Teachers' advice / Thailand
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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
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.
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."
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."
TEFL jobs in Thailand
TEFL courses in Thailand
Teaching in Asia Forum
Travel information for Thailand
Practise Thai
Thailand Culture Shock!
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