Warby24

.... But I can't understand how anyone can possibly teach with no training whatsoever.  So I guess my query is regarding the level of training that schools provide.  Is it just a case of sticking to the textbooks and improvising - or will I be thrown in at the deep end and have to do a lot of research/lesson planning?  I'll have a read as you suggested.

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Warby, some schools provide no training at all, such as the two well established govt. schools where I taught full time in the provinces. There were about two in-house teaching seminars per year, but they weren't very valuable. The textbooks tend to be lousy or inappropriate. Indeed, they sometimes throw you into the deep end without a life jacket. You might luck out, in Bangkok, and get a staff of 102 native teachers with broad experience teaching. I never had one.

And instead of asking "Why Bangkok? Why not the provinces?" - which I would normally say, I'll ask, "Why Thailand? Why not a country that has a truly professional education system?" I would think that anybody heading for a Ph.D. would avoid Thailand like avian flu.

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I've been thinking about going in cold and how daunting that would be and looking at the "TEFL International" 4 week course in Ban Phe. It's cheaper to do it over there than here at home. But if anyone knows anything about that course & whether it's a good prepatory course, I'd be interested.

The reason I'm thinking Thailand is because I'm at a loose end, between degrees, want to see some of the world. I have a friend who wants to come too. This is a break for me from academia. My plans for the PhD aren't really anything to do with it. I'm interested in the 18th century novel - not something I'm going to be able to find a job related to right now!! I think having taught in Asia will look VERY nice on a PhD application, especially when looking for Teaching Assistantships.

Otherwise I was thinking about Taiwan, but i decided it was worth going somewhere more beautiful - even if the pay doesn't really compare.

Your question is too ambiguous and too wide in scope.  Depending on what you mean by "worth it," "enough," and "adequate," and depending on which school you're asking about, my answer would be "yes," "no," or "depends."  Take a look through this thread (and the links to suggested threads I posted a couple of pages ago) and do some reading, and see if that helps you to be more specific- or, alternatively, give more information about the ambiguous points and we'll try again.

If your answer is simply "can I get a job?" I would say yes.  You'll be stuck at the 30K-40K level for a year or two, though, as pretty much everyone else is, and it might take that long to find a place that will give you a WP.

"Steven"

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Thanks for your reply. I'm not worried about the pay so much as long as it's enough to live on! I'd like some experience teaching before I apply for my PhD. I'm basically concerned about the level of training the schools provide. A number of people I know who've taught English abroad tell me not to do a TEFL, just to go & look for a job. But I can't understand how anyone can possibly teach with no training whatsoever. So I guess my query is regarding the level of training that schools provide. Is it just a case of sticking to the textbooks and improvising - or will I be thrown in at the deep end and have to do a lot of research/lesson planning? I'll have a read as you suggested.

I was wondering if someone could answer this for me. I'm 24 years old, from the UK, have an English Lit degree with 1st Class Hons, an MA in Creative Writing - and would like to spend a year teaching English in Bangkok.

I have NO teaching experience or qualification and can't afford to do a course - so basically, my question is, is it worth flying over and looking for a job?? And if it is, do the schools provide enough support for teachers to do an adequate job?

Thanks!