Thinking of teaching English in Thailand.

[Potential Teacher]

Greetings everyone, this is my first post and a bit of an introduction is needed I suppose.

I am a 21 year old male living in South Africa at the moment, been here my entire life so far. Anyways, I was thinking of taking a teacher training course, this one specifically puts you in Thailand once you are done. It boasts a 98% placement chance for those that finish and 100% for those with degrees.

What does scare me however, is the relatively short period of time I will be 'qualified' in, the course listing it as taking 4 months. I've done some research and apparently there are a large number of under qualified Western teachers in Thailand, I do hope that this course will not be taking advantage of Thailand's regulations to make quick cash and put under qualified teachers in Thailand.

I do want to know your thoughts and opinions on this and what life in Thailand is like. Do you find many people from foreign countries coming to Thailand to teach English? Any and all wisdom regarding the matter would be greatly appreciated.

[razorramone]

My initial teaching qualification was a 1 month 120 hour course.

I certainly felt thrown in at the deep end and very unprepared when it came to actual teaching - but it taught me the basics, I learned the rest, and survived. 5 years later and I am working on my part time masters in teaching

So I would not worry about the length of the course. As for finding a job, well there are still schools out here who hire anyone with a degree vaguely associated to English.. no teaching qualification at all.

Just keep in mind that the faster a school is to hire... the more desperate they are. Think about the reasons why that might be.

Edited September 4, 2013 by razorramone

[maccaroni man]

Wouldn't this be a better post for the teaching in Thailand forum

[cpofc]

Well, if you have come this far to make a post in TV you must be at least half serious.

Sorry I can't advise you on anything about teaching english in thailand, not my part of ship.

What I can do is offer you a word of encouragement. 21 Years old. I had my 21st Birthday here in the LOS.

Good on you for wanting to get out there, travel and have a go.

I am sure you can gain alot of info here. Don't worry about the 'narks'.

Bite of more than you can chew - and chew like buggery

[Potential Teacher]

My initial teaching qualification was a 1 month 120 hour course.

I certainly felt thrown in at the deep end and very unprepared when it came to actual teaching - but it taught me the basics, I learned the rest, and survived. 5 years later and I am working on my part time masters in teaching

So I would not worry about the length of the course. As for finding a job, well there are still schools out here who hire anyone with a degree vaguely associated to English.. no teaching qualification at all.

Just keep in mind that the faster a school is to hire... the more desperate they are. Think about the reasons why that might be.

Wonderful that I found someone teaching on this forum, because I have so many questions. I have read my fair share of horror stories from English Teachers posting about Thailand life. I read 3 or 4 articles on Yahoo about it, however they are dated from 2007-2009.

Wouldn't this be a better post for the teaching in Thailand forum

Probably, yet I found this website and it is very active with very detailed threads, I figured I would give it a shot.

Well, if you have come this far to make a post in TV you must be at least half serious.

Sorry I can't advise you on anything about teaching english in thailand, not my part of ship.

What I can do is offer you a word of encouragement. 21 Years old. I had my 21st Birthday here in the LOS.

Good on you for wanting to get out there, travel and have a go.

I am sure you can gain alot of info here. Don't worry about the 'narks'.

Bite of more than you can chew - and chew like buggery

Thank you for the support, I originally wanted to teach in South Korea, but they only employ those with degrees and being 21, I do not want to only start working 4-5 years from now. Besides, if I had a degree in teaching I would teach Sports Science/Management/Fitness since I am already a qualified Personal Trainer/Nutritionist etc.

Alas, finding work in that direction requires a bit more innovation in my country and most importantly, money.

[CharlieH]

Get into the teaching forum and talk with real people on the ground doing the job, get as much information and research as you can and be realistic and dont get clouded by dreams.

Good luck !

[jackr]

Op, what he means is take a look at the teaching sub-forum--here--which is part of this website. Have met all types that can speak English teaching English here, though they prefer native speakers like yourself. As for being qualified, you already speak it--and are not Thai (which puts you in the 99 percentile (), but just be sure the course they offer is inline with what they seek here.

As for life here, it'd be best to holiday first and check it out; it's not for everyone. Pour over this site (there are forums on just about everything), but be prepared for abject negativity and overly wishy-washy types. Wikitravel is a good site for overviews of the country, its regions and cities.

All the best.

[geriatrickid]

Thank you for the support, I originally wanted to teach in South Korea, but they only employ those with degrees and being 21, I do not want to only start working 4-5 years from now. Besides, if I had a degree in teaching I would teach Sports Science/Management/Fitness since I am already a qualified Personal Trainer/Nutritionist etc.

Alas, finding work in that direction requires a bit more innovation in my country and most importantly, money.

Whoa. You do not possess a university diploma in education, but you want to teach?

Seriously? Do you think one of the better paying schools is going to hire on an unqualified instructor? Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. With luck, you might get a job offer somewhere in the armpit of Thailand and at a penury level salary.

The Thai government official position, and it has been stated multiple times is that a qualified teacher has an appropriate university diploma, certification for TEFL and 1 year experience. There are people who do not meet these qualifications and are employed as teachers. I do not think as a group they have anywhere near the salaries or benefits of qualified teachers.

Nutritionist? Does that mean you have at least completed a B.Sc. in nutrition and have a professional designation in South Africa? If not, you are not a nutritionist. Recommending which granola bar to eat at a gym is not "nutrition". In any case, Thailand does not offer teaching jobs for that sector unless one is teaching at a university.

I'm sorry, but you need to reconsider your goal as it is unlikely that you would be offered employment at terms and conditions you would consider acceptable, unless you were currently living in a Soweto shanty town. If you are serious about teaching as a career, go and get the appropriate training.

[Soutpeel]

My initial teaching qualification was a 1 month 120 hour course.

I certainly felt thrown in at the deep end and very unprepared when it came to actual teaching - but it taught me the basics, I learned the rest, and survived. 5 years later and I am working on my part time masters in teaching

So I would not worry about the length of the course. As for finding a job, well there are still schools out here who hire anyone with a degree vaguely associated to English.. no teaching qualification at all.

Just keep in mind that the faster a school is to hire... the more desperate they are. Think about the reasons why that might be.

Wonderful that I found someone teaching on this forum, because I have so many questions. I have read my fair share of horror stories from English Teachers posting about Thailand life. I read 3 or 4 articles on Yahoo about it, however they are dated from 2007-2009.

Wouldn't this be a better post for the teaching in Thailand forum

Probably, yet I found this website and it is very active with very detailed threads, I figured I would give it a shot.

Well, if you have come this far to make a post in TV you must be at least half serious.

Sorry I can't advise you on anything about teaching english in thailand, not my part of ship.

What I can do is offer you a word of encouragement. 21 Years old. I had my 21st Birthday here in the LOS.

Good on you for wanting to get out there, travel and have a go.

I am sure you can gain alot of info here. Don't worry about the 'narks'.

Bite of more than you can chew - and chew like buggery

Thank you for the support, I originally wanted to teach in South Korea, but they only employ those with degrees and being 21, I do not want to only start working 4-5 years from now. Besides, if I had a degree in teaching I would teach Sports Science/Management/Fitness since I am already a qualified Personal Trainer/Nutritionist etc.

Alas, finding work in that direction requires a bit more innovation in my country and most importantly, money.

My advice read all the posts in the "teaching forum" on TV and be fully aware of all the pit falls of working in Thailand...ie the contracts, work permits, scams etc etc and as far as I am aware the best money you would be getting would be in the order of THB 30,000 - THB 50,000/m if lucky

putting this in the money you understand R 10,000 to R 15,000/m, and one suspects you will end up at the lower end..

[Potential Teacher]

Thank you for the support, I originally wanted to teach in South Korea, but they only employ those with degrees and being 21, I do not want to only start working 4-5 years from now. Besides, if I had a degree in teaching I would teach Sports Science/Management/Fitness since I am already a qualified Personal Trainer/Nutritionist etc.

Alas, finding work in that direction requires a bit more innovation in my country and most importantly, money.

Whoa. You do not possess a university diploma in education, but you want to teach?

Seriously? Do you think one of the better paying schools is going to hire on an unqualified instructor? Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. With luck, you might get a job offer somewhere in the armpit of Thailand and at a penury level salary.

The Thai government official position, and it has been stated multiple times is that a qualified teacher has an appropriate university diploma, certification for TEFL and 1 year experience. There are people who do not meet these qualifications and are employed as teachers. I do not think as a group they have anywhere near the salaries or benefits of qualified teachers.

Nutritionist? Does that mean you have at least completed a B.Sc. in nutrition and have a professional designation in South Africa? If not, you are not a nutritionist. Recommending which granola bar to eat at a gym is not "nutrition". In any case, Thailand does not offer teaching jobs for that sector unless one is teaching at a university.

I'm sorry, but you need to reconsider your goal as it is unlikely that you would be offered employment at terms and conditions you would consider acceptable, unless you were currently living in a Soweto shanty town. If you are serious about teaching as a career, go and get the appropriate training.

As previously mentioned, I was afraid of that, because I heard of a large number of under qualified western teachers in Thailand. In the OP, I stated that I would be going through an agency that teaches me what I need to know, before placing me in Thailand and yes, they do not ask for a university diploma in education. For that reason I also worry that they are just trying to make quick cash and mass place under qualified teacher in Thailand.

Do understand that I am not trying to teach while under qualified, I was under the impression the R30k I would be paying for the course would prepare me.

So that does send me back to the drawing board. What would you recommend I do?

[Potential Teacher]

My advice read all the posts in the "teaching forum" on TV and be fully aware of all the pit falls of working in Thailand...ie the contracts, work permits, scams etc etc and as far as I am aware the best money you would be getting would be in the order of THB 30,000 - THB 50,000/m if lucky

putting this in the money you understand R 10,000 to R 15,000/m, and one suspects you will end up at the lower end..

The course I would be taking stated between R8000 and R14000, obviously R8000 being the most likely. That being said, I don't have an issue earning R8000 as long as there is a way to increase the salary if I am deemed good at my job and decide to stay longer than a year.

[rgs2001uk]

Thank you for the support, I originally wanted to teach in South Korea, but they only employ those with degrees and being 21, I do not want to only start working 4-5 years from now. Besides, if I had a degree in teaching I would teach Sports Science/Management/Fitness since I am already a qualified Personal Trainer/Nutritionist etc.

Alas, finding work in that direction requires a bit more innovation in my country and most importantly, money.

Whoa. You do not possess a university diploma in education, but you want to teach?

Seriously? Do you think one of the better paying schools is going to hire on an unqualified instructor? Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. With luck, you might get a job offer somewhere in the armpit of Thailand and at a penury level salary.

The Thai government official position, and it has been stated multiple times is that a qualified teacher has an appropriate university diploma, certification for TEFL and 1 year experience. There are people who do not meet these qualifications and are employed as teachers. I do not think as a group they have anywhere near the salaries or benefits of qualified teachers.

Nutritionist? Does that mean you have at least completed a B.Sc. in nutrition and have a professional designation in South Africa? If not, you are not a nutritionist. Recommending which granola bar to eat at a gym is not "nutrition". In any case, Thailand does not offer teaching jobs for that sector unless one is teaching at a university.

I'm sorry, but you need to reconsider your goal as it is unlikely that you would be offered employment at terms and conditions you would consider acceptable, unless you were currently living in a Soweto shanty town. If you are serious about teaching as a career, go and get the appropriate training.

As previously mentioned, I was afraid of that, because I heard of a large number of under qualified western teachers in Thailand. In the OP, I stated that I would be going through an agency that teaches me what I need to know, before placing me in Thailand and yes, they do not ask for a university diploma in education. For that reason I also worry that they are just trying to make quick cash and mass place under qualified teacher in Thailand.

Do understand that I am not trying to teach while under qualified, I was under the impression the R30k I would be paying for the course would prepare me.

So that does send me back to the drawing board. What would you recommend I do?

So that does send me back to the drawing board. What would you recommend I do?

Heres what I recommend, get some decent qualifications, get a haircut and then get a real job that offers real opportunites for career advancement with a salary comensurate with your qualifications.

Alternatively you can ignore the above, get ripped off by some unscrupulous employment agency issuing dodgy qualifications, and find yourself in the ass end of Issan making a whopping 30k baht per month.

[Potential Teacher]

So that does send me back to the drawing board. What would you recommend I do?

Heres what I recommend, get some decent qualifications, get a haircut and then get a real job that offers real opportunites for career advancement with a salary comensurate with your qualifications.

Alternatively you can ignore the above, get ripped off by some unscrupulous employment agency issuing dodgy qualifications, and find yourself in the ass end of Issan making a whopping 30k baht per month.

Cut my hair? Why do you say that?

So essentially my options are limited to a 4-5 years of studying?

[hlfourie]

Hi, I just sent you a PM with details to avoid the negative attacks on this forum, I don't understand why people stay here if they are so negative about everything including their own lives....Thailand is great, you'l love it at won't want to go back to SA in short plus you WILL get a teaching position guaranteed - teaching conversation English is certainly not rocket science. Buy your plane ticket and just come, that's all there is to it.

[Soutpeel]

as long as there is a way to increase the salary if I am deemed good at my job and decide to stay longer than a year.

you may very well get an increase, but be assured it will not be much...

[Soutpeel]

So essentially my options are limited to a 4-5 years of studying?

If your intention to teach is to finanace a "gap year" and see SEA then I would say go for it, but if this a "career move" and your intention is to become a fully fledged teacher...go back an study, then this opens up international schools who get proper expat packages...

[AnotherOneAmerican]

If you have a degree and are white, you should have no problem getting work.

Most of the lower grade English teachers don't have a degree at all.

If you are black or colored getting work as an English teacher in Thailand will be very hard for you, if not impossible.

[Soutpeel]

Hi, I just sent you a PM with details to avoid the negative attacks on this forum, I don't understand why people stay here if they are so negative about everything including their own lives....Thailand is great, you'l love it at won't want to go back to SA in short plus you WILL get a teaching position guaranteed - teaching conversation English is certainly not rocket science. Buy your plane ticket and just come, that's all there is to it.

with the exception of one poster (who is always negative anyway) struggling to see any negative attacks, most are common sense pieces of advice, The company providing the training in SA will not really give a rat's ar*e once they get the money of people...

Its always better getting into a situation forewarned of all the possible pitfalls, if they dont happen great, but at least you are prepared if they do happen...

Soutie..

[Potential Teacher]

you may very well get an increase, but be assured it will not be much...

Where can I get more information about this? What happens in South Africa is that teachers are given 10 month contracts and by doing so they bypass the yearly % increase law.

So essentially my options are limited to a 4-5 years of studying?

If your intention to teach is to finanace a "gap year" and see SEA then I would say go for it, but if this a "career move" and your intention is to become a fully fledged teacher...go back an study, then this opens up international schools who get proper expat packages...

Not particularly a career move, however I would love to save up some money and then use that money for future studying. The thing is, my families current financial situation in South Africa is good, but not to the extent where they can just pay another 4-5 years of my studying while supporting me financially. However it does open up options and the best thing you can have in life is options.

Other than that though, there is nothing keeping me in South Africa.

If you have a degree and are white, you should have no problem getting work.

Most of the lower grade English teachers don't have a degree at all.

If you are black or colored getting work as an English teacher in Thailand will be very hard for you, if not impossible.

I am white, and I did hear that non-Caucasians have a hard time getting jobs in Thailand. May I ask why that is?

[Potential Teacher]

Guys this is the agency I am looking to do it through.

*URL edited out*

If anyone could have a look at it, that would be great.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Scott
Commercial links edited out

[rgs2001uk]

So that does send me back to the drawing board. What would you recommend I do?

Heres what I recommend, get some decent qualifications, get a haircut and then get a real job that offers real opportunites for career advancement with a salary comensurate with your qualifications.

Alternatively you can ignore the above, get ripped off by some unscrupulous employment agency issuing dodgy qualifications, and find yourself in the ass end of Issan making a whopping 30k baht per month.

Cut my hair? Why do you say that?

So essentially my options are limited to a 4-5 years of studying?

Cut my hair? Why do you say that?

Have you ever been to Thailand or been involved with teaching in Thailand?

So essentially my options are limited to a 4-5 years of studying?

Only you can answer that, I dont know what you want from your life or what your hopes and aspirations are.

Do you want a career that comes from having transferrable skills and qualifications that will enable you to work wherever and whenever you choose?

Where do you envisage yourself being in say 5,10 or 15 years time and what do you hope to have achieved by then?

The first thing you have to decide is, what to I want from life, then decide the best course of action to make it happen.

[TheSpade]

Go to the Ajarn forum if you haven't found it already. A friend of mines who teaches out here swears by it for information and resources.

[aTomsLife]

So essentially my options are limited to a 4-5 years of studying?

If your intention to teach is to finanace a "gap year" and see SEA then I would say go for it, but if this a "career move" and your intention is to become a fully fledged teacher...go back an study, then this opens up international schools who get proper expat packages...

Yes, OP, please clarify. Is this a career move?

I work at the same school as a guy who has no degree, yet in his infinite wisdom married a Thai lady. He is stuck now. You on the other hand, are not limited in your options.

If you just want to travel for a year, you could do a TEFL at SEE in Chiang Mai. They advertise on this site, and are a reputable TEFL school in Thailand. The staff there are very nice, and will help you get your bearings. Chiang Mai is also a nice place to start out in Thailand, though the job market there is very competitive. There are many schools in the north who have a difficult time finding native English speakers. So I'm sure you'd find work, especially if you complete your course in May, which is prime hiring season.

If you decide to come, make sure you have a few months living expenses saved up, too.

[Soutpeel]

I am white, and I did hear that non-Caucasians have a hard time getting jobs in Thailand. May I ask why that is?

As regards saving money, personally think you will be hard pressed to save any significant amounts to pay for further study once all your expenses are covered...a little bit may be but not much

Coming from SA, think you would already know the answer to the question I have quoted, but then again at 21 you missed all that...

Edited September 5, 2013 by Scott
Foreign language edited out

[Potential Teacher]

Have you ever been to Thailand or been involved with teaching in Thailand?

I have not been to Thailand no, this is my first involvement in it. Do you know what I look like? (I'm serious, not being cheeky)

Only you can answer that, I dont know what you want from your life or what your hopes and aspirations are.

Do you want a career that comes from having transferrable skills and qualifications that will enable you to work wherever and whenever you choose?

Where do you envisage yourself being in say 5,10 or 15 years time and what do you hope to have achieved by then?

The first thing you have to decide is, what to I want from life, then decide the best course of action to make it happen.

Very true, I guess it's at least an option to explore and I have since learned a lot about life in Thailand and somewhat the situation there, but I should do it properly, I obviously want to be of benefit to country should I ever teach there.

I guess I need to think about it more, look at my options and decide.

Thank you.

Edit: My format failed hard here, hopefully it is still readable.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Potential Teacher

[Potential Teacher]

Go to the Ajarn forum if you haven't found it already. A friend of mines who teaches out here swears by it for information and resources.

I'll check that out, thank you.

Yes, OP, please clarify. Is this a career move?

I work at the same school as a guy who has no degree, yet in his infinite wisdom married a Thai lady. He is stuck now. You on the other hand, are not limited in your options.

If you just want to travel for a year, you could do a TEFL at SEE in Chiang Mai. They advertise on this site, and are a reputable TEFL school in Thailand. The staff there are very nice, and will help you get your bearings. Chiang Mai is also a nice place to start out in Thailand, though the job market there is very competitive. There are many schools in the north who have a difficult time finding native English speakers. So I'm sure you'd find work, especially if you complete your course in May, which is prime hiring season.

If you decide to come, make sure you have a few months living expenses saved up, too.

Not entirely a career move, however if I find it enjoyable I don't see why I wouldn't stay longer, but I also don't want my expectations to be too high. Does he stay in Thailand because of his marriage or because he does not want to leave her? Or is there a legal obligation to stay? The problem I do face though, when not going through an agency, is that I have to do everything myself - not that I don't want to, I just don't know how to go about it. I know about passports and VISA's, but how do i get into Thailand with the purpose of doing my training, staying for a year, possibly more etc etc. I don't know how to go about that.

I am white, and I did hear that non-Caucasians have a hard time getting jobs in Thailand. May I ask why that is?

As regards saving money, personally think you will be hard pressed to save any significant amounts to pay for further study once all your expenses are covered...a little bit may be but not much

Coming from SA, think you would already know the answer to the question I have quoted, but then again at 21 you missed all that... width=20 alt=tongue.png>

Hahaha alright I understand what you mean by why they mostly accept white people, I really do.

It's nice to find so many South Africans on here.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Scott
Foreign language edited out

[chonabot]

I think your idea is good, but you have to think about your own expectations and objectives as well.

If you are looking to experience another culture whilst dipping your toes into a possible future career choice, you should come on over.

If you are considering anything more concrete, think again

I worked in a government school in 'the ass-end of Isaan', as another poster so eloquently put it, and it was an excellent experience.

I do have a degree in English, but many other teachers in our school did not, and most of them were not NES.

Tot Siens

[aTomsLife]

Yes, OP, please clarify. Is this a career move?

I work at the same school as a guy who has no degree, yet in his infinite wisdom married a Thai lady. He is stuck now. You on the other hand, are not limited in your options.

If you just want to travel for a year, you could do a TEFL at SEE in Chiang Mai. They advertise on this site, and are a reputable TEFL school in Thailand. The staff there are very nice, and will help you get your bearings. Chiang Mai is also a nice place to start out in Thailand, though the job market there is very competitive. There are many schools in the north who have a difficult time finding native English speakers. So I'm sure you'd find work, especially if you complete your course in May, which is prime hiring season.

If you decide to come, make sure you have a few months living expenses saved up, too.

Not entirely a career move, however if I find it enjoyable I don't see why I wouldn't stay longer, but I also don't want my expectations to be too high. Does he stay in Thailand because of his marriage or because he does not want to leave her? Or is there a legal obligation to stay?

The problem I do face though, when not going through an agency, is that I have to do everything myself - not that I don't want to, I just don't know how to go about it. I know about passports and VISA's, but how do i get into Thailand with the purpose of doing my training, staying for a year, possibly more etc etc. I don't know how to go about that.

He stays because he has no options. Having no degree makes it difficult for him to get a job at home, at least one with a salary he can support them both with. And as a foreigner in Thailand he's only really qualified to teach, and in his case he's not really even qualified to do that. If you come here, at your age you should be very wary of starting a relationship.

Again, if you decide you want to try teaching here, I suggest you do your TEFL course in Thailand. It will allow you to form a support network from the start, and the friends you'll meet in class could be very helpful down the line. Check out this site: http://seetefl.com/ (no I don't work there, just a satisfied customer).

Getting out into the world and learning to do everything yourself is the most important part of the adventure, in my opinion. Contact the school I mentioned above, and see what they have to say about it. From experience, once you're on the ground here, it's really not that difficult.

FIrst assignment: figure out how much 90,000 baht is in your country's currency. That's the absolute bare minimum you should have saved before coming out here.

[Soutpeel]

FIrst assignment: figure out how much 90,000 baht is in your country's currency. That's the absolute bare minimum you should have saved before coming out here.

near as damn it to R 28,000....

Did I pass my first assignment ?

[aTomsLife]

FIrst assignment: figure out how much 90,000 baht is in your country's currency. That's the absolute bare minimum you should have saved before coming out here.

near as dam_n it to R 28,000....

Did I pass my first assignment ?

My converter is saying: 28,609.273.

Close enough