Teaching English in Thailand

The following comments are from teachers who have taught, or are currently teaching, in Thailand. If you are a teacher and have some advice to share, please add it here.

Anonymous on 27 November 2005

quote Some schools will try to not pay you all the money that you are entitled to so always go to a school that is reputable. Make friends with Thai teachers as they are, on the whole, really eager to help you to settle in and teach you about their culture. If you wish to buy something always try to take a Thai person with you as it will save you lots of money as the Thai shop/stall owners overcharge the foreigners.

Anonymous on 28 November 2005

quote Thai Universities are the only universities in the world that I know of whose salaries for foreign ESL teachers have not increased in nearly thirty years.

Ann on 17 June 2006

quote If you want to teach in Thailand and enjoy the experience, just make sure you have completed a decent 4 week TEFL course. You will learn how to spot the cowboy schools, how to apply for the best jobs and what to say at the interview. Oh, and you'll learn how to teach too! I know a number of school directors who are still bemused by the number of newbees who are applying for teaching positions and they don't have a TEFL certificate. If you don't have a TEFL there are still plenty of Thai school directors who will employ you. This however should signal an alarm bell. You'll get the jobs no ones else wants, teach in overcrowded classes, work 6 days per week including weekends and you will earn a low wage. That is of course assuming that you do get paid.

Anonymous on 2 July 2006

quote The education system in Thailand consists of private, fee paying schools, and government run schools, which are now unfortunately the poor option in every respect. If there is any way, Thai parents pay the fees of a private school. This leaves the poor and orphaned children at a severe disadvantage, so if you are considering teaching English as a native speaker in Thailand, you have the opportunity to really make a difference for some young lives. I teach on a voluntary basis at my local village school in Chiang Mai and am aware that many other schools would eagerly welcome native English speakers. The hitch is of course money! You don't need much to live here, you can happily live on £100 a month, but you will need to support yourself or get a sponsor.

Anonymous on 18 February 2007

quote I have taught English in Thailand on three different occasions and whilst the experience was mostly good the work permit system is ridiculous. Before you leave to go to Thaliand ensure that the company will get your work permit (and cover all associated costs) as part of your contract.

James on 19 February 2007

quote I think anyone planning on teaching in Thailand, or actually teaching would recommend the website www.ajarn.com. I, and many of my colleagues have found it an invaulable resource. Also, try their forum www.ajarnforum.net; a forum full of people teaching in Thailand who're more than happy to offer you their advice and their knowledge gained by their experience.

The current visa and work permit situation is a mess. Different parts of the system are making different rules independent of each other. An attempt to grant work permits only to qualified, experienced teachers that can provide a criminal background check, while commendable, has not been organised properly making it a very unstable place to try and teach legally in. Many experienced and qualified teachers have left deeming the process disorganised, confusing and not worth the low status and wages offered for teaching in Thailand. Generally, teaching in Thailand can be fun and fulfilling although schools and agencies often have a higher commitment to making money than educating students. Student behaviour in the classroom can be a problem and foreign teachers are often not given the full support necessary to provide effective classroom management.

Anonymous on 28 August 2007

quote Thai parents tend to send their boys to private or international schools to learn English, but send their girls, by and large, to the local Thai schools. Therefore, if you are teaching at a kindergarten or primary school, expect your class to be heavily unbalanced in terms of gender - ratio in my class is 16 boys to 4 girls! Often, the parents themselves do not speak English, so communicating with them about the child's progress, homework assignments, etc. is challenging.

Mandy on 23 June 2008

quote I taught in Thailand on three separate occasions. The last time my boss did not get me a work permit as promised (be wary of any Thai "promise") and I had to leave early - he then failed to pay me for the work I had done - even though I had never missed one day etc. It was very dissapointing.

Chris on 5 July 2008

quote While teaching in Thailand can be a hugely rewarding experience, the scams and pitfalls abound just as much they do in Spain or anywhere else in Europe or S. America. Fortunately the reports are about isolated incidents, and the chances of falling victim are are as rare as getting run over in Reading. Unfortunately, the ajarn forum is not the useful source of info it was once, and far too much scaremongering goes on by people who have nothing better to do than live in cyberspace. In this new Thailand TESOL forum at http://nittayo.org/tesol_discussions you can get some responsible, first-hand, up-to-date help and really feel part of the community.

Steve John on 29 July 2009

quote Stay away, it's false promises and irregular payments. Have waited three months for wages and now wage is two months late again. They're wasting Thai money employing farang. The school system is not for the benefit of the children.

Kevin on 26 February 2011

quote I totally agree with you John. I wasted three precious years of my ESL career "teaching" in Thailand. What a waste of time! I'm teaching in Malaysia now. Yes, the government rules and regulations here are strict but they won't cheat you in Malaysia... ever. I have a totally different view of Islam now. They really practice what they preach. Lots of genuine hospitality here too. No phoney smiles. Real people. I'm VERY favorably impressed with this country.

Anonymous on 7 February 2012

quote If you are thinking about teaching in Thailand, have a flare for adventure and love new cultures...DO IT. I taught in the South for 1 year and it was the best year of my life. Like every country there are scams and bad experiences, but do your reseach prior to getting there. In my opinion the South was the best to live in because everything was cheaper, I was very close to islands and amazing towns, and your away from ex-pat central of bangkok and chiang mai.

Yes the pay is relatively low, but I played hard, travelled everywhere and lived a very comfortable lifestyle.

Also, GET A MOTORBIKE they are so much fun and the only way to see the country. I could literally leave my school on my bike and in 20 minutes be at a waterfall in the jungle. They are essential to experiencing the country. Yes they are dangerous, and please be careful on them. I just always expected other drivers to do something stupid and was ready to swurve or stop to avoid them.

The school system can be frustrating but the kids are sweet (depending on the age). My school paid for all work permits, visas, always on time for the monthy salaries, covered all health and dental insurance, and paid for my flight there. You can find these schools, put the hours in researching online and it will pay off.