Teaching In Bkk!

[Ivantheterrible]

Hey all,

I am interested in teaching in BKK, but i have no degree.

I have experience teaching in China, and lately the way it's been there, all i have to do is enter the country, look around for some jobs, go to a few interviews, and if they like me and i like them, they hire me, i accept, and that's it. Very simple, very clean cut.

it seems it might not be nearly as simple in Bangkok, especially without a degree.

I do have TESOL certification, but once again i know in Thailand CELTA means more, and TESOL doesn't mean so much.

What i have:

2 years teaching experience in China

TESOL certificate

but...

NO DEGREE

i know outside of BKK in the provinces it can be easy to obtain completely legal work even without a degree, but i'd really prefer to work in BKK.

so if i wanted to try to work in BKK, what would be my best options without a degree?

i looked at some part time job offers, one on one tutoring and such that didn't really require a degree. Would part time be a good choice?

to be honest, i am more interested in part time then i am in full time work, so if i could find enough part time work that didn't require a degree, that would be fine with me.

Or should i be looking for full time?

What kind of paper work/red tape/hoops to jump through should i expect to deal with if i get a job but have no degree?

For starters, i just want to know how realistic it would be for me to find a job, full time or part time, in BKK without a degree, but with experience. I don't need to know about the salaries or the working conditions just yet, just want to know if it is even realistic for me to get my foot in the door.

is it?

and if so

what is my best bet/the approach to take in landing a job?

i know Ajarn, any other good places to look?

Kind Regards

Ivan

[Scott]

You will probably have few options and might have a problem landing a job in a regular school. As far as most language schools and tutorials that have English programs, it would be easier, but you can expect to do a lot of work and at some very odd times. Things like all day on Saturday and Sunday, nothing some days; 9:00 a.m. on another day and then 5:00 p.m. the same evening.

I know people who do it and they can earn good money, but it's not easy work.

The biggest problem is that most places do not give you a work permit and you are constantly having to make visa runs. This gets really quite difficult because periodically the officials crack down and issue a 'red stamp' in the passport that doesn't allow you to go back to that embassy/consulate for a tourist visa.

We hear about teachers who do not have degrees and I do know a few, however, most of them have been employed for a long period of time and managed to squeeze through the cracks when the cracks were a lot busier. I also know some who don't have work permits, but do have non-immigrant B visas--I suspect these are gotten in a less-than-legal manner.

I have previously asked for some first hand information about new teachers without degrees, but got no responses. That could be because new teachers don't use this site or don't post. Usually, we get the "I know so-and-so and he doesn't have a degree, but has a work permit". Does he? I don't know, but people are much less straight forward about the circumstances of their stay in Thailand since the authorities have started being more vigilant.

Hopefully some posters will come along and steer you in a direction that is helpful.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

[Ivantheterrible]

The biggest problem is that most places do not give you a work permit and you are constantly having to make visa runs. This gets really quite difficult because periodically the officials crack down and issue a 'red stamp' in the passport that doesn't allow you to go back to that embassy/consulate for a tourist visa.

heh well this doesn't bother me too much. I lived in Bangkok for a year before, was on a tourist visa the whole time i was there, so i am used to the visa runs. However i must admit when i was there before the red stamp thing started up shortly before i left, so i didn't have to worry about this most of the time i was there, so i guess that could change things, but, oh well.... if i have to leave the country suddenly because of this issue, i can do that, things could be worse after all.

so this doesn't really bother me that much.

So i guess my question is, if i don't mind working illegally and without a work permit, can i land a job.

Essentially how easy will it be for me to get a job, if i don't mind working illegally?

are there a ton of jobs i can find? or only a few?

will they be hard to find, or easy?

What would be the best way to go about looking for them? walk around in the city? or online?

To put my question another way...

if i decided to go to Bangkok, without a degree, but also not caring if i have to work illegally, will i most likely be able to land a job easily, say within a week or two of arrival?

or are the scarce?

[Scott]

You will most likely be able to get a job, but how long it will take will depend on a number of factors, including the time of the year. Right now isn't the best time of the year--October might be better.

Schools don't usually get into trouble for employing unqualified teachers, but you might.

You will have to let the school know that you will take care of your own visa situation and don't need a work permit. They will also have to know that you are making visa runs.

But this forum does not permit us to discuss illegal behavior, so I would suggest that you apply to schools and they can ascertain whether or not they can make you fully legal and how long it will take.

The school can write a letter requesting a waiver of the Teacher's License. Some schools are apparently better connected in this area.

[Ivantheterrible]

Right ok, i understand people are limited in what the can say/tell/advise to me when it comes to activity that is technically illegal.

So i'll ask one more question, that should be able to be answered without anybody having to break any forum rules...

If i was looking for a job without a degree, would i be able to find part time work with say a language school or a tutoring agency even more easily then a full time job with a school?

[Scott]

You may very well be able to find work with a language school or tutorial. I am not positive, but I believe many of those places do not require a degree because you do not need a Teacher's License to get a Work Permit. I may be wrong, but many are in the 'informal' education sector and so follow different rules. Many of these places, however, don't offer work permits. Some want a degree, but I think this is their own regulation, not the gov't regulation.

The crux of what most posters are talking about is the problem of not having a degree and trying to work in a regular school under the Ministry of Education or the agency that supervises private schools.