Questions About Qualifications

[Storekeeper]

Thanks IJWT ... I'll check out the suggested thread to see what was said.

By the way ... how about PMing me the names of 1-3 TEFL oriented books you recommend to read prior to starting TEFL training.

[PeaceBlondie]

lsimpson, I hardly know what to advise you. You have all those qualifications, and yet....and yet, if the current MOE guidelines are to be followed, you're not qualified to teach nuttin' to nobody! Unless you can get a nice job in a law school. I think Casaundra recommended Chulalongkorn Univ. and ABAC Univ.

I came here at age 60, taught for two years illegally, never had a work permit, but had teaching experience of sorts, a university BA, etc.

If you were willing to work without a teacher's license or a work permit, you could teach 11th and 12th grade science and math. And if the school liked you (and had one ounce of practical wisdom), they'd help you get all those things. Then again, they might not (none of my schools did, and they liked me).

If you're absolutely convinced you must live in Thailand, just don't assume you'll find legal work here. Can you twiddle your thumbs all day? I do.

[Ijustwannateach]

Sorry to be slow answering you, SK- things have been a bit busy and crazy and I only got back up to speed last night.

I'd suggest that you look at the books and the teacher's manuals for the various series most popular for teaching here in Asia, for example the Interchange books or the (my memory is foggy here) 123Go series (for kids?)? Anybody else want to make some suggestions?

[rlaurence]

I do not have a BA degree, not even classed as a native speaker, however, I have lived in the UK since 1981. (Originally from Holland). Next month I will be studying for a TEFL certificate. I do have many years teaching experience though teaching computer skills. (Since 1987).

I will be going to Thailand next year to marry my Thai girlfriend and hoping to work there teaching English. Presently I am working as a volunteer in what Americans may call a community college. Not exactly teaching but helping people who use the computer facilities here. I have done this for over 6 months now. Any info welcome.

[Loaded]

I do not have a BA degree, not even classed as a native speaker, however, I have lived in the UK since 1981. (Originally from Holland). Next month I will be studying for a TEFL certificate. I do have many years teaching experience though teaching computer skills. (Since 1987).

I will be going to Thailand next year to marry my Thai girlfriend and hoping to work there teaching English. Presently I am working as a volunteer in what Americans may call a community college. Not exactly teaching but helping people who use the computer facilities here. I have done this for over 6 months now. Any info welcome.

Where do you intend to live in Thailand?

Many people have posted that finding work in the N.E. of Thailand (Issan) is a piece of cake even without ANY qualifications. I do advise that you complete your TEFL training though as it will help to give you the skills and confidence necessary to start teaching. With experience you'll build on the training.

I know that in the N of Thailand outside of Chiang Mai you shouldn't have too many problems either. Lampang, Chiang Rai are both fairly large nice cities with relatively small ex-pat communities but plenty of schools and colleges in need of teachers.

The key anywhere is you. You must find the work. It's out there. Good luck!

[Ijustwannateach]

To be fair, though, it's not a propitious time to be a *new* teacher in Thailand. I'd be happy to hear from the experiences of those who have *recently* (in the last month) been hired and had their papers processed- how has it been? They may be making up for their slackness on hiring teachers in the past by getting stricter with the new teachers....

"Steven"

[PeaceBlondie]

bluereed has asked this question, which we can put here:

I am a single young 50 female interested in coming to thailand. i have no degrees or tesol certificate. ive found a site for volunteer work-including teaching in exchange for food and board. does any one know anything about this as i would like to try teaching b4 i pay for tesol course. and do i need certificate or will volunteer work be enough for me to gain employment. any info would be greatly appreciated.

[Casanundra]

...I have a doctorate in law. I was hoping I might be able to teach English or some field that makes use of my skills or academic background.

Peace Blondie is right. If you have a Doctorate in Law then you need to ping me offline with your contact details and or CV / Resume as a certain Faculty of Law at a prestigious university in thailand is currently looking for several 'international' instructors to teach on an International LL.M.

They are specifically looking for someone to teach:

Regional and Bilateral Trade Laws

Administrative Laws

Technology Law

Environmental Law

If you are interested then do get in contact

Edited December 18, 2006 by Casanundra

[VickyD]

Hi,

I'm going over to Thailand in May to do a one month CELTA course with International House in Chiang Mai. I also have a BA degree in English Literature and Spanish and one year's teaching experience in Malawi on my gap year. After the CELTA course I am hoping to stay in Thailand and find a job. I wondered if anyone could advise on what the best type of teaching post for me would be and what level of salary I can expect. Also, I would rather not work in Bangkok, are there many opportunities in other, less urbanized areas?

Thanks

Vicky

[JoeT]

Dear Ajarn "Steven",

Wondering if you could assess my relative value in the teaching market. I have no TESL certificate (although I have taken a course -- alas, complications set in), but I have an MA in the ever-useless discipline of sociology. I don't hope to land anything actually teaching sociology (been out of it too long), but what would my prospects be in the TEFL market?

Thanks.

[oohlalanev]

What does it take for a school to sponsor a work permit? I am currently here (Chiang Mai) under another function, but the job and work permit may take up to a year to work out. I have a Non immigrant B, a MA in TESOL, and 2yrs experience teaching in a prestigious US university, along with sealed and unsealed copies of my transcript (but no police report). I am considering teaching part-time for something to do and to try and speed up the work permit process for now How much would I have to teach until a school would be willing to help me get a work permit?

[Ijustwannateach]

Vicky,

You need to give much more information: are you interested in teaching children (what age) or adults (conversation or business)? Just where outside Bangkok interests you (what city, what type of area, etc.)? Is money very important, or proper paperwork? Do you want to be working full time as part of a school or just a few hours a week? Answers to these will help people to know what kind of place to recommend.

Joe,

Most universities would hire you for TEFL with your master's, but they would want to see some history of teaching experience and/or the TEFL cert. The money isn't good, but the hours are low and you can apparently get some good extra hourly work if you hustle.

Oohlala,

Schools will happily lie for ever and ever to keep you there without giving you proper paperwork. If they're not getting pretty serious about helping you with the stuff in the first couple of weeks, chances are they're hoping you'll just forget about it and not mention it again. If money isn't an issue, I'd threaten to walk (and then do it) if they're not helping you out with it in the first few weeks- because chances are if they're not doing it then they never will.

All readers on this thread,

We are entering a particularly opaque and uncertain period regarding Thai government, visa regulations, and teaching licenses. Mixed messages and unclear regulations abound, and no one seems to have clear answers or even know whom to ask for them. You should consider the past information on this thread and elsewhere in the Teaching Forums here and elsewhere especially contingent and subject to change and local conditions. As I've said, this may be the worst time in recent memory to attempt to start teaching in Thailand.

Good luck.

"Steven"

[PeaceBlondie]

What does it take for a school to sponsor a work permit? I am currently here (Chiang Mai) under another function, but the job and work permit may take up to a year to work out. I have a Non immigrant B, a MA in TESOL, and 2yrs experience teaching in a prestigious US university, along with sealed and unsealed copies of my transcript (but no police report). I am considering teaching part-time for something to do and to try and speed up the work permit process for now How much would I have to teach until a school would be willing to help me get a work permit?

oohlalanev, several of us are in Chiang Mai. I think that Loaded recently estimated that 90% of the foreign teachers here don't have proper visa and work permits. You are more than 'fully qualified' from what you say, and there's no reason for an employer to not get you a WP for more than the few weeks that Ijustwannateach has just mentioned. You should make it clear that you are a professional, and you will not work without legal documentation. Period.

Of course, you may not earn much in Chiang Mai in any event, but refusing to work without legal papers makes it even more likely....Oh, and if they pull that "police background check" crap on you, I suggest you make them tell you how, where, when, why, and if. They (and I assume you're applying at CMU, Payap, or at least a rajabat) are in the professional business of hiring foreigners; if they don't know how to do that legally, they can just forget trying it, and get Thais to teach their courses, instead. Or, Filipinos or Burmese! Oh - and it's their country and their government, so it shouldn't be your job to figure it all out without their help.

Pardon me for getting on a rant. I cancelled a job interview today because .....well, because I don't need to work.

[oohlalanev]

Thanks all for responding - it's actually quite compicated - I'm in the process of helping some friends to start a co. here in Thailand, but for various reasons you are familiar with that is a long process. In the mean time I may have lots of spare time and since I'm qualified anyway, I figured I might try teaching part-time for something to do - money is definitely not the driving factor here.

[Mlady]

Work permits are really very easy to come by here. I know many teachers who only have tefl and no experience and they get work permits with ease. Every school has it’s own set of rules, but legally, that’s all you need to teach in Thailand. One of our teachers who started mid September has a work permit now and that’s all she has.

[kel57]

Happy New Year to all!

I have a Business Admin degree (from a non accreditted university it seems) as well as certification in TESOL. I have been teaching for the past 2 years in Thailand and China (just finished a one year stint in Guangzhou) and am now back in Thailand.

My question is: Now that I have 2 years of experience accompanied with the TESOL certification, will/would that make getting my work permit a little easier?

Thanks in advance

Kel

[Ijustwannateach]

Mlady,

Well, your experience is unique in Thailand, to say the least. Though, admittedly, there *are* places which seem to have had suspiciously easy access to work permits in Thailand- certain agencies and schools which share this quality with two others; i.e., low salaries (presumably the balance of the salary goes to paying off the gentlemen at Immigration for the easy work permits) and very, very low qualification requirements.

Kel,

In the past, your quals would have been fine for a country job and even some places in Bangkok. These days, it is uncertain what the policy on degrees is going to be for *new* workers (I know of some workers without degrees who still maintain their jobs and work permits). Sorry to say, there's not enough information to answer your question. If you do venture out there, please let us know how it works out so we can inform others who will be in your position.

"Steven"

[menace1798]

hi im new and i hope im in the right place

i wana teach english in thailand next month.

1. can i go to thailand on a tourist visa and look for work?

then leave thailand and apply for a non-immigrant visa?

2. do i need to get my degree or can an employer call my uni to check

3. do i need a ploice check? if i do how can i get it since im already outside my home country and dont wana go back just to get it

thanks to anyone who can help me

[PeaceBlondie]

Hi menace; welcome to the forum.

There are no hard and fast rules; no precise laws, like your home country probably has, and probably enforces in a reasonably predictable, consistent way.

1. You can get a tourist visa (or even a B non-immigrant visa in some cases) in a few countries. But once in Thailand, you'll need all your documentation to get a B visa in a nearby country, unless you're willing to fly to Singapore, Perth, Brisbane, Houston, etc.

2. Bring your actual, physical degree here, and any academic transcripts the university can provide you.

3. Nobody really knows about a police check. Get what you can, if you can figure out how.

Since this part of the Teaching in Thailand forum is the qualifications thread, do you have any question about whether you're qualified to teach here?

hi im new and i hope im in the right place

i wana teach english in thailand next month.

1. can i go to thailand on a tourist visa and look for work?

then leave thailand and apply for a non-immigrant visa?

2. do i need to get my degree or can an employer call my uni to check

3. do i need a ploice check? if i do how can i get it since im already outside my home country and dont wana go back just to get it

thanks to anyone who can help me

[menace1798]

hi, thanks for the reply

my only qualification question is about the degree. i dont have mine with me so it looks like ill have to get someone to post it to me. im wondering if i can get work before it arrives, i have a 40 hour online tefl certificate. from what ive read i think i can but maybe for less money. id rather earn as much as i could but ill have to wait for the degree.

[Ijustwannateach]

Menace, you need to read this entire thread and the threads it links to (about page 12) in their entirety, as well as most of the pages on the front list of this subforum. A lot of changes are being made in the paperwork and requirements for visas, teacher's licences, and work permits. Not all of these changes are understood, consistent, or even known- so please forgive us if we cannot at this time give you cut-and-dried answers to what should be simple questions.

Technically speaking, even under the *old* rules, you could not be legal working without your visa, teacher's licence, and work permit- getting all these things could take a few months even under the old system (god knows what it will be like in the new system). Sounds to me like you should wait until you can somehow acquire your degree and not delay things for yourself even more upon entering Thailand, otherwise you could work illegally *at your own risk* in an environment getting increasingly unfriendly to illegal teachers (but not the schools which hire them). Not recommended.

"Steven"

[Napfbrother]

Who is unpinning this?

It sure as he11 ain't me, dude .

What's the brit equiv of "dude", dude?

It's guy in the south of England!

[Ijustwannateach]

Huskychemist asks:

I'm a newbie to this board...and am interested in two questions:

1. Am I more likely to be hired by an international school in Thailand if my significant other/partner/wife/husband is also qualified to teach at the international school?

I've heard this is true, as it reduces the housing allowances/tuition for dependents that need to be paid.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

2. What job opportunities can I expect with the following credentials: B.S. Chemistry, Masters in Teaching, 13 years teaching chemistry, biology, physics in the US at very diverse schools. No international teaching experience. Yet! That's why I'm here...

Thanks!

Lowell, aka Huskychemist

Well, you should expect to be able to get into any high school, "international" or not, in the country that you want to- if they have a place. Your answer about hiring teachers in pairs is "yes."

"Steven"

[huskychemist]

Well, you should expect to be able to get into any high school, "international" or not, in the country that you want to- if they have a place. Your answer about hiring teachers in pairs is "yes."

"Steven"

Thanks for the answer. Much appreciated. So...my wife is considering getting certification of some sort... TESOL, TEFL, or CELTA...

Within Thailand, are there any significant differences between these three? (Or others...maybe I'm missing some...) What are your experiences with these certificates and how meaningful they are (or aren't)?

Many thanks!

Lowell

[Laulen]

Well, you should expect to be able to get into any high school, "international" or not, in the country that you want to- if they have a place. Your answer about hiring teachers in pairs is "yes."

"Steven"

Thanks for the answer. Much appreciated. So...my wife is considering getting certification of some sort... TESOL, TEFL, or CELTA...

Within Thailand, are there any significant differences between these three? (Or others...maybe I'm missing some...) What are your experiences with these certificates and how meaningful they are (or aren't)?

Many thanks!

Lowell

Huskychemist: -

TESOL stands for Teaching English as a Second or Other Language. This usually relates to the teaching of immigrants coming into an English-speaking country, as they have to cope with communicating with the indigenous English-speaking community (well, in the UK, most of them anyway).

TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. This is usually aimed at teaching Adults and teenagers. Younger people and children require a different teaching technique to maintain their motivation. This qualification has largely been replaced by the next nemomic...

CELTA stands for Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. Offered by Cambridge University, England, and Trinity College, Dublin (where I believe it is still called 'TEFL'). This is by far the most common English Language Teaching qualification worldwide, but not the only one. It is delivered in Thailand by ECC (Thailand) at Siam Square, Bangkok, and I believe that another provider offers a similar, but not the same type of course down in Rayong.

If you intend teaching young children, the CELTA will not be a 'waste of time', but you might like to take up any opportunity to attend Young Learner Workshops that are sometimes offered by some of the private language schools in Bangkok.

From my own experience I used my Cert. TEFLA (1993) in 1997 and my first teaching post was a summer school for 11 and 12 year-olds. It was a 'baptism of fire' but I survived and the qualification gave me just the right amount of confidence and competence to get started.

I now have a DELTA qualification (2002). Unfortunately, despite my experience, I do not have a degree of any kind. I am working slowly on this, as well as holding down a full-time job and a young family.

Best of luck.

Laulen

[Ricohoc]

Hello everyone.

Can anyone direct me or provide information on general salaries for teachers in Thailand (I realize it may vary from area to area and public/private schools) and the hoops that one may have to jump through?

I am a US citizen and have been teaching for 20 years in high school and college.

Thanks!

[PeaceBlondie]

Before moving this over to our never-ending "Qualifications" thread, I'll assume that you have been teaching in the USA (where 'college' means university), and that you are fully certified as a public school teacher by one of the state agencies. That you have a B.Ed. or its equivalent, and that you're also certified to teach social studies such as history, culture, etc.

Right? Thanks for asking. And, now that your post is in this incredibly long thread (topic), please browse around. For teachers who aren't as well qualified as the first paragraph here describes, some of the material may be out of date. But if you're a whiz-bang fully qualified real actual genuine teeeecher, then you might make 100,000 baht every month at a true "international school" in Thailand, at least if they recruit you from the USA. Good luck.

[Ricohoc]

Thank you for the information, my friend!

Yes, I am a real super-duper teacher in the US, and I am rated as "highly qualified" according to the national standards.

So we're looking at about $33,000 US, right?

I'm assuming that if an international school there is interested in having me teach that my visa and work permit would get some "assistance"?

Thanks again!

Before moving this over to our never-ending "Qualifications" thread, I'll assume that you have been teaching in the USA (where 'college' means university), and that you are fully certified as a public school teacher by one of the state agencies. That you have a B.Ed. or its equivalent, and that you're also certified to teach social studies such as history, culture, etc.

Right? Thanks for asking. And, now that your post is in this incredibly long thread (topic), please browse around. For teachers who aren't as well qualified as the first paragraph here describes, some of the material may be out of date. But if you're a whiz-bang fully qualified real actual genuine teeeecher, then you might make 100,000 baht every month at a true "international school" in Thailand, at least if they recruit you from the USA. Good luck.

Edited January 28, 2007 by Ricohoc

[Ijustwannateach]

If you're hired from abroad by a "true-blue" international school- I believe there're one or two international school labour market lists which will vet your qualifications and make the list available to the appropriate schools- they will take care of everything, completely legally. And you'll probably make more than what PB said, depending on experience, postgrad qualifications, demand, etc., etc. The problem is there has to be a slot open in the place you want for the subject you teach. Good luck.

[Ricohoc]

Thank you, my friend.

Where would I find those "LISTS"?

If you're hired from abroad by a "true-blue" international school- I believe there're one or two international school labour market lists which will vet your qualifications and make the list available to the appropriate schools- they will take care of everything, completely legally. And you'll probably make more than what PB said, depending on experience, postgrad qualifications, demand, etc., etc. The problem is there has to be a slot open in the place you want for the subject you teach. Good luck.