No Degree Can I Teach English

[tommieroo]

Hiya Folks,

My original plan to work in Thailand was to use my previous experience as a Test Technician in the Aerospace Industry, but im finding it hard to say the least!

I studied in Engineering for 5yrs and have a Higher National Certificate (HNC) 2yrs away from a Degree, my questions are?

1) Can I teach in thailand if I obtain a TEFL, but without no degree,

2) What do you suggest the salary range would be,

I would be very grateful for your feedback,

Kind Reguards

Tom

Edited May 6, 2006 by tommieroo

[ilyushin]

Question #1 yes the TEFL is enough! # 2 some friends of mine make baht 27,000 - 100,000+/mth teaching English.

I would suggest you finish the 2 yrs study and stay in aerospace industry.

[Ijustwannateach]

Ummm.. yeah... without a degree, it'll be rough going for you to make more than 20-30K- not impossible, but hard. You could always make contacts here as you go that might be interested in your engineering experience, tho...

good luck.

[Lormaak]

Ummm.. yeah... without a degree, it'll be rough going for you to make more than 20-30K- not impossible, but hard...

I'm not so sure. I reckon at least 35,000, and over 40,000 isn't that hard to find. And then there's extra income to be had for after hours jobs. This is in Bangkok though.

[mbkudu]

Ummm.. yeah... without a degree, it'll be rough going for you to make more than 20-30K- not impossible, but hard. You could always make contacts here as you go that might be interested in your engineering experience, tho...

good luck.

Ummm..I'd say making 30,000-50,000 baht per month with no degree is absolutely possible, actually I know for a fact it's possible. If you're new to Thailand, it might take awhile to get to that level; say a year. Making decent money without a degree is really not a problem. The problem is the lack of work permit, constant visa runs and shaky working status in the future.

[Ijustwannateach]

Ummm.. yeah... without a degree, it'll be rough going for you to make more than 20-30K- not impossible, but hard. You could always make contacts here as you go that might be interested in your engineering experience, tho...

good luck.

Ummm..I'd say making 30,000-50,000 baht per month with no degree is absolutely possible, actually I know for a fact it's possible. If you're new to Thailand, it might take awhile to get to that level; say a year. Making decent money without a degree is really not a problem. The problem is the lack of work permit, constant visa runs and shaky working status in the future.

Didn't say it was impossible, just said it would be hard (including no work permit, visa runs, shaky status)!

[Neeranam]

I left an petroleum engineering career behind about 15 years ago - great money, butit wasn't for me. I came to Thailand and loved teaching and the associated lifestyle. I have absolutely no regrets -life here is great. You don't have to teach for the rest of your life - other opportunities to make money will happen.

I have a friend who doesn't have a degree and teaches privately making over 1000 baht an hour. 20 hours a week makes 80,000 a month which is more than enough.

Just come on over and try it out!

[Thaiquila]

So, how are teachers with degrees and without work permits dealing with the visa situation. What visas are they usually on and how hard are they to maintain? If you are an English teacher caught working without a work permit, what usually happens? Are they more lenient with English teachers because the country needs them and they clearly have a needed imported skill?

[Thaiboxer]

Lots of folks here in Thailand work under the table with no work permit and have to do the monthly or quarterly visa runs. The law is not enforced so strictly here in many instances as it would be in other Asian countries. If you're caught working without a permit, you could find yourself in hot water but provided that you don't upest the wrong people while working you should be fine. Many teachers work here for years on end with no permit and have no problems with the law.

With regards to salary, it's possible to obtain a job that pays between 30-40K per month without a degree. Two things will often facilitate this: 1.) the extremely high demand for teachers 2.) being a "farang" (white skinned foreigner of European descent). It's unfair for those teachers who don't have the "farang" look, but at the end of the day that's often what schools base their hiring decisions on. Of course, you need to sell yourself here just as you would in the States or anywhere else in the West. If you look presentable, put on a smile and relax you'll often land the job you want. Finding employment, especially in Bangkok, is not that difficult. Finding a place you want to teach at for a long time is another story...you will soon learn that the English teaching industry here has a VERY high turnover rate. You may go through a few jobs till you find the one that suits you best. Good luck!

[PeaceBlondie]

Anything is possible. You could come here with all the right certifications and moves (BA, even MA, but not in TEFL; non-immig B visa but no WP or TL; sharp dressed man, good interviewer, etc.; and never make over 25K, never get 12 monthly paychecks in a row, never have a WP or TL, etc. I'm not the only example. And I'm a good, conscientious White clown!!

OTOH, you might come here on a tourist entry stamp, 9th grade education; hillbilly accent and buck teeth; and get 48 paychecks steadily increasing from 35K to 55K, without ever leaving the country. But in that case, it's more likely that you'd get a job humping a chrome pole in a go-go-bar, competing with better looking Thais.

Nothing is certain here, so don't come expecting a bed of roses or a briar patch of thorns.

[busgen]

Officially and I mean officially....it is not possible to teach LEGALLY without a degree.

Yes, there is great demand for native English speaking teachers, but there is also a lot of competition.

Teaching English as a foreign language is big business in Thailand and more language centers focus on big contracts with local government school organizations.

I have some experiences in Chonburi province and the provincial Ministery of Education doesn't submit licences without a degree and no teacher's license means, no work permit.

And working in Thailand without a WP is illegal, even volunteers need a WP.

Please don't take the risk of getting caught; it means, detaining, deportation and so on!!!

[mbkudu]

Please don't take the risk of getting caught; it means, detaining, deportation and so on!!!

I'm quivering in my boots!

[Ijustwannateach]

Officially and I mean officially....it is not possible to teach LEGALLY without a degree.

Actually, that's not accurate. The official language says something like "the appropriate degree or equivalent," and it is up to the Ministry and its agents to determine what they deem "equivalent."

I have some experiences in Chonburi province and the provincial Ministery of Education doesn't submit licences without a degree and no teacher's license means, no work permit.

This is entirely possible, but many places in Thailand will sponsor teacher's licenses and work permits without a degree. It's not the easiest or most common situation, but it does happen [i.e., I personally know people who have done it].

"Steven"

[richard10365]

Officially and I mean officially....it is not possible to teach LEGALLY without a degree.

Yes, there is great demand for native English speaking teachers, but there is also a lot of competition.

Teaching English as a foreign language is big business in Thailand and more language centers focus on big contracts with local government school organizations.

I have some experiences in Chonburi province and the provincial Ministery of Education doesn't submit licences without a degree and no teacher's license means, no work permit.

And working in Thailand without a WP is illegal, even volunteers need a WP.

Please don't take the risk of getting caught; it means, detaining, deportation and so on!!!

I don't have a degree or TEFL but I got a job teaching that provides a work permit and teaching license.

I think the degree requirement applies to government schools only. International schools and private schools can hire degreeless teachers if they want.

[Thaiboxer]

Actually, the degree requirement applies to all schools. For schools that run bilingual programs, a teacher either needs a degree in education or any degree with at least 15 credits towards education. Although these are the rules, there is a lot of flexibility among schools. Private schools often have the rules enforced on them more than government schools...government schools can more or less hire whomever they want and will often have connections within the various departments (Immigration and Labor) to make the process easier.

For private schools and language schools, you need a teacher's license but government schools don't require that...they simply put a stamp in your passport stating that you're a teacher for that particular school.

[richard10365]

Actually, the degree requirement applies to all schools. For schools that run bilingual programs, a teacher either needs a degree in education or any degree with at least 15 credits towards education. Although these are the rules, there is a lot of flexibility among schools. Private schools often have the rules enforced on them more than government schools...government schools can more or less hire whomever they want and will often have connections within the various departments (Immigration and Labor) to make the process easier.

For private schools and language schools, you need a teacher's license but government schools don't require that...they simply put a stamp in your passport stating that you're a teacher for that particular school.

Most of you guys have definitly been at this longer than I have and I will assume that your information is more accurate than mine. Although my school says it will provide the work permit and teaching license, I haven't seen them yet. When I do get it I will post it here.

[Ijustwannateach]

Oh, they'll promise you everything. But if they haven't delivered in the next month or so, start hunting for a new job.

"Steven"

[Thaiboxer]

"Steven" is right...much of what gets promised at schools doesn't get delivered or it gets delievered at a MUCH later date. Some schools are pretty good about work permits, insurance, salary, etc but many are not. Many schools simply don't know what the requirements are or how to go about the paperwork. If you are job hunting in Bangkok, you can relax as there are TONS of schools looking for teachers and it's just a matter of choosing the one which suits you best. Good luck!

[Bluffer]

Please don't take the risk of getting caught; it means, detaining, deportation and so on!!!

I'm quivering in my boots!

all you need to do is upset the right person and yes you would be quaking in your boots.

why give the thais an extra reason to hold power over you? get the degree and come over.

[mbkudu]

Please don't take the risk of getting caught; it means, detaining, deportation and so on!!!

I'm quivering in my boots!

all you need to do is upset the right person and yes you would be quaking in your boots.

why give the thais an extra reason to hold power over you? get the degree and come over.

I agree with you on the degree part; it's what I am presently in the process of doing. However,

during the 9 years that I taught English in Thailand I never met or knew of a single teacher who was deported or arrested for working without a work permit. I am not saying it's right to do it; far from that, but it's not a high risk situation.