Job Discussion Forums

[redwing]

Personal info that might help: I recently graduated from the George Washington University in DC with a degree in international affairs. Sort of why I want to teach abroad, to get more experience internationally before pursuing a masters degree. My girlfriend and I plan to teach in Thailand (BKK preferably) for a year then move on to S. America. In terms of getting certified, I don't have much time and even less money. I'm planning on leaving by mid-January after saving up some money because it's hard to save in Thailand if I teach (so I hear). I need to make sure of some things before launching into a life-changing decision. So to anyone that helps, thank you in advance!

-Certification? Do it or no? Which one? I see CELTA and something else, but don't know which is best suited for my situation.

-Places to teach? I see government schools, private schools, universities, are there others? Pay scale so that I can tell if it pays well or not relative to other jobs in Thailand. I know jobs being "good" is all relative, so what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? When should I start looking?

-Do I need a visa before I go? Do schools generally help? Will I have to buy a round-trip ticket if I do not have a visa?

-Vanilla? Chocolate? Strawberry? which is your favorite (had to lighten the mood some, didn't I?)

Thanks to everyone in advance! If you want to just answer one question, that's a great help to me still and I still really appreciate it!

--P

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

^ Hello redwing


Chocolate please, with peanuts sprinkled on top.


The first thing I'd recommend is for you to click on the blue link

@ the bottom of this post and scroll down to Appendix B;

you'll find a brief discussion of salaries, hourly wages

and a comparative payscale with smileys.


You'll find a brief explanation of visas & work permits

and a hotlink to the Ajarn.com visa & work permit FAQ.


If you scroll down to FAQ 11, you'll find a fairly complete

list of TESOL certificate courses offered in Thailand,

with direct links to their respective homepages.


TEFL-related links are located in PART II.


re: TESOL certificate courses


You won't find a consensus of opinion on which one is best.

Everybody has a favourite course for a different reason.


About the only thing people can agree on is this:


a teacher training course is a good idea, and a good course

will include at least 100 hours of classroom training with

at least 6 hours of observed teaching practice.


CELTA, Text-and-Talk, TEFL International & the SIT TESOL

all meet those requirements & are worth consideration.

If you scroll back through the 18 pages of this forum,

you'll find plenty of threads that go into detail.




Hope that helps a little?







Thailand teaching and travel resources available here :::: The Master Index Thailand ::::

[redwing]

Yay! thank you for your help! I checked it all out and have a lot of great answers to some previously confusing questions!