luis0915

Did someone say something about non-natives teaching in Thailand. I'm one. I have a TEFL cert., and 4 years experience in ESL teaching abroad. Also have a BA from a non-English speaking country. What are my chances of getting a WP in Thailand as a teacher?

Hi

I'm planning to go to BKK and I was wondering....cool, I'm at the airport...what next? I've never been to Thailand before and I'd be kinda lost about accomodation and job hunting. Any ideas for a heads up? Where to ask for info on hostels, motels, how much to pay. I'm traveling on a budget so advice on cheap places to stay while I look for a teaching gig would be appreciated. Next, how to look for a job there? Do I walk door to door handing resumes out? Or do I focus my job hunting on the internet?...anyone can shed some light on these topics?...

Hey chris

I live in Peru, too, but I'm thinking of going to Thailand for more than 30 days. After some research on the web I learned I need to apply for a tourist visa at a Thai consulate. The thing is, I can't find any Thai consulates in Peru. I was wondering if u knew where it's located or if there are any at all.

Thanx for the input, guys.

Anyways, it is kinda funny you mention skin color. Actually, that's probably one of the aspects that allowed me to teach English in Korea in the first place. That and of course my speaking abilities. I started out as a Spanish teacher, but Spanish isn't too popular (or necessary) in Korea, so I did it only for a few months. Eventually, the school decided that my English was good enough to teach beginners and intermediate students, and that's how I became an ESL teacher. They renewed my visa as a Spanish teacher and kept teaching English. Now, as I said before, I don't speak with a Hispanic accent (at least that's what I heard from native speakers), and I don't look Latino. I'm fair-skinned, brown hair and, at first, nobody believes when I say I'm Hispanic. However, I remember seeing an African-American woman showing up at the school looking for a job and being given a polite 'no, thanks'. Shortly after, I asked the director about her and he replied that he was afraid that the color of her skin might scare the kids or that the parents might not feel at ease(!) having their kids learning from a black teacher. So, as kenkannif said, sometimes in the ESL world, even the color of skin can mean the difference between landing a job or being unemployed.

I was thinking of taking the CELTA because it apparently weighs more than a TEFL certificate. I took the TEFL course in Mexico (140 hours). I might be wrong, but considering that most employers ask for it, and that I am not a native speaker, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to have one. I would like some input from anyone on this, though.

Cheers^^

Hi there

I'm new to this board.

I was wondering if a non-native speaker could land a teaching gig in Thailand. My first language is Spanish (no Hispanic accent, though), but besides having 4 years of ESL teaching experience in S. Korea, I also have a TEFL certificate. I think I could probably find a couple of places if I were physically in Thailand, but I wanted to know if anyone reading this knows of someone doing it. I'm planning on taking the CELTA course at the ECCTHAI, and was wondering what my chances would be.

Thanx