Newbie Question. Teaching

[chris1dna]

Hi, I'm planning to retire and relocate from USA with my Thai wife ten years and our four year old son to Chiang Mai. I will be 56 years old by that time My question is this. I don't want to just sit around and not have anything to do. I'm in the telecom construction field and have not seen any jobs for foreigners available. Is teaching English really something I can do if retired? I have looked into getting a TEAOFL course before I arrive. Can I reasonably expect to find employment if I do this? Sorry if this has been covered. I just can't seem to find definitive answers to this question. Thanks in advance.

[chris1dna]

Edit. My Thai wife (of) ten years. And I'll be moving to Chiang Mai in about five years.

[Scott]

If you have a Bachelor's degree, you will encounter few problems in getting a teaching position. If you don't have a degree, then a qualification such as a TEFL will help, but you may run into the problem of not being able to get a Work Permit. I believe that in the CM area it is a little easier than in BKK.

Since you will probably get a non-immigrant O visa, you can legally stay in Thailand and might be able to fly under the radar on the Work Permit, but you will not be working legally and that is a risk, especially if you have family and are settling here.

[AyG]

Competition for English language teaching jobs in Chiang Mai is tough - there are a lot of foreigners going after relatively few jobs. Your age will also count against you. However, with a degree and a TEFL qualification you should be able to land a (poorly paying) teaching job. However, if you don't need the money, it'd probably be more rewarding to find a hobby or two that will fill your time than teaching.

[chris1dna]

Thank you very much for the replies. It's starting to sound like teaching English is not an easy option. While I will have pretty good retirement income, I would like to also earn a lil extra and have something interesting to do at the same time. The extra cash would be for our sons international school fees and such. Any suggestions as to what a very fit and strong fifty something could do? Since I have my master diver rating, iv'e thought about being a dive guide on Koh Tao during high season but my Thai wife is pretty much against the idea. I would be away from her, in Thailand, out of her sight, alone, around other women. Lol! She said "If I hang around the barber shop long enough, sooner or later I'm gonna get a haircut" lol! Jealous woman.

[chris1dna]

And I forgot to say, my retirement income will be around 55k for the first five years then bump up to around 100k. This should be plenty in Chiang Mai right? Whether I work or not. W will have some capital cash to set up. Like a car and a buzz startup for my wife but other than that we should be ok right. We live modestly and just want to travel around sea once or twice a year.

[chris1dna]

Sorry for spelling errors. iPhone. Grrrrrr..

[naboo]

Don't give up on the teaching idea, there will be something for you, it just won't pay more than 30k a month to start.

55k a month will be fine as long as you're happy to live Thai style 50% of the time. My fiance and I live on just over that on combined income and do OK, paying for a car at 10k a month as well.

If you like to go out drinking and can only eat western food, you may be in trouble, and if you need your own pool in a rented house, you will be going home soon.

[chris1dna]

Thanks,

Ill try not to. I dont have a degree so i would only have tefl training. I had been thinking of just maybe helping another farang or something like that. I dont drink and I eat thai food now most of the time since thats mainly what my wife cooks here in the states. I do however love my home cookin when i have a chance. Ill splurge once in a while for ingredients but eating out for western food in Thailand has generally been a dissapointment for me. I live in the bay area of northern california currently and work daily in San Francisco so my taste's are wide and complex. Im also an employee for att in the construction and enginnering dept as a splicer for the last twenty years so im used to frugal living in the San Francisco area! LOL!! I really appreciate the responses in this forum so. Ive been browsing all the forums and find myself develping a mixture of building anxiety and worry now over the whole prospect of moving to thailand now. Some of these longtime poster seem so negative and critical of anything thai. Ive been to Thailand over a dozen times over the last ten years and stayed an average of two months each time. Even spent a month in an issan forrest monastary. ordained as a monk. Spent long periods of time in issan and all over the more touristy parts. I find i have little dificulty just accepting most of the paradoxes between Thai and western culture. Mostly thru ignorance and living with a Thai woman for the last ten years have i finally begun to start to understand there whole face thing vs absolute truth that we westerners cling too. I hope i have not blathered on too much. LOL!! Thanks again.