AJ Alex

I was planning on doing the test soon

What preparation should I do?

I have a click currently

Can i do the test on that and then get a 250cc afterwards?

Thanks

I currently live in a small town and have no worries as to riding illegally

I am moving to Chiang Mai soon and I would like to know what I should do to make sure that if the police stop me I will not have to pay a fine etc...

I have a provisional licence from the UK (i never took my test)

I have not took a test in Thailand

I'm also considering getting a new bike

will the engine size be an issue and how can I insure that I am riding legally.

Thanks

Which shops sell the two strokes as I was considering a nsr or a dirt bike

I dont like the sonics or similar scooter/bikes

I guess i'm inpatient and I want to own a bike that I can enjoy asap

I'm looking at bike porn every day and want to fast track so to become a reality soon

I have read mixed opinions about the whole work permit gives you credit issue

The whole reason my click is in my directors name is because I couldn't get credit from honda

Do you know of anywhere specific in Chiang Mai that will give credit if a work permit is shown as honda definitely wont

Thanks

Ahh i'm glad it was a joke as your thread at the top was funny

I did wonder if what i said would end up coming back to bite me as it clearly has

Fair play

Unfortunately my first 9 months in this country have been quite stressful, hence the slight resonance of an attitude problem

But i'm hoping everything is gonna change once I move up there

A: Whats E.T short for?

B: Extra Terrestrial

A: No, it's because he's got little legs

Maybe I could part exchange my click and cough up the rest, that way I could buy it all in one go

Anyone know of anywhere that would do this?

Again new or second hand

Thanks

I currently have a click

I was able to purchase it and pay monthly as the director at my school offered to use her name and I just pay her every month

I trust her and when I have finished the payments it will be transferred into my name

When I arrive in Chiang Mai in two months I would like to get a bigger bike and pay monthly again

My director offered to do this for me and is not something I would feel comfortable asking anyone at my new school to do

Are there any people who know of anywhere that will allow a non-Thai to pay for a new or second hand bike every month

Nothing too big probably a CBR 150 will do

Thanks

I'm moving to Chiang Mai in two months

Reading this thread has just made me very excited

I'm 28 years old and I sold everything I owned (apart from my clothes and guitar) when I left the UK

I'm going to try and live here for as long as possible

Thanks for the thread

You obviously didn't read the thread properly otherwise you would realize that if you bring a guitar you are likely to be deported for not having a work permit before you even get through customs

I did read the thread properly, but thank you for your concern

I said I brought my guitar with me, I didn't say I was planning on using it to work with.

I am a music teacher and I currently have a work permit

Also, if you would be so kind as to read my thread again you will notice that I used the word "here" indicates that I am currently in the country and have already passed through customs.

Maybe now you will realize your own limitations with regards to giving advice and criticism

Think a little more before you type next time as you may end up looking stupid

Thanks

Did you pay for your condo in one go?

I was hoping to get one eventually but I would have to pay every month

Is this possible?

Thanks

I'm moving to Chiang Mai in two months

Reading this thread has just made me very excited

I'm 28 years old and I sold everything I owned (apart from my clothes and guitar) when I left the UK

I'm going to try and live here for as long as possible

Thanks for the thread

Hiya,

Email the scans of your quals, cv and personal statement to every international school

isat has a list of all the schools

good luck

Hi

I was wondering if any veteran international school teachers could advise me on the type of contracts they have been offered once the first initial one year contract has been completed.

Do all schools operate on a one year contract with the option of renewing. Or do some schools offer 3 or 5 year contracts once the first or second year has been completed.

This my seem like a trivial question but it would help me a lot if someone could share their experiences surrounding this matter.

Many thanks

Merry Christmas and a happy new year

Yes I did Study TEFL at a good language school thanks. In my circumstance with the level of english being so low here and the problems I have with a few learners in the class that have learning difficulties, my PGCE and TEFL with observations included still was not enough to prepare me or anyone to teach english to young learners who can say only "cat" and "dog". Classroom management techniques based on the age and level of the learners would be appreciated instead of telling me to do something I have already done. But maybe it's too late for that now as I have a new job at an international school where the pay is double and I can discipline the learners in english not thai... Thank god!

There are 35 six year olds in a room. They don't speak any english. You don't speak any Thai. What you gonna do? They will be running round the room screaming and you think a TEFL course can prepare someone for that. I don't think so. I studied TEFL in Hua Hin but I never paid for the qual at the end as i knew i wouldn't need it. Having a Thai teacher to control the 6 year old and an NES to teach english works really well. Or learn how to say sit down and shut up in Thai and use it in the classrooms. What else can you do?

I teach 6 different classes. 2 of them are great. 2 of them have good and bad days. 2 of them I have to take a deep breath before I walk into the room. But I live on a beach so....

I'm interested to know more details about administration issues. I have not had any problems at my current school. However when I was contacted about a new job at an international school I was over the moon but felt instantly let down by the admin department. They wanted to pay me 1;500 a day. The second month is in the middle of songkran and i would take home 18,000 in one month. I had to convince them to pay 30,000 which I am happy with as I want the experience. It took the admin 21 days to reply to my email. I called and they said they were just about to send it to me. I still had to wait another 5 days and make another phone call. Whats all that about!

Is there anything else I should be aware of when dealing with admin

Thanks

Thanks SlyAnimal for an interesting and detailed response. I guess it's the disciplining and classroom management that has been the most difficult for me. Although you would think with a PGCE this would not be an issue. I never had any problems with unruly behavior when teaching in the UK. But my disciplining techniques will simply not work over here as I do not have to vocab to "tell them off". I got told Thai learners are respectful of their teachers. But it appears this is not always the case. In February I will be able to teach a different subject which i'm more passionate about and it will be to English speaking learners so i'm hoping I can rely on my old methods a little more.

Thanks again for the response

I don't have a TEFL qual but I have a PGCE and I have been teaching English in Thailand, The TEFL is flawed because it is impossible to teach English well, without using any Thai. This is something that the companies who sell the TEFL courses say. "come over and teacher English to Thai kids, you don't need to speak Thai" They say this so they can sell lots of tefl courses. It is simply a money making scam. If you have a Thai teacher in the room when you are teaching then this will help a lot. Although most tefl agencies will put you in a room on your own. Having a foreign teacher in a school in Thailiand is more about status not actually improving the kids English. Hence a degree in David Beckham and a 4 week tefl course can qualify you to teach English anywhere in the country from the ages of 4-18....CRAZY

Thanks for the comments. I will ask for 45k that seems a nice step up from the 30k which I have been struggling on for the last year.

Any ideas on the length of contracts I could be expecting once i'm settled

As well thanks Hugh Jarse I have sent my info to them. I'm interested to know where you found out about this opening as I couldn't find it myself. But I did find a general email address so thanks

Not long to go now

Just another thought

What kind of contracts can I expect

Is it just one year with the chance of renewing or can I expect to get 3-5 years after a while of teaching there

Thanks

Hi there

I have several job offers from international schools in Chiang Mai. I seek advice from some experienced teachers in this area. I am an experienced music teacher from the UK. I have a degree in music and a pgce. I do not have NQTS. How much should I be asking for as a starting salary. I have been living in south thailand and teaching english for one year whilst living off 30k a month. I would like to know how much more I can expect to be paid. I have been offered jobs teaching music and another job mentoring students who are full boarding.

Any other general discussions regarding international school work is welcome as there is not much on here compared to the English/tefl stuff

Thanks and greetings to you all