Thai Teacher At International School

[SteeleJoe]

I realize this might not be the ideal place to ask and indeed there may be know one who can give me an answer at all, let alone a definite one. But even if it's merely speculation, I'd be grateful for any ideas anyone might have:

I know someone who I'd like to help -- both because I like him and because it would behoove me to keep in his parents good graces. I expect he might be a good teacher and I know he is a good employee. He is Thai and he has several years experience at a well known (though perhaps not that well regarded) "Bilingual school". His English verbal and listening skills are very high -- he is fluent and quite accurate in his use of grammar and vocabulary. Far higher than the average Thai university graduate in my experience.

He has a dream of working at an International school. His idea is that if he gains an MA in some subject (social science or whatever) in addition to his teaching degree, and attains a relatively high IELTs score, that maybe he could get a decent job at a good school.

Is it possible?

if so, what sort of things she he strive to do over the next couple years to make it happen? (what IELTs score, field of study etc)

Edited April 25, 2011 by SteeleJoe

[think_too_mut]

My neighbor in Bangkok is a young Thai man, teaching PE at Bangkok Pattana International School.

Now, I don't know if he is an "assistant teacher", he may well be, he is in late 20s.

Very good English.

In my daughter's (full International, not bilingual) school in Japan, each class has 2 teachers, class master is American/Canadian and another one (assistant) may be local (Japanese) with excellent English. Some of the assistants are native English speakers married to Japanese nationals with some formal degree linked to education.

Edited April 25, 2011 by think_too_mut

[jdinasia]

If he gets an M.Ed from overseas and has an IELTS academic score of about 7.0 in all bands he could probably do it and get in at a GOOD International school. A M.Ed. from Thailand and a high IELTS would probably get him in at a decent school.

[Kilgore Trout]

If he gets an M.Ed from overseas and has an IELTS academic score of about 7.0 in all bands he could probably do it and get in at a GOOD International school. A M.Ed. from Thailand and a high IELTS would probably get him in at a decent school.

Any good international school will insist that he is eligible to receive a Thai teaching license which means he must have the proper teaching credentials from an accredited Thai institution (5 year degree with student teaching).

Most international schools pay about 12-17k per month for a Thai teacher excluding the few top ones which pay more.

[SteeleJoe]

JD: Good to know. Thanks. When you say "high" (for a decent school), approx. how high do you mean?

Any good international school will insist that he is eligible to receive a Thai teaching license which means he must have the proper teaching credentials from an accredited Thai institution (5 year degree with student teaching).

Most international schools pay about 12-17k per month for a Thai teacher excluding the few top ones which pay more.

He has a license. And as I pointed out in the OP, he has several years experience teaching.

I'm surprised at the salary; he makes about twice that now in a bilingual school with (I would have thought) lower standards (and certainly lower tuition) than virtually International school.

Think Too Mut: Thanks for that. I'll pass it on.

EDIT TO ADD:

Just saw all the typos in my OP. Sorry. I do in fact know the difference between "no one" and "know one" and "should he" as opposed to "she". Not sure where my brain was when I was typing that.

Edited April 25, 2011 by SteeleJoe

[jdinasia]

SJ -- IELTS academic of 7.0 is HIGH. In all 4 bands it is incredibly high for students from Thailand that have not studied abroad. (Often listening and speaking lag behind reading and writing in Thailand.)

[SteeleJoe]

SJ -- IELTS academic of 7.0 is HIGH. In all 4 bands it is incredibly high for students from Thailand that have not studied abroad. (Often listening and speaking lag behind reading and writing in Thailand.)

OK, thanks. But I've got an excruciating headache and I'm not thinking very clearly (that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it): are you saying that an IELTs score of 7.0 in all 4 bands is necessary for even a "decent " Intl school? (ie the only difference in requirements for a "decent" Intl school or a "good" one is the overseas degree?)

Oh, and I'm VERY aware of the difference between listening and speaking ability vs reading and writing in Thailand -- preaching to the choir there.

[jdinasia]

SJ -- IELTS academic of 7.0 is HIGH. In all 4 bands it is incredibly high for students from Thailand that have not studied abroad. (Often listening and speaking lag behind reading and writing in Thailand.)

OK, thanks. But I've got an excruciating headache and I'm not thinking very clearly (that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it): are you saying that an IELTs score of 7.0 in all 4 bands is necessary for even a "decent " Intl school? (ie the only difference in requirements for a "decent" Intl school or a "good" one is the overseas degree?)

Oh, and I'm VERY aware of the difference between listening and speaking ability vs reading and writing in Thailand -- preaching to the choir there.

Rereading my post you were asking clarification from ... I see where I wasn't clear. Depends on the subject he was teaching if you are talking average "international schools" but 7 in all bands wouldn't be needed, probably. It would depend on who did the hiring on several different levels.

[SteeleJoe]

SJ -- IELTS academic of 7.0 is HIGH. In all 4 bands it is incredibly high for students from Thailand that have not studied abroad. (Often listening and speaking lag behind reading and writing in Thailand.)

OK, thanks. But I've got an excruciating headache and I'm not thinking very clearly (that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it): are you saying that an IELTs score of 7.0 in all 4 bands is necessary for even a "decent " Intl school? (ie the only difference in requirements for a "decent" Intl school or a "good" one is the overseas degree?)

Oh, and I'm VERY aware of the difference between listening and speaking ability vs reading and writing in Thailand -- preaching to the choir there.

Rereading my post you were asking clarification from ... I see where I wasn't clear. Depends on the subject he was teaching if you are talking average "international schools" but 7 in all bands wouldn't be needed, probably. It would depend on who did the hiring on several different levels.

OK, thanks muchly. As for the subject, I had already speculated that he should be trying for something other than English and told him so.

So, a Thai MA and an IELTs of 7 and he could possibly get something? And do you agree with Kilgore's figure of 12-17k per month for the sort of school he could reasonably hope to get a job with?

Sorry for all the questions. I won't be offended if you are bored with answering them and decide not to.

[jdinasia]

I would assume for a GOOD school the wages would start at about 25, and at a decent one about 20 ... but honestly that is simply a guess. I know that the Thai I have teaching at one of our programs makes more part-time with us and working on her own than she was ever offered at a school in Thailand.

[SteeleJoe]

Thanks again!

The young man in question has worked his way up (due to his English skills, his smarts, his work ethic and his ability to play the game) to a junior administrative position and is making good money by Thai standards (or so I'm told); sounds like he might be disappointed with what's offered to him at an Intl school.

[jdinasia]

Thanks again!

The young man in question has worked his way up (due to his English skills, his smarts, his work ethic and his ability to play the game) to a junior administrative position and is making good money by Thai standards (or so I'm told); sounds like he might be disappointed with what's offered to him at an Intl school.

Then again he may not ..... remember he will be starting over at a new place in many ways but the pay scale may have a higher ceiling. It isn't impossible if he is quite talented for him to land a department head job (hyphen intentionally left out!) if his QV can suggest that he's qualified.

[Firelily]

A Thai colleague I used to work with told me that a few years ago she had applied for an assistant job in one of the reputable international schools (the kindergarten section) in Chiang Mai, and she was totally shocked to find out that the salary was actually lower than she was earning at the time in a regular Thai school (kindergarten). Around 10,000. Considering the fees these schools are collecting.... it is nothing short of disgusting not even trying to give a semi-decent salary to Thai staff.

[think_too_mut]

The fees for comparable International school are higher in Thailand than in Japan.

One reason might be - it is harder to attract good quality teachers, with families of their own, to uproot their lives from the US and come to Thailand than it is to attract them to Japan. Some money must be involved and those schools are private enterprises that exist for money.

Most teachers in our school in Japan have at least 2 kids, some 3, some 4. In addition to salary (same as in the US, about 50K US$ a year), and housing allowance, they get free schooling for their kids in the same school and hop from one country to another every 2 years. They say it is a chain of people who circulate through those jobs, help each other. 5-6 rounds in different schools around the world and their own kids are ready for Uni, along the way had lived in compounds and spared from the usual fears (drugs, gangs, alcohol, violence). That's how they (several of the teachers) told me where their interest lays.

Through that light, it may be a bit easier to understand how full-blown International schools work and how hard it may be to crack in for someone outside the loop, especially non-caucasian (black Americans are OK).

Japanese schools would not (not even those non-academic like ECC) even consider anyone who is not from one of the 7 English speaking countries: US, Canada, UK, Australia, NZ, Ireland, South Africa.

I met one teacher of Vietnamese origin, Oz citizen, she had to prove that she had been to Oz 10+ years, some hard requirement (like finished at least 10 years of formal school in Oz).

Edited April 26, 2011 by think_too_mut

[toenail]

The "top" international schools that cater to the international clients, are expected to hire qualified, certified educators that have experience in their curriculum (British...American...Canadian...). An international school will be happy to hire a qualified Thai to teach a major subject; however, there are few Thais that go overseas attending an university to be a teacher. Because of this, that is why the international schools are allowed by the Thai department of education to give qualified, certified teachers from abroad working permits. (We're not talking about the stop in backpackers teaching English as some rural Thai school.) Unfortunately the Thais that are part of a faculty at these expensive international schools, are put on a different pay scale though they are highly qualified as an assitant or whatever their role is in the education role.