Job Discussion Forums

[pschwart]

Hello all.

I'm wondering if anyone has any information on this group of schools. I believe there are 3 of them. My girlfriend and I received offers from them, and this would be our first time ever teaching. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

[MaiPenRai]

I don't have any experience with LCC, but it looks like they are one of the many companies/schools that are acting as recruiters/agents for government schools/colleges.

Make sure of the exact location you will be teaching. I have a feeling that you will not be in a language school, but will instead be contracted out to a government/public school. Now, that could be good or bad depending on what you are looking for.

Advantages of a gov school:

1. guaranteed hours and pay
2. get to be more part of the community
3. lots of holidays and cancelled classes
4. often teach multiple classes of the same level, meaning minimal lesson planning

Disadvantages:

1. often very large class sizes (35-55)
2. Many apathetic students and teachers and admin (depends on school)
3. Have to be in school from 7:30-4:00ish
4. Sometimes have to be involved in the school activities (an advantage for some people)

SO, make sure if you are working at a government (public) school:

1. exactly where is the school (i.e is the school in the main city or in the province) - Thais often use the province to explain locations but you may be in the middle of nowhere, not in the main city.
2. average class size of school
3. are semester breaks paid? or will you be teaching "summer" classes?
4. if not in a main city, what available accommodations are there?
5. will the school/agent organize the Non0Immigrant B Visa and work permit for you AND will they pay for either. It is common to pay for your own visas but schools pay for work permits.
6. number of teaching classes/week (18-22 is standard)

Finally, if you are teaching in a government school, be prepared to not get a lot of "teaching" accomplished. Its common to see each class once a week and with 45 students, thats not a lot of time. If you are working in an English Program (EP or MEP), you may have smaller class sizes, see classes more than once/week and have brighter students (or maybe just richer students).

Ask lots of questions of LCC so that there are no surprises once you get here. If they are "good" they will have no problems answering questions. Good luck.

P.S. Samut Sakorn wouldn't be a great place to live in my opinion. Ya, its close to Bangkok, Kanchanaburi and Petchaburi/Hua Hin for weekend getaways, but day to day living wouldn't be great IMO.