Job Discussion Forums

[Pauleddy]

As MPR says, a lot of places are now doing 'special projects'. The training establishments realised that they can kill 2 or 3 birds with one stone.

There has long been a demand for teachers to work in government schools which have recruitment problems or just want cheap teachers for a short time. If you are the Head of a normal blue-collar type Thai high school in the boonies, suburbs or in a small town--you may find that teachers with experience avoid your school. Not only do you have class sizes of 50 and no air-conditioning, but you are only allowed to pay a certain wage (fairly low). Also, the teachers don't stay because the boonies can be REALLY boring if you are young and you expected to 'teach on the beach'. And, the experienced teachers want 'good' schools with good conditions and maybe prospects.

MPR is also 100% correct that 'not much teaching gets done'. In the regular gvment schools, teaching involves 50 min of entertaining and crowd control. Thais like to have fun--and anyway, most schools give all the kids a pass grade. Thai education is another world.

There are other spin-offs from this 'placement' arrangement. Offering a job after 'training', and therefore a proposal for ongoing security in 'a new country' is obviously attractive for many, and you will increase your trainee numbers.

Many places offer a discount on the TEFL course fee if you agree to take one of these project jobs. In fact, there is some kind of deal going on between your trainer and the schools. The schools will either pay money as a one-off, or give the trainer part of your salary. Perhaps there is some kind of deal with the local education dept, to provide a bulk load of teachers.

When you do a TEFL course, you are meant to have "live" students to practise on (TP). Some of the places mentioned, as part of the deal, will have an arrangement with the 'destination schools', which will provide small groups of chosen, well-behaved students for TP. Again, part of the back-scratching relationship.

Again, MPR is correct about course quality. Accredited CELTA or TESOL courses, which are accepted internationally, take 120 hours (4 weeks f-t or more if p-t). A three week course may be home-grown and locally OK but not good for travel/other jobs. Some of the providers will tell you that their course is 'accepted by the Thai Education Ministry'--of course it is. Your destination school is also part of the Thai education structure. You really need to check out the validity.

After I wrote this post I searched through a number of posts about outfits which have "SPs". These are older posts. One was about TEFL International. I couldn't find many people singing the praises of any outfit's SP. Far from it--people complained about being "thrown" into unknown places with classes of 50 and not even a fan PLUS nobody to answer basic questions like "where do I get a board marker?" Big mess.

I am not making any moral judgement about this business model. I have been flamed before by people who have a vested interest. Some new trainees have a great time, it's true--but you sign, you train and then you get sent.

Other websites will even ask for 1000 dollars to allow you to build mud huts in Somalia for no salary at all. Just be aware that Thailand is not all smiles, coconut groves, beaches and free love. Cities are hot and grimey, small towns are boring, salaries are quite low, most kids don't want to learn like western kids, and many people will try to part you from your money in the nicest way they can (which sometimes starts with the airport taxi).

Eddy

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Hey guys,

I am enrolled on the ATI Chiang Mai course (10th October) and am ery excited about it. Have my visa application posted off now and am prtty sure I have got most things sorted out.

Anyone know of any specific materials which they woudl reccomend i bring allong with me?

Thanks!

David

[motown]

bump.....
Just moving this thread up a bit as a number of people stated that they would respond to their experiences with ATI.
Just want to see how it all ends up not only with the training but the placement. Curious minds want to know.

[motown]

double bump??
I moved this thread up a few weeks ago and I was looking for a reply from people who have completed the course. I see one thread where someone is looking for a job on their own.
Maybe the job market in Thailand is getting flooded. I've read on Vietnamese related forums that due to work permit changes teachers are leaving the country. Thailand is a hop, skip and a jump away so I'm sure that would be an easy choice for many of them.
Motown

[Pauleddy]

The job market in Thailand is tight now. IMHO.

I live in BKK and I follow the ads and the websites. 3 or 4 years ago there was a golden time when any backpacker could get a nice job with a CELTA or nothing.

The new term has started here, and it seems that fewer jobs have been posted.

I used to do some p-t work, but I just heard that it is cut by half.

This is all a spin-off from the financial crisis. Thai parents, like others, have cut back on cars, holidays and tutors. Private schools have fewer kids and margins are cut.

This is not to say that there are NO jobs. There will always be jobs, because people want/need English. The problem is that the cream jobs get taken, and kept...or else the high salary jobs in private high schools want PGCEs and MAs.

Gvmt school jobs 90% seem to be quite flaky--unruly kids, lack of kit and everyone passes the exam. Language school jobs are high hours, tiring, and the owners want a profit from you.

The truth of it all is that TEFL anywhere is not well-paid and not respected like being a proper maths teacher. A lot of it here gets done by people who are "stuck" here and got used to it, or by younger people who did a TEFL cert and are now travelling. Add to this the kids' need for fun (not traditional learning) and the hopeless/corrupt/inept education system---not to mention the unstable governments (this one has to appease the army to keep in power) and you have a recipe for a whole crock of flaki-ness.

Good that people have bumped. Nobody has PM'd me to tell me that my comments were crap and that they are having a wunnerful time in their "arranged" job. I do hope that somebody will. Shurely shomebody is?

Eddy