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ndelarosa
Joined: 03 Dec 2015
Posts: 5
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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 Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 8:07 am Post subject: Traveling to Thailand...advice for a fledgling teacher? |
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Hello all,
I've recently graduated with a B.A. in Child Development and a TEFL certificate in the USA. I am traveling to Thailand in the end of March and I am hoping to find a job in Bangkok that caters towards infant/toddlers to preschool age children. I'm a little worried because the only teaching experience I've had was the fieldwork given in both programs. I am wondering if anyone can give me some advice for the following:
1. What are your opinions teaching in an international school, government school, or private language institute? Would any of these schools be a good stepping stone for someone new to the ESL field?
2. I have read from other forums that in order to get a visa/work permit, I will need to bring: my degree, passport, a police check, and school transcripts. Is there anything else that I would need to bring?
3. Are there personal experiences you can share when you first started teaching abroad?
Thank you all for your time! |
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suphanburi
Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916
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| Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:15 am Post subject: Re: Traveling to Thailand...advice for a fledgling teacher? |
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| ndelarosa wrote: |
Hello all,
I've recently graduated with a B.A. in Child Development and a TEFL certificate in the USA. I am traveling to Thailand in the end of March and I am hoping to find a job in Bangkok that caters towards infant/toddlers to preschool age children. I'm a little worried because the only teaching experience I've had was the fieldwork given in both programs. I am wondering if anyone can give me some advice for the following:
1. What are your opinions teaching in an international school, government school, or private language institute? Would any of these schools be a good stepping stone for someone new to the ESL field?
2. I have read from other forums that in order to get a visa/work permit, I will need to bring: my degree, passport, a police check, and school transcripts. Is there anything else that I would need to bring?
3. Are there personal experiences you can share when you first started teaching abroad?
Thank you all for your time! |
1)
...a) Without being certified as a teacher (license) or having a B.Ed the chances of getting hired at an international school are not good.
...b) odds of landing a position at a government school as a primary school EFL teacher are 100% but you'll be starting work in May, not March.
...c) language academies are focused on afterschool, evenings and weekends. There isn't much demand for EFL to toddlers at language centers.
...d) there will also be lots of work in PRIVATE K-12 schools for someone who is actually trained to deal with toddlers. Land and simply google "ajarn" or "teaching in Thailand." March to May with jobs starting in May.
...e) There are LOTS of kindergartens that would love you have you. Again, Hiring takes place from March to May with positions starting in May.
2) you are correct. You will need your degree, transcript, and a police clearance. There is now a requirement to have your degree "authenticated" and Americans have problems getting it done at the US Embassy (they won't authenticate anything). You might want to get an apostille from your state's "Secretary of State" even though Thailand is not a signatory to the Hague convention (apostille treaty).
3) Relax. I assume from your basic info that you are a female and under 30 to go with your BA. Right after Songkran you'll have your pick of jobs.
The biggest issue you'll face is making big issues out of nothing.
This isn't the US.
The rules are DIFFERENT.
Learn the rules BEFORE you start making noises and don't talk about the royal family (unless you want to spend 15 years in Jail).
Oh, and the police are NOT your friend. It is safer to deal with organized crime gangs than the police.
"Pattaya police, army bust 32 foreigners for playing bridge "
CHON BURI – Nearly three dozen foreigners, many of them pensioners, were arrested and fined 5,000 baht each for playing bridge in Pattaya.
Local police, soldiers and Bang Lamung district officials raided a Jomtien & Pattaya Bridge Club meeting above Alto's restaurant off Thappraya Road in the resort city on Wednesday, taking into custody 32 people, mostly European nationals, and holding them until 3am.
From the Bangkok Post, Feb 4.
Also available from the BBC and Al Jazera websites.
Video of the bust on Youtube.
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:37 am Post subject: Re: Traveling to Thailand...advice for a fledgling teacher? |
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| ndelarosa wrote: |
| I've recently graduated with a B.A. in Child Development and a TEFL certificate in the USA. I am traveling to Thailand in the end of March and I am hoping to find a job in Bangkok that caters towards infant/toddlers to preschool age children. |
Is there a reason why you've chosen to not pursue a teaching license? That would open way more doors for you worldwide, especially if you add a year of US teaching experience. |
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ndelarosa
Joined: 03 Dec 2015
Posts: 5
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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| Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2016 12:48 am Post subject: Re: Traveling to Thailand...advice for a fledgling teacher? |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| ndelarosa wrote: |
| I've recently graduated with a B.A. in Child Development and a TEFL certificate in the USA. I am traveling to Thailand in the end of March and I am hoping to find a job in Bangkok that caters towards infant/toddlers to preschool age children. |
Is there a reason why you've chosen to not pursue a teaching license? That would open way more doors for you worldwide, especially if you add a year of US teaching experience. |
My fiance is doing business in Thailand so I am following him there. I was thinking of doing my teacher's license in the future, most likely in a university in Thailand. The whole timing with him doing his business and me getting my credential doesn't work out right now :[ |
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suphanburi
Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916
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| Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:17 am Post subject: Re: Traveling to Thailand...advice for a fledgling teacher? |
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MOD EDIT
Finding jobs in Thailand is ALL about being on the ground.
The only schools that hire from overseas are the top internationals (and you don't meet their minimum requirements (licensure and experience) and schools who can't hire locally because of their poor staff mismanagement (places like Sarasas).
From the states the easiest thing is to just get a "certified true copy" made by a notary and get an apostille affixed at Secretary of State for your state. (usually only takes a short time - days as compared to weeks or months).
Getting it done in Thailand is an exercise in futility, expensive and difficult.
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sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
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| Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:56 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I've recently graduated with a B.A. in Child Development and a TEFL certificate in the USA. I am traveling to Thailand in the end of March and I am hoping to find a job in Bangkok |
Is this your first trip to Thailand?
if so, it would certainly behoove you to become familiar with the current economic and political climate there as well as the short-term outlook for the kingdom. Suphanburi scratches the surface in his comments above. |
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ndelarosa
Joined: 03 Dec 2015
Posts: 5
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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| Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2016 8:27 am Post subject: |
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| sigmoid wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I've recently graduated with a B.A. in Child Development and a TEFL certificate in the USA. I am traveling to Thailand in the end of March and I am hoping to find a job in Bangkok |
Is this your first trip to Thailand?
if so, it would certainly behoove you to become familiar with the current economic and political climate there as well as the short-term outlook for the kingdom. Suphanburi scratches the surface in his comments above. |
I've been to Thailand for summer vacation in the past 3 years, but I've only stayed for about two weeks and I was only visiting my fiancé's family (he is from Thailand). Most of my experience and understanding of Thailand's culture have been from him. |
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EFL Educator
Joined: 17 Jul 2013
Posts: 988
Location: Cape Town
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| Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2016 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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The Land of Smiles is truly amazing....enjoy your time here and enjoy earning Thai baths!  |
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ndelarosa
Joined: 03 Dec 2015
Posts: 5
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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| Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2016 8:39 am Post subject: |
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| EFL Educator wrote: |
| The Land of Smiles is truly amazing....enjoy your time here and enjoy earning Thai baths! |
Thank you! I look forward to going there! |
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EFL Educator
Joined: 17 Jul 2013
Posts: 988
Location: Cape Town
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| Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 5:44 am Post subject: |
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To The OP,
Just remember there are EFL teaching jobs everywhere to be found here in the Land Of Smiles...the average pay being around 30,000 - 35,000 Thai Baths a month. plus the benefit of amazing Thai hospitality!!!! |
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TeachtheFuture
Joined: 31 Jan 2013
Posts: 13
Location: BKK, Thailand
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| Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:19 am Post subject: |
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| EFL Educator wrote: |
To The OP,
Just remember there are EFL teaching jobs everywhere to be found here in the Land Of Smiles...the average pay being around 30,000 - 35,000 Thai Baths a month. plus the benefit of amazing Thai hospitality!!!! |
Take what he says with a grain of salt as most of his responses lack any real advice and paint an overly rosy view of Thailand. I have lived here three years and have loved every bit of it, but Thailand isn't all sunshine and frosty swirls. There are some serious issues a foot that you should do your research on. Before I moved to Thailand I spent a good two months on and off researching. |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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Thailand is great, but all the friendliness is superficial although not necessarily fake unlike what you get in Saudi Arabia. You're likely to get canned from one maybe two jobs before landing some kind of long term successful employment. The best thing to do is search the location of the schools, especially the ones that you think you might like and go to the school and apply and when a job opens you may get called. You can also try some of the other websites with Thailand school job advertisements. When you apply you have to be located in the city where you are applying for the job, be in Chiang Mai if the school application is in Chiang Mai for the online applications. You're phone number has to be located in the district that you want to get a job in or else nobody will bother calling you.
Make sure you bring multiple official copies of documents like transcripts (sealed of course) and recommendation letters also if you can. You might bring multiple copies of State Police Clearances or Letters of Good Standing for those going to work overseas (These will be sealed too). Bring your diplomas. |
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izmigari
Joined: 04 Feb 2016
Posts: 197
Location: Rubbing shoulders with the 8-Ball in the top left pocket
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| Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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| TeachtheFuture wrote: |
| EFL Educator wrote: |
To The OP,
Just remember there are EFL teaching jobs everywhere to be found here in the Land Of Smiles...the average pay being around 30,000 - 35,000 Thai Baths a month. plus the benefit of amazing Thai hospitality!!!! |
Take what he says with a grain of salt as most of his responses lack any real advice and paint an overly rosy view of Thailand. I have lived here three years and have loved every bit of it, but Thailand isn't all sunshine and frosty swirls. There are some serious issues a foot that you should do your research on. Before I moved to Thailand I spent a good two months on and off researching. |
Funny that you should give the same "grain of salt" advice I gave about this pos(t)er on the Kuwait board! 
The same kind of sheeple who get their political views from CNN(I) look at his number of posts and think that he has s/t to add.
Instead, he's just a friendless person who's got a computer, Internet access and WAY too much time on his hands! |
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bigdurianthesecond
Joined: 16 Jan 2016
Posts: 62
Location: The Base
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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| EFL Educator wrote: |
| The Land of Smiles is truly amazing....enjoy your time here and enjoy earning Thai baths! |
We get the joke about the baths, but seriously, do you never get bored of saying the same thing over and over again? It gets a bit boring and repetitive...... |
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Hermosillo
Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Posts: 176
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
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| Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 11:20 pm Post subject: |
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| bigdurianthesecond wrote: |
| EFL Educator wrote: |
| The Land of Smiles is truly amazing....enjoy your time here and enjoy earning Thai baths! |
We get the joke about the baths, but seriously, do you never get bored of saying the same thing over and over again? It gets a bit boring and repetitive...... |
I'm not sure I get the constant reference to "baths." Usually, only non-NES Euro-trash uses "baths," (except for the French), perhaps it's a reference to the "soapy massage" places...all two of them in a Province of 2 million people. I always wondered if it was some kind of paid cheerleader for the dodgy TEFL Training (pay to work) business. Maybe he should write a book on how to get blacklisted from Thailand, because that's what a careless and thoughtless attitude will lead to. I like living here, because I turned 50 and my visa troubles went away. For those, requiring work (likely in education); the paperwork hassles, traffic, low wages are reaching critical mass.
My mom called me the other day, and said a friend from their church called her and asked if Thailand was a safe place for a couple of mid 20s, females. My response was "yes," but I said to ask them if they would drink for five hours and ride around Washington DC on a rented motorbike, without health insurance, at 4am, dressed in beach attire, because that is the careless attitude a lot of Westerners bring with them to Thailand,often with dire consequences. |
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