression you make during the interview and your accent (strong or not) will matter more than your degree.

Keep your eye on the jobs page at ajarn.com (there are new offers almost every day) look at the conditions and salaries and then call or e-mail the ones that sound interesting to set up interviews. (if you click here and scroll down to Part II you'll find a few more job search links) For the interviews, you should be looking as sharp as possible and smile a lot. It might take a dozen interviews before you find the right fit - but you will - if you hang in there. If I were you I'd shoot for one interview per day; that way you'll be fresh, well prepared and able to follow up on the good ones without getting confused about who offered what. Imo, it's doubtful (but not impossible) that you'd get an offer of more than 45K to start, but you can always earn extra money on the side teaching privates. If you're entertaining and reliable, word will spread and these opportunities will present themselves. At 500 to 800 Baht per hour, this extra money can add up quickly. Good luck and Happy New Year!





สวัสดีปีใหม่

[Pauleddy]

I am a native with a non-TEFL Masters, CELTA and other bits. I work at a main gvment uni.

You may get a job at uni with what you say, but it will be difficult.

Also you should note that gvment uni salary is 19,000b pm plus 8,000b 'housing' allowance. Total 27,000. Some overtime possible but not certain.

If you must have 45k, a gvment uni may not be the place.

I know about a few of the Unis so PM me if you want.

P