Job Discussion Forums

[Justinelebonne]

Hey,

I am 24, English and have a B.A and TEFL. I am English but am currently living in South Africa.

I have a flight booked to Thailand for January 10th 2010. I am so overwhelmed with Thailand and where the hell to go to teach, i was wondering if someone could help me.

1-Can i arrive on a one way ticket?
2-Do i need to find a job before i go?
3-How much money do i need to start off?
4-Where is a nice place to live that is farely mellow but with a good night life? I havnt been to Bangkok but i imagine that i probably wouldnt love it.
5-Will i be able to save money?
6- How is the accomodation? Is it better to share a place?
7-What are the general working hours like?

Sorry for all the questions but im not sure where to start!

Thanks!

[Pauleddy]

many questions, normal ones, but---------

u probably need to check about visa--will you arrive at the airport and ask for a tourist visa? will you extend that? will you hope to get a "real" job which enables visa quickly? will you plan to go out of Thailand to renew or get an extension?

do a lot of googling or contact Thai embassy


visa thing here has changed again I hear, but issuing visas makes money for Thailand, always has done. There are different types of visa etc etc. The tourist visa was 30 days, but then they upped it to 60. I am not an expert in this area.

Eddy

[malcoml]

You can arrive on a one way ticket, I have done this a few times and never been questioned.

I doubt you will find a job before you go but it seems easy to find one once you arrive. An English friend of mine got one and he is a qualified chef. Apparently they were clawing at him to get him to start work. there is also a pretty high turnover of staff.

I would say you need about 2mths of money to start off with given if you work for a school they do not recruit until about October. I'm spending about $200-$300 (100-150 pounds)per week with out going overboard. You can spend less but it is not fun.

The best place to live is a tough question as there is a number of important variables. First if you live in central Bangkok rents are higher than the outer areas but like me if you live on the outside then you spend a lot on taxis. Traffic in Bangkok is an absolute nightmare and all I can say is find a job before finding anything more than temporary accomadation. As for other cities I can only speak of southern cities and yes they are heaps better to live but everyone knows this and therefore there is more competition for jobs or what they ususally do is offer a lower salary even though living costs are more.

I doubt you will save a lot of money. Likely starting sallary will be 30,000 baht. Take an apartment of 7500, food 6000, transport 4000, and well your starting to get the picture. Although things seem to be hard to begin with in Tahiland once you have a heap of privates and score a good job being on 70,000 baht here is really living.

Share a place if you can find one, but places are generally small compared to Australia, although proably similar to sharing a flat in London.

24 teaching hours I guess but then you need to do a lot of you own preparation, marking exams, writing exams, the hours add up. Soem schools offer a little help, some offer none.

I'm here now in the same situaiton as you with my Thai wife and soon to be born son. I can honestly say we have just about come to the decision that it would be best for me to go back to Australia and step back into an accounting job. Although I know things are nto so good in the UK so maybe Thailand is a better option for you.

[stu_miller]

for visa questions, check out www.thaivisa.com

and also look at the forum there

[MaiPenRai]

1-Can i arrive on a one way ticket?

- with Non-B Visa (need job offer before arriving) - technically Yes
- with Tourist Visa - technically No. If you look "undesirable", immigration may ask for a return ticket and/or proof of money to support yourself while in Thailand
- Tourist Visas are supposed to be free until Mar 2010 which you get at your nearest Thai consulate/embassy.
- with no Visa - basically same as Tourist Visa, but maybe imm more likley to check for ticket and/or proof of $$$.

*That being said, I have only heard of 1 time that someone was asked to show proof. Just dont wear bermuda shorts and a tank top. Business casual, shaven and smile. if you come on a tourist Visa or no Visa, don't mention anything about wanting to teach.

*Easiest places to get Visas are usually consulates (Houston in USA, Calgary in Canada, Hull in UK, Brisbane is Aus).


2-Do i need to find a job before i go?

- no need really if you want Bangkok (look on ajarn.com for jobs)
- for outside Bangkok, you may want to go through a recruiter (AYC, MediaKids, Time2Talk, BFITS, Fun Language, ECC, LP, etc.)
- language schools are almost always hiring (peak in Sept/Oct and March/April)
- Government schools normally start in late April/Early May and again in late Oct/early Nov, so coming anytime a few weeks before these dates should net you a gov. school job
- Private schools soetimes follow govenmnet school schedules, but sometimes follow Western school schedules.


3-How much money do i need to start off?

-plan to bring about $1000-1500/month of not working to live comfortably with a little fun. Can be done on less, but hard for someone new.


4-Where is a nice place to live that is fairly mellow but with a good night life? I havnt been to Bangkok but i imagine that i probably wouldnt love it.

- Prakanong/Ekamai/Ari have many mid range apartments and condos and are all near BTS (skytrain) stations and near the nightlife.

* Again, finf a job first , then look for permanent accom.


5-Will i be able to save money?

- In Bangkok, plan to need 35,000 baht/month to live a decent lifestyle. Lots of 35-50,000 jobs in Bangkok for a young, well dressed, polite native speaker and/or make extra money teaching privately on the side.


6- How is the accomodation? Is it better to share a place?

- most accomm are basic (think hotel room)
- some have TV, fridge, hot water --- some don't (depends on price obviously)
- not many avenues for finding a roomate other than meeting someone (probably someone you work with)


7-What are the general working hours like?

- Language schools -- usually 25+ teaching hours/week and often split shift (many mornings, evenings and definitely weekends)
- Government school -- about 20-22 teaching hours/week, but usually have to be in school from 8-4 M-F.
- Private school -- about the same as government schools


If you are looking at Bangkok, I suggest working for a language school to start. Jobs are easy to get and you can learn the ropes. Keep looking for better opportunities and network a lot. The best jobs are never adertised.

Outside Bangkok, there are usually jobs in the suburbs like Thonburi, Samut Prakan, Rangsit area, etc. Nice cities within 1-3 hours of Bangkok include Kanchnaburi, Ayuthaya, Lopburi, Nakon Pathom (expect lower salaries but also lower cost of living in general).

Check out www.ajarn.com for tons of details on teaching in Thailand and best place for job listings in Thailand.

Good Luck!