|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
redeyes
Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 254
|
 Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:57 am Post subject: |
 |
|
IMHO, teachers go to Thailand for different reasons :
1. The ones who fall in love or think teaching there means a passport to a good sex life. These people usually get very disapointed when they find their salary won't stretch far enough to fulfill that dream, or when the lady that had said to them " I love you foreevvverrrr!" ran off one night with their paltry savings, accrued from years of hard graft and their life savings from a crap supermarket job in Detroit or an industrial town in Northern England.
2. The teachers who think that they will live a beach combers hippy trance life on the weekends. Reality dawns on this lot when Friday comes around and they are caught one too many times in a traffic jam on Silom road, rushing to teach a private lesson, snorting in motorbike gas fumes, and counting their meagre savings.....
3. There are the teachers who come to Thailand to study Buddhism, study scripture etc. I have met more than a few of these guys who were very well intentioned and who got a lot out of their stay in Asia. Some take temporary ordination, some stay longer. Money is obviously not a high priority to these guys.
4. There are those more low key teachers, who have good qualifications -- eg teacher training, CELTA, MA linguistics etc and they seem to live a steady, if unremarkable life in Thailand, often ending up married with kids , and happy too. Later, they may move on to the Gulf to buy that house. Steady, if sometimes dull characters.
5. There are the fresh early 20's college leavers, with a handful of good books in their backpack, memories of a romantic encounter or two on a beach somewhere, vague dreams about "writing that novel", and hopes for a good time making friends etc : these are well intentioned young guys/girls, making a reasonble, or low wage in reasonable to semi rip off schools -- they usually don't stay long. Ripped off doesn't feel good, especially when the locals can be opportunstic too, and treat them like a cheap hustle opportunity day in day out. They usually stay 6 months/a year to raise the flight money home, then go home ( with perhaps 1000 dollars saved) and get properly qualified, or get a "real job" instead -- teaching in Thailand just becomes a memory for them to recount to friends.
6.Then there are the "teachers" with multiple passports, phony teaching certs, permanent sweat, "watch out behind you" stares, ask no questions, haven't slept properly for years type of guys........Avoid. Say no more.
Conclusion --Thailand is not always easy -- approach with care.Don't jump in all wide eyed and naive after one two many beers and curious smokes , thinking it's going to be a "wild Asian adventure maaaannnnn".....
Well -- wild it may be -- just not the kind of "wild" you had in mind..... |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 4:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Pelican_Wrath wrote: |
| I quite fancy a stint in Thailand - but only when I've finished my PGCE and can get a decent job over there. |
That's the way to do it.
A PGCE will enable you to teach at a good international school (one without the dreaded Thai management) and make upwards of 70,000 baht (2000 USD) a month in Bangkok. You can live well on that salary. Dont listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.
With a PGCE, you are also exempt from the 'teacher licensing' regulations that are a real headache to any 'reasonably' (CELTA or TEFL) qualified teacher wishing to stay in Thailand for over a year. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Pauleddy
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 295
Location: The Big Mango
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:06 pm Post subject: !! |
|
|
Redeye has it down well!
be careful--Thailand can bite you!
A lot of folks are here because they want loads of sex, or because they saw DiCaprio on a Beach.
No free lunches in Thailand.
P |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RebelGirl26
Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 23
Location: Portland, OR
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 2:03 am Post subject: |
|
|
I'm not sure which of Redeye's categories I fall under, maybe 2 or 4... but either way I'm pretty happy here.
I work at a language school with air conditioned rooms and plenty of books & resources. The majority of my students are adults, a few business classes, only one day of kid classes. My largest class is 16 adults. No discipline problems to speak of. =P
The pay is not great, but I'm doing just fine. My city is a suburb so the nightlife is minimal (but it exists!). Yesterday I only had one evening class so I spent the day at the beach. No traffic jams, just a 25 baht songthaew ride. I was the only one there.... just me and the Gulf of Thailand. =)
I do think you need to be realistic about what you want to experience here. No place is perfect. But like I said... I'm pretty happy here. =) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
norbdemn
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 128
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:38 am Post subject: |
|
|
I am going to throw in my 2 baht. Redeye, seems to have some good points, but he does put a pessimistic spin on his opinions - no offense.
I spent two years in Thailand, and as much as I would love to go back, I am probably going to wind up in Vietnam. The reason I am not going back is partly due to the Government turmoil currently - need to wait for the smoke to clear. Nevertheless, I love Thailand and its people dearly - sorry for sounding a bit sappy!, but it's true. I wouldn't trade those two years for anything! Jing jing! -LOL.
The thing about Thailand is that, generally, one goes there not to make money, they go there mostly to enjoy the culture/lifestyle, see the country, and party a bit.
In order to have an enjoyable/memorable time in Thailand, one has to remember to THINK. While you are in Thailand you will observe a lot of foreigners that forget to! You'll see their stories in the paper!, stories like a foreigner picking a fight with a local and ending up dead, or another tragic story that could have been prevented if someone thought a little more beforehand.
Thais are peace loving people (they are among the most hospitable people I have encountered) and seldom steal or scam. The ones that do are of lower standards and are mostly outcasts in their own society.
That said, I suggest you always be aware of your surroundings whenever you go out. Also, if ever in a confrontation with anyone you must maintain your cool. The power of a smile goes a long way in Thailand.If you maintain a calm, approachable demeanor, respect locals even in annoying situations (even with those damn tuk-tuk drivers! - LOL), be diplomatic, don't take anything too seriously (remember to laugh!)and smile frequently, I can almost guarantee you will not have problems in Thailand.
The previous paragraph also applies to teaching and other employment - even more so. You will encounter bosses, managers, and other thai co-workers who lack social etiquette with foreigners. In my experience this led to miscommunication up the yin-yang!, and an assortment of frustrations. What you need to keep in mind when working with Thais, again, is to keep your cool and reason with them. The ability to improvise is key. Some people can not deal with it and bail out - I do not blame them sometimes. People that are generally easy-going, go-with-the-flow do much better than people who are uptight.
If you think you are the type who is above everyone else or you want them to adapt to you instead of the other way around, good luck, you're in for an unpleasant treat.
One thing I can't stand seeing are foreigners in Thailand who are xenophobic! (toward locals) - why even bother going to Thailand with that attitude?
If you try what I stated here you should have a pleasant, memorable experience like I did in Thailand.
Have Fun!
Last edited by norbdemn on Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:03 pm; edited 3 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
norbdemn
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 128
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 1:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
[quote="RebelGirl26"]I'm not sure which of Redeye's categories I fall under, maybe 2 or 4... but either way I'm pretty happy here.
I work at a language school with air conditioned rooms and plenty of books & resources. The majority of my students are adults, a few business classes, only one day of kid classes. My largest class is 16 adults. No discipline problems to speak of. =P
The pay is not great, but I'm doing just fine. My city is a suburb so the nightlife is minimal (but it exists!). Yesterday I only had one evening class so I spent the day at the beach. No traffic jams, just a 25 baht songthaew ride. I was the only one there.... just me and the Gulf of Thailand. =)
I do think you need to be realistic about what you want to experience here. No place is perfect. But like I said... I'm pretty happy here. =)[/quote]
This is a great testament! Where are you teaching rebelgirl? Aren't those 25 baht songthaews great??!! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
| norbdemn wrote: |
| Aren't those 25 baht songthaews great??!! |
Out here in Thonburi, Bangkok, a songthaew is 6 baht for as far as you want to go.
It wont take you to the beach though, just TESCO 
Rebelgirl, are you near Sriracha? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dave k.
Joined: 13 Nov 2008
Posts: 3
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thinking of applying for a job at St Stephens International school Bangkok. Anyone know anything about the school.
Also I am a qualified teacher in England with 5 year experience with responsibility. What kind of monthy salary would I be looking at.
Thanks
Dave |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RebelGirl26
Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 23
Location: Portland, OR
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Master Shake wrote: |
| norbdemn wrote: |
| Aren't those 25 baht songthaews great??!! |
Out here in Thonburi, Bangkok, a songthaew is 6 baht for as far as you want to go.
It wont take you to the beach though, just TESCO
Rebelgirl, are you near Sriracha? |
LOL... yeah, all songthaews lead to Tesco here too.  I don't know where Sriracha is, I'm in Rayong. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RebelGirl26
Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 23
Location: Portland, OR
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| sigmoid wrote: |
Don't you guys like read newspapers, eh?
|
I'm not ignorant of the situation in Thailand. My students comment on it regularly.
The US has possibly the highest violent crime rate of any developed nation, but that doesn't mean you're going to get shot if you come to the States. No place is completely safe, you just have to make the best choices you can. I think I have a much higher chance of dying in a horrible motorbike crash than in any kind of political conflict. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MO39
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 1970
Location: El ombligo de la Rep�blica Mexicana
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 6:28 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| RebelGirl26 wrote: |
| sigmoid wrote: |
Don't you guys like read newspapers, eh?
|
I'm not ignorant of the situation in Thailand. My students comment on it regularly.
The US has possibly the highest violent crime rate of any developed nation, but that doesn't mean you're going to get shot if you come to the States. |
I agree that there's a lot of violent crime in the US, but drug dealers having daily shoot-outs on ghetto streets is quite different from political movements of thousands of people in the capital taking over government buildings and closing down two airports! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 6:12 am Post subject: |
|
|
Potential violence is merely one effect of the political turmoil.
Thailand's economy has suffered since '97 and will not improve significantly in the foreseeable future. In fact, the situation will continue to get worse.
As a result, for teachers that know what they're worth, Thailand is completely unable to compete with other countries. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
