A Teaching Career In Thailand

[kaosoi]

Hello,

I have read various bits and pieces in the forum - frustratons and happiness. Just wnted to know if many of you have settled down in Thialand with a Thai partner for the long run as a teacher?

If so, bearing in mind that it is poorly paid by Western standards, can you still afford to go home and visit the folks now and again? Are you trying to buy a place rather than rent? Is there job progression?....basically if you can give me any input reflecting a life here rather than just a holiday stint i would be grateful.

I am not looking for anyone to tell me personally what I should or shouldnt do ...just would appreciate anyone in a position to do so to kindly share their experience.

Thanks.

[DeathbyDurian]

I know 7 people from various countries who have married and are teaching here as a career.

5 of those 7 have a college degree.

4 of those 5 have an education degree. The other one of those 5 is earning his M.Ed online.

The pay is more than enough to live on and raise a family - 60-100k a month for people with degrees.

The two without degrees make 35k, but do a ton of extra work and privates to bring it up into the 50's.

If you have a job at a 'good' school they will provide an air ticket to your home country every year.

So, yes, a decent life is quite possible if you are qualified or willing to work hard.

[sunshine69]

Hi,

My background..... I teach Business, English and Computers and run a language school in Ban Chang, I have a BSc in Computer Science, a BSc in Business Administration, a Doctorate in Business Ethics, and a TESL diploma. Note no serious Education qualifications (unfortunately). I have been a senior executive in blue chip companies all my life, took early retirement and went into teaching five years ago. We have teachers in Ban Chang, Pattaya, Bangkok, Khon Kaen, Phuket and Seoul.

To answer your question..... yes I think it is possible, I know many teachers here and some manage to raise a family etc. BUT most dont. One example is a teacher with a BA (not education) that teaches classes of 35+ students in a government school, gets highly stressed with the complete lack of progress due to the limited hours with each class, and earns 35k a month. Without his Canadian pension he wouldnt survive. Another example is a teacher with BEd working in an International School, loves his work, classes of 15, does long hours by choice, gets paid 98k a month BUT cannot afford to send his kids to the same level of school. Finally another example is a teacher with a BSc (not education) working for a language school, lots of experience, classes of 8-10 adults and children, earns 80k a month BUT is likely to lose his job this month or next due to the downturn in demand.

Bottom line..... if you have the qualifications and can get a role in an international school...... then you may succeed.

Hope this helps,

(and maybe removes the rosy glasses),

Raymond.

I know 7 people from various countries who have married and are teaching here as a career.

5 of those 7 have a college degree.

4 of those 5 have an education degree. The other one of those 5 is earning his M.Ed online.

The pay is more than enough to live on and raise a family - 60-100k a month for people with degrees.

The two without degrees make 35k, but do a ton of extra work and privates to bring it up into the 50's.

If you have a job at a 'good' school they will provide an air ticket to your home country every year.

So, yes, a decent life is quite possible if you are qualified or willing to work hard.

[DeathbyDurian]

Another example is a teacher with BEd working in an International School, loves his work, classes of 15, does long hours by choice, gets paid 98k a month BUT cannot afford to send his kids to the same level of school.

Most international schools will accept the children of their teachers for free or at a reduced cost.

[paulfr]

Lots of talk here about International Schools is misleading.

Getting a job at one is not impossible, but very difficult even if you are well qualified.

They usually recruit from the home country.

Pay is high and thus so is the competition.

You will do well to land a job that pays 60K/month at a good private school.

And raising a family and pursuing a career this way is NOT a good plan IMO.

Sorry .... dont mean to be negative here, just realistic and truthful.

I am here now for 6 years and taught for 4 years at a big private school.

Thai wife and daughter with me.

But I have a pension check from home country each month.

Otherwise I would just barely make it here supporting a family by teaching.

Edited August 17, 2009 by paulfr

[Scott]

You can live comfortably on what you would make as a teacher, but not necessarily well.

I see a lot of new teachers coming to Thailand and I will warn you that the first 3-6 months can be financially difficult. At many schools, there is a probationary period and you may well receive less money. Then there is the initial costs of getting set up. Finding a place to live, paying the deposit, etc. etc. There is also the problem of not knowing your way around well, so you end up taking taxis instead of the bus and this can get expensive.

Depending on a lot things, you may end up with a job/school you don't like or you may end up in an area that you really don't like. These things can be stressful. So, be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best. Make sure you have enough cash to get set up and to get home, should you find you've made a big mistake and you'll likely be OK.

Also, try to find inexpensive accommodation to begin with--something that isn't going to break the bank to get into or out of. Look for convenience and know your lifestyle.

I know a lot of teachers in the area where I live who have opted out of the one-room apartments and into a house in a moo bahn (gated communities). It seems nice, but they are often young and single, living with middle class people with families and at 6:00 there are no taxis to get you out etc. There's no food available after about 6:30-7:00 etc. These are people that like to go out on Friday and Saturday night around 8:00 - 9:00 and their living arrangement isn't conducive to it.

Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

[kaosoi]

Thank you for the input.

[BlackArtemis]

I met my wife at my school. She was the Kindergarten English teacher.

We have actually moved to the US, about a year ago.

However I am now going for a second BS, this time in Biology Education and Earth and Space Sciences, she will be getting her MA Early Childhood.

Our plan is to return to Thailand and live there permanently, however this won't happen for a few years as I want to stay here and take care of my ailing father.

What we did, and how we lived.

My wife and I rented, this was because we KNEW that we would be moving to the US at one point, had we not planned on it, we would have bought.

Combined salaries (Government schools) and tutoring (we tutored about 50 kids and 8 adults a week) we made between 80-90k Baht a month. For living in Chiang mai, this was fantastic.

We would be able to afford a trip home about every 1-2 years

We owned a 2000 Honda civic and two mopeds

Our rent was about 12,000B/month the car note was 8,000 month

Because we tutored so much, we pretty much ate out every meal.

We lived a lifestyle that I would not live if I were to live there forever. We didn't save beyond vacations etc. We were not trying to create a retirement fund nor did we have children.

Honestly I would need closer to 200k baht/month to live the same way I do in the US.

When I return I plan on having children before then and I want them in an international school. This either involves a large salary or to work at one of these schools and receive a discount.

I want to put away money every month. I will not receive the retirement plans from an international school that I would receive in America. My social security would be shot too. Though it seems like they are both shot here as well....

There are health care plans and life insurance offered to Farang, so that is ok.

In summary of a rambling post. I would have to see myself working at an international school, and my wife work at a higher salaried teaching job as well, or me getting my MS and working for an international company to recieve the income that would make me very comfortable in Thailand for the rest of my years.

My level of comfort, wants, and needs do not reflect everyone elses.

[shaun86]

From the international schools/colleges I've researched the average salary seems to sit under 50k, no mention of airfares etc.

Could someone possibly name-drop some of the better paying places

[BlackArtemis]

That is about what I was told for some of the international school in CHiang Mai. The true discount comes from working there if you have children. At certain schools that 200-400k/year is waived.

Peaceblondie is much more knowledgeable about this area than I though.

[paully]

Is there job progression?....

No - unless you're either very fortunate or count becoming a DOS as a career progression

[balo]

If you have no family to support then you can live on 35k a month easily ,

I know teachers that earn 30-40k and they survive without any problems.

They rent nice condos for 8-12k (western standard).

I also know a Filipino teacher in Bangkok, he only earn 16k and survive too.

However in his case the living standard is not very high, but I guess thats what they used to .

[aussiebebe]

If you have no family to support then you can live on 35k a month easily ,

I agree strongly with that; in fact it prompted me to comment.

The original poster asked about a 'teaching career in Thailand' and specifically mentioned being married. The viability of teaching as a 'career' depends on the teacher's spouse: would the teacher be the bread-winner or would their spouse support them while they earn 'tea-money'? No teaching job in Thailand would have a permanent contract as one might expect in a Western country. Therefore a career in Thailand would be a series of jobs.

That's to say nothing of the foreigner's background and financial position upon arriving in Thailand; I'd say that a teaching career would supplement a pre-existing savings/pensions arrangement better than provide a base for savings.

Schools: the best paying schools recruit direct from abroad, pay air-fares, and waive school-fees. Teachers are valued for their recent experience; whereas teachers already settled in Thailand will lack the valuable recent experience. They can still find work, but for lower rates at schools without air-fares or free school places for their children.

The OP said that teaching pays poorly compared with Western standards; it depends. The best paying work is corporate and private work, usually paid gross of tax. The drawbacks are lack of job security, irregular hours and lack of work permit or visas. An elementary teacher, teaching in a Bangkok school, 25 hours per week, for 50,000 Thai baht per month, would have similar purchasing power to an elementary teacher in the US, once taxation and cost of living are taken into consideration.

Flights back home: difficult for almost all teachers: A flight home requires as much fore-thought and planning for a teaching in Thailand as a flight to Thailand would require for a teacher in their home county. Easy enough if you're single, but if the teacher must pay for his spouse and children, he/she can forget about saving for a pension for that year.

Teaching as a career would be best for singletons, who can rent with few material possessions and move easily between schools at a whim.

Being 'settled in Thailand' is harder that the OP alludes to; a teacher will always be living temporarily on one visa or another, which must be renewed every 90 days or changed completely when they change jobs. A teacher with children would probably agonize about giving their child a decent education, and probably want to return to their home country.

I think I've outlined all the salient issues.

[mopenyang]

Visas do not have to be renewed every 90 days. Sometimes, if someone is working through an agent, this happens. It should not happen if you are working directly for a legitimate school that can sponsor you for a work permit that normally extends the visa through the contract period and negates the 90 day renewals you mentioned.

[BlackArtemis]

I would also like to state something we missed.

Area has a huge impact of what you need to live on. SOme people stated 35k, but I lived, as a single, on 22k in Chiang Mai easily.

Bangkok and the more island "resort" towns are a LOT more expensive. 30k in Chiang mai might go as far as 50k in Bangkok, further if you learn the city and where to shop.

I still believe you can make a career teaching, but you are going to have a combination of the following to be teaching at top tier school, have a BS Ed, Ma or MS degree, tutor on the side, have a partner who also brings in a decent sized income, and if you have kids, working at an international school who give free or discounted enrollment.

[Scott]

There may be some confusion between the 90 day reporting to immigration and the visa. You do need to do a report to immigration every 90 days. Legal teachers would have a work permit.

[PeaceBlondie]

Speaking of teaching at top tier international schools for a career, what % of all farang teachers here secured such jobs after moving here? 2%?

[DeathbyDurian]

Speaking of teaching at top tier international schools for a career, what % of all farang teachers here secured such jobs after moving here? 2%?

True, the ones I know were hired form overseas.

But then this begs the question - why don't 'top tier' international schools hire qualified teachers that already live here?

They save a bundle on airfare and don't have to deal with the "I can't handle Thailand" crowd.

Makes no sense.

[shaun86]

are there any international colleges/universities where they specifically provide airfare/accomodation in the "contract"? havent come across any yet in my search

[Scott]

I don't exactly know how the contracts work, but I do know some international schools will hire locally. A co-worker some years ago, sent his resume to an international (a real international school--recognized by his home country). He was a certified, licensed, experienced teacher in his home country. He was hired. He did not get the expat package, however. He didn't get airfare, he didn't get housing provided by the school (I believe there was some financial compensation) and few other things.

The top schools are interested in people from their home country and not expats--of which there would be a limited number of qualified teachers. I might add, the co-worker wasn't recruited. He sought employment with them.

You might ask a few teachers how they were recruited.

[mopenyang]

One way they recruit is something like this:

[www.search-associates.net/fairs/london_jan_schools.ht"]http://www.search-associates.net/fairs/london_jan_schools.ht[/url]

Look under London-January Recruitment Fair.

Here is the one scheduled for Bangkok, January 2010:

[www.searchassociates.com/associates/fair_info.cfm"]http://www.searchassociates.com/associates/fair_info.cfm[/url]

Edited September 15, 2009 by Scott
Direct links edited out/Scott