Job Discussion Forums

[sarahtron]

hi, i plan to move to thailand in may 2008.

i am looking for a job, but i am curious as to what jobs i should be looking at/accepting with my credentials. what kind of money should i be getting, what kind of schools, etc.

i plan to live in bangkok.

about me:
i have a BA from a top US university
i have an MA TESOL Education from New York University

please help! i really appreciate it.

--s

[rico4444]

With your credentials, you should have no problem getting a job at a university. They have good working hours, will pay for you to get a work visa, and no weekends or nights. Language schools are in abundance but you may be exasperated by the low levels. In Thailand, you can expect to earn about 35,000 baht per mmonth in Chiang Mai and maybe 50,000 in Bangkok. 50,000 in BKK may sound like a lot but it's cost of living is 50% higher than Chiang Mai. Khon Khen also has a good university....you may want to check it out. Chiang Mai U. also has a great language school and CM is a great place for expats.

[sarahtron]

hey thanks rico...

how do i apply to universities? do i just email them from their website? also, do you know if they offer housing allowance/medical insurance, etc?

thanks so much for your response!

do you think i am better off with a university rather than a program like BELL (where you can earn up to 60,000) ??

[rico4444]

I've never had much success in Thailand without knocking on the door. If you're there, they'll open it. If you're not there and attempting to make contact via email, you may or may not get a response. It's the Thai way! Of course, if you're responding to a specific ad on the Internet, that's different. The school terms in Thailand end in October and late March/early April so if you want to apply, you need to do so about 6 weeks before. If you email out of the blue, as I said, you may or may not get a response but it's not a reflection of your ability. It's just the way they operate. Getting phone numbers and calling would be the next effective way after showing up personally. They DO NOT pay for housing but I'm almost certain there is some kind of health insurance. The Bell program was too rigid for me and I didn't want to work for a large company so I can't honestly say if it is right for you or not. You'll have to look into it and decide. 60,000 in BKK is a good wage but remember, your rent, utilities and Internet fees (if you hook up your computer at home) will run approx. 18-22,000 a month, depending on how nice your apartment is and its location. So that leaves about 40,000.....10,000 a week.....1400 a day......super easy to live on, not so easy to save.

[PattyFlipper]

[rico4444]

I stand corrected. I'm aware of the "work permit" vs. a work visa like in other countries, Korea, for example). A slip of the tongue. Thanks Patty

[PattyFlipper]

[Topper]

OP,

You might also look at international/biligual schools. I agree that most uni's are low paid. Thats where the money is at in Thailand, not teaching at government schools.

I would think with your quals if would be easy for you to find a nice paying job. Also, the higher end schools only recruit from overseas.

If you want more information, give me a yell. I'll do my best to point you in the right direction!

[sarahtron]

hey topper,
thanks. wish i could PM you, but i guess i need more posts, which i don't have. i do have a question for you, though...

if i want to apply to the bilingual schools, if i come to bangkok in mid-april, will they be hiring still?

also, what do you think of a company like bell? would it be better to work with the schools directly?

[Topper]

The Thai school year runs from May-Feb, so April would be about perfect. But you can probably start lining stuff up much before that via email.

Mid April is prime time hiring time...from April to May schools hire teachers for the upcoming school year

My opinion, NEVER work for an agency. The school pays the agency, the agency pays you while making a profit. Cut out the middle man! Go direct and get the money the agency is making put in your pocket.

I don't have enough posts for a PM either. But if you have any other questions, let me know!

Topper

[sarahtron]

topper, do you know anything about chiang mai?

i would really like to live there, but do you know about the salaries, positions, schools? i have done a bit of research...

[Topper]

I've never lived in Chiang Mai, but have heard this from talking to other teachers.....

1. The salaries are typically lower in Chaing Mai that BKK.

2. I've heard other teachers comment that the market for teachers there is oversaturated so the competition for good jobs is tougher than in other places.

I'm sure there are other teachers living there that could comment more accurately than I could.

PM me when you can!!!!!!

[Topper]

Check out the sticky at the top of this page - The Master Index----

Kent, if you see this, I apologize for not pointing this out in the beginning!

TEFLwatch has some information about schools in Thailand as well as around the world. There are also sections for red tape, living, etc.

From that list - Ajarn.com - Its forum is simply the best and most complete bit of information about living in Thailand. I promise you there is someone there that can answer and question you could possibly have about living and working in Thailand.

TeakDoor is a general living in Thailand site.

Check out the sticky of Kents....its up to date and just chock full of useful links!

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Thanks Topper. I've added TeakDoor to the index - thanks for the tip!

[gastronaut]