Job Discussion Forums

[blubarsk]

So I am new to the whole teaching English abroad thing. I just quit my job as a broker because I hated it and I am 100% sure I want to teach abroad probably in Asia. I am 23, male, have a college degree in business, American citizen, no ESL experience. I have been scouring these forums and have gained much information so I wanted to thank you all for the great info. There are two things that have been touched on but I will ask them again.

1. I am planning on taking a CELTA certificate in New York in July. However sounds like it may be more beneficial to take the course in Thailand or the country you want to teach in. What do you guys think about that?

2. Is it better to try to set up a job in Thailand from the U.S. or just wait until I get to Thailand to find one. It looks like MediaKids is an agency a lot of people go through and there have been mixed reviews, but sounds like for someone just starting out it's not a bad way to go. Also are most contracts for one year? I want to work for a year but I have plans to go somewhere for two weeks in June. Do you think that is a huge problem, should I mention this to prospective employers or no?

Thanks for any feedback. I appreciate it.

[Monorail Cat]

It might be better for you to take your CELTA in Thailand if that's where you're heading. Cost of living should be cheaper that NYC and you'll get to practise teaching on the locals. Just make sure the course is reputable, i.e. CELTA or Trinity.

Most people hit the ground in Thailand first, then look for a job. Many Thai employers who have had teachers lined up for a job from overseas then find that person has changed their mind and gone elsewhere, leaving the Thai employer without a teacher. Generally, they prefer to see you "in the flesh" before offering a job.

As for Mediakids, I've never worked for them but they are geared towards entry-level TEFLers. Salary is about 30-35K I think, reasonable for a newbie.

You have a degree and will soon have a CELTA or equivalent - good ! It'll make getting a work permit easier compared to not having one (although the Teacher's Licence fiasco is another story). Contracts vary. If a Thai employer can get away with not paying you for 12 months, they will. These are the sort of thing you need to establish at the beginning of your job search. Don't be afraid to ask questions and walk away of you feel a potential job is not right for you.

As for your vacation, is that June this year you're planning to take a short vacation ? If so, maybe get that out of the way first, along with your CELTA, then start job hunting. You've missed the main recruiting season (Apr/May) as the schools are back but they take another break in Oct/Nov, so you may get lucky and find a job where someone has bailed or a school has a no-show returner on their teaching staff. There also exists a few TEFL certificate providers which offer g'teed job placements after you finish. You could investigate those but "buyer beware". Do your research !

There's a website called ajarn.com which you might like to check out. Post any questions there and you'll get more responses. This forum doesn't get that much traffic for Thailand TEFLers.

Good luck with whatever you do.

[blubarsk]

Actually the vacation I am referring to is next June so a year from now. I'm looking to start teaching probably in August and if I sign a year contract that will take me to next August. So that leaves me unsure what to do about that vacation in June, should I tell my prospective employer that or just wait until closer to June and hope I can work something out. Thanks.

[roguegrafix]

Don't tell your Thai employers anything until about a week or two beforehand. Depending on your job, it might not be an issue (a year is a year -- many things can happen). Thais work on a very "now" approach (eg a fellow teacher got told 3 days before the start of term that he was in charge of a whole university program -- they'd known for 4 months but "forgot" to inform him -- so make it work both ways). If you've been a good teacher, they'll make allowances.

The advice above was good. Take a job and once you have a year's experience, you could work just about anywhere. And as the above said, don't be afraid to ask hard questions re future employers. Although I may be wrong, I have never heard of any current jobs offering airfares -- that went out years ago here although it seems common in Indonesia so I'm told.

[saroq]

Bloody hell working as a broker must suck big time if you think giving that up to become one of the expat working poor, teaching in a language or local school in Thailand makes sense.

[pt2323]

I think what is often overlooked here in Thailand is the benefit of presenting yourself in a smart and business like manner. People from a business background often get lucky with job offers because they present themselves in a way that Thai people appreciate. So your background should give you a headstart.