English Teacher

[Jockstar]

My boss asked me to submit this. If anyone interested contact her at the number below.

Bang Sue, Bangkok

English teacher required to teach P6 (11 years old) and M2 (13 years old)

Mon-Fri 8am to 3.40pm

18 hours teaching per week

30,000 baht a month

Minimum 1 year

Call 029104411 then press 1

or 02910 4322

Anyone interested call Claudia(head of the English program)

or if you have any questions then Pm me or leave a message

[bluebear]

You would be better off putting it on the ajarn.com job site.

[Jockstar]

I did. But i thought i'd put it on here too.

[Ijustwannateach]

Since it's been made the subject of a discussion, I guess it's fair game to discuss the terms of this job from what was posted and what was not posted.

Salary: 30K is the bare minimum any self-respecting teacher should take in Thailand. As a result, this means that the job should require no more than bare-minimum credentials. Phrased another way, they'll take almost anybody.

Hours: Reasonable, though 18 classes is on the high side for such low wages. 15 or 16 would be better.

Students: A bit young- one hopes that there has been some native-speaker contact before or that there are Thai assistant teachers- otherwise the 11-13 yo age group is one of the hardest to handle.

Visa/WP: Since the advert doesn't mention it, possibly a grey area for this job. IMO, jobs at this level are only minimally acceptable in the way I have mentioned above IF VISA AND WP ARE PROVIDED IN A TIMELY WAY. Any hemming or hawing? Turn this one down.

For a list of other things to discuss when interviewing or collecting info about a new teaching job in Thailand, check out my thread here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=16941

"Steven"

[Jockstar]

Well lets look at it this way.Dont shoot the messenger I posted this for my boss. She is very busy and asked if i could help. She worded it and i'm only helping out. To answer some of the points...

Salary: 30K is the bare minimum any self-respecting teacher should take in Thailand. As a result, this means that the job should require no more than bare-minimum credentials. Phrased another way, they'll take almost anybody.

Not true. My boss is very picky in who she hires. You can come in with so much experience and qualifications. But the question is.. Can you really teach? Do you have charisma? Do you have a presence in the class? Sure you can tell the differences between tenses and can sprout of a list of big words. But can you teach in a fun and enjoyable way. ie. Active learning. As for the money. Its not the best but its not the worst. You get paid for your time off, ie March and October.

Hours: Reasonable, though 18 classes is on the high side for such low wages. 15 or 16 would be better

Disagree with this one. There are many jobs out there that offer the same or less money but working more hours

Students: A bit young- one hopes that there has been some native-speaker contact before or that there are Thai assistant teachers- otherwise the 11-13 yo age group is one of the hardest to handle.

Students a bit young? Come on! Students come in many different ages. If you cant hack it teaching these age groups then don't apply. Simple! Any decent school will provide you with a co teacher. Those who dont then they are not serious about kids learning. Our school provides a co teacher at all times.

Visa/WP: Since the advert doesn't mention it, possibly a grey area for this job. IMO, jobs at this level are only minimally acceptable in the way I have mentioned above IF VISA AND WP ARE PROVIDED IN A TIMELY WAY. Any hemming or hawing? Turn this one down.

Ok this was an oversight by my boss. There is a work permit provided.

Just to clarify for those people who had nothing better to do but nick pick.

[Ijustwannateach]

Thanks for the clarifications. With WP et al, that makes this an acceptable beginner level job for folks with little experience. Your additional comments make it apparent that the boss is not looking for an academic teacher but someone to play EFL games with the kids- an important bit of information which could help someone decide if they want the position or not. It's also significant that the time-off periods are paid. It's not your fault, Jockstar, or your boss's, but still I say this is the MINIMUM level of acceptable employment for a farang teacher here. Sadly, way too often work conditions in Thailand do not even come up this high.

I stand by my statements about the difficult age of the kids and the slightly high number of hours. After all, why is it that your school is looking for a teacher for this age group in the middle of the academic year? Furthermore, most jobs which demand more hours for less pay are illegal anyway and they know the folks who take them will take anything.

I would recommend that anyone who's just graduated with a TEFL or has no formal TEFL qualification consider the position. People with experience in TEFL or time in Thailand can do better.

Oh, and it's "nit-pick."

Nothing personal, but you're posting on the side of management. As a teacher/employer friendly forum here, you've got to expect skepticism/scrutiny when you post this sort of thing!

"Steven"

[toastwars]

teacher/employer friendly forum here, you've got to expect skepticism/scrutiny when you post this sort of thing!

"Steven"

Who says we are teacher friendly??? How many apples did you get today..hmmmm? see, not one! now ###### off back to the staffroom and stop touching yourself up verbally

[Ijustwannateach]

I could be wrong, but I think trolling is discouraged in the Teacher's Room.

"Steven"

[kenkannif]

Indeed it is IJWT....so TW please calm down!

[Jockstar]

After all, why is it that your school is looking for a teacher for this age group in the middle of the academic year?

I take on board what you say. This doesn't look good that a school is looking for a teacher half way through the year. But the woman we had got sacked for going on a bender for a week. She just lost it. Bangkok was getting to her so she went on the piss. She had a drink problem. Anyway thats why the job is available at this time of the year.

And of course it is nit pick. My mistake. Sorry!

[Clive]

So who says Mr Ijustwannateach that you can't play classroom games without any learning taking place. That is the goal that you should aspire to?

I'd love to hear what methodology do you use?

By the tone of your posting you don't seem to understand the basic concept of teaching ESL. If you are able to teach your students through games, thus they are learning without realising that there is any actual teaching taking place then you have cracked it as a teacher.

As for your advice regarding turning this this teaching position down I ask you this.

What do you actually know about this particular school or are you talking through ignorance yet again?

Let people apply, give the school the benefit of the doubt until you know otherwise. Personally, with some of the focus on games and activities in the classroom it sounds like a great environment to teach in.

If anyone applies I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Clive

[Ijustwannateach]

1. I did not say that games were not a good idea. I said that the OP had made clear what kind of teacher he was looking for. Some EP programs teach English as an academic subject because the kids are high level- they don't need games just to speak English, they *always* speak English. So they need grammar and writing and so on. Jockstar clarified what type of job his boss is offering, which saves time for everyone- ESL guys rejoice, 'Grammar In Use' jocks cry.

2. I've taught ESL in various ways (including games and teaching kids as young as 4-5 years old) for quite awhile now, and understand the various approaches very well, thanks.

3. My evaluation of the economic/working conditions aspects of this job stands as-is based on OP's own remarks. I'm well familiar now with market conditions for teachers around Bangkok and I feel I have placed this job accurately compared to others in the market. Sadly, the market is, to say the least, bottom-heavy.

Of course, all schools have their individual pluses and minuses. A pleasant working atmosphere and a good boss could move up a job quite a bit compared to others of similar conditions- same as a poisonous school with evil students can go down considerably. Some schools with higher paid salaries find them necessary simply because conditions at the school itself are so bad they can't attract staff otherwise, much less keep them.

However, none of this information can be determined from a job advert, and would be suspect even if it were [as it is very easy to overstate the pleasantness of a job offer in an advert.]- to his credit, Jockstar commented on his school and its conditions fairly and without going overboard in any particular direction, and I agreed to disagree on some points. Incidentally, it's a possible positive for management there that Jockstar was willing to post this job for them.

So, those of us considering a job must first look at the bare bones of the offer, and that's what I used in rating the job. The kind of experience you suggest we "wait" for before commenting is simply not realistic for someone trying to choose among a dozen or so jobs, say. My evaluation based on the AVAILABLE information is a fair guess at the way things go there. Unfortunately, I (and many others) have learned from long experience that in Thailand it's usually the wisest thing to assume the worst about potential employers, and then be pleasantly surprised when it is not true.

Incidentally, you refer [incorrectly] to me speaking in ignorance "yet again." Do I know you? Is there some *prior* occasion to which you can refer me in which I spoke in ignorance?

"Steven"