Job Discussion Forums

[martyrochon]

Hey everyone,

I am surely repeating someone's post here, and I am sorry, but I've searched for a while now and have not found...

I am looking to move to Bangkok in the fall in the hopes of landing a decent english teaching gig. I have a B.A., as well as some experience teaching (teacher's assistant, substitute teaching, coaching).

a) What is the best way to find a decent job? Should I try to land a contract here (Canada), or just go there and apply at a bunch of schools?

b) Is there any teacher's assistant work in government schools, or is it mainly just corporate schools?

c) Based on my qualifications, what can I expect to be paid? (I realize salaries in Thailand are not what they are in Korea of Japan)

d) Is it worth getting an online TEFL (or equal) degree?

e) What are the chances of finding work in September?

Any info on one or all of these questions will be truly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Marty

[Kiels]

Hello Marty.

I'm not sure how qualified I am to give advice about teaching in Thailand or Japan (as in your other post) but I'll try to offer the advice I can.

If you look at many of the other posts, many people suggest that turning up in Bangkok is a good idea and that many language centres in Bangkok or other schools routinely take on teachers who are available in country and who visit in person to enquire about vacancies. This could definately be an option for you. You need to consider how much money you could afford to take if you did so for possible costs whilst you have not found work, accom etc. You also need to think about what time of year to arrive (info like this is on the posts here already) and search out some reputable schools you might want to head to. Be aware, searching for jobs in the heat and chaos of Bangkok might be more tiring and hot than you imagined.

However some people would rather have a job lined up for arrival which offers security and peace of mind. The companies I am most aware of in Thailand who recruit from overseas are MediaKids, AYC and Time to Teach. I worked for MediaKids in Thailand last year. Both AYC and MediaKids will place you in more rural locations, certainly not Bangkok. This doesnt mean you will be in tiny villages but its safe to say these cities aren't tourist hotspots. I worked in Chaiyaphum last year with them and although quite a large city, didn't offer that much variety and got rather boring and Bangkok was 5 hours away by bus for travel on the weekends. However, I had no problems with MediaKids themselves, they pay relatively well (30,000- 35,000 Baht dependent on experience and quals) and despite what some people say, in more rural locations, where there isn't that much to spend your money on and costs are lower, this is more than enough to live and save a little. I travelled most weekends to other places and cities and still managed to save money. The bonus of these contracts is that they are 4-5 months and offer a taster of what teaching in these locations/ culture and whether this is something you really want to do. Many contracts in Thailand would typically be for longer periods.

Working for a company like MediaKids and AYC means you do have some choice in your location and age range but you're limited. You need to decide if these locations are for you. There are some jobs for cities like Lopburi and Khorat but you might well find yourself in a quieter city/town. A disadvantage is that by working in a government school that these companies will send you to, is that your class sizes may well be very large (in my case 43-45 in every class) and communication in English might be very limited between you and the vast majority of Thai teachers in the school. Plus be prepared to hear 'Farang!' being shouted out and people pointing at you EVERYWHERE. Even by the children in my school lol after having worked there for several months! These classes are hard work, especially in elementary and although it was suggested several times, we would have a Thai assistant teacher in our classes, none materialised. Resources, particularly in the elementary schools might be limited, although from the tales of other foreign teachers in Chaiyaphum working in High Schools, High schools are better resourced and might even have air conditioning in some rooms. It gets pretty hot in Thailand!

Anyway these are all considerations you might want to think about in deciding upon jobs in Thailand.

By the way, I worked in a Language Centre in China and loved it. The class sizes were small (max 18, some only 8 or 9) Chinese Assistant Teacher in every class, set Curriculum which we could adapt but helped set out learning objectives for each week/topic). However I think the culture of education in China is very very different to Thailand. In Thailand, things are more relaxed, Mai Pen Rai! Some of my Friday classes missed an entire months lessons for excursions to the Monastery, cleaning days and such. The priority of education is shall we say a little more relaxed than in China. However, for the teacher, students in China are generally a delight to teach

Hope this has helped a little. Good luck with your adventure

[MaiPenRai]

[martyrochon]

Thanks, very helpful!

[dragonfruit]

If you are seeking a volunteer teaching post check out http://www.volunteerworkthailand.org