Job Discussion Forums

[babaoreiley]

Just wondering if anyone can give me the names of some good schools to work for in Thailand. It does not have to be in Bangkok. I wouldn't mind being in a smaller city.

I have a BA in History and am finishing a TEFL program at Hamline University, currently. I'm trying to find the best possible spot for my first job in this business. So, if any Thailand-vets could give this newbie a few pointers, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hi there:

I'm sorry nobody has replied to your post yet!

The problem is that there are just too many schools in Thailand to be able to recommend something off the cuff without a little more info from you. Between the Thai public schools & universities, the private universities, the International Schools and all of the language schools & institutes, there must be thousands of schools country-wide!

Can you narrow it down a tad in terms of your teaching & lifestyle preferences?

As for schools; you could start out by browsing the links on The Master Index 'sticky post' - located at the top of this forum. Just scroll down to Part II, TEFL THAILAND and/or all the way down to the TEFL FAQ near the bottom of the page.

PS: I see you're from MN. You might have seen my geeky brother? His WCCO-TV nick is Paul Douglas.

PSS: Ever been to First Avenue? http://www.first-avenue.com/

[Sheep-Goats]

Go to www.ajarn.com and look through the jobs board.

There aren't any "good schools" in Thailand; some are better for some people, others for others. What are you looking for? Weekends off? Money? Vacation? What?

[babaoreiley]

You're right, a little more detail from me would have been helpful. Newbie mistake. I'm a little boggled by my options school-wise and travel-wise. Its difficult having a huge interest in several different areas of Eurasia, and then having to narrow it down to one spot. If only I could be in ten different places at once? Oh well, such is life.

Basically, I am trying to narrow things down by looking for the best possible situation for myself, as far as prospective employers go. Someplace that focuses a little more on the students learning than the profit-margin (or else, at least they equal out). I would like a place where I can really hone my skills as a teacher. So, being in an environment that will help facilitate this is important. I love to teach, but I am still a relative novice, and a positive atmosphere and a focus on teacher development would be helpful.

As far as pay, as long as I can get by and hopefully have a little left over at the end of the month, I'll be just fine. It doesn't take much to take care of myself.

A nice chunk of vacation time would be great, but it is secondary to the above criteria.

I am an idealist in some sense. Perhaps this school does not really exist, but I would like to get as close to it as humanly possible. Any guidance you could give would be greatly appreciated.

[babaoreiley]

Yes, I've seen Paul Douglas on WCCO-TV, and I think my uncle knows him professionally. Small world:)

Haven't been to First Ave. yet, I recently moved here from Texas, so I'm still fairly new to the area.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hello baba:

Yes, it's a small World sometimes!

Based on what you wrote above, I'd probably advise you to steer clear of the dime-a-dozen language schools which tend to be more interested in making a profit than in teacher development or pure education per se. There are some exceptions to this rule, however. i.e., they're not all bad!

With a BA and a TEFL cert you're probably underqualified for most of the University & International School positions, although never say never. You could make some contacts & send out some resumes; you might get lucky.

Looking on the positive side: Being a female with a degree & a TEFL cert is a major advantage in Thailand, where Playboys on extended holiday are so plentiful. There are hundreds of good Thai public schools that pay decent salaries and offer nice perks & holidays - that would LOVE to have you - and give you the freedom & support to become a good teacher.

In plain English, you have plenty of options!

If you haven't been there yet, try the TEFL THAILAND category in PART II of The Master Index sticky, located at the top of this forum. The first 5 links within that category will take you to the current job offers, and now is a very good time to be looking - with the new semester starting up in a few weeks.

Good luck.

[babaoreiley]

Thanks for the reply Kent. I do appreciate the info. One quick check on your assessment, though, I am not a female. I'm not sure where that came across, but no harm, no foul. Let me know how this new perspective might change your initial positive feelings on my prospective Thailand employment options.

A few quick additional questions:

So, Thai public schools might be the best way to go? Do they advertise like the regualr language schools on-line?

Any particular nickel and dime language schools to steer clear from?

Outside of Bangkok, what are some particularly nice areas that are well-populated but not quite as "big city?" I'm thinking more along the lines of naturally beautiful areas.

For Kent, in particular: I am also interested in possibly finding employment in Russia, and I have seen that you did the master list for the Russia CIS forum, any hints for that region? You can PM me with any suggestions.

Thanks for the info to date. It has been very helpful. This sight is a great place for this sort of inquiry, and it can definitely help us newbies steer clear of some of the prat-falls of the EFL profession. Keep feeding me info on jobs and life in Thailand. Thanks again!

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hi there:

Ooooops! I thought 'baba' was a take-off on Barbara.

me dumb.

Actually it makes no real difference in what I wrote above - although it is true that females do have the upper hand for many jobs in Thailand for reasons that would take too long to go into. Basically though, they're *generally* better with kids & more reliable.

Yes - Thai public schools also advertise on the 5 websites I recommended you look at. The MOE weblink would be especially useful with regard to public schools --- if you decide to go that route. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions and send them your resume.

Probably the best thing you can do now is spend some quality time on the various forums; do some research on your own, continue to ask questions and then decide which country appeals to you most. After you get to that point, we can help with more specific advice, tips & suggestions!

Both Thailand and Russia offer lots of beautiful 'out of the way' places, but remember: the farther you move from the big city lights, the less money you'll be earning, as a general rule. I know you're not in it to get rich; just something to keep in mind.

[Sheep-Goats]

[quote="babaoreileySomeplace that focuses a little more on the students learning than the profit-margin (or else, at least they equal out). I would like a place where I can really hone my skills as a teacher. So, being in an environment that will help facilitate this is important. I love to teach, but I am still a relative novice, and a positive atmosphere and a focus on teacher development would be helpful.

As far as pay, as long as I can get by and hopefully have a little left over at the end of the month, I'll be just fine. It doesn't take much to take care of myself.

A nice chunk of vacation time would be great, but it is secondary to the above criteria.
[/quote]

So, you want a) teacher development, b) fair paycheck, and c) a bit of vacation -- roughly in that order? Knowing that helps a lot. Personally, I'm more of a vacation first type person, so my ideal schools will differ from yours a bit.

While Kent's advice about avoiding crap langauge schools is a good one, you shouldn't write off language schools alltogether. If you're planning to make a career out of TEFL, and don't a MA TESOL (or, don't plan to get one) or BEd, you'll likely end up as a DoS or owner/part owner of a language school some day. Also, as far as my experience goes, it's only high-end language schools that provide teacher training or have a teacher training program.

The problem is that most langauge schools are crap. The way to separate the few high-end ones out is to ask about teacher training -- does the school provide it, when and in what form, and is it free/paid (the latter of these two is very unlikely, but who knows). There's one branch of the International House language school chain in Bangkok. It has a good location (Silom), okay pay (about 35,000 for most folks), a real teacher training program, and a fair minded manager. A good start for a career newbie.

If you start in at a local primary / high school / university you'll find that you're pretty much given a text book, a photocopied map that's supposed to tell you where the photocopy room is, and left to your own devices -- apart from that these schools can be much more rewarding an experience than most language schools. If you want to identify a Thai school it's not hard to do so -- something with a name like Sasiparlikan School is probably Thai.

Any school that runs the same ad in the Bangkok post for months straight is having a hard time getting teachers and it may be a good idea to avoid it. British American and Siam Computer seem to be the two major stinkers in this reguard. ECC springs to mind, as does AUA, although I've talked to a lot of people who've used those schools for overtime pay or in special circumstances that felt they were getting exactly what they needed that way.

If the salary for overtime is 250B or so, forget that school.

Oh, one more question -- plan to take root in Thailand or to jump off from here to elsewhere? If you plan to jump off, language school experience becomes more valuable as it's somewhat more internationally generic, and employers know and sometimes value this. Going from a Thai language school to a Japanese one is quite easy; sliding from a Thai high school to a Japanese one is less likely (but doable).

[babaoreiley]

Thanks so much for the extra information.

As far as your questions:

Initially, I thought that TEFL would be a nice way to make a living and live abroad for awhile (2-3 year est.). But after I really got into the meat of my certification course (2-month program), I developed a real passion for it very quickly. The practicum teaching has been wonderful, and I get a real charge out of each teaching session. So, this is leading me to consider continuing my education in the field. First, though, I want to go abroad and teach (just to make sure that the reality of the profession is what I hope it is) before heading back to school.

I would like to be employed by a school that focuses some time on teacher development, but I would also like a little freedom in lesson planning. From what I understand, some language schools have a very "programmed" curriculum that does not lend itself to creative alterations, or that creative alterations are severely frowned upon. One thing I am really enjoying with this is the creative process in lesson planning, and I would not want to give that up completely. So, with that in mind, should I go Thai "language school" or "public school?"

And, whether or not I would be in Thailand for the short or long haul, I'm not sure. I'm open to either possibility. If I enjoy it, I would probably stick around. If not...you get the point. There are a lot of places I would like to travel to and live in, but if a great situation arises in a particular spot...

I don't know if this helps you point me in any other direction, but any new info would be appreciated.