Job Discussion Forums

[thetravelbug]

Hello Everyone,

I was curious to know if anyone has taught at Kajonkietsuska School in Phuket or if they know any good/bad news regarding this school. I searched on the web and they seem to be a reputable school.

I am very excited to teach in Phuket for I believe that Thailand, is one of the most beautiful places on earth..........the beaches, food, and especially the CHEAP massages. The pay is not that great but being in paradise definatley pays a long way to health, happiness and of course the success of teaching.

Thanks, for any help is great!

thetravelbug!

[isle-teach]

I haven't taught at that school, but know the Thai lady who's in charge of the foreign teachers, and she's a professional with many years experience in ESL. Some time ago, a friend of mine applied for the bilingual programme and it seemed that they knew what they were doing.

Before that, I had heard rumours that there was a high turnover of teachers, and the pay wasn't that good. Things seem to have changed, though. The salary is pretty standard in Phuket, and so are the working hours: 7:30 (I think) to 4:30.

Since you already like Phuket, why don't you give it a go? Good luck!

[tedkarma]

A friend, who wishes to not be identified sent me a report about the school. He says:

Kajonkietsuksa school in Phuket is a great place to work if you are serious about being an EFL teacher. It's a bi- lingual, half government, half private school with a Thai curiculum. Students are accepted into the school from 2-3 years of age, older children are required to pass an entrance examination. The tuition fee is around 40, 000 Thb per term, ( see their website).

The hours for teaching Kindergarten are from 7 30 am to 430 pm. For Primary, 7 30 am to 4 50 pm. You can expect to teach between three and four 55 min. classes a day plus an " Extra English" class which is from 3:30 to 4 :30. You will be paid extra for those classes and many teachers consider it a perk as it may add to your basic wage by more than 4,000 Thb a month at a minimum.

In order to discourage back pack type teachers and to cover the cost of administration with regard to the teachers license and work permit, the school deducts a total of 10,000 Thb over three months which is repayed after one year of completion. ( There is an office worker hired simply to deal with the MOE and Immigration alone, so there is no need to "check in" with Immi. every three months, she will do it for you. . There is also no need to visit the MOE and go through the red tape alone, for example.. )

As a rule you will teach English Phonics, Maths, Numeracy and Social Science an average of three times per week. Many of the text books have been devised by the teachers , based on other commercial text books that have either worked (or not worked) in the past, therefore the advantage is with you in that sense.

There are mid term and end of term exams to administer, daily and weekly report sheets, gate, lunch, and assembly duty on ocaission and the paperwork can be overwhelming until you master the time management involved. There are also activity days such as sports days, festivals, holiday celebrations etc. as well as parent- teacher meetings and interactions along with " Summer Camps" and "Special Courses". You will be given enough free time during the working day to prepare for these events, with frequent breaks and plenty of opportunities to meet and brainstorm with your co workers, some of whom have been working there for many years. You will also be able to leave the school when you're not teaching and do whatever errands need to be done on a week day. In short though, you will be busy. The vacation periods are fairly generous and include 10 days for Christmas and a week or two at least between terms along with national holidays.

The classrooms are all air conditioned and have a Thai co teacher who will take care of the students when you are not teaching them.This caretaking includes discipline and it seems to be culturally acceptable in some cases for the discipline to be quite stern which can be an advantage if you are looking for fairly well behaved students.

Resources are improving and there should be plenty of time during the day to use the computer if need be.

Kajonkietsuksa is not for anybody or everybody and just as in other schools there are aspects of disorganisation and mis communication , you will find it there. However, it can be an extremely rewarding place to work, if, like I said, you are serious about being a teacher.

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Hope that helps.

[thetravelbug]

Thank you very much for the information! I am very serious about teaching English and would love to be part of a decent school system. The position is for an Art Teacher. So, I'm not sure if the other subjects are being taught by other teachers or if they plan on hiring me as an Art Teacher in addition to the other subjects?

Thanks Again for the Fab. Info!

[Peacelover]

TedKarma and Isle-Teach have hit the nail right on the head. Thank you.