starshiptrooper

Both schools have a very good reputation overall. KIS is a much smaller school that has a reputation of being more "family like" with a good community. Teaching load is manageable from what I've heard.

 

NIST is on of the top international schools in the world. It's a very professional environment. The teaching load is heavier than at KIS but plenty of support is offered.

 

Both schools have plenty of "long timers" since the working condition generally are good. Student behavior is what you expect from good international schools - it's very polite compared to other schools. NIST has a very diverse student body whereas KIS less so.

 

Renumeration at NIST is among the top in Asia. Expect about 230,000+. KIS has salaries that of typical mid tier international schools in Bangkok 100,000-150,000. Both salaries obviously allow for a very comfortable living.

North American accents are preferred. The British find it unnerving, but it's true. When was the last time you heard a middle/working class Thai not in IB school put on a posh accent? Never, yup me too.

You know that IB is a Swiss organization, right? The IB program is taught in several different languages (English, Spanish, French and Chinese).

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Does anyone actually have a degree in the subject that they are  teaching?Asking for transcripts  might be a way of eliminating "khao san road degrees".

I was asked for the transcripts when applying for my position and my degree matches my teaching subjects.

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Most of these, presumably, International schools, generally recruit from overseas and can take their pick from very experienced teachers. Don't even start to think these jobs are easy to get. Local hires are the second choice, and often do not get all of the benefits of international hires. 

The top three for sure require extensive experience (ISB, NIST and Pattana). However there are plenty of other schools with decent salaries where you can get in with 1-2 years of experience. Alternatively work a couple of years in a low tier international school with an international curriculum after which you can get hired to the better ones. Qualified professionals do have lots of options in Bangkok.

You need a masters degree, from a real University in the "west" to earn that sort of wage here. It's great if you get in one I'm sure. Benefits include housing and handling of all in country income tax issues as well of course getting a TL, VISA, and Work Permit. Money talks, BS walks. OO And God Bless Those Lucky Few. 

A bachelor is fine, but it should be from a recognized university. What is more important I guess is how dedicated you are and if you act professionally. There are plenty of good teaching jobs in Bangkok for qualified professionals that pay 100k+.

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17 hours ago, zeichen said:

If you care about your career, don't teach in Thailand and definitely don't just be an EFL teacher.

 

Though you are young and probably won't listen to any advice and just came here to get support on how to do what you want to do, I will play devils advocate a little.

 

1st. Don't do any TEFL class that is in a resort town. Getting a CELTA before you leave the UK would be the best bet, however save your money and get a PGCE and QTS before making the trip to asia would be the most advantageous. 

 

Ignore the leg up on others because you have some experience. Get real 3-5 years teaching experience in your home country. Then make the transition to international schools.  Come to Thailand for your holidays and enjoy yourself.  Teaching here will burn you out as fast as it does everywhere else. You will not enjoy the beach every day nor will you have time nor energy to enjoy nightlife if you are really building yourself professionally. Its no different than back home if you are working in a proper school with professional development.

 

If you are looking to work some crap language school teaching basic conversation, then yes, you will have lots of time to get drunk and party on the beach, but you are not going to develop any real teaching skills that way.  Endless summer lifestyle is for deadbeats and not professional teachers.

 

Personally I recommend China right now for international schools. They are booming and offer very good salaries and professional development. Make your bones there for a few years while getting your masters in education and then come to Thailand to teach at one of the mid tier or top international schools.

 

 

What Zeichen says in the end. You can certainly come to Thailand to teach. You will most likely have a great experience. Just make sure you get properly certified (and get a bit of experience after that) and then apply to the better schools here. At least if you are considering teaching as a career. You will enjoy much better benefits and you won't have to worry about non existing savings and insurance as much.

On 12/21/2016 at 2:52 AM, ozmeldo said:

From my experience, it's very difficult breaking into upper tier schools here. This coming year may really tell it all for me. Day job in special elite-ish schools and programs will cap out at about 50k (BKK publics at 37-39) if you have the Moxy and courage to repeatedly job hop (starting over at the bottom too), risk the school waiver system and might be forced to work with small kids, that's what will get you up over 40k. Which is a pittance.

 

There are plenty of well run mid-tier schools with salaries that allow you live a very comfortable life style here. Many of those also hire within Thailand.

What package you'll be offered depends on the school. I work in a mid tier international IB school and there is no "only hire abroad" policy. Most teachers are hired through fares (search associates) but some are hired directly and within the country. Every foreigner is offered an oversea package in my school.

Your qualifications to teach at an IB school will affect your job prospects. Every DP teacher needs to be IB- certified in their subject. If they are not, the school needs to send them to training which is an extra cost for the school. In MYP only one teacher in each department needs to be IB- certified, however knowledge of the IB- framework is highly regarded since the structure of the assessment and the units can be confusing for non certified teachers.

Bangkok has a job fare (in December or January). My advice would be to sign up for that one and look for potential schools. Good luck and welcome to the IB.


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As the previous poster said you should probably be looking for international schools. They will pay north of 100k.


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I'm working in a mid - tier international school at the moment. Our school does hire locally, but mainly through job fairs. Salary starts around 110k/m (including housing allowance). I don't think they have a strict policy when it comes to experience, but none of my colleagues have less than 2 years of teaching experience.

I'm not working in a Thai school so I don't know about hiring. But doesn'tyour way of seeking jobs just mean that the school that will hire you is going to be poorly managed? Feels a bit odd to intentionally look for such an employer.

I'm not looking for a poorly managed school. That's just the way they operate.

If you choose to wait until the very last minute to apply then you limit yourself to poorly managed schools. Why not apply as soon as possible to get into the schools who actually have their s*** together?

I'm not working in a Thai school so I don't know about hiring. But doesn'tyour way of seeking jobs just mean that the school that will hire you is going to be poorly managed? Feels a bit odd to intentionally look for such an employer.

I'm not sure if blasting your cv to everyone is a good idea. I sent a few cvs to jobs found on Ajarn from which I got two job offers. I heard about a job through a friend, but the job wasn't in Bangkok so I turned it down after the interview. The job I eventually went for was at a decent international school. I got the job by reaserching their site and sending a cover letter along with my cv to them. They didn't advertise open positions bid they were inviting people to send their resumes in.

I work in a mid-tier international school. Our salaries start at 110k. Each year of experience or extra qualifications gives you a small pay bump.

Hi!

I'm planning to spend the October break in Phuket or Krabi next week but I'm hesitant to book anything because of the haze. Can anyone tell me what the situation there is at the moment?

Its seems not over 10 schools in thai have CSI accreditation

According to http://www.cois.org/page.cfm?p=1913 there are 29 CIS accredited schools. I cannot think of any good international school in Thailand that is not on that list.

No

The school is listed in wikipedia international schools in thailand.

Is that a proof if being inter? lol

Have a look at the schools webpage and see if they are an accredited school. Look for "CIS" (Council of International Schools). If they are accredited they probably have some standards...

Its on the ISAT website but only has ONESQA accreditation

I don't think the ONESQA says anything about their status as an international school. I would assume they're not an established international school.

No

The school is listed in wikipedia international schools in thailand.

Is that a proof if being inter? lol

Have a look at the schools webpage and see if they are an accredited school. Look for "CIS" (Council of International Schools). If they are accredited they probably have some standards...

Great reply and true!

"A Thai boyfriend and your money"!!

Only if you pick your "university educted girls" from Nana or Pattaya.

I was an exchange student in Bangers 2009 and let me tell you girls would literally throw themselves over us guys sometimes. This was in places like RCA, funky, Narz, WIP which cater to upper class thais, so most of the people there have some sort of degree.

Beeing 23 and goodlooking didn't hurt though .

Of course, there were girls that were wary of approaching westerners, but in general you were a catch among female university educated predators.

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The dollar rose only 2 bht

the euro rose about 5 bht

why is the dollar not moving like eu or pound ?

Well, mainly because you have to look at the % in each case. If both the dollar and euro gained, say 33 baht it would mean that the usd doubled it's strength while the euro didn't. So the weaker currencies (usd) can not rise as much as the stronger (euro, pound) if you look at the amount of baht.

Of course I'm assuming here that the relative strengths of usd and euro is constant, which is not always true.

ITT scared Americans hype their fear of MSG.

Like mrtoad said that area is super when it comes to food. You'll have Major Ratchayothin (cinema complex) with lots of nice chain restaurants. If you want to buy bread, juice and cereal there's Tesco lotus not too far away. And if you fancy at a food court there's one at the top floor of Central Mall which is just opposite of Tesco. The food there is cheap and tasty.

And when it comes to street food there's quite a lot to choose from. Keep in mind that some of the food stall open late in the evening so you might not find your favourite food vendor at 4 pm.

There's one particular place which is quite close by but which is well hidden (for foreigners at least). It's the Bang Khen market (dtalaat bang khen). If you drive from the elephant tower toward Major on Phahonyothin road, it's on the right after the intersection with Ratchayothin. It's not immediately after it's a good way from it, quite close to the hospital if I remember correct. It's not a typical market, just a place with some food stalls open 24h. But my God, you'll find the best food there I'll promise! It's tricky to find it but it's worth the effort, I promise you.

Yes, there's a nice pool at the 13th floor, but I think it's only for residents. I'm sure the guards downstairs won't stop you though if you have normal clothes on (they'll think you live there). Just walk to the elevators, go to the 13th floor and jump in. I think there was some sign that said that you should pay for the pool, but no one enforced that. I lived there 4 years ago. A big two bedroom apartment was 22k/month, not bad if you share. There's also some smaller condos across the street (Supalai Park tower). Prim place is nice and cheap though, but without a pool. If you have anymore questions about the surrounding area, don't hesitate to ask.