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Bangkok Success
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bansheebeat



Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86

PostPosted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 1:09 pm    Post subject: Bangkok Success Reply with quote

It's a BKK based recruiter that hires for positions throughout Thailand. I got an offer from them (though I hear staying away from recruiters is generally a good idea) and was curious. I can't find any reviews online. I haven't gotten a contract offer yet so salary and other logistics are still tbd.

MOD EDIT
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plumpy nut



Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652

PostPosted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Normally they have plenty of people inside Bangkok to hire. The pay for a job in BKK should at least be 30,000 Baht ($1000). You might want to consider that.
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bansheebeat



Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86

PostPosted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

plumpy nut wrote:
Normally they have plenty of people inside Bangkok to hire. The pay for a job in BKK should at least be 30,000 Baht ($1000). You might want to consider that.


Yeah I've heard to avoid recruiters, but I figured it wont hurt to see what kind of contract they offer. The position won't be inside BKK (it will be in the North more than likely) but I still won't settle for less than 30K BHT.

Assuming they offer a contract for a school in a town that I'm okay with, and a decent salary, is there any reason I should still say no thanks?

I plan on flying out around the end of March so I will have April to look for a job on my own if all else fails.
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bansheebeat



Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86

PostPosted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got a contract offer.. 30,000 BHT/month, 3 paid sick days, 25 teaching hours, they pay the work visa, it seems like all the basic stuff is there. Are there any red flags to look out for? Should I just skip it altogether?
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EFL Educator



Joined: 17 Jul 2013
Posts: 988
Location: Cape Town

PostPosted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 4:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello there,

B30,000 salary per month is the standard rate for EFL Instructors at government run Mathayom, Pratom and Anuban schools throughout Thailand. This has been the rate for 10 years or so....don't expect anything less or more. Regarding the work visa it is the responsibility of the school to provide you with a proper work visa....which means that they (not you) are required to pay for it. 3 paid sick days consider yourself lucky most schools don't pay for sick days here. Otherwise expect to save half your salary upcountry if you are frugal. In Bangkok forget it! Good luck!
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MaiPenRai



Joined: 17 Jan 2006
Posts: 390
Location: BKK

PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Regarding the work visa it is the responsibility of the school to provide you with a proper work visa....which means that they (not you) are required to pay for it.


Actually there is no such thing as a "work visa". A Non-Immigrant B (occasionally Non-Imm O) is the visa you are required to have in order to apply for a work permit. These are very different things and done through different government offices. visa through Immigration and work permit through Ministry of Labor. (The Ministry of Education and Thailand Teachers Council are also involved as you need some paperwork from them)

So, it is NOT the schools responsibility to PAY for your visa, but the better schools probably will at least provide you with all the necessary paperwork to get the proper visa. Better schools will either do it all for you or have someone accompany you to Immigration. A visa allows you to be in the country for the specified purpose, not to work.

However, you should NOT pay for your work permit. The school's should be paying for that. You will probably be asked to provide copies of documents and pictures which may cost you a couple hundred baht.
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MESL



Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 2:18 am    Post subject: Bangkok Success Reply with quote

I met 3 or 4 English teachers and a science teacher who were happy working for Bangkok Success. This was at a school in northern Thailand by the Lao border.

Bangkok Success hired me to teach science. That didn't work out. My story is here:
MOD EDIT

2 other problems I encountered: One red flag was the fines. The Bangkok Success contract has more fines than all the other contracts I've read combined.

The other problem was the work visa. When they interviewed me, they told me I could come in on 15 day visa from Cambodia and quickly change it to a work visa with a trip to the Thai embassy across the border in Laos. But after I arrived at the school, their visa manager told me I had to go to Laos after 15 days, get another tourist visa, and make another visa run for a work visa. Visa runs are expensive.

But the other Bangkok Success foreign teachers weren't having any problems. So maybe Bangkok Success is a safe agency. Maybe my experience was the exception.
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MESL



Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 9:42 am    Post subject: Bangkok Success Reply with quote

30,000, that's the same as they offered me. That offer didn't come with a housing allowance. When I pointed out to the interviewer that he was essentially offering me a salary of 26,000, since 4000 is the going rate for a standard apartment in Thailand, he told me that the cost of living in a small town in northern Thailand would be much lower than in downtown Bangkok.
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MESL



Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 9:52 am    Post subject: Bangkok Success Reply with quote

Quote:
though I hear staying away from recruiters is generally a good idea


Bangkok Success is not a recruiting agency. They are an employment agency. A recruiting agency gets a fee from the school for finding you and introducing you to the school. Then you never hear from them again. An employment agency sponsors your visa and provides training and support. You are on the agency's payroll, not the school's payroll. You sign a contract with the agency and you are their employee. They are renting you out to the school. If you have a problem with the school, they can intervene with school officials or move you to another school without missing a paycheck. AYC is the biggest example in Thailand.
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suphanburi



Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

bansheebeat wrote:
I got a contract offer.. 30,000 BHT/month, 3 paid sick days, 25 teaching hours, they pay the work visa, it seems like all the basic stuff is there. Are there any red flags to look out for? Should I just skip it altogether?


IF you have a degree and are a native speaker then just get a plane ticket.
That offer is NOTHING short of bog-standard and NOTHING special. Underwhelming would be a good description.

A native speaker with a degree, right off of the plane, should be able to land something in the 35-40k range with visa and work permit.

If you are here in late April-mid May finding a job is about as easy as stepping off a curb.

IF you arrive in Nov - Feb you will be competing with all the young back-packers who are looking to extend their stay in the sun over the winter.

.
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MESL



Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 2:17 am    Post subject: Bangkok Success Reply with quote

Quote:
A native speaker with a degree, right off of the plane, should be able to land something in the 35-40k range


I've seen very few ads offering 35,000. I've seen no ads offering 40,000 except for international schools and they require a teaching certificate. Unless you're factoring in the housing allowance.
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MESL



Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 6:07 am    Post subject: Bangkok Success Reply with quote

Quote:
If you are here in late April-mid May finding a job is about as easy as stepping off a curb


Not if you're over 40. And if you're over 55, plan on sending out an awful lot of resumes.
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EFL Educator



Joined: 17 Jul 2013
Posts: 988
Location: Cape Town

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 7:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello there,

If you are a native English speaker right off the plane, not over 30 years of age, have a university degree and/or TEFL certificate and are willing to work for Baht 30,000/monthly (standard Thai government school rate) with no other perks then consider yourself a Bangkok SUCCESS story. Good luck and enjoy your time in the LOS! Smile
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plumpy nut



Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:13 am    Post subject: Re: Bangkok Success Reply with quote

MESL wrote:
30,000, that's the same as they offered me. That offer didn't come with a housing allowance. When I pointed out to the interviewer that he was essentially offering me a salary of 26,000, since 4000 is the going rate for a standard apartment in Thailand, he told me that the cost of living in a small town in northern Thailand would be much lower than in downtown Bangkok.


Salaries usually don't have additional housing allowances although sometimes they include an apartment. The apartment I was given for one of my joba was the worst slum I have ever had to stay in. Usually you get 30,000 and you have to pay 150 - 200 US a month for an apartment, at least in BKK. Unfortunately Thailand is not Korea, Taiwan, or the Gulf. Although it's a hell of a lot nicer to be in than the Gulf if you feel you can make very little in savings.
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bansheebeat



Joined: 02 Oct 2013
Posts: 86

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for all the info. I decided to wait until arriving in country, and have since been offered a position direct through a school (no agency or anything) for 35,000 THB/month,
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