| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
patrick.miles14
Joined: 30 May 2010
Posts: 2
|
 Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:17 pm Post subject: Teach in Thailand Help!! |
 |
|
Hey everybody! Has anyone used, or heard of this organization?
http://www.teachaschool.com/
Or what organization would someone recommend?
Thanks! |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Pauleddy
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 295
Location: The Big Mango
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:46 am Post subject: |
|
|
Not specific. What do u want? An agency that places you? A CELTA training school?
google exists! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
patrick.miles14
Joined: 30 May 2010
Posts: 2
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 10:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Paul,
I am looking for an agency that will place me in a school. Have you ever been to Thailand? If so, what would you recommend? And I have been offered a job by the aforementioned organization (http://www.teachaschool.com/) and I just want to look into them before I decide.
Thanks! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kiels
Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 59
Location: UK
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 11:40 am Post subject: |
|
|
| AYC and MediaKids are two organisations that will place you in a public school in Thailand for a 5 month contract (1 term). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Pauleddy
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 295
Location: The Big Mango
|
| Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:49 am Post subject: |
|
|
Some people like the option of being 'placed', especially in a strange country.
However, it can have downsides--you can be placed in some boonies school, and you may even find that your salary is lower 'cos it has paid the agency commission.
Try to find out as much as you can about the agency and the school. Check all of the mails on here...there are bad stories about being let down or ripped off, and there are some good stories as well.
The 'normal' advice is to come here with enough money and look around yourself, but some folk clearly can't or won't do that.
eddy |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pest2
Joined: 28 Oct 2006
Posts: 170
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 5:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Pauleddy wrote: |
Some people like the option of being 'placed', especially in a strange country.
However, it can have downsides--you can be placed in some boonies school, and you may even find that your salary is lower 'cos it has paid the agency commission.
Try to find out as much as you can about the agency and the school. Check all of the mails on here...there are bad stories about being let down or ripped off, and there are some good stories as well.
The 'normal' advice is to come here with enough money and look around yourself, but some folk clearly can't or won't do that.
eddy |
I agree with this advice. The afforementioned agencies, from what I saw, seem to place teachers in schools that are 'bottom of the barrel' insofar as working conditions and facilities. They will try to put you in a school with no AC in any classrooms or even the teachers' work area. They will try to put you in some lame, small little town in the middle of nonameburi province in Meuangno-ting. They seem to target backbackers and others with little or no teaching experience who are 'just passing through' and seeking a more protracted (and later those passers through will realize its also a more agonizing) time to spend in Thailand than a mere vacation.
There are better schools out there, and you just have to go look, I think... And I think its OK to be picky about the school you pick. Have a list of things you will tolerate and a list of things you wont tolerate. Be responsible for yourself about the decision you make to work at a given school... That way, you wont have to feel bad later in case things go bad due in no part to your own actions (which, in Thailand, happens quite often).
Come to Thailand, look around at schools. Be patient. Find a good one. Geez, if everyone did that, maybe the schools would have to improve some of their standards in order to attract foreign teachers... NOT!!!! (the schools dont care at all about attracting teachers, I'm quite convinced).
The ironic thing is that the Thai government, through its immigration policies, has clearly implied that Thai schools should attempt to hire teacher from outside of Thailand rather than after teachers arrive. Hence the infamous required Thaivisa runs to other countries to get work-ready visas... But the schools are unwilling and/or unable to comply with this ideal... so like most other rigid and unchangeable systems in Thailand, this problematic system stays the same... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
btsmrtfan
Joined: 01 Jul 2010
Posts: 193
Location: GPS Not Working
|
| Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 11:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| If the schools don't care about attracting teachers, why are there so many ads for teachers? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 1:34 am Post subject: |
|
|
| btsmrtfan wrote: |
| If the schools don't care about attracting teachers, why are there so many ads for teachers? |
Just like fishing - cast enough lines and you will eventually catch something even if the bait (salary and work conditions) is crap.
. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pest2
Joined: 28 Oct 2006
Posts: 170
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 3:55 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| tttompatz wrote: |
| btsmrtfan wrote: |
| If the schools don't care about attracting teachers, why are there so many ads for teachers? |
Just like fishing - cast enough lines and you will eventually catch something even if the bait (salary and work conditions) is crap.
. |
plus its free to place those ads and only really takes about 20 seconds for each one.. and it turns out most of the schools have a form-ad since they are too lazy to write a new one for each of the many many many new repetitive job openings they have... so, for example, I went to one job interview that had advertised a job for a high school teacher. Turns out they were hiring a kindergarten teacher and they were just too lazy to change the text of the ad (cut and paste!)... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
takgeyon
Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 51
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 6:28 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I've never heard anything good from anyone who was placed with an agency. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MaiPenRai
Joined: 17 Jan 2006
Posts: 390
Location: BKK
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 7:18 am Post subject: |
|
|
Here we go again, lol. The afore mentioned agencies are good for some people. There are plenty of reasons why working for an agency would be beneficial:
1. no time/money/desire/know-how to look around for the best job.
2. some people actually WANT to work in smaller communities in a more rural setting (best way to learn the language by the way).
3. dont want to deal with schools that know nothing about the required paperwork to obtain visas and work permits.
4. want to meet a network of teachers in the same situation as themselves
5. looking for a particular area that is hard to find work on your own
6. dont want to do a full year contract (as Kiels stated, many agencies do 1 term contracts now)
7. have a personality that needs security
| Quote: |
| I've never heard anything good from anyone who was placed with an agency. |
9 times out of 10, people talk about (post) about negatives experiences rather than positive. In the restaurant biz we used to say that 1 upset customer would tell 20 people, but 1 satisfied customer would propably only tell 5.
I know plenty of people who used to work for agencies who had fine/good/great experiences. I would say that most people who complain about agencies played a large part in the problem as well.
| Quote: |
| Hence the infamous required Thaivisa runs to other countries to get work-ready visas... |
Quite possible to change a tourist visa to a Non-Imm B Visa in Bangkok. Problem is that most schools/aganecies dont know or dont' care to learn HOW to do it. There is a "logic" (strange for Thailand) in making prospective "teachers" leave the country to get "work" visas, but I'll let you see if you can figure it out on your own.
| Quote: |
| They seem to target backbackers and others with little or no teaching experience who are 'just passing through' |
I base my statements on years of experience working for and with agencies. Many teachers that use agencies have experience, many have a TEFL cert., and very few are "backpackers". True that maybe 25% of the teachers I met via agencies fit your description. And most EFL teachers are just "passing through". I would say the average shelf life for a teacher in EFL is 1-2 years.
Based on the descriptions about ads and Thai schools here, I would say that at least you know what you are getting when you use an agency. Question is, is it for you?
When using an agency, always ask a lot of questions, get pictures of your school and accomm (if included), ask to speak or email past and/or current teachers, make sure they can explein the visa/work permit procedure, and come without expectations. Be informed.
Best of luck. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
