in 2012, I came in the middle of June, and my first order of business was at BKK Bank in UTH. Teller was pleading with me to take a teaching job. Last year, I came to CNX on May 23, and activated my resume just for the heck of it. They needed me "yesterday." At what they were paying; I'm sure they did. After 18 years of various school gigs, I've concluded, when they need somebody; they want you to start yesterday, and a lot of stuff doesn't matter. However, if they have any time cushion at all, they often won't even send you a no thank you e-mail. SO, what would be a good timeline to use to get them where you want them, and give you some leverage. I don't need to work, and have a perfectly good long-stay visa, but like a lot of you, I like to teach. In my case, Mathematics. Thanks in advance for your ideas. I hope you all are having a restful offseason.

"...what would be a good timeline to use to get them where you want them, and give you some leverage..."

You are the employee, you have very little leverage unless there is nobody with your skills to replace you. If you don't like that, become the employer by creating something from nothing with your talent by risking your money. You can then be condescending, like me, to people looking for work asking how to 'exploit' the person who pays their salary.

I've actually considered opening up a "Mathnasium" kind of place in the States, in a 1940s commercial building that I was going to buy. Too much of an anti-foreigner business climate for me to do that here. I know damn well Math Teachers are in short supply. Maybe 10 out of 100 TEFL people would even consider it. I don't think exploit is the right word. I want to create a win-win situation for everyone. If that means SUV driving school administrators and parents, who drive without any regard for human life, have to dig a little deeper in their pockets to have a highly skilled worker teach their kids, then so be it.

If you don't need the money, it's your game to lose. If you need the money then it would depend on hiw much you need the money.

I would say since school daze is upon us, schools and agencies looking to hire up asap and you are at moment in prime time.

Last schools start mid May (14/15) so I'd think the climax is April with first week May desperation and second week lost sleep for agent/school.

Only question is how YOU play it. Do you play to their weak hand or your strong one.

Get out and get looking, more options better than less. Don't waste time with demos, talking shops, etc...

Keep yo' pimp hand strong.

"...what would be a good timeline to use to get them where you want them, and give you some leverage..."

You are the employee, you have very little leverage unless there is nobody with your skills to replace you. If you don't like that, become the employer by creating something from nothing with your talent by risking your money. You can then be condescending, like me, to people looking for work asking how to 'exploit' the person who pays their salary.

While I agree with your premise on skills scarcity, I disagree with your right to be condecending just because you put forth time, effort, and money. Skills scarcity drives salaries. I was a software engineer when we really wrote code rather than simply checking a menu box--I always had leverage over my employers. Many falang English teachers here in Thailand indeed have little leverage because the primary skill they possess is a limited command of the English language and they had little or no teaching experience. If you have teaching education and experience and a true command of English, you have put forth time, effort, and money also; and your skills are indeed scarce. If you disagree, just go through the written English posted on ThaiVisa.

^ You are not being fair. For many people on this forum English is a second language. Everyone is on mobiles these days and I for one can assure you my spelling is far better than my fat fingers might lead you to belieBe. I constantly just skip the punctuation now in forums. It's casual speech, we are just yapping.

Even Scott cracks down on this very sub when grammar nazis start picking apart a post.

You might have a point but sorry my programmer friend. You = null on this one.