30 Hours Teaching a week, Kindergarden, 32k Salary, Opinions

[hydraides]

I have been offered a job from an agency .......of a 30 Hours Teaching a week, teaching Kindergarden in Central Bangkok with 32k Salary amonth

 

The teaching hours seem high vs other jobs but is this is because its kindergarden level ??(I would finish school at 3/3.30pm so i finish earlier than most teachers)

 

The agency worker on the phone didn't seem forthcoming when I asked her if a work permit was provided but "We have to wait to see what the school says on your performance"

 

----What do people think here. should I even bother attending the interview or am i being taken for a ride?

[lemonjelly]

Add up your living expenses as well as travel costs to the kindergarten (30 hours !!) and then call your agency and blow a big raspberry down the phone.

[hydraides]

I don't mind the pay so much. It would be liveable for me and the location is nea

 

What worries me : The hours seem a bit ridiculous + that would be non stop teaching, ....and I am worried this is a dodgy agency which won't pay come pay day?!

 

I looked up the agency online....., they are on google ( but no reviews?!) , and no website.

 

Seems suspect

[samsensam]

 

30 contact hours a week is a lot, you also have to take into account, depending on you experience, lesson planning and prep time. the money is on the low side but if you dont have an expensive lifestyle maybe that doesn't bother you.

[hydraides]

Hmm yes its 30 hours a week which would 4 x 1 hour lesson morning, 2 x 1 in the afternoon , so 30 teaching hours back to back with no time for lesson planning seems a bit a insane

 

Would like to teach kindergarden level but I doubt I have the stamina if the only break is going to be lunch time

[AlexRich]

Like drugs, just say no. Find something better.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

1 hour ago, hydraides said:

 

The agency worker on the phone didn't seem forthcoming when I asked her if a work permit was provided but "We have to wait to see what the school says on your performance"

 

Not good. Run away.

[hydraides]

Yes well they are now saying they can get me a work permit but 30 hours a week seems bit of a joke

[jenny2017]

3 hours ago, hydraides said:

I don't mind the pay so much. It would be liveable for me and the location is nea

 

What worries me : The hours seem a bit ridiculous + that would be non stop teaching, ....and I am worried this is a dodgy agency which won't pay come pay day?!

 

I looked up the agency online....., they are on google ( but no reviews?!) , and no website.

 

Seems suspect

OP, you wrote Kindergarten. I guess you mean Prathomsuksa- grade one to six, perhaps Kindergarten included. The concentration span of a 4 to 5-year-old in a Thai Kindergarten is about 15 to 20 minutes.

 

   I taught many years at primary level, but 30 hours per week is absolute insane wouldn't even make me go to an interview. Show the agency one of your finger next to your ring finger, please. 

[Scott]

Check and make sure that it is actually 30 hours of teaching.   My guess is that you will be a homeroom teacher and will be responsible to be with the students all day.   You may do the bulk of the teaching, but generally there are other teachers who help with some subjects, such as PE, Thai language, music, dancing etc.  

 

Also, is there a teaching assistant in the classroom?  

 

You also may want to check if there is a curriculum to follow, which may cut down a lot of work.   I know some schools where the lesson plans are done in advance.  

 

It's also a good idea to have some experience with teaching KG.   It's not for everyone.   It's not that it's all that difficult, but you are very much immersed with the same students all day.  

[Loaded]

Teaching hours or teaching periods? A teaching period can be considerably shorter than a teaching hour especially at a kindergarten.

Sent from my CPH1701 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[ozmeldo]

Kindergarten usually pays a premium. This sounds like long, high energy hours at dreadful pay. 

 

30 hours of contact with kindergartners, I'd be toast.

[Scott]

20 hours ago, ozmeldo said:

Kindergarten usually pays a premium. This sounds like long, high energy hours at dreadful pay. 

 

30 hours of contact with kindergartners, I'd be toast.

I've taught KG for a short time.   It's definitely a specialty area and not for everyone.    I know a lot of good KG teachers who wouldn't trade it for anything.   Most of them are females with a very mothering, nurturing personality. 

[allane]

Or, young women who don't have children of their own yet, but think they might want to someday. They want to practise their motherhood skills on someone else's kids.

[simon43]

I taught KG for a few years. There is no way that you can teach 30 hours per week without any time-out for lesson preparation etc.

If nothing else, I'd turn down the job because they are not forthcoming about the WP.

[milwaukeeboy]

Ask for a tentative contract copy.

From the agency's response you can make your decision.

[Cereal]

I've been teaching for 13 years and that contract stinks. 

Advice: RUN AWAY

[zyphodb]

Run Forest run.....

 

[chuang]

You are lucky, recently I read it somewhere they offered 4000 baht a month. 

[dinsdale]

30 hrs at 32K Teaching 30 hrs of K3 will feel like 40 hrs, K2 50 hrs and K1 60 hrs a week. DON"T DO IT.

[hydraides]

I actually attempted to try out the  job today 

 

the hours are 8.30 am - 2.30 (Last lessons finishing 2.30 pm and then marking/lesson planning 3.30 pm  ........its 30 periods but the first 4 lessons are only 45 minutes each .....the 2 classes in the afternoon are 1 hour each

 

So its six classes in a row, five days a week , mon-fri

 

I don't have to move classroom, the class has computer/projector and air conditioning

 

But its non stop teaching all day, everyday and it might become too much.

 

What do you think now,  run now before things get more complicated?

[DavidAlexander]

That's pretty low, even by Thai standards. And dodgy on the work permit...red flag.

Without knowing your creds or experience, best Asian teaching money is Japan, Korea, China. The bottom group is Thailand and other SEA countries. I taught in China 4 years and actually saved a good bit. Great job, 17 hours a week, 17 weeks vacation. China's a pain to work in but airfare is cheap.

[hydraides]

57 minutes ago, hydraides said:

I actually attempted to try out the  job today 

 

the hours are 8.30 am - 2.30 (Last lessons finishing 2.30 pm and then marking/lesson planning 3.30 pm  ........its 30 periods but the first 4 lessons are only 45 minutes each .....the 2 classes in the afternoon are 1 hour each

 

So its six classes in a row, five days a week , mon-fri

 

I don't have to move classroom, the class has computer/projector and air conditioning

 

But its non stop teaching all day, everyday and it might become too much.

 

What do you think now,  run now before things get more complicated?

Sorry I meant to say 8am -2.30pm

 

And I found out its actually 31k a month , 1k is taken out per month as bond

 

IT does seem very low for a NES in central Bangkok

[jimcarr65]

18 -20 hours max on that salary, I did 22 hours one term and and it was waaaay too much. Find another gih and my advice would be to find a job on your own and steer far away from agencies they treat you terrible and are not needed to find a job in Thailand, just go to Ajarn.com. 

[Scott]

Whether or not you wish to continue is based on how you feel about dealing with KG all day.   Some teachers love it and wouldn't trade it for anything.   Other people simply can't cope with those young ones.   They are very high energy.   It's also not easy to keep their attention without lesson preparation.  

 

Most of the classes I know have 1 and sometimes 2 assistants in the classroom.  The homeroom teacher and the assistant(s) spend almost all their time with the students.   Usually, there is someone teaching a few of the classes.  

 

The salary seems low, the classroom seems OK, though.  

 

Best of luck and keep us informed.  

[dinsdale]

4 hours ago, hydraides said:

So its six classes in a row, five days a week , mon-fri

This will kill you. Literally. No teachers do this. As I said before don't do it. What I don't understand is kindergarten students sleep in the afteernoon. I wouldn't be surprised if your 30 hr/per wk included teaching primary level in the afternoon. If I would do this I would want at least 50k. It is unreasonable and you should steer well clear of it and the agency who more than likely is getting 50k+ and giving you 30.

25 hrs a week is a killer. 30 hrs? I hope you have medical insurance.

[hydraides]

Ok thanks for reply

 

It is actually only 25 hours in theory because of 4, 45minute lessons in the morning but of course it would be much better with 20 classes a week instead of 30

16 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

This will kill you. Literally. No teachers do this. As I said before don't do it. What I don't understand is kindergarten students sleep in the afteernoon. I wouldn't be surprised if your 30 hr/per wk included teaching primary level in the afternoon. If I would do this I would want at least 50k. It is unreasonable and you should steer well clear of it and the agency who more than likely is getting 50k+ and giving you 30.

25 hrs a week is a killer. 30 hrs? I hope you have medical insurance.

 

 

 

[toooa]

Honestly, in the almost 15 years I've been here the quality of the teaching jobs hasn't really improved. In fact, I'd say over all it has degenerated. Back in the early 2000's the jobs paid about the same but the amount of BS and red-tape you had to put up with was a lot less. Now for the same or sometimes worse pay (if you factor in increased cost-of-living), you are expected to do a lot more. Most of it is nonsense and make-work that has little bearing on education. The job you posted sounds horrible. I wouldn't even bother with the interview. 30 hours of little kids for only 30,000 Baht. Tell them to go find a Filipina. 

Vietnam is going to out-pace Thailand soon. They're just more competitive for teaching jobs. China also much more competitive. The teachers council want people to go and get extra-qualifications to get a teaching license in Thailand, but the schools don't want to pay for it. They'd rather you use up all your own time & money to get qualified, then they think they'll just pay you the same like some sort of beggar. I wouldn't waste my time teaching in Thailand. Go to Vietnam or China or Japan.

[hydraides]

thanks for the replies, the children are lovely but doing this non stop seems crazy

[BobbyL]

It sounds like a lot of work. Even as a qualified teacher I don't have anywhere near that amount of contact time / week.

 

Being with a class for potentially 5 or 6 hours / day would be a real struggle.