Another Wannabe

[ants_cymru]

Hello teachers,

Firstly, I do anticipate that this post will be responded to by a barrage of tuts and hisses. Any grammatical or sphylling errors are the result of an incorrect function by my P.C.

I have just returned to the U.K from a 4 week holiday in Thailand and Cambodia. This trip functioned (as was intended) as a fresher visit, with an aim to return in November for an extended trip of 6-8 months. I am cautious and would rather sample the culture/get ripped off by a tuk tuk driver/catch a tropical disease on this short trip, rather than ruin up my extended one. After travelling and sampling the culture (blah blah blah), I now have an interest in teaching in these areas.

Heres the catch, and where the tuts roll in! My educational background is limited and 4 years ago I dropped out of my Engineering degree due to sponsorship/financial problems. I have since been working as a croupier to remove my debts and now pay for travels. I still intend to return in November, there is no way I will stay in the U.K for any longer, and I would like to teach English at a basic level. I realise that Cambodia is my only likely option, although I shall be taking a TEFL course shortly.

I am not particularly interested in the money, although it would help! I am willing to work like a hound in the U.K (as I do) when required and pay my way in Asia. Going back to uni is not an option that I wish to undertake, although it is a possibility in the future. What I do not wish to do is to arrive at the school and be inadequate, or be in a unstable position where I can be manipulated against my will. Much like many backpackers who use teaching to extend their trip.

Now for my questions, you didn't think I wouldnt have some, did you?

Am I likely to find ant decent posts?

Will I be able to climb the teaching ladder through experience, rather than qualifications? Particually would I be able to start in Cambodia then to Vietnam, Thailand etc?

What constructive things can I do with the next 7 months, apart from working 70 hours a week at nighttime?

Will I end up having to work in Thailand as a bloody scuba instructor?

[Ijustwannateach]

Assuming this is actually a serious post (a croupier?!?), you have not made it clear what your goals are. You want a "decent" post, but you don't care about money, but you don't want to work too hard, however you're willing to work hard, and you're not very well educated, but you don't want to be inadequate, and you want to climb the teaching ladder (implying long term prospects), but actually you're "working your way" through various countries (implying temp. work).

I think the first step is define what it is you want to do. At the moment there are too many contradictions in your goals for me to give you any simple "yes/no" answer to your question about whether you're likely to find a position.

"Steven"

[Totster]

Tut.. Hisssssss.. tut ....... hisssssss

totster

[ants_cymru]

Yes I am a croupier, and yes this is serious. My post was long and confusing, I should have checked the actual content before posting it. I am still in the basic stages of planning, this is why I am being slightly vague. At the moment I am looking at staying in each country around 1 year. The first country I am planning to teach is Cambodia (because I know I can), but I would like to be flexible on this and am open to options available to me within S.E Asia.

I never said I dont want to work hard. I understand well that teaching is a very demanding job, and needs a high amount of commitment and hard work. I would like to do temp work, if that is what a 12 month post is. However it would be nice to actually feel that I am progressing and actually developing myself. My current job is not a serious one in any case and will never develop me as a person.

I am not very well educated, not on paper but I know that I could complete a degree course easily. The fact is I'd rather act on the (vague) plan described above right now. I've just finished paying off the RAF £9,000 as well as other debts at around £3000 so the last thing I want now is to dip into borrowing for education again. I also made a mistake in the last post, my uni degree started 4 years ago, I finished 2.5 years ago and have been working since. (I am 23)

I know I am being vague still. All I am looking for is some guidance and advise to help me plan my next 7 months. (Apart from the TEFL course I'm commiting to.)

Perhaps if anyone asks me some more questions I can answer them to make things clearer.

Thank you to anyone who replies to this post, which is getting rather boring. (Sorry)

Edited April 14, 2006 by ants_cymru

[ilyushin]

Wannabe ! Your skills can land you a job easily in Cambodia, Vietnam or Thailand. You will soon learn to appreciate the hard work of teaching English and living on a budget. Not an easy task.

Good luck.

Prepare yourself with lessons and look for current posts on the subject. Make contact with some schools for qualifications.

Keep the student's attention and win their hearts.

[robitusson]

Hello teachers,

Firstly, I do anticipate that this post will be responded to by a barrage of tuts and hisses. Any grammatical or sphylling errors are the result of an incorrect function by my P.C.

I have just returned to the U.K from a 4 week holiday in Thailand and Cambodia. This trip functioned (as was intended) as a fresher visit, with an aim to return in November for an extended trip of 6-8 months. I am cautious and would rather sample the culture/get ripped off by a tuk tuk driver/catch a tropical disease on this short trip, rather than ruin up my extended one. After travelling and sampling the culture (blah blah blah), I now have an interest in teaching in these areas.

Heres the catch, and where the tuts roll in! My educational background is limited and 4 years ago I dropped out of my Engineering degree due to sponsorship/financial problems. I have since been working as a croupier to remove my debts and now pay for travels. I still intend to return in November, there is no way I will stay in the U.K for any longer, and I would like to teach English at a basic level. I realise that Cambodia is my only likely option, although I shall be taking a TEFL course shortly.

I am not particularly interested in the money, although it would help! I am willing to work like a hound in the U.K (as I do) when required and pay my way in Asia. Going back to uni is not an option that I wish to undertake, although it is a possibility in the future. What I do not wish to do is to arrive at the school and be inadequate, or be in a unstable position where I can be manipulated against my will. Much like many backpackers who use teaching to extend their trip.

Now for my questions, you didn't think I wouldnt have some, did you?

Am I likely to find ant decent posts?

Will I be able to climb the teaching ladder through experience, rather than qualifications? Particually would I be able to start in Cambodia then to Vietnam, Thailand etc?

What constructive things can I do with the next 7 months, apart from working 70 hours a week at nighttime?

Will I end up having to work in Thailand as a bloody scuba instructor?

You'll easily find a teaching job in Thailand without a Degree. A TEFL would help. You could easily find something in one of the language schools, ECC, English First, etc. The pay wouldn't be great and your options would definitely be limited compared to someone with a degree or third level qualification.

Experience would help in the long run, as would the contacts you'd make building up your experience. Appearance and demeanour are very important too. Getting professional looking clothes and a neat appearance are essential. No earings, neat hair-cut, no facial hair, shiny shoes and all that.

Once you've got the job, reliability and punctuality are favoured more in most places than an excellent teacher who misses days and turns up late.

Personally it sounds to me like you should go back to college and finish your degree. You could certainly say to prospective employers that you are in the process of doing your degree.

The biggest problem is your visa. You won't be able to get a work permit and you'll have to leave the country once a month to get a new visa.

Good luck though, go for it.

Edited April 14, 2006 by robitusson

[ilyushin]

Hello teachers,

Firstly, I do anticipate that this post will be responded to by a barrage of tuts and hisses. Any grammatical or sphylling errors are the result of an incorrect function by my P.C.

I have just returned to the U.K from a 4 week holiday in Thailand and Cambodia. This trip functioned (as was intended) as a fresher visit, with an aim to return in November for an extended trip of 6-8 months. I am cautious and would rather sample the culture/get ripped off by a tuk tuk driver/catch a tropical disease on this short trip, rather than ruin up my extended one. After travelling and sampling the culture (blah blah blah), I now have an interest in teaching in these areas.

Heres the catch, and where the tuts roll in! My educational background is limited and 4 years ago I dropped out of my Engineering degree due to sponsorship/financial problems. I have since been working as a croupier to remove my debts and now pay for travels. I still intend to return in November, there is no way I will stay in the U.K for any longer, and I would like to teach English at a basic level. I realise that Cambodia is my only likely option, although I shall be taking a TEFL course shortly.

I am not particularly interested in the money, although it would help! I am willing to work like a hound in the U.K (as I do) when required and pay my way in Asia. Going back to uni is not an option that I wish to undertake, although it is a possibility in the future. What I do not wish to do is to arrive at the school and be inadequate, or be in a unstable position where I can be manipulated against my will. Much like many backpackers who use teaching to extend their trip.

Now for my questions, you didn't think I wouldnt have some, did you?

Am I likely to find ant decent posts?

Will I be able to climb the teaching ladder through experience, rather than qualifications? Particually would I be able to start in Cambodia then to Vietnam, Thailand etc?

What constructive things can I do with the next 7 months, apart from working 70 hours a week at nighttime?

Will I end up having to work in Thailand as a bloody scuba instructor?

You'll easily find a teaching job in Thailand without a Degree. A TEFL would help. You could easily find something in one of the language schools, ECC, English First, etc. The pay wouldn't be great and your options would definitely be limited compared to someone with a degree or third level qualification.

Experience would help in the long run, as would the contacts you'd make building up your experience. Appearance and demeanour are very important too. Getting professional looking clothes and a neat appearance are essential. No earings, neat hair-cut, no facial hair, shiny shoes and all that.

Once you've got the job, reliability and punctuality are favoured more in most places than an excellent teacher who misses days and turns up late.

Personally it sounds to me like you should go back to college and finish your degree. You could certainly say to prospective employers that you are in the process of doing your degree.

The biggest problem is your visa. You won't be able to get a work permit and you'll have to leave the country once a month to get a new visa.

Good luck though, go for it.

Great advice from robitusson for any teacher not only wannabes. I also suggest that you get the degree now. Prepare for the future.

[ants_cymru]

Thank you for some useful and interesting replies.

Interesting to find that there are options open to me within Thailand, although this seems that I would want to base myself close to a Thai border! The dressing up part is no problem, having come from a millitary background (father was in the British army), and I was being groomed for the RAF. There's always that suit I bought last week in Bangkok!

Has anyone managed to recieve a work permit for Thailand after a long period of work there, without a degree? Or has anyone made sufficient contacts to enable this? I imagine many strings can be pulled in this country if friendships are with the right people.

I do not initially fancy commiting myself to a long border run every month! I would like to ensure that I can acclimatise easily for my first post. I still look to Cambodia! However I would prefer to teach in Thailand as I do prefer the country and its culture after my brief stay there.

Budgeting for my first term should not be to bad, it has in fact already started here in the U.K and my 70 hour weeks are commencing! Working in the mind numbing post as a Croupier is excellent experience for hard work. As I speak I am looking for a temporary career change! I do have 7 months to save up, and I cannot even contemplate a degree at the moment. Perhaps in 2 - 3 years I will be ready again, financial conditions for students are terrible now. Particulary if mummy and daddy are not there to constantly add to the pot. I am a particularly independant person.

Edited April 15, 2006 by ants_cymru

[Spit the Dog]

If you read through the old posts in here, you will find many answers to your questions.

What you could do in the next 7 months, is brush up on the grammar rules. It will give you a head start as TEFL courses can have some intense grammar modules.

I used to be in the same line of work as you. As you probably know there are no legal casinos in Thailand. There have been discussions to legalize them but nothing ever seems to happen.

Anyway, I would say go for it. It's got to be better than dealing Blackjack to pissheads on a Friday/Saturday night.

[richard10365]

I got a job as a teacher without a degree or TEFL but as mentioned above the pay is not that great. (26K/month) I start next month.

The school says, "we will get your work permit, handle your visa extensions, and get your teaching license." I wonder if they can really do all that.

Your military training might come in handy on your resume. I am a retired soldier and have been to many military schools and had many different jobs in the army. One of the jobs I had was as an instructor teaching a technical course for 2 years. That expierence and a copy of my educational/training transcripts from the army helped me to get my teaching job.

Combine your military training and your educational records and I would bet you could get a pretty decent teaching position in Thailand.

[robitusson]

Thank you for some useful and interesting replies.

Interesting to find that there are options open to me within Thailand, although this seems that I would want to base myself close to a Thai border! The dressing up part is no problem, having come from a millitary background (father was in the British army), and I was being groomed for the RAF. There's always that suit I bought last week in Bangkok!

Not necessarily. You can get from Bangkok to Cambodia, get your visa and back in 10 hours. It's still a pain in the neck.

Has anyone managed to recieve a work permit for Thailand after a long period of work there, without a degree? Or has anyone made sufficient contacts to enable this? I imagine many strings can be pulled in this country if friendships are with the right people.

You'd be lucky. There's thousands of Farangs getting work permits done every month. Some who previously got work permits were turned down for new ones this year after a big crack down on fake degrees, dodgy qualifications, etc. Although people without degrees and qualifications have been given work permits, they're just few and far between.

I do not initially fancy commiting myself to a long border run every month! I would like to ensure that I can acclimatise easily for my first post. I still look to Cambodia! However I would prefer to teach in Thailand as I do prefer the country and its culture after my brief stay there.

Budgeting for my first term should not be to bad, it has in fact already started here in the U.K and my 70 hour weeks are commencing! Working in the mind numbing post as a Croupier is excellent experience for hard work. As I speak I am looking for a temporary career change! I do have 7 months to save up, and I cannot even contemplate a degree at the moment. Perhaps in 2 - 3 years I will be ready again, financial conditions for students are terrible now. Particulary if mummy and daddy are not there to constantly add to the pot. I am a particularly independant person.

Relying on savings could only ever be a short term option unless you really rake it in. It's cheap here, but not as cheap as it seems sometimes. A flight to Europe is a whole months wages if you're getting the average teaching wage here. Even more if you work in Cambodia.

Edited April 15, 2006 by robitusson

[ants_cymru]

Well it looks as if things are going to have to work one of two ways, either I'll have to come back to the UK occasionally for perhaps a 4 month period and save up around £5000. Or I'll have to budget myself with an initial bankroll and hope to eventually sustain myself. Dont like the sound of these border runs to Cambodia! Dont fancy being ripped off and having to stay in Koh Kong every month, but it sounds like thats what I'll have to do.

Another question that I cant seem to find the answer to, is what sort of teaching level im I looking to go for? What age group am I likely to find myself with? I automatically assumed that someone of my inexperience and qualifications would be teaching the very young. Surely I could not command a wage of B25000 a month on this? Please bear in mind I am still at the basic stages of planning, I am still waiting for my TEFL material to arrive, and I am looking for a useful way to start learning thai or perhaps kymer.

[PeaceBlondie]

Learning the local language will help you personally, but won't make you better qualified as a TEFL candidate on your CV.

You can expect to be teaching either elementary (prathom, 1st to 6th), or secondary (matayom). In a language school, you'd probably teach any ages younger than yourself, I guess (I don't know).

Yes, you could command a wage of 25,000 per month with your quals, because there are a lot of desparate schools out there, even in BKK, and moreso in the remote provines, which can be very desperate, very remote and very provincial, and very superficially respectful. Of course, surviving in the mayhem/chaos/bedlam called Bangkok wouldn't be easy, but BKK might be far more exciting, unless you would enjoy spicy rice, squat toilets, no spoken English, and hot days that make a July day in Wales feel like December in the Arctic.

Good luck.

[Thaible]

If you come to Thailand without a college degree, your life will be ruined.

You will be trapped here without any skills. You will be miserable and forever complaining because you have no other options in life. If Thailand ever decides they want less foreigners moving here, you will be among the first gone.

Get a degree first, regardless of how hard you have to work for it, then decide if you want to come here afterwards.

[robitusson]

Well it looks as if things are going to have to work one of two ways, either I'll have to come back to the UK occasionally for perhaps a 4 month period and save up around £5000. Or I'll have to budget myself with an initial bankroll and hope to eventually sustain myself. Dont like the sound of these border runs to Cambodia! Dont fancy being ripped off and having to stay in Koh Kong every month, but it sounds like thats what I'll have to do.

Another question that I cant seem to find the answer to, is what sort of teaching level im I looking to go for? What age group am I likely to find myself with? I automatically assumed that someone of my inexperience and qualifications would be teaching the very young. Surely I could not command a wage of B25000 a month on this? Please bear in mind I am still at the basic stages of planning, I am still waiting for my TEFL material to arrive, and I am looking for a useful way to start learning thai or perhaps kymer.

No. You could start work in a normal government school almost upon arrival. This could involve teaching children anywhere from 6/ 7 to 16/ 17 year olds in big classes, over 40 sometimes. You could also get work in a language school, which are English teaching businesses, teaching adults, children, college students, toddlers, etc.. These places teach mainly at weekends and evenings when the students are out of work or college. The classes are usually less than 10 and the students are (usually) interested in being there. Either of these options could bring you in 25 - 40 thousand a month. About the minimum you'd need basically. Private tuition is also possible for supplemental income. You can get around 500 an hour for this although it's not always reliable.

Going back and forth to work evry few months means you have to uproot yourself, look for a new job every time you get back. I wouldn't fancy it. Up to you.

You could apply to finish your degree at one of the universities here. Bring your university transcripts with you when you come. This would solve things in the long run. Engineers can make proper wages here, ie: 60 - 100 thousand a month. The other poster is partly right about your qualifications unfortunately. Without more options you could feel trapped in the long run.

If you want to learn Thai get the Benjawan Boonsan Becker "Thai For Beginners" book and CDs. It's very popular and easy to use. Dunno about Khmer.

Edited April 16, 2006 by robitusson

[mbkudu]

If you come to Thailand without a college degree, your life will be ruined.

You will be trapped here without any skills. You will be miserable and forever complaining because you have no other options in life. If Thailand ever decides they want less foreigners moving here, you will be among the first gone.

Get a degree first, regardless of how hard you have to work for it, then decide if you want to come here afterwards.

There is a lot of truth in what you say here. After nine years of it in Thailand, I woke up, saw the path, and decided not to follow it. I am still young enough to change course and decided that I will finish my degree. I have quite a few friends still there logging the hours at the condos and language centers. Some are doing ok and have gone on to better things, but some are just going on for the sake of going on with no real direction. Some teachers with no qualifications fall into the right slots and make good lives for themselves and others can never make it and just piss away their lives. The older you get doing it and the longer you are away from your home country, the further you go into the abyss if you haven't got your sh!t together financially. I think it was easier a decade ago to do it, but it has become harder now for the degreeless teacher and will only get harder.

Robitusson suggested studying for your degree in Thailand. This an idea worth looking into; I did look into it and decided to do it. The tuition is very affordable and the best part is that you can easily get a one year student visa that is renewable each year as long as you can show that you are studying. This means 4 years of uninteruption from visa runs.

Edited April 16, 2006 by mbkudu

[ants_cymru]

Thank you once again for the advise, it would be fantastic (and something that I have not considered) to be able to study for a thai degree whilst working part time in thailand somehow. Mbkudu, are you studying p/time? What significance does a Thai degree hold abroad? Surely I would need to speak fluent Thai for this to be a possibility?

Its interesting to find the level of teaching I might find my self at. It looks like i'll have to get myself some local work experience as well!

So looks like Im going to have to:

Do my TEFL.

Study Thai, perhaps on a self taught basis.

Get some work experience.

Gather some cash together.

Hope that all goes well and I can start in November. (I am even supprised that I might be able to get upto 25K per month with my qualifications.)

If things dont go the right way after a long period of time, I am happy to move to another country. There are alot of special places in the world for me to go, perhaps my experiences in this country would be helpful in the future.

[robitusson]

Thank you once again for the advise, it would be fantastic (and something that I have not considered) to be able to study for a thai degree whilst working part time in thailand somehow. Mbkudu, are you studying p/time? What significance does a Thai degree hold abroad? Surely I would need to speak fluent Thai for this to be a possibility?

Thai degrees aren't worth a fart in the wind for the most part. However there are some excellent universities here with courses in English, that give qualifications which are recognised internationally. For example a friend of mine works part-time and studies at this one. It's all in English but the courses can be pricey.

[suspect Link removed: MOD]

There's others too. You'll have to investigate. I'd imagine there's very few foreigners who have the Thai language ability to study a degree in Thai, even after years of learning the language.

Its interesting to find the level of teaching I might find my self at. It looks like i'll have to get myself some local work experience as well!

So looks like Im going to have to:

Do my TEFL.

Study Thai, perhaps on a self taught basis.

Get some work experience.

Gather some cash together.

Hope that all goes well and I can start in November. (I am even supprised that I might be able to get upto 25K per month with my qualifications.)

You should aim to get over 35. There's schools here employing non-native speakers with no qualifications to teach English and paying them decent money. Remember the all important, appearance and reliability. Substance over content.

If things dont go the right way after a long period of time, I am happy to move to another country. There are alot of special places in the world for me to go, perhaps my experiences in this country would be helpful in the future.

Edited April 19, 2006 by samran

[mbkudu]

When Robitusson says, "Thai degrees aren't worth a fart in the wind," I think he means a degree conducted in Thai for Thais. This is a fair assessment and most Thais wouldn't argue this either. I'm going to be studying for a BA in English and study Chinese language as well. The major courses are all conducted in English by Western Phd. professors. Thai language is also a required study. It will be full time, but I have some savings from working in my home country the past few years and will work part time while studying. The tuition with books is about 40,000 baht per year. There is an optional summer session, so I can finish in three years if I put the screws down. It's not a high brow ivy league uni that will get a high powered corporate job; obviously you get what you pay for.

However, there is hidden value in studying at a university in Asia; the cost of course, future networking possibilities with fellow students, experience abroad and exposure to foreign language . I plan to work in either Thailand or China, so it will suit me fine.

[kenkannif]

The biggest problem is your visa. You won't be able to get a work permit and you'll have to leave the country once a month to get a new visa.

Good luck though, go for it.

Not really true as it is possible and seems to be happening more and more for teachers to get a work permit without a degree.

Also you don't have to do a run every 30 days if you don't have a WP, you just need to be a tad clued up is all.

[kenkannif]

You'd be lucky. There's thousands of Farangs getting work permits done every month. Some who previously got work permits were turned down for new ones this year after a big crack down on fake degrees, dodgy qualifications, etc.

Completely untrue

Although people without degrees and qualifications have been given work permits, they're just few and far between.

Well not as few and far between as those mentioned above.

I wish people wouldn't use untrue scare tactics on here.

[robitusson]

You'd be lucky. There's thousands of Farangs getting work permits done every month. Some who previously got work permits were turned down for new ones this year after a big crack down on fake degrees, dodgy qualifications, etc.

Completely untrue

Although people without degrees and qualifications have been given work permits, they're just few and far between.

Well not as few and far between as those mentioned above.

I wish people wouldn't use untrue scare tactics on here.

Fact: Thousands of Farangs both apply for and get work permits every month.

Fact: People I know who where given work permits last year were turned down this year on the basis of their qualifications not being good enough.

Fact: It was easier to get a work permit last year than it is this year due to more thorough checking of applications, demanding college transcripts, contacting universities, etc.

Fact: The vast majority of work permits given to teachers are to those with third level qualifications.

Scare tactics?

Edited April 18, 2006 by robitusson

[Simmo]

Will I be able to climb the teaching ladder through experience, rather than qualifications?

That's the big problem with the teaching game here ,there is no ladder. You can basically be stuck in the same job & same salary indefinitely & there;s not much point changing schools as you have to fo through all the crap of changing your work permit and they all have similar salaries. Usually the only real promotion opportunity is to be Director of Studies and you need to play politics to get there.

From reading your initial post you kind of remind me of where I was 2 & 1/2 years ago before I came out here ( I was about the same age). My advice is to get some savings behind you (at least 3 months living buffer) and do it, you're only young once.

Don't worry too much about not having a degree , there's hundreds of farangs teaching here without one( legal & non-legal). You'll soon see that teaching is basically glorified baby sitting here ( at least in the public school sector), so don't be to concerned about your grammar skills or being the perfect teacher. I'm not saying just show up in the classroom unprepared but don't take it to seriously and try to have some fun outside work , after all that's why you're here. You have to play the political game with fellow teachers , the school director & particularly the Thai teachers but once you've won them over initially with hard work you can go into cruise mode.

25k is border line liveable in Bangkok. You certainly won't be getting out much on that. You should be looking at minimum of 35k to enjoy yourself. If you want the "real Thai" experience you can work in the provinces though that takes a certain type of person to thrive in. There are some smaller cities / towns that mix both worlds, where you can meet some farang friends , have some nightlife but still feel like you're experience Thailand. Chiang Mai & Hua Hin spring to mind.

I worked the 2004 / 2005 school year in a school just outside Hua Hin and had a great time, I'll remember it as one of the best times in my life (mostly outside of school). A good attitude to have is "teaching is something I do to fill the day", and focus your energies outside of it. Teaching didn't end up being my game and I've kind of fallen into much better paying work now but I will remember it fondly.

Anyway, just my incoherent thoughts after seeing your post.

[mad_dog]

There are high standard university degrees available from the University of London via there External Programme. You should be able to get an exemption for your first year of study due to your previous undergraduate work. Sit exams next June and the June after that and you will be degreed up! In the meantime as a young, white newbie with TEFL you will EASILY be able to get a job in the 30,000-35,000 baht range. Come and enjoy SEA! Don’t let the negative mob with high post counts put you off. They like “flaming” newbies to be make them feel better about their own inadequacies

GOOD LUCK

[ants_cymru]

OK.

Now im suffering from a slight dose of confusion as to what i'm going to do in Thailand.

Over the next couple of months i'll do my TEFL, scan the boards, improve my grammar and Thai and plan to hit Thailand by November with some emergency cash. Also I'll give myself some time to fine tune what I'm actually going to do on arrival. Will I get a degree? Will I get a work permit? Will I get frustrated and go and work in Vietnam/Cambodia/China? These questions should really be answered closer to the time, things might change before I leave, the political scene almost certainly will.

So I'll leave this issue alone for now, perhaps I'll ressurect the thread at the end of the (jolly) British summer. This site looks great and I'll be posting around and pesterting members for a the forseable future, while I live out the remainding weeks of my dull life here. I'm still going to be looking for more advise but recieving it openly will lead to arguements. I'd rather recieve alternate and differing pieces of information seperately and weigh them up in my mind, using my own judgement. It would be nice to make a few contacts before I get out there also.

Thanks for your help on this thread.

[kenkannif]

You'd be lucky. There's thousands of Farangs getting work permits done every month. Some who previously got work permits were turned down for new ones this year after a big crack down on fake degrees, dodgy qualifications, etc.

Completely untrue

Although people without degrees and qualifications have been given work permits, they're just few and far between.

Well not as few and far between as those mentioned above.

I wish people wouldn't use untrue scare tactics on here.

Fact: Thousands of Farangs both apply for and get work permits every month.

Yes, I agree!

Fact: People I know who where given work permits last year were turned down this year on the basis of their qualifications not being good enough.

I'm actually getting reports it's a lot easier. I an I'm hearing more and more people are getting them without a degree. And with the MoE not verifying the degrees anymore it's also making life easier for the naughty people!

So no not a fact although it might apply to some of your mates

Fact: It was easier to get a work permit last year than it is this year due to more thorough checking of applications, demanding college transcripts, contacting universities, etc.

Actually as per above it's getting easier and schools are just okaying them. So again not a fact.

Fact: The vast majority of work permits given to teachers are to those with third level qualifications.

Well I don't really think you can be sure of that mate 100%. But yes I'd tend to agree with that, although you've not really covered everything I pulled you up on. But at least you tried.

Scare tactics?

Yeah the so called 'crackdown' you mentioned which never actually happened.

[kenkannif]

Fact: People I know who where given work permits last year were turned down this year on the basis of their qualifications not being good enough.

Actually this does kind of make sense in some ways. The MoE will never check up (and they've actually stopped doing so) if it's in the system. What most likely has happened is the employing school wanted to get rid of them....and used their quals as an excuse....this happens quite a lot to be honest.

They had kosher quals??? Or dodgy ones???

[richard10365]

When I first got to Thailand, I taught for free for about 18 months in a small village near Cambodia. Since I was teaching for free to Thai children and because I was not near any big cities in Thailand, the work permit requirement was not enforced. I did gain expierence teaching in Thailand.

Last month I was talking with a friend and they suggested I should post my resume on http://www.ajarn.com/. My friend said since school had not started for the new school year many schools were looking for new teachers.

I took my friends advice and posted my resume. I got offers to teach within a day. Within 2 weeks, I had found a job. Since I didn't have TEFL or a BA degree, it was relatively a low paying (less than 30k/month) teaching job. The job comes with a work permit as well as handling my visa extensions as long as I am working there. Part of the reason I got the job was my expierence teaching as a volunteer.

All the job offers I received said they saw my resume on http://www.ajarn.com/. Since they said they read my resume, I asked them are they sure they understand I do not have TESL or a BA degree. Half of the offers then said I did not meet the requirements for their school. They were offering more money than the schools who said I didn't need TEFL or a BA degree.

The more marketable you make yourself before you get here, the more opportunities you will have after you get here. More opportunites usually means more money.

[Ijustwannateach]

...Thailand is not the kind of place you can climb in without paying some dues... which usually means you will spend a year or two in some really crappy deadend kinds of jobs while finding the few people who really know where the good jobs are and showing them you're at least mildly informed and professional.

You still haven't made your goals very clear. If you want to climb, find a position and start networking. If you're just working to support your travel, that can be done, but you're being way too serious about it.

"Steven"

[robitusson]

You'd be lucky. There's thousands of Farangs getting work permits done every month. Some who previously got work permits were turned down for new ones this year after a big crack down on fake degrees, dodgy qualifications, etc.

Completely untrue

Although people without degrees and qualifications have been given work permits, they're just few and far between.

Well not as few and far between as those mentioned above.

I wish people wouldn't use untrue scare tactics on here.

Fact: Thousands of Farangs both apply for and get work permits every month.

Yes, I agree!

Fact: People I know who where given work permits last year were turned down this year on the basis of their qualifications not being good enough.

I'm actually getting reports it's a lot easier. I an I'm hearing more and more people are getting them without a degree. And with the MoE not verifying the degrees anymore it's also making life easier for the naughty people!

So no not a fact although it might apply to some of your mates

Fact: It was easier to get a work permit last year than it is this year due to more thorough checking of applications, demanding college transcripts, contacting universities, etc.

Actually as per above it's getting easier and schools are just okaying them. So again not a fact.

Fact: The vast majority of work permits given to teachers are to those with third level qualifications.

Well I don't really think you can be sure of that mate 100%. But yes I'd tend to agree with that, although you've not really covered everything I pulled you up on. But at least you tried.

Scare tactics?

Yeah the so called 'crackdown' you mentioned which never actually happened.

Pedantic.