The Ins and Outs of getting a Math(s) Teacher Position......

[Thighlander]

I'm here on a long-stay visa, with the intention of getting an extension based on retirement. I am barely 50. What are the ins and outs of getting a position teaching Math(s). My degree is BBA, but I have a lot of teaching experience, with quite a bit of recent experience with a tutoring company specializing in Math Test Prep, for high school. It is my favorite and best subject. How would this differ from being in the pack of English Teachers? Are any websites better for Math jobs? What is the demand like? We've all heard the stories about the chronic shortages in Math and Science, but does that still hold true after a very long global recession?

A lot of engineering grads aren't even working in their fields. Share your thoughts on the matter; I would like to read them. Thanks!

[Wopanese]

First of all, it's good thing that your focus is on teaching Thai high school kids math (I'm from the U.S. so I leave the 's' out). I teach math to primary school students grades 1 through 4 at an international school here in Thailand, and I'm sorry to say that about 85 percent of them have absolutely no interest in math and/or are dumb as oxes when it comes to learning math, but they are quite beautiful kids inside and out and I adore every one of my students and their well intentioned parents. I have spent countless hours creating fun and captivating math games to help my students learn math, mostly to no avail, and I am drained and spent of energy and at age 57 I think my stint is coming to an end, and perhaps someone thirty years younger with the engery and drive could keep the fires burning. Best of success to you!

[attrayant]

I originally applied as an English teacher, but when the school saw that my degree was in electrical engineering and most of my work experience was in the semiconductor & technology-related fields, they sidelined me into their math & science program. I felt like I didn't have much say in the matter. On the plus side, the salary jumped up a bit since, according to the HR lady, I'm teaching "all the hard subjects". So you might get more pay as a subject teacher.

Having said that, I agree with the previous poster about the students not being up to par in math. My students are in their mid to late teens - I should be teaching trig & calculus, but instead they are struggling with basic algebra. I've had classes where as many as half of the students didn't know the multiplication tables. They need to count on their fingers or use a calculator to figure out 6 × 9. So get ready for a fair amount of frustration.

If you're in the northern part of the city, PM me. We need another math & science teacher (in case I die from frustration).

[Thighlander]

currently in Northern Thailand....thanks for the consideration, though.

[Scott]

Different schools are going to have different levels of math skills. Our students take advanced mathematics in the last 3 years, if they are in that stream, and they are at University level when they finish.

The younger ones, when they are being marched to anywhere, such as to swimming lessons, they will be reciting their times tables.

If schools put their mind to it, they can do a reasonably good job.

[Thighlander]

Memorizing the multiplication tables was one of the most constructive things I have ever done academically. I've heard plenty of teacher's union kooks condemn this practice over the years. It's not a means to an end, but one of the best tools you can own for moving up the math ladder. Elementary Ed majors only having to take one math course is something that should have been reformed long ago. Many of them are more than willing to abbreviate math study. The perfect squares are well worth memorizing, too, as you approach factoring and The Distance Formula. Prime numbers, also.

[SlyAnimal]

If you're on a retirement visa, you won't be able to legally work as a teacher. Although any school you apply for should be able to change your visa over for you. So there's not necessarily any reason to modify your plans yet.

Most schools will be happy to simply have someone who enjoys teaching maths (Most farang teachers aren't confident to teach it), although if you have a background in maths, then you'll be a hot commodity. Particularly if, in your CV/Covering letter, you can direct schools to your papers in business statistics, and point out that accounting/economics/finance papers can potentially include large amounts of maths, then it should work to your advantage (Assuming BBA stands for Bachelor in Business Administration).

[Thighlander]

If you're on a retirement visa, you won't be able to legally work as a teacher. Although any school you apply for should be able to change your visa over for you. So there's not necessarily any reason to modify your plans yet.

Most schools will be happy to simply have someone who enjoys teaching maths (Most farang teachers aren't confident to teach it), although if you have a background in maths, then you'll be a hot commodity. Particularly if, in your CV/Covering letter, you can direct schools to your papers in business statistics, and point out that accounting/economics/finance papers can potentially include large amounts of maths, then it should work to your advantage (Assuming BBA stands for Bachelor in Business Administration).

Yes. BBA; not BA nor BS, which are often the only choices on jobsites. It is very math intensive. A Math degree would look great on paper, but the truth is the lowest university math degree course is more advanced than 99% of my former students ever took, or will take. This explains a lot of the shortages in the States of Math Teachers. You need a Math degree, which is quite difficult, and mostly unnecessary to teach today's high schoolers. We had a laid off Honeywell BSAE working at my contracted school. He clearly had a superb Math background/transcript, but he flopped..it was just too low level for him.

So here is a question: Out of one hundred farang teachers making the rounds in Thailand, looking for work in academia; how many are willing to teach Math? And yes, I understand about the visa, which makes me very cautious to begin with, because it wasn't real easy to obtain, and I would be hesitant to give it up; let alone go to Vientianne for a different one. Always a catch 22.

[SlyAnimal]

Yes. BBA; not BA nor BS, which are often the only choices on jobsites. It is very math intensive. A Math degree would look great on paper, but the truth is the lowest university math degree course is more advanced than 99% of my former students ever took, or will take. This explains a lot of the shortages in the States of Math Teachers. You need a Math degree, which is quite difficult, and mostly unnecessary to teach today's high schoolers. We had a laid off Honeywell BSAE working at my contracted school. He clearly had a superb Math background/transcript, but he flopped..it was just too low level for him.

So here is a question: Out of one hundred farang teachers making the rounds in Thailand, looking for work in academia; how many are willing to teach Math? And yes, I understand about the visa, which makes me very cautious to begin with, because it wasn't real easy to obtain, and I would be hesitant to give it up; let alone go to Vientianne for a different one. Always a catch 22.

You would be able to change your extension of stay at your local immigration office, if you got a job which supplied all of the paperwork etc. Although they would likely drag their feet on it (One of the teachers at my school who starts next term is going to do this. Although immigration initially told him he has to wait until 30 days before his current retirement visa expires, he said that after discussing it a bit more with them they apparently relented and will do it once he has the right paperwork).

As for what % of people wouldn't want to teach maths, I'm not sure what it'd be, however the teachers at my school usually have a strong preference for Science rather than Maths (Our teachers need to teach one or the other, in addition to English).

[Trembly]

I was teaching English in a 4000 pupil government school and they were constantly trying to get me to teach maths. The offers and inducements would come roughly every half term. They were willing to up my salary by about 40%. I turned it down because it meant more hours and I was and I was already planning my departure anyway.