New International Teacher questions.

[Amberd]

Hi All,

 

I am an Australian teacher with 5 years experience teaching here in Australia and a further 5 years experience as an Education Support Officer - working with students who have behaviour issues, intellectual and physical disabilities. I am looking at moving to Thailand next year to hopefully teach in an International School. 

My question is what are the best schools (in Bangkok) to apply to (including pay rates, perks etc)? I would need tuition for my son who will be 16 at the time of moving. 

Also, what would I need to apply? Here we need to address certain selection criteria (usually 5 at about one page each) and a resume with referees included. 

Is it best to sign up to Search Associates or ISS in order to be offered a position? Or, is it easy to apply directly?

I look forward to your responses.

Thanks.

[allane]

I have never taught at an international school myself, but do have some peripheral knowledge. International schools in Thailand are almost all affiliated with some school in the country of origin. Go online and make a list of international schools in Thailand, making particular note of those with an Australian affiliation. Most hiring is done at at job fairs in the country of origin. Only in the case of a death or sudden departure do you see advertising in Thailand.

I hope this gets you started.  For a better response, you will need to wait for someone with direct experience.

[jakestevernson]

Amberd,

 

Join Search Associates, look at www.tes.co.uk teaching overseas section and the international school review website. They will  have a whole wealth of information for you to check out.

 

Make sure you apply from abroad to get an overseas package.

 

Any decent school will give 100 percent free tuition fees for your child, free medical, work permit, visa, bonus, shipping allowance and accommodation (or allowance for it). Contracts are generally two years. Salary should be over 100,00-baht a month depending on experience.

 

The majority of good international schools are based in or near by to Bangkok.

 

Good luck.

 

JS

[BobbyL]

TES is always updating (especially this time of year) and also go direct to school websites to check too.

 

Recruiting starts around now so apply early. I had my interview in December when I first applied here. The poster above pretty much states all that you should expect. However, the pay scales definitely vary from place to place. 

 

The location is also is big factor and may influence where you live. There are some that are central and easily accessible by public transport. However, there are a lot that are quite far from the centre and without your own car or bike aren't easily reachable. 

[Big Guns]

International schools have a recruitment job fair in Bangkok every January.

[IntEdSource]

@Amberd The international school market here is very large, so there are several differing answers to your questions. First, simply in terms of the best overall packages (salary and benefits), International School Bangkok, NIST International School and Bangkok Patana School offer more than any others. They each provide around 150,000 baht/month (gross/lesser net amount quoted at BPS) at the bottom of their scales, as well as housing, flights, insurance, bonuses, free tuition for up to two children, etc. However, all three are also well into their hiring season for the 2019-2020 school year, so many of their open positions have already been filled. Finding one that matches to your specific background may be difficult.

Other decent schools that have learning support departments include St. Andrews and Harrow, both of which have decent packages as well. As you look at the smaller schools, you'll find fewer and fewer.

Hiring differs greatly from school to school. While you can apply directly to virtually all of them, some have specific processes for this, particularly for leadership positions. ISS-Schrole Advantage, Search Associates are TES are all good options, but you'll first want to look to see whether learning support positions are available at schools advertising through them. There's no sense spending the money to create an account for the coming year if there is nothing available.

Similarly, the types of information schools want to know about candidates can vary greatly, and there is no set standard mandated by the Ministry of Education or Office of the Private Education Commission that oversees international schools. Beyond a standard CV with educational background and experience, the types of information you may want to have prepared are a summary of your recent professional development and any other certifications or qualifications that may be relevant to a teaching environment. References will be crucial, particularly if you're applying through one of the services above, as they require that the referees enter the information themselves.
 

[OzMan]

International schools have a recruitment job fair in Bangkok every January.

Where can I get details ad I would like to visit the fair.


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[IntEdSource]

25 minutes ago, OzMan said:

Where can I get details ad I would like to visit the fair.


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The fair that was being referred to is the Search Associates (SA) Bangkok Job Fair. However, keep in a mind a few points if you want to attend:

• You must first be registered with SA and be invited by your assigned associate after indicating your interest. People aren't allowed to simply show up for the event.
• Getting to the point of having your SA account active means paying the fee and having all of your referees submit their recommendations within the system, after which you can request to attend.
• Only a small number of international schools in Thailand actually use SA. This year only seven will be attending the fair, while all of the other schools represented will be from other countries. If someone is attending solely with the aim of getting a job at an international school in Bangkok, this fair is actually not ideal.

[OzMan]

 
The fair that was being referred to is the Search Associates (SA) Bangkok Job Fair. However, keep in a mind a few points if you want to attend:

• You must first be registered with SA and be invited by your assigned associate after indicating your interest. People aren't allowed to simply show up for the event.
• Getting to the point of having your SA account active means paying the fee and having all of your referees submit their recommendations within the system, after which you can request to attend.
• Only a small number of international schools in Thailand actually use SA. This year only seven will be attending the fair, while all of the other schools represented will be from other countries. If someone is attending solely with the aim of getting a job at an international school in Bangkok, this fair is actually not ideal.

Thanks for the info.

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