Job Discussion Forums

[RiverMystic]

So, is uni teaching worth it in TL? I know it's not going to offer anything in terms of a career path. But is the actual job OK in terms of pay, students, work hours, conditions etc.?

I have a PhD in social science and a PGDE, but have been rolling in the Benjamins in Hong Kong, teaching secondary kids. But cash is not everything. I wouldn't mind having a bit of work satisfaction for a change.

If it's worth it, where should I begin to look for the jobs?

Thanks in advance,

RM

[Sadebugo]

[Hadit]

I can't speak from experience, but here is a quote and stickman's summary:

"Unlike language schools which hire year round, universities tend to hire just before the academic year starts, which is late May / early June, so it is a timing thing as much as anything as to whether you get a job in such an institution�Term 1 generally starts the end of May or the first of June."

http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/teaching.html

List of unis:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_in_Thailand

[Pauleddy]

Bad management and lack of consultation are the norms.

Some kids can't or won't do well in English. It's a bind, and 90% of them lack motivation. Thais have a very Thai-centric world view. If it is not "important now" like food or fashion, then it's a bind.

Compound this with the expectation most kids have. Everyone gets a pass in Thailand. It is very difficult to fail anything. Parents and kids expect kids to pass. Money will even be paid. Everything is flexible.

I have worked at "top places" in TL and at "medium places" in the UK and Europe. TL is a joke. In the Rajabats (community colleges), even the Thai English teachers don't speak English well, and the kids are lucky if they can mutter and groan a bit and struggle to use a simple past tense.

Whoaaaa....................................

[laconic]

It's not all gloom and doom.

It depends on where you teach and at what level.

I am teaching at the grad school level at one of the major government universities and making 3,000 baht per hour, i.e., a 30 hour course earns me 90,000 baht.

You won't just walk into these kinds of positions but they do exist. They usually require time in country and proving yourself to the Thais who manage these kinds of programs and pay the kind of wages I am writing about.

As an aside, Rajabhat universities are not community colleges. They are 4-year universities awarding bachelor and higher degrees:

http://www.ssruic.com/aboutus.htm

[Hadit]

If it works out I will have my CELTA in Chiang Mai on 5/21, but have no real experience and a non-English BA. How feasible is it that I could land a uni job in Northern Thailand? I don't want to work near Bangkok. I am wondering whether to give Thai uni's a try or just aim for Chinese uni's per my current plan.

Anyone know if it's the same type of conversational teaching at both places?

[NigerianWhisper]

[Gypsy King]

University Teaching in Thailand is more serious than teaching kids. It is worth more in terms of knowledge as you will find you are actually learning more from your students as kids will seldom question your knowledge. If you want to challenge yourself, open your intellect and contribute more to Thai culture than university teaching in the LOS is for you However teaching kids will definitely make you feel younger!

[MaiPenRai]

That's news to me. the majority of Thai University students will not be any different than the students in high school. They are not going to suddenly learn to question and think critically after 12 years of parroting and "no fail" policies.

[Gypsy King]

I have taught university students and kids as well as teenagers in Thailand. I guess I have been lucky in the sense that I found university teaching to be much more interesting than teaching young learners. I have contributed to their professional as well as linguistic development as students ang got them to improve in their critical thinking by challenging me with questions related to their improvement and/or devlopment of the English language. All in all I found university students to be much more pleasant and serious about learning English than children or teenagers who are more interested in having FUN. I in no way plan to waste my time attempting to change the Thai educational system which I find backward and appalling to say the least but my efforts to develop my students knowledge of the English language have proven more successful than most. This may also be due to the part that I am a westerner who speaks fluent Thai and understands the Thai culture.

[NigerianWhisper]

MOD EDIT

And I seriously doubt that any Westerner truly understands all the layers of Thai culture. I certainly don't and I have a home and family here for almost 15 years. Along with PR.

[pest2]

I am teaching at a university here in Thailand, now. I worked for a little while teacing at a high school here and as an experienced ESL teacher, i have to say university work is ALOT better. Still the many annoyances of Thai work culture... but the overall vibe is better and more collegial...

Thailand for earning and saving money sucks. It's a little better if you work at an international school or college... the majority of the jobs put you only one small step above the peasant farmers who constitute the vast majority of the population, pay-wise... But, its fun for a while..

[Gypsy King]

It amazes me that although I have been living in Thailand for 20 years (not always teaching English of course) the job offers I see advertised for EFL teachers today are the same in terms of salary that were offered 20 years ago when it was much, much cheaper to live here. This tells me that the Thais have no concept of economics and market trends when it comes to teaching English despite the fact that there are a lot more requirements issued for ESL teachers by the Ministry of Educaton including financial requirements which have skyrocketed in the last two decades or so!

[laconic]

[Placebo]