Becoming A Teacher In Thailand

[Wrighty]

Hello there,

I have just returned from a long holiday in thailand and as I beleive many other people do, have totally fallen in love with the place.

Myself and a freind have been frantically searching the net for a way to get back out there on a semi-permanent basis at least. However it appears that getting any sort of job over there is dam_n near impossible unless you are able to teach English.

This would not be our ideal vocation but to be honest if becoming a teacher meant life over there we are more than willing to give it a go.

The only information we have been able to find is from searching the net and picking up threads on forums where it seems opinions on qualifications vary quite considerably.

The main names for courses that come up are CELTA and TEFL, however there seems to be a considerable difference in how these are obtained, a months course full time for the former and a two or three day course for the latter. The difference in how the qualification is used I beleive is that CELTA is for teaching adults and TEFL for children?

It would also seem that any job sought with this TEFL qualification also requires a degree, is this accurate or is a degree just preferred? I have heard that people get by with fake documents saying they are qualified as a teacher, not that I am considering taking that route.

Neither myself or my freind have a degree so I assume that I will get more response in relation to undertaking the CELTA course.

ECC say that by paying $1500 you can spend a month in thailand training for the CELTA qualification and at the end providing you pass you are guaranteed a job for a year on 35,000 bahts a month. Does anyone have any further information on this, is it really that simple? Do you actually get any sort of choice where your placement will be after you pass? Without sounding stupid, do they take into consideration people going over there in pairs or groups so that they can be placed in the same town or city?

I think basically what I need to know is what is the best route for two english men in their mid twenties, without degrees or any teaching experience to get teaching jobs in thailand? Is it best to take a course in thailand or cheaper to do it in england beforehand?

We are both wary of giving up our jobs here to go over and spend a load of money on a course that takes up a month plus living costs and flights only to at the end get sent to some villiage in the sticks or at worst not gain sufficient qualifications to get us by over there and then end up back here skint and jobless!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[cognos]

Bottom line is if you don't have a Bachelors degree in teaching you need the TEFL for sure..take it at night school in Jolly Old while you are working..you can make between 10,000 to 30,000 B per month, the less experience, degree( or not) means you would probably be in the 10,000 B per month range. In the future, they may insist on degrees, but they haven't yet..I actually have some great info that you seek,as I have a teaching degree and looked into it thouroughly a while back.. but will have to see if it is still valid..

[cognos]

I was going to tell you the rule.. i before e except after c, as you spelled believe wrong..but I spelled thoroughly wrong as well, so I believe I was thoroughly wrong to correct you..

[garro]

Teaching without any passion for the profession is a path to hel_l. Many other people have attempted what you plan, but those that are lucky enough to find a job (usually illegal) quickly find teaching grinds them down. If your only reason for wanting to be a teacher is that you want to stay in Thailand it will show in you in work; standing in front of a group of people and trying to get them to learn is no easy task. If you are determined to follow this path, I would suggest first getting some teaching experience in England.

[Jungian]

I can not tell you how many English teachers I have seen come and go, it is like a revolving door and I have known very few that don't have at least a masters degree in English that have made any kind of decent living and that is at a university level. So, make sure you at least have a back up plan and some money to get out of here when things go South.

[Scott]

You might want to consider your strategy very carefully. First of all, you do not need a degree to teach in Thailand, but you will be limited to those areas where they can/will hire people without degrees and I doubt these are prime locations or places where you might want to live. In short, you may end up in some remote village.

Second, the winds of change tend to be blowing in the direction of a degree being necessary for the coveted Work Permit. If this happens, you might be left out in the cold. Visa regulations being what they are, your stay in the country could become quite frustrating.

Finally, teaching is not easy. It is physically demanding, pay is far from ideal, resources are limited and the Administrators have expectations which are likely to be very different from what you can provide.

It sounds like you want to live in Thailand and teaching is the means for doing this. Not a good way to start, especially since education isn't your chosen field.

Best of luck to you.

[beano2274]

Without a Degree it is possible to make a good living, doing part time work, but remember sometimes the work will dry up. Most places I know have never asked for a copy of any degree or certificate, sometimes it is a stand up and give us a lesson kind of interview.

Think about the ages of the students you want to teach, you could be in a class of 50 or more students, I have been there, 78 was the max. Think about what Visa you will come on, if you have no degree then it might be difficult to get a Non Immigrant Visa, so border runs will be part of your routine.

Accommodation is different, maybe you had a nice hotel, but finding a nice place to live is expensive, try Mrroomfinder on this site, too many nights out and your salary disappears, also lateness for work could cost you a lot of money. At Primary and Secondary schools it could be 8 to 5 working, opening car doors for students and welcoming them to school.

You may love Thailand now after a short holiday, but living here is different. The kids you teach are not easy to teach, most have no kind of discipline, they do whatever they like in the classroom unless you can control them, I have seen kids throwing each other out of windows. I have also seen many teachers come and many go. If you think you can hack it then come on over and join the club, but remember it's not always as easy as people think.

[beano2274]

ECC can send you anywhere and no they do not care about who you traveled with.

Remember if you go upcountry it is gonna be hot, and no aircon. Even in Bangkok a lot of schools do not have aircon units.

[thaicbr]

As far as i was aware. You only needed a degree if you work in a school for pratom or mattayom students.

Private language schools that are registered as companies. eg ECC etc. do NOT require a degree but usually require a TEFL. Also Universities do not require a degree according to the rules. But usually they want one.

As others have said if you have no real interest or experience in teaching or training then it can be hard work. If on the other hand you have been a circus clown then you will be perfect for Thailand's education system

Edited June 17, 2009 by thaicbr

[NormanW]

Teaching without any passion for the profession is a path to hel_l. Many other people have attempted what you plan, but those that are lucky enough to find a job (usually illegal) quickly find teaching grinds them down. If your only reason for wanting to be a teacher is that you want to stay in Thailand it will show in you in work; standing in front of a group of people and trying to get them to learn is no easy task. If you are determined to follow this path, I would suggest first getting some teaching experience in England.

Here here, an ABSOLUTE must!

Regards

[PeaceBlondie]

CELTA - A stands for adults, and its graduates brag/complain it's more difficult than a PhD in rocket science. Standard TEFL courses take a month and prepare you for all ages.

Agreeing: never teach unless you love to teach and know how to teach.

[Rionoir]

I took the CELTA and was also allowed to observe teachers at the school teaching their lower level classes. If you do the TEFL I would just make sure you get some good opinions on where to take it, as the quality varies greatly. Yes the CELTA was difficult (not unmanageable though - I still managed to go out on the weekends and get to bed at a reasonable hour during the week), but it covered everything I wanted to know.

I went to ECC without a degree after I finished the CELTA somewhere else and was offered work starting the next day in Bangkok. When you interview with ECC you don't have to just take whatever location they give you... the woman I spoke to asked me what I wanted, told me what they had and gave me the closest school that had a position open.

I just accepted a job teaching an hour outside of Bangkok making slightly more than ECC offered me, plus the school has 2500 students and I was told I will likely have as many private students as I want to accept. My living accomodations are much larger there (for the same price as a single room in Bangkok) and I am actually looking forward to being away from the hustle of BKK for a while and (theoretically) spending a lot less money on a daily basis there.

When I told a couple of agencies I was willing to work an hour or two outside of Bangkok I had several other job offers right away.

"Two english men in their mid twenties" is definitely a good line to lead with when you talk to any school, especially language schools in Bangkok.

Just think long and hard about whether or not you can get yourself excited about teaching before you decide to do it.

[Ijustwannateach]

I recommend you don't come, frankly. It's not a good time to be starting out (or to be quitting jobs anywhere- use your common sense). But I suspect from the opening post that this is yet another lame attempt to get around the rules against TEFL course flame wars....

[ProdigalSon]

I came to Chiang Mai in 2000 on holiday for a few weeks with no plan to stay. Back then I just had a degree and no teaching experience at all. I went to watch my friend teach at a private language school and at that time they needed a teacher for a few weeks. Anyway, I thought I'd give it a go just for the experience and I'm still at the same place almost ten years later. I now have a CELTA (from ECC Bangkok) which the school paid for and I'm earning almost 50,000 Baht a month.

[ProdigalSon]

I forgot to add...

Two of my work colleagues didn't have degrees when they applied (although they did have TEFL certificates), but this didn't stop them from getting work. It did stop them from getting work contracts, however, which made getting a non-immigrant B visa very difficult.

[bungy007]

I recommend you don't come, frankly. It's not a good time to be starting out (or to be quitting jobs anywhere- use your common sense). But I suspect from the opening post that this is yet another lame attempt to get around the rules against TEFL course flame wars....

The market is pretty flooded at the moment. Company contracts are frozen until at least next year so that might mean you'd be at the back of a very long line to find work there. If you have jobs then wait for a year or so for things to open up. If not then come out and give it a shot. any experience you pick-up will put you in good stead for a year or so down the line when you can pick or choose a lot more. your biggest 'mare will be the visa runs. They now state a maximum of 4 15 day visas followed by leaving the country and coming back in by air. This will smash your budget - just in travelling costs and time not earning. It will also kill your chances of long term work as companies/schools don't want to keep having to cancel classes for your visa runs. You are exactly the type of people immigration are targeting with their recent visa changes. You have been warned but if you're a couple of likely lads then <deleted>.

[Loaded]

...your biggest 'mare will be the visa runs. They now state a maximum of 4 15 day visas followed by leaving the country and coming back in by air. This will smash your budget - just in travelling costs and time not earning. It will also kill your chances of long term work as companies/schools don't want to keep having to cancel classes for your visa runs. You are exactly the type of people immigration are targeting with their recent visa changes. You have been warned but if you're a couple of likely lads then <deleted>.

Probably a good idea then to find a course that can sponsor a 1-year non-immigrant B visa otherwise you will be messed around by having a tourist visa or visa exemption.

[FlavesEnt]

If you have a non teaching Bachleors degree can you get a job teaching?

[PeaceBlondie]

If you have a non teaching Bachleors degree can you get a job teaching?

YES

[thaicbr]

To the OP. get a 12 mth"non B" FROM THE THAI CONSULATE in Hull. Do not get a visa from the Thai embassy in London. Easiest way to get a visa is to provide a letter from 'your company' publisher is good for this. Stating that you are travelling to Thailand to check import/export business opportunities . That way if you do your visa runs correctly you get 15 months.

Allan

[SEETEFL]

Outside of SE Asia many consulates do not require evidence of a degree to obtain a non-immigrant B visa for teaching.

Edited June 26, 2009 by SEETEFL