Qualifications/Requirements and process for teaching English in Thailand

[Blai]

Can anyone dumb down the qualifications/requirements to become an English teacher in Thailand?

 

My first (and only) language is English.

 

I have 2 diplomas: One is security based and the other being developmental service worker. I don't think either of these have any 'weight' when it comes to teaching English, but I do qualify for a teachers assistant position where I am from (Canada). DSW is working with people with dual diagnosis (schizophrenia, ADHD, anxiety disorders, OCD, etc).

 

Thank you in advance.

[Blai]

Awesome, that saves me a good 4 or so years of getting a bachelors!

[Scott]

Troll posts removed.   You need a Bachelor's Degree to work in a school system.  Language schools may be able to bypass degree requirements, however, you will have a difficult getting a visa and work permit and will be relegated to border runs which are limited.  

 

There are a number of pinned topics that can give you some assistance and you a read of some of the current threads may help. 

 

[uncleP]

I had a work permit  for a number of years as a teacher. Many others without degrees also has work permits: fact!

Edited September 14, 2020 by uncleP
Brain damage

[moontang]

On 9/14/2020 at 8:08 AM, uncleP said:

I had a work permit  for a number of years as a teacher. Many others without degrees also has work permits: fact!

Many "has" in the past, but the conditions of employment at the language schools have only gotten worse.  I know a high school dropout, who has been here since 2003, mostly teaching young kids at language schools.  Looks like he is finally out of options, and will be heading home(less), and penniless.  He always had his excuses for working illegally, well rehearsed, but I think he knew he was headed down a dangerous road.  

[mrwebb8825]

start here http://site.ksp.or.th/home.php?site=englishsite  and here http://site.ksp.or.th/about.php?site=englishsite&SiteMenuID=28

Now, this is posted on a job ad forum from: Canadian International School of Thailand

The successful candidate would:

● Be a native English speaker with a good command of written and spoken English
● Have an education degree or degrees including elementary education
● Hold an elementary or secondary teaching license or certification from their home country
● Have at least two years experience teaching IB PYP or MYP, preferably most recently
● Have experience teaching the relevant grade level or high school subject.
● Be living in Thailand and able to start work immediately.

 

and that's from your own country to work for them here. 

[micmichd]

1 hour ago, mrwebb8825 said:

start here http://site.ksp.or.th/home.php?site=englishsite  and here http://site.ksp.or.th/about.php?site=englishsite&SiteMenuID=28

Now, this is posted on a job ad forum from: Canadian International School of Thailand

The successful candidate would:

● Be a native English speaker with a good command of written and spoken English
● Have an education degree or degrees including elementary education
● Hold an elementary or secondary teaching license or certification from their home country
● Have at least two years experience teaching IB PYP or MYP, preferably most recently
● Have experience teaching the relevant grade level or high school subject.
● Be living in Thailand and able to start work immediately.

 

and that's from your own country to work for them here. 

Sorry, I'm only German, but I grew up with British. 

I've got a certificate from the German embassy in London for British legal issues, and I worked several years as a translator for British and American colleagues in German IT. But that still doesn't qualify me to become an English teacher in Thailand. 

Why should college dropouts without any professional experience be qualified better than me? 

It is not Thailand's duty to make Thailand a haven for unemployed Western semi-academics. 

[moontang]

7 hours ago, micmichd said:

Sorry, I'm only German, but I grew up with British. 

I've got a certificate from the German embassy in London for British legal issues, and I worked several years as a translator for British and American colleagues in German IT. But that still doesn't qualify me to become an English teacher in Thailand. 

Why should college dropouts without any professional experience be qualified better than me? 

It is not Thailand's duty to make Thailand a haven for unemployed Western semi-academics. 

They would like to have teachers with Ed degrees, but that isn't possible, so it is mostly any four year degree.  They also prefer NES, but that isn't possible, either, and there is abundance of Filipinos willing to work for much less, and they may have Ed degrees.  So the NES issue is more negotiable than the degree.  

[Max69xl]

7 hours ago, micmichd said:

Sorry, I'm only German, but I grew up with British. 

I've got a certificate from the German embassy in London for British legal issues, and I worked several years as a translator for British and American colleagues in German IT. But that still doesn't qualify me to become an English teacher in Thailand. 

Why should college dropouts without any professional experience be qualified better than me? 

It is not Thailand's duty to make Thailand a haven for unemployed Western semi-academics. 

If you don't qualify to become an english teacher in Thailand, why would they give you a work permit as a teacher? They can probably find qualified teachers,don't you think? 

[Scott]

Troll post removed.

 

[poloshirt]

I hope I can speak my mind on this forum without being label as Thai Bashing.

I have been to Thailand many times but this trip is the longest 6 months because I am being kept here against my will(lock down). Lol (going home next week- to eat some decent foods, 555 ).

I discovered that very few Thais can speak proper English. I have a strong feeling that Thais don't want to speak English if they can help it.

Why? I don't know. I can only guess. Perhaps they find English a difficult foreign language to speak or learn. Perhaps they don't enjoy the company of foreigners.

From my own experience of learning 2 foreign languages (Japanese and French) I know how difficult it is to learn foreign languages. I had no choice but to learn Japanese and French to be a foreign language tour guide to earn good money. There are not many foreign language tour guides so they had to pay you well otherwise nobody will do the job.  My incentive was there. It took me many years to be good at those 2 languages- a lot of dedication and hard work. I even search the internet on the best ways to learn foreign languages. I tried to find short cuts but there is no short cut sad to say.

I have this strong feeling that the Thais don't see why they should speak good English. So a minimum effort was made to master the language hoping to be able to achieve something without really trying.

When the mental frame of mind is not conducive to learning it will not be good for achieving anything let alone learning a foreign language.

In such situation and mental frame of mind I believe it is very difficult to them to learn English. (which is an easy language compare to other european languages.)

So, no matter what methods of teaching you use or how enthusiastic the teacher is, the result is usually very minimal.

How often do Thais have opportunities of listening to spoken English in their day to day life?

Listening is the most important aspect of learning foreign languages.

 

 

 

[moontang]

10 minutes ago, poloshirt said:

I hope I can speak my mind on this forum without being label as Thai Bashing.

I have been to Thailand many times but this trip is the longest 6 months because I am being kept here against my will(lock down). Lol (going home next week- to eat some decent foods, 555 ).

I discovered that very few Thais can speak proper English. I have a strong feeling that Thais don't want to speak English if they can help it.

Why? I don't know. I can only guess. Perhaps they find English a difficult foreign language to speak or learn. Perhaps they don't enjoy the company of foreigners.

From my own experience of learning 2 foreign languages (Japanese and French) I know how difficult it is to learn foreign languages. I had no choice but to learn Japanese and French to be a foreign language tour guide to earn good money. There are not many foreign language tour guides so they had to pay you well otherwise nobody will do the job.  My incentive was there. It took me many years to be good at those 2 languages- a lot of dedication and hard work. I even search the internet on the best ways to learn foreign languages. I tried to find short cuts but there is no short cut sad to say.

I have this strong feeling that the Thais don't see why they should speak good English. So a minimum effort was made to master the language hoping to be able to achieve something without really trying.

When the mental frame of mind is not conducive to learning it will not be good for achieving anything let alone learning a foreign language.

In such situation and mental frame of mind I believe it is very difficult to them to learn English. (which is an easy language compare to other european languages.)

So, no matter what methods of teaching you use or how enthusiastic the teacher is, the result is usually very minimal.

How often do Thais have opportunities of listening to spoken English in their day to day life?

Listening is the most important aspect of learning foreign languages.

 

 

 

Mostly agree, and would add that the situation has worsened over the last 15 years, as salaries have been a march to zero..heck, people are paying to volunteer.  And, there has been a big shift towards China, Chinese tourism, and Mandarin.  The kids have gotten lazier, too...the smartphones and social media have made them less sociable.  Most of them are good people, but they are guided in the wrong directions.  The Thai teachers are almost in their own class of weirdness.  

[micmichd]

1 hour ago, poloshirt said:

I hope I can speak my mind on this forum without being label as Thai Bashing.

I have been to Thailand many times but this trip is the longest 6 months because I am being kept here against my will(lock down). Lol (going home next week- to eat some decent foods, 555 ).

I discovered that very few Thais can speak proper English. I have a strong feeling that Thais don't want to speak English if they can help it.

Why? I don't know. I can only guess. Perhaps they find English a difficult foreign language to speak or learn. Perhaps they don't enjoy the company of foreigners.

From my own experience of learning 2 foreign languages (Japanese and French) I know how difficult it is to learn foreign languages. I had no choice but to learn Japanese and French to be a foreign language tour guide to earn good money. There are not many foreign language tour guides so they had to pay you well otherwise nobody will do the job.  My incentive was there. It took me many years to be good at those 2 languages- a lot of dedication and hard work. I even search the internet on the best ways to learn foreign languages. I tried to find short cuts but there is no short cut sad to say.

I have this strong feeling that the Thais don't see why they should speak good English. So a minimum effort was made to master the language hoping to be able to achieve something without really trying.

When the mental frame of mind is not conducive to learning it will not be good for achieving anything let alone learning a foreign language.

In such situation and mental frame of mind I believe it is very difficult to them to learn English. (which is an easy language compare to other european languages.)

So, no matter what methods of teaching you use or how enthusiastic the teacher is, the result is usually very minimal.

How often do Thais have opportunities of listening to spoken English in their day to day life?

Listening is the most important aspect of learning foreign languages.

 

 

 

Thai is a tonal language, that's why many Thais have problems with the Western pronunciation. They do understand Farangs very well, though, don't be mistaken.