Job Discussion Forums

[Franklinstein]

hello everyone!

I thought I would start a thread asking about my plan. I am taking some time off from getting my BA in the US to go to SE Asia and try to find a job teaching english. I am going to fly into Bangkok in June and spend a month or two traveling in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

Ideally I would like to teach in Thailand (Chiang Mai in particular) but after spending the last month browsing this and other forums I realize that things are getting more and more difficult for teachers in Thailand (especially with no degree). It appears I will have more pay and less Visa troubles if I choose to teach in Vietnam.

However, I was thinking as a compromise I might take a 4 week certification course in Chiang Mai. Then, if I could not find any work in Thailand, I would move on to Vietnam and search for a job there.

Would a certification from Thailand be useful in Vietnam? I know that many (such as CELTA) are internationally recognized, but for the sake of practicality would it be better for me to take a certification course in Vietnam? Would I have more leads and a better shot at a job in Vietnam if I took the course in nam, or does it not really matter where you get certified?

If I was able to find a school to hire me in Chiang Mai without having a work permit, what is the longest amount of time I would be able to stay in Thailand while doing visa runs. I was reading on thaivisa.com that the one month tourist visa can be renewed twice and you can stay for a total of 90 days within a 6 month span. Isn't there also a 3 month tourist visa that I could get from the Thai embassy in the US? Could I do visa runs to get that extended at all?

Also I read on another forum that some schools (someone mentioned Sarasas) are known to help teachers without a degree in getting a work permit. Is this true and/or possible?

I have ended up asking many more questions than originally intended. I will be very appreciative if you guys could just answer a few of them.

I guess I should give a little more information about myself. I am a 23 year old white native-speaker from North Carolina. I consider myself to be very intelligent, articulate, and capable of becoming a successful teacher. I am a little more than a semester away from getting my BA in History from the College of Charleston in SC. Even though I am so close to finishing I have been stuck in a rut in the US and am dead set on taking time off and moving to SE Asia. I know many of you will tell me to finish my degree and then come out, but I am positive that I need to do this trip now.

I have a decent amount of savings so I am not very concerned with how much I make. If I could break even while I live there that would be great, but I am not opposed to dipping into the savings. If I am faced with a terrible job for little pay, I may just decide to volunteer to teach english at an orphanage or a Buddhist monastary.

I am not a backpacker who is just looking for an excuse to stay and get drunk all the time, and I will definitely take my teaching responsibilities seriously.

Well this is getting to be ridiculously long and I doubt many will take the time to read this whole thing. If anyone wants to give me a heads up on a specific school in Thailand (or Vietnam) that might be possible for me, you can send me a private message or email me at [email protected]

Thanks in advance for any helpful advice.