Teacher Swaps London for Thailand Life

Smart girl and she'll do well. Her sunshine story is reported all over the news by leading outlets like e.g. the Sun, the Daily Dazzling Dawn who will all contribute to reaching her goal; a career on Onlyfans😋

As a Muslim girl in Thailand she'll probably be teaching in the South, which is not the safest region, but I hope she stays safe and enjoys the experience.

5 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Takes time to see what a country is all about. You have to integrate and not just stay in tourist areas, where foreigners are given more special treatment as they're paying much of the salaries of many there. She will also get a firsthand lesson on how the children respond to teaching here, especially regarding English courses. Many teachers come here then quit in time as the enthusiasm is very low. She will save money here but it might not turn out like she thinks.

I was very grateful to have hooked up with a TGF for a year early on in my stay in LOS. She had family all over the country, so we went and visited. Getting off the beaten tourist path opened my eyes; getting to see an outdoor funeral byre was a memorable highlight! We spent a month in Phuket while I got a TEFL, and two things really struck me there - it was a few years after the major tsunami but commercials from the US were still asking for disaster relief donations (grift!), and the place had been completely rebuilt. As well, Fantasea was one of the coolest entertainment venues ever.

Regarding the lack of student enthusiasm, I honestly think that depends on the school and the teacher. I can't post the specific name, but if you know, you know: It's the largest private school system in all Southeast Asia. The director of five of the puppy mills openly said she didn't like foreign teachers but the parents wanted to see foreign faces every morning as they dropped off their little monsters angels, and that attitude obviously influenced both teachers and students. The students in the little private school I teach at in Chanthaburi love the classes I teach and I can see them running to my classroom every morning.

Troll post removed @trucking

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English teaching is bottom of the barrel, last step before necking oneself IMHO.

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It depends. I've been teaching for perhaps 20 years in Asia. 1st Class Hons degree, Master's degree, TEFL, many professional teaching courses blah blah blah.

BUT - I am not a qualified teacher :) A qualified teacher will have a teaching degree, plus post grad teaching qualification (PGCE) plus licenced teacher status (QTS in the UK). Have that lot and you're earning good money at a 'real' international school.

I wasn't a teacher in the UK but a scientist. Despite that, my 'unqualified' teaching employment earned me >$30,000 net each year in Myanmar, which goes a long way :)

There is a very high demand for female KG teachers in Asia, so if she gets some qualifications under her belt, then the future is rosy!

13 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

I was very grateful to have hooked up with a TGF for a year early on in my stay in LOS. She had family all over the country, so we went and visited. Getting off the beaten tourist path opened my eyes; getting to see an outdoor funeral byre was a memorable highlight! We spent a month in Phuket while I got a TEFL, and two things really struck me there - it was a few years after the major tsunami but commercials from the US were still asking for disaster relief donations (grift!), and the place had been completely rebuilt. As well, Fantasea was one of the coolest entertainment venues ever.

Regarding the lack of student enthusiasm, I honestly think that depends on the school and the teacher. I can't post the specific name, but if you know, you know: It's the largest private school system in all Southeast Asia. The director of five of the puppy mills openly said she didn't like foreign teachers but the parents wanted to see foreign faces every morning as they dropped off their little monsters angels, and that attitude obviously influenced both teachers and students. The students in the little private school I teach at in Chanthaburi love the classes I teach and I can see them running to my classroom every morning.

I helped out in a large English school close to me for awhile, mainly because the owner, US educated and in the schools system here for over 40 years, wanted a native English speaker so his students would hear what it sounded like with no accent. He's hired many teachers over the years but most were from Cameroon and England, with a couple from Australia, all having strong accents.

The students who came to his school were sent there by parents wanting their children to really learn a lot more than the average local school teachers, and they learned rather quickly, or at least the ones who wanted to did.

My daughter speaks much better English than her teachers at her school have, only learning it from me at home, as all I really see there are papers handed out and students copying what they see. Anyone can do this, not really knowing what the words mean unless they come with pictures. None of her friends can speak more than a few words, and some of them are swear words, especially the F word.

I also helped out traveling to various schools here for camps of a day or two. Some of the teachers he hired were very good at getting the children going with English oriented games, and they can copy rather quickly, but when they go home, it's 100% Thai spoken so there isn't any other interaction of English speaking until they go back to school and it's largely English taught by teachers where English is a second language, besides the larger schools who hire from abroad. I do see some students going there who's commitment to learning is higher then others, and I guess that goes for all subjects in all schools worldwide. Some of his students that have gone to his school for two years are fluent and some haven't retained much, going through the motions with no parent involvement as their parents never learned themselves.

3 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

TEFL will not give you a permission to teach... so no workpermit as a teacher. Therefor you need to be an official educated teacher if not in English you also need a TEFL. Kurusapha, the department that gives out teachers licenses is very strict about it..

A TEFL gives you a minor advantage and makes teaching easier for you as gives you skills that are needed. As for where to teach, doing so at high school or younger is a fools errand really now, as Krusapha is a nightmare to deal with, and some teacher guys I know suggest you need a degree in education to do it long term and getting and maintain a teacher's licence is a pain in the backside... most say better to work in tertiary education as better work-life ballance and you don't get asked to do silly stuff the Thai high school teachers also have to do, even though it's a little less pay. However, I'm not 100% how much education places bend the rules these days as teacher supply has fallen off a cliff in the last 10 years.

3 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I helped out in a large English school close to me for awhile, mainly because the owner, US educated and in the schools system here for over 40 years, wanted a native English speaker so his students would hear what it sounded like with no accent. He's hired many teachers over the years but most were from Cameroon and England, with a couple from Australia, all having strong accents.

The students who came to his school were sent there by parents wanting their children to really learn a lot more than the average local school teachers, and they learned rather quickly, or at least the ones who wanted to did.

My daughter speaks much better English than her teachers at her school have, only learning it from me at home, as all I really see there are papers handed out and students copying what they see. Anyone can do this, not really knowing what the words mean unless they come with pictures. None of her friends can speak more than a few words, and some of them are swear words, especially the F word.

I also helped out traveling to various schools here for camps of a day or two. Some of the teachers he hired were very good at getting the children going with English oriented games, and they can copy rather quickly, but when they go home, it's 100% Thai spoken so there isn't any other interaction of English speaking until they go back to school and it's largely English taught by teachers where English is a second language, besides the larger schools who hire from abroad. I do see some students going there who's commitment to learning is higher then others, and I guess that goes for all subjects in all schools worldwide. Some of his students that have gone to his school for two years are fluent and some haven't retained much, going through the motions with no parent involvement as their parents never learned themselves.

One of my favorite phrases to teach to my better students (during slow, fun times) is the native speaker's grunt of "I don't know." Not a single consonant in it. I am very glad that the "6-7" fad is mostly dead.

2 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Honestly, care factor is zero.

English teaching is bottom of the barrel, last step before necking oneself IMHO.

1 minute ago, Sir Dude said:

A TEFL gives you a minor advantage and makes teaching easier for you as gives you skills that are needed. As for where to teach, doing so at high school or younger is a fools errand really now, as Krusapha is a nightmare to deal with, and some teacher guys I know suggest you need a degree in education to do it long term and getting and maintain a teacher's licence is a pain in the backside... most say better to work in tertiary education as better work-life ballance and you don't get asked to do silly stuff the Thai high school teachers also have to do, even though it's a little less pay. However, I'm not 100% how much education places bend the rules these days as teacher supply has fallen off a cliff in the last 10 years.

The problem is that you need a teachers license to get a workpermit as teacher. Kurusapa almost never gives the license anymore unless you are qualified as a teacher, preferable master. It is one of the reasons that there are almost no foreign teachers anymore.

14 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

The problem is that you need a teachers license to get a workpermit as teacher. Kurusapa almost never gives the license anymore unless you are qualified as a teacher, preferable master. It is one of the reasons that there are almost no foreign teachers anymore.

My kids Thai gov school has at least 4x Chinese language teachers, and 3x American English teachers

I wonder if she's got a work permit for putting the kids to sleep...no mention of it

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

My kids Thai gov school has at least 4x Chinese language teachers, and 3x American English teachers

With a workpermit as teacher?

Only criticism. Many here on AN came to Thailand relatively young themselves, and many of us are still here. Leave the girl alone and let here find her own way in Thailand. She is young and can always go back to England if Thailand doesn't turn out the way she hoped!

Felt

My understanding of the situation is that if you want to teach at a high school or lower levels, then you need to go through Krusapha to get the teacher's licence and work permit because you are dealing with minors under the age of 18... hence the ball-ache associated with it. That doesn't hold true for universities or colleges/higher education as it's adults under the law... these tertiary education places can decide for themselves and if they are happy with someone, then they can apply for a work permit with the required documents.

Only problem is the non-immigrant visa... non-B has to be applied for from outside the country, I think (correct me if I'm wrong) and you can also get a work permit on a non-O too for being officially married etc. and I know guys that are on both working at uni-level places. This is why many teachers are now opting for tertiary places unless you can do the international school route.

15 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

My understanding of the situation is that if you want to teach at a high school or lower levels, then you need to go through Krusapha to get the teacher's licence and work permit because you are dealing with minors under the age of 18... hence the ball-ache associated with it. That doesn't hold true for universities or colleges/higher education as it's adults under the law... these tertiary education places can decide for themselves and if they are happy with someone, then they can apply for a work permit with the required documents.

Only problem is the non-immigrant visa... non-B has to be applied for from outside the country, I think (correct me if I'm wrong) and you can also get a work permit on a non-O too for being officially married etc. and I know guys that are on both working at uni-level places. This is why many teachers are now opting for teriary places unless you can do the international school route.

Correct. There are hundreds of TEFL jobs available at language schools, business schools and private institutes. A degree and preferably a decent TEFL qualification is all that's required. Thailand's TEFL requirements are no different to most other countries.

On 5/26/2026 at 12:39 PM, fredwiggy said:

She looked for a less expensive place to live, which it is, but likely hasn't considered what living here means in personal life, especially for a foreign woman.

Farang women like Thailand. 30,000 temples to visit and good shopping.

29 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Farang women like Thailand. 30,000 temples to visit and good shopping.

Visit a few large temples you've seen most of what to be seen. They can shop , get massages, and see the sights also. Not a good place to find a partner, travel alone in, especially certain areas, and she will see first hand what teaching ends up as. Unless she's really patient, and picks a good school, it's not all

On 5/26/2026 at 1:35 PM, BritManToo said:

My kids Thai gov school has at least 4x Chinese language teachers, and 3x American English teachers

But can they speak the language themselves ?

4 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

But can they speak the language themselves ?

Unlikely, but not really relevant.