Job Discussion Forums

[Peter McAlpine]

For those of you thinking about coming to teach in a language school in Thailand, here are 2 web sites that will provide a lot of information, especially the first one.

http://www.ajarn.com
http://experiencethailand.netfirms.com/languageschools2.htm

When I look at the salaries, I can't help think that one may be better off working at a university. Firstly, depending on where the university is, you may be able to live nearby in a quiet area (unless you want to live in a big city, of course.) Secondly, being a university teacher, your status in society will be high and it will be fairly easy to get private students. Thirdly, there are many universities around the country that need English teachers. Schools too. Your living costs will most probably be lower than if you worked in Bangkok.

This is just my opinion, but if I had to choose between a language school in Bangkok and a university outside the city, I'd definitely choose a university.

If you are well qualified and have a lot of experience, apply to the international schools. There might just be a vacancy. Their salaries are very good, but they are choosy. You might also need a postgraduate teaching certificate or a degree at least, in addition to a TEFL qualification. I'm not sure, but I would expect this. (As a parent, I would! I was disappointed to hear that one of the main international schools in Bangkok accepts some teachers without any qualification - and this school charges parents an arm and a leg, and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for each child one sends to the school. It was one of the teachers who told me this.)

I hope this helps you to decide.

[sigmoid]