9 Years Teaching In Korea

[mike123ca]

Hi everyone,

After teaching here in South Korea in private and public schools, I've decided it's time to move on.

Since I'm married to a Thai woman, we decided to move back to her hometown in Ubon Ratchthani.

I had a telephone interview with one of the teachers at a local gov't school.

She said I wasn't qualified to teach English because I do not have a TEFL certificate. My response was I did

60 hours of teacher's training which is required for all public school teachers. That didn't seem to satisfy her.

Thailand seems to have high demands, but the compensation is pretty low.

My question is how important is a TEFL certificate and where in the Issan region is a reputable program?

[orchidlady]

Why don't you try posting on ajarn.com. That is a source for many teaching jobs and more people may be able to answer your questions there.

[nakachalet]

mike123

just look closely at the running ad on thaivisa....

there are many ad seeking to teach and coach native english speakers to qualify to teach english in thai schools.

my friend from england is completing one at the moment.

i was informed there were some 20 lessons to be worked on....

the cost is around 20,000 thb or an equivalent of about 600 usd....

all written assignments are completed thru internet....

good luck mike....

[TerryLH]

A TEFL certificate is not a requirement by any government body.

It might be that teachers/schools requirement, but you can find plenty of jobs where it isn't.

[otherstuff1957]

A TEFL certificate is not required to teach in Thailand - though it usually was required a few years ago. For someone with no experience, a TEFL course is an excellent idea though!

The current requirements tend to vary from district to district and, in some cases, from immigration officer to immigration officer! Generally speaking if you have a BEd or an overseas teaching certificate, you have a shot at getting the best jobs available here - although there's a lot of competition for those jobs. If you have a BA or a BS in any subject plus experience or a TEFL, you shouldn't have any trouble getting a job. If you don't have a BA or a BS, you can still usually get a job, but it will probably take more paperwork and more effort on the part of your school.

I wouldn't ask a Thai teacher about the requirements for a foreigner teaching in Thailand. They probably won't know and they may not be entirely thrilled with the concept of an experienced Native Speaker showing up and competing with them for their teaching hours!

Edited July 18, 2010 by otherstuff1957

[Slip]

As others have said that teacher is just plain wrong. No TEFL required.

[mopenyang]

Yes, it's absolutely ridiculous that someone with your teaching experience would need to take a tefl course but please understand that the tefl provider industry is entrenched in Thailand like no other country on the planet. To a certain extent, the industry calls the shots in Thailand when it comes to what qualifies someone for a position, as a result of too many people wrongly choosing to believe a lot of the advertising put out by the tefl provider industry.

There is no legal requirement for a tefl certificate in Thailand. You will be told there is. When you are, ask them to show a government citation for such a claim. If they do, please post it here so we can rip it apart.

Were I you and really interested in teaching in Thailand, I would bite the bullet and take the cheapest tefl course possible that will get you the job you want. On the other hand, it may be to your advantage to spend more time scouting out jobs that don't require such a superfluous certificate in a case such as yours. Following which, take the position you want while feeling better knowing that you did not waste your money on something you aren't required to have from the git-go.

As for the schools that require such certificates in a case involving a teacher of your experience, would you really want to work for them anyway knowing they have also simply fallen victim to and bought into the tefl providers' propoganda efforts?

[thomo]

Speaking to thai teachers really isn't advised.

This one was completely wrong and talking out of their ass OP. Quite common here unfortunately.

[Scott]

In this particular case, I think the OP is referring to a requirement of the school. A TEFL isn't required by the gov't officials, but it may be a requirement of a particular school. I have heard of schools that won't hire people without a TEFL. So, let's not accuse people of talking out of their behind if, in fact, they may not be.

[Slip]

She said I wasn't qualified to teach English because I do not have a TEFL certificate.[/color]]

I guess this is open to interpretation. I took it as her saying he wasn't qualified to teach rather than specifically to work for her school. Maybe the OP can clarify what she meant?

Edited July 18, 2010 by Slip

[Scott]

I don't know too many Thai Teachers who are knowledgeable on the issue of qualifications for foreign teachers. If this one things she is, she is wrong. But, as you requested, it might be good for the OP to clarify.

[mike123ca]

I don't know too many Thai Teachers who are knowledgeable on the issue of qualifications for foreign teachers. If this one things she is, she is wrong. But, as you requested, it might be good for the OP to clarify.

When she said "Your not qualified to teach in Thailand" was a direct quotation. Since the conversation was in English I'm willing to accept that her choice of words might have been poorly chosen.

When I first started teaching, I should have studied TEFL, but it was very easy to find work and except for Korean public school, no other schools even mentioned it.

I will sign up for a TEFL program when I get to Thailand. I suspect now, it's much better to have it.

[TerryLH]

"I suspect now, it's much better to have it."

Why do you suspect that?

If you have nine years experience, as opposed to others who might have one years experience 9 times, you should be okay.

If it were me, I'd wait and see what other potential employers say about it.

It should be easy enough for you to find a job once you're actually here.

[mopenyang]

"I suspect now, it's much better to have it."

Why do you suspect that?

If you have nine years experience, as opposed to others who might have one years experience 9 times, you should be okay.

If it were me, I'd wait and see what other potential employers say about it.

It should be easy enough for you to find a job once you're actually here.

I agree with this and should have written in my earlier post above that "I would consider biting the bullet and taking a TEFL course."

I wouldn't sign up for one until I had scouted out the job possibilities without such a course given the 9 years of teaching experience involved here.

[Shipwreck]

Do you have a BA in any subject? That would be more prized than a TEFL cert.

I got my job having both and zero teaching experience (besides the TEFL training). They didn't care at all about the TEFL cert - only about the BA.

[Briggsy]

"You're not qualified to teach in Thailand," is a statement that is open to more than one construction.

Construction no. 1 "You have insufficient knowledge, experience, competence or ability to work as a teacher [even in Thailand]."

Construction no. 2 "You do not have the specific bits of paper to be legally employed as a teacher in Thailand."

Construction no. 3 "You do not have a degree in education from a Thai university."

et cetera.

The OP is going to have to drop that attitude if he is going to deal with the illogical madness that pervades the Thai education system. This sure ain't Korea.

[mopenyang]

The OP is going to have to drop that attitude if he is going to deal with the illogical madness that pervades the Thai education system. This sure ain't Korea.

Are you saying Korea is the standard by which all other systems should be judged?

If you are, I must disagree as here is a very recent example of the ever changing regulations and procedures continuously confounding job applicants and most everyone else involved in the hiring process for Korea

http://forums.eslcaf...ewforum.php?f=1

In case the link is deleted, you can find the article "Immigration idiocy: New E2 visa Regs" on the Korean forums of Dave's ESL Cafe. There are many more discussions there relating to complaints about the Korean process and difficulties faced by teachers attempting to be hired there.

Yes, Thailand's procedures can be frustrating, but it is hardly alone within the community of nations in this respect.

[Scott]

I think we can leave that link. Link's to commercial sites are usually deleted, but your link seems to be a direct comparison to the regulations in Thailand and in Korea.

I do think this discussion is about Thailand, and the need for a TEFL certificate. Let's not stray too far off the topic at hand.

It is, however, nice to know that the madness that is Thailand isn't unique.