Job Discussion Forums

[billie]

I was just wondering how schools split up the year? When do semesters begin and end? When do teachers typically get time off?

thanks

[GreenDestiny]

From what I (humbly) know of the Thai Education system, the (public) school year begins in May -- with October off as break -- and ends in February. Private schools may hire throughout the year dependent upon curriculum and need.

All the best to you.

Chok Dee,
GreenDestiny

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

For purposes of planning and applying for TEFL positions, the Thai Academic Calendar runs from early June to March: Semester 1 - from early June to October; Semester 2 - from early November to March. The above dates are not 100% black & white, but fairly typical.

April & May are summer holiday months, by the way!

[billie]

thanks for the information guys! Are there any holidays or breaks during the semesters and if so, when are they? Also, is it possible to find work during the April and May summer break?

thanks again

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hi billie:

For a list of Thai holidays, you can browse this:

http://ash-hotel.com/siam/holiday.htm

Regarding TEFL Jobs in April & May, the short answer is "yes".

The slightly longer answer is available on the Master Index Thailand, located at the top of this forum.

Just scroll down to the TEFL FAQ THAILAND category near the very bottom of the page.

[sigmoid]

excerpted from
http://www.floatinglotus.com/enter.html?target=thaiholiday.html
[simply amazing what you can find with a simple websearch]:

Religious Holidays

Although government offices, most businesses, and banks are closed on official holidays, shopping centers and money exchange booths remain open. During major Buddhist holidays, alcohol cannot legally be served or sold and many entertainment venues close. Almost all major religious holidays fall on full moons:

Maha Boocha(February or March) celebrates the spontaneous gathering of 1,250 of the Lord Buddha�s disciples.
Wisaka Boocha, usually in May, is the holiest Buddhist day, marking the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha.
In July or August, the Asan Boocha observance, honors the Buddha�s first sermon over 2,500 years ago.
Around this time is Khao Phansa, which is the beginning of the Buddhist Rains Retreat (sometimes called Buddhist Lent), during which monks must remain in their temple-monasteries for the three-month period.

Traditional Thai New Year is 13 April, though its actual celebration spans several days before and after this date. Called Songkran [S�ng-gran], this festival includes merit-making and spirited dousing with water of anyone and everyone. Expect to get wet. Thailand officially uses the Gregorian calendar, and the year begins on 1 January[western New Year], which is celebrated too. However, it uses the Buddhist Era year, which is 543 years ahead�1996 A.D. is 2539 B.E.

Civil Holidays

The following are legal holidays and government, banks, and business offices are closed.

Chakri [J�k�ree] Day, 13 April, which celebrates the founding of the present dynasty in 1782 A.D.(2325 B.E.).
His Majesty�s Coronation in 1946 is celebrated on 5 May.
H.M. Queen Sirikit�s Birthday, 12 August (born 1932), is lovingly celebrated nationwide.
Chulalongkorn Day, 23 October, honors one of Thailand�s most revered kings, Rama V.
His Majesty�s Birthday is 5 December (born 1927). All the beautiful lights and decorations tourists see during this time, often mistaken for Christmas observance, are in honor of Thailand�s beloved King.
Constitution Day is 10 December.

Also, May 1 Labor Day is an official holiday and May 16 is the Royal Plowing Ceremony which you will have off if you work at a government school.

When an official holiday falls on a weekend, the following Monday is substituted.

In other words, there are a lot of days off in Thailand.

[billie]

thanks everybody. very helpful. i won't be heading to thailand until september so i'll be looking for a job starting in the new november semester. i am excited about the many holidays there seem to be. i'm trying to come up with a good time for my family to possibly come visit me. i was thinking there might be a week long break at some point in the semester. thanks again for all the help and the links. i'll be coming back here with any more questions that come to me.

[sigmoid]

Actually there's a small mistake in the info provided above.

Chakri Day is today April 6, not Apr 13.