Job Discussion Forums

[podsticles]

Hi there,
I have been told by many people that if you apply for a job teaching in Thailand BEFORE you leave your home country, and you manage to get a job with an International school that there are many more benefits (insurance, reimbursement for your flight over, help with apartments etc) than if you apply for a job after you arrive in the country.
And now I have just gone to ajarn.com and they basically say that it is better to go to the country first and THEN apply for jobs. Seems a bit scary to me. If funds run out and you have no money left...what do you do then? Accept some shitty job in the middle of nowhere just to get by? What are people�s experiences with this? Did you apply for a job before you left home? I�m a newbie here and trying to figure out what direction is best for me, so any comments would be appreciated.
Patrick

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Hi


Of course you can do it both ways.

Which way works best depends on the type of school you're applying to. For full-time positions at the accredited international schools (assuming you have the right qualifications) you'll usually get a better contract by applying from your home country. Some of these schools use recruiting agencies that specialise in this field. Also worth mentioning; there's stiff competition for these jobs because they pay well and usually offer other little perks. If you're not already an accredited K12 teacher with a BEd, this can be a tough game to get into. See FAQ 7 on the Master Index Thailand for a list of organisations that recruit international school teachers at job fairs held in different cities around the world.

In addition to the accredited international schools mentioned above, there are loads of second-tier international and bilingual schools in Thailand, and for these, it's usually better to do your job hunting after you arrive in Thailand. Ditto language schools and public schools or universities. It's better to be here - so you can check them out first-hand, meet the people you'll be working with, have a look at the curriculum, see what kind of reaction you receive when you walk into the teachers' room, etc.

In fact, some school directors won't even make a firm offer until they've had a chance to meet you face to face. With that in mind, the general rule of thumb for Thailand is that it's usually better to do your job-hunting from here. Having said that, I've met people who landed decent jobs via e-mail; it's not always a black or white thing.


You could also do what I did; send out your resume and cover letter to a few dozen schools - see who replies, and then set up some personal interviews with them during the week after you arrive here. That way you've already made contact - and they have an idea about who you are and what your background is - rather than just going in cold. If you follow that advice, you should have a job within 2 weeks or less. During that period there are hundreds of modest guesthouses and cheap hotels where you can crash. It won't cost you a lot to do it this way. After you've found a job and signed a contract you can begin looking around for an apartment near the school. Hope that helps a little.

[Bangkok Hound]

[podsticles]

Thanks guys...that's great advice! Appreciate it!

[rico4444]

It might depend a lot on where you want to live, what kind of lifestyle you want to have, and how adventurous you are. I wouldn't worry about running out of money. You can live in Thailand on less than $20 a day, no problem. It also depends on when you go. Obviously August or September is the best time. After the New Year is a good time to start looking because Songkran comes soon after (April) and there are always jobs then. Timing is crucial. Ajarn is good but I went to Chiang Mai (in early July) without anything lined up and had a job in 48 hours. Good luck

[skann]

everyone says that it's no problem to find a job in Thailand, but how long does it take before you can begin working at that job? You have to wait for all the paperwork to clear right? If the school does it for you, how long should that take? What if you do the footwork yourself?