Job Discussion Forums

[ThailandHereWeCome]

Hello,

My spouse and I are planning on heading to Thailand in September to begin teaching English for a year (or possibly longer) and we are hoping to find a good recruiting agency so we have a bit of a game plan prior to leaving. I've read that it's best just to go there and look for jobs, but we wouldn't mind having jobs prior to leaving either. We know we aren't highly qualified and won't get the best jobs, so we are concerned mostly with finding work with a relatively reputable employer. (BA & BSc; TEFL; 3 months exp. teaching English in Mexico). I sent an email the AYC, but I don't know how comfortable I am with sending them copies of my passport, transcripts, etc- is this normal? (my concern is with counterfitting); I know at some point the schools will request them, but I wasn't sure how many people send them via email.

Do you know if many schools offer couples positions? We don't want to teach in the same classroom, but we would like to be at the same school, if at all possible. We've noticed there are several rural positions available; we both completed a rural exchange program with a Mexican university and really enjoyed the lifestyle; however, we haven't heard much about the rural Thai lifestyle.

I love the idea of just winging it and heading down there handing out resumes and keeping our fingers crossed, but on the other hand, the feeling of going will be (or at least feel) more real for us (in the months leading up to the trip).

Thanks for any tips, advice. Your words are worth their weight in gold (that saying doesn't really apply here....blah.... you know what I mean )

[Gypsy King]

There are plenty of teaching jobs in Thailand. My advice isto search for them when you arive not before. Also remember that most ELT recruiters work for schools in the LOS so whatever they offer you will be relative to teaching at a Thai government or private school. Also note the trend in Thailand is toward volunteer and non-paid teaching positions. Thais want teachers who are more interested in experiencing Thailand and not making money. Keep in mind most of these recruiters recruit EFL teachers from Kaosan Road. Many (if not mist) of these backpackers are tourists disquised as teachers with no formal teaching qualifications/experience etc and most will teach for peanuts! Good luck.TIT

[MaiPenRai]

Gypsy, what are you talking about?

[ThailandHereWeCome]

Thank you for the kind responses. I like how you emphasized the "going as a couple" portion of your response, as I think that may be one of the most difficult logistical items on our plate. Also, good point about the documents... I should've know better, my apologies.

Alrighty then, I guess we will be looking at places either in Bangkok or within ~2 hours of it. I know this is probably a very subjective question, but out of AYC, MediaKids, BFITS, Boston Bright, etc, which 2 would you say are the most reputable/helpful? I understand it is difficult to give a solid response (i.e. x = the best, y = 2nd best...), but even if you have any input based on personal experience I would appreciate it.

Thanks again!

[MaiPenRai]

If you are coming in Sept, note that most of the government schools operate on a May-Sept/Oct and then Nov-Feb/March schedule. So ity should be a decent time to look for work starting in the second semester.

PM me if you have any other questions or still looking for work in Sept.

[ThailandHereWeCome]

Hi,

Thanks for the response. I guess we'll fire off documents to the recruiting agencies and keep our fingers crossed (I know this might not be the best idea, but.... you live you learn). MaiPenRai... I may be PMing you with a few questions (Thanks again!)

[rostovru]

I recruit for one of the firms, and I'm also a former teacher.

The bottom line is you're going to have submit your passport, degree, certificates, headshot and sometimes a background check for any staffing firm.

The passport is so that they can arrange a "B" visa, and in theory, run a Thai background check (although few agencies actually do that) and begin your work permit.

You'll find anywhere you want to go in Asia it's going to be about the same process.

That being said, you're best off if you can go to Thailand first, and then look for jobs from there. You can probably get a job paying roughly 10k baht more per month if you have no experience, and if you're qualified with teaching experience, international schools will take your salary to the next level. Some of the international school teachers are making in excess of 100k baht per month, which is a lot of money in Thailand. In BKK, you'd be able to get a high rise apartment and have 50k left over.

The reason to use a staffing company is for convenience, and frankly, anyone offering a position in a government or private school that is contract, not hourly, is going to have roughly the same deal. 30-38k baht monthly, work permit/visa, 50% accident insurance. Some companies, like mine, offer extras like housing, but in Thailand, that's rare.

AYC will pay you, get you a position, and be dependable. They're not going to give you lesson plans or assistance as you teach. You'll be on your own, either alone in your school.

I actually taught with AYC, and despite alot of the teachers I worked with complaining about them, I thought they were fine. You just need to be a self-starter, but you'll get paid. I was able to live quite well on my salary - I might add on the beach with regular doses of beer - and save about 10k baht a month.

The companies to stay away from are the ones that offer hourly positions. You never know how many hours you're going to get; hence, your salary could be really low. Those places are best if you've already got a job, and want to make a few hundred baht here or there in your free time. But even then, unless you're REALLY hurting for cash, it's not worth it. It's better to make your salary work for you and enjoy your time.

So the short story is you're gonna be better off waiting until you get to Thailand to find a job, but if the process is too intimidating, maybe you should go through a staffing firm for a semester, and then see what your options are after.

Oh, and going as a couple is not going to matter! Staffing firms will definately accommodate you. And, the trend is not volunteer teaching. People who volunteer are not willing to commit to a semester, which is hard for schools to deal with, so a few places here and there accept volunteers simply because they have no money to pay. But that is the exception rather than the rule, and it's a result of teachers not wanting to stay for a decent amount of time. Also, any company that asks you to pay them to volunteer is just digging in your pocket book. I met some teachers from the UK who were paying several thousand pounds for the 'experience' of teaching in Thailand. Meanwhile, I've got a bridge in Nova Scotia I want to sell them.

I hope this helps.

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

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