Check Out This Site.

[Issangeorge]

www.ciee.org/teach/thailand/fees-dates-deadlines/

Has anyone seen this site? If you think finding a teaching job is getting more difficult maybe this is the reason. People are paying this organization $1,600 US to work for 4 months in Thailand at ฿15,000 per month, so after 4 months they will make ฿60,000 that they would have paid ฿52,352 for the privilege of making this money, a net of ฿7,648 or ฿1,912 per month. How many teachers out there would work for ฿ 1,912 per month? Are these teachers crazy or just young and naive? If they are one or both of the above are they the type of people that should be teaching school? Issangeorge.

[lovelomsak]

I read the site. The teachers who take this have to pay for flight above the $1,600. In my mind they are paying for the privilage of teaching. If it is government school they teach at the school may also receive 30,000 baht a month from government for native english teachers salary and only have to pay teacher 15,000. Everyone wins but the teacher.

[mizzi39]

I just checked out this site. Talk about a major bull <deleted> scam! $1,600.00 for their "support"? The unfortunate thing is that some people will fall for it, since there is a sucker born every minute.

[ozzieovaseas]

There are many companies doing this, i know a person who did the same sort of thing at Samuii.

Just a point, but to get a TEFL certification alone would cost in the area of 1200-1400 baht anyway?

I think this one is more aimed at those wealthy do-gooder types who just want to have a one off experience of teaching "poor kids" so they can have something to BS about at high society outings back home.

Someone intending to work in Thailand for financial reasons wouldnt be forking out this much and working for free anyway, so i dont think its much of a threat to anyone wanting to work here fulltime.

AND the few who fall for this are not usually aware (and are not told) that they need a university degree to get a work permit to work in Thailand, so the whole thing is no more than a rubber stamp qualification and a money spinner for the organisers.

They are probably even pocketing hefty fees from the students as well

Actually any "volunteering" program anywhere in the world will cost you anywhere from US$1500-3000 per month, and i WONDER where that money goes

edit:you might also find this TV thread interesting:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Volunteer-En...42#entry3056542

Edited March 11, 2010 by ozzieovaseas

[Issangeorge]

This program does not provide a TEFL Certificate and I know two people on it and they are not teaching poor kids but rather rich kids that are paying extra for a native speaking English teacher. Any TEFL Certificate programs I have seen, charge about $450 US for the program and then find them jobs paying ฿30,000-฿35,000 per month, not a pad wage in Isaan.

[PeaceBlondie]

You do NOT need a uni degree to teach school in Thailand. Nor to get a work permit, in many provinces.

[sutyot]

You do NOT need a uni degree to teach school in Thailand. Nor to get a work permit, in many provinces.

PeaceBlondie, That is correct. It is the desire of the schools for the teacher to have a degree, but not needed if the the director writes a letter approving the instructor. Then the school will sign a contract with the teacher which will be the basis for the WP.

Sutyot

[Scott]

It is not just up to the school. The MOE does not permit us to hire people without a degree. They will not issue the paperwork necessary for getting the non-immigrant B. Without the non-immigrant B, the applicant cannot get a WP.

The school is a bilingual one.

[sutyot]

A little clip from a web page.

<H3 class=dynamic>Teaching in Thailand Without a Degree</H3>All is not lost. There are exceptions to the rule, after all, 'this is Thailand', TIT! Any teacher wanting to teach without a degree should make sure they have a recognized TEFL teaching certificate and a high school diploma. Whilst there is certainly no guarantee, the Ministry of Education does make exceptions, especially for the teaching of young children, teaching in rural areas (where there is a greater shortage of teachers) or for teaching in some language, rather than government schools.

However, without a degree, the MOE will not usually consider a license application for teaching in high schools or international schools as an undergraduate qualification and a teaching certificate is the minimum criteria.

Read more at Suite101: Teaching in Thailand: No Degree: No Degree or Fake Degree – the English Teacher's Dilemma? http://teaching-abroad.suite101.com/article.cfm/teaching_in_thailand_no_degree#ixzz0iW3uS7R1

Also, I did a search for these TEFL schools offering employment and have found hundreds of offers for such "Pay to Teach" programs. Some were as much as $3,000 for the TEFL programs and training plus they did not include hotac and airfare.

Guess they have an audience.

Sutyot

Edited March 19, 2010 by sutyot

[aussiebebe]

The site looks reasonable and will probably appeal to young students who've never been to Thailand before and are looking to fill their 'gap' year either before or after uni. Such students are probably funded by the Bank of Mum and Dad, and most of the sales literature seems to be designed to calm the fears of anxious parents (key words; insurance/transfer/orientation) It's hard to know whether the company live up to it's promises:

program fee covers your pre-departure school assignment, an in-country orientation program, one-way transfer from orientation to your host school, insurance coverage, program handbook, teaching guides and tools, visa acquisition, and full time housing.

guess you'd have to find and speak to some 'alumni' to ask them about their experiences, but USD1,600 would be about right - depends on the quality of what's on offer. I'd like to know more about the insurance, the 'housing' quality (air-con?, furniture? etc). Good luck to the company; they're selling the dream and profiting from the 'service' side of things so it's probably AIA group policy and a wooden shack in the sticks.

[Martian]

Most people who would consider this type of program are IMO:

1. As an earlier poster said...looking for adventure and/or a means or vehicle by which to stay an extended period of time in Thailand.

2. People who are lazy and see a "package deal" already set up and taken care of for them. I have yet in my life not been able to improve upon a package deal and at a lower price by doing all the legwork work, scheduling, booking etc. myself.

It is attractive to someone just getting started in the process to see this and say..wow, it's already set up for me.

Regards

[Ijustwannateach]

There seem to be different opinions about the relative difficulty of getting a teaching job right now. Some people are saying that there is a huge demand; others that it is difficult to get a job. I have the feeling it has a lot to do with which market you are competing in- the lower range TEFLing jobs seem to be getting a lot of competition from non-native speakers.

That said, I don't resent such companies- there is potentially a niche for positioning people to get initial experience, try things out, or look at the time period as a working holiday.