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ScottishGringo
Joined: 08 Apr 2011
Posts: 45
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 Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:13 pm Post subject: Am I being unrealistic? [Teaching in BKK] |
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Hi,
I'm looking to get TEFL qualified soon and head to Thailand for 6-12 months to teach English. Would specifically like to live in BKK.
I really don't like the idea of teaching school kids are there job opportunities for people looking to teach business types or university students?
How likely is it I could just private tutor and make enough cash to survive?
I'm thinking advertise in local newspapers, flyer universities and contact businesses and just teach from my apartment.
I guess I want the best of everything and there's probably many reasons why this won't work so I'd appreciate some feedback.
Thanks. |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:06 am Post subject: Re: Am I being unrealistic? [Teaching in BKK] |
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| ScottishGringo wrote: |
Hi,
I'm looking to get TEFL qualified soon and head to Thailand for 6-12 months to teach English. Would specifically like to live in BKK.
I really don't like the idea of teaching school kids are there job opportunities for people looking to teach business types or university students?
How likely is it I could just private tutor and make enough cash to survive?
I'm thinking advertise in local newspapers, flyer universities and contact businesses and just teach from my apartment.
I guess I want the best of everything and there's probably many reasons why this won't work so I'd appreciate some feedback.
Thanks. |
Jobs teaching uni or business types = yes provided you have some qualifications other than just a TEFL cert.
Green as grass, new on the ground and hoping to live on private tutoring = not a chance.
Advertise running a teaching academy from your home = illegal (on many levels) and you open yourself up to just about every crooked cop around with a new bike to buy (I guess the concept of visa and work permits (employer required) never really occurred to you?).
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ScottishGringo
Joined: 08 Apr 2011
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:19 am Post subject: Re: Am I being unrealistic? [Teaching in BKK] |
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| tttompatz wrote: |
Jobs teaching uni or business types = yes provided you have some qualifications other than just a TEFL cert.
Green as grass, new on the ground and hoping to live on private tutoring = not a chance.
Advertise running a teaching academy from your home = illegal (on many levels) and you open yourself up to just about every crooked cop around with a new bike to buy (I guess the concept of visa and work permits (employer required) never really occurred to you?).
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What other qualifications are needed? I have an honours degree from the UK.
I wouldn't neccessarily be running a 'teaching academy' just giving private tuition, I would have thought this would be allowed if you had the correct visas which I very much planned to apply for. Unless you're telling me it's not possible to get the visas unless your officially employed at a school or other business? It would make sense. |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:51 am Post subject: Re: Am I being unrealistic? [Teaching in BKK] |
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| ScottishGringo wrote: |
| tttompatz wrote: |
Jobs teaching uni or business types = yes provided you have some qualifications other than just a TEFL cert.
Green as grass, new on the ground and hoping to live on private tutoring = not a chance.
Advertise running a teaching academy from your home = illegal (on many levels) and you open yourself up to just about every crooked cop around with a new bike to buy (I guess the concept of visa and work permits (employer required) never really occurred to you?).
. |
What other qualifications are needed? I have an honours degree from the UK.
I wouldn't neccessarily be running a 'teaching academy' just giving private tuition, I would have thought this would be allowed if you had the correct visas which I very much planned to apply for. Unless you're telling me it's not possible to get the visas unless your officially employed at a school or other business? It would make sense. |
To legally work you need a non immigrant "B" visa and a work permit.
To get the visa and work permit you need an employer to sponsor you.
Doing private lessons is illegal (although commonly done) and is done by reputation and word of mouth. If you have to ask how then you are also asking how to get arrested (it's a boots on the ground thing).
Having a degree is, with few exceptions, the minimum requirement for working as a teacher. Having an honors degree (UK) and a TEFL just puts you in about 1 step above the backpackers but at least, unlike most of them, you will be able to actually find a legal job with visa and WP.
You will find that all the decent places will require you to have QTS or an Masters for the better jobs (1st and 2nd tier universities). You can probably find a local Thai uni that may hire you (with only a Bachelors degree) if you were in the right place at the right time and had a good introduction.
There is lots of work teaching at the Jr. high/high school levels (M1-6) that you can easily get with just a bachelors degree.
Can you get a job = yes.
If you are willing to work with kids you will start in the 30-40k range. If you insist on only adults or a uni job then you would be looking at 15-20k baht but there will, if you are good, be other opportunities open up to you to bring that back into the range you will need to live.
Can you have your cake and eat it too = not likely while looking from abroad or during your 1st year here. It is all about who you know and who knows you.
You don't have to take my word for it. You are more than welcome to hit the ground in BKK and prove me wrong. I am not the be-all, know-all, end-all for information about working in the LOS.
And just as a reference, I am the kind of guy you are competing against for those nice university positions. I hold 2 associate degrees, 3 bachelors (all hons), 2 masters and an ABD.
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ScottishGringo
Joined: 08 Apr 2011
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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| You don't have to take my word for it. You are more than welcome to hit the ground in BKK and prove me wrong. I am not the be-all, know-all, end-all for information about working in the LOS. |
I believe you don't worry. I thought I was being unrealistic just wanted to find out for sure.
I really want to spend up to a year in Thailand, I don't particularly want to be an English teacher it just seems to be the only way I can think of to get out there for so long. |
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