Need advice on what to do to come to Thailand to teach English.

[yellowboat]

If you are just looking for a year, than fine. There is something called Chitchester Acadamy and they can train you for a month and help you find a job possibly. You may find it worthwhile contacting them. I would not look at Thailand for the long term, you will end up disappointed. Most jobs in Thailand are dead ends at this time.

I googled Chit Acad and the only results were from the UK.

http://www.chichester.ac.th/

You will be entering a country where ambition goes to die. If you are not ambitious and you are not going to learn the language, I would stay no longer than a year. Also, go to school. Learn something. I took an Asian language (not Thai) in college. It has helped quite a bit. Also, Thailand wants wealthy tourists to fill its emplty 4-5 star hotels. There are wonderful thngs there, but they are not available at a reasonable price.

[steven100]

There's enough wannabe teachers here already ...

get a degree then check back ...

[jdinasia]

There is no legal minimum salary. You can get a work permit without a degree. Most full-time jobs are in government schools and the requirements are more than in other teaching positions including a teacher license.

[gerry123]

I am not a Teacher but know off Teachers that came here with little qualifications and have grown old with no money, no house and living month to month in their 50's wearing Tesco clothes and are heavy drinkers.

They have Thai families now so they cant leave.

Be aware before you plan a life in Thailand as a Teacher. Not recommoned unless you have an other income or are rich!

.

I do not drink, or party, and having little money means nothing to me if I am happy.

The ave pay is upwards of 30000 baht correct?

I live off that now in Australia.

enough said

[atyclb]

I am not a Teacher but know off Teachers that came here with little qualifications and have grown old with no money, no house and living month to month in their 50's wearing Tesco clothes and are heavy drinkers.

They have Thai families now so they cant leave.

Be aware before you plan a life in Thailand as a Teacher. Not recommoned unless you have an other income or are rich!

.

whats wrong with lotus tesco.

I am proud of my 99 baht big c shoes.

[Great White]

I think you need a better plan , you need to spend time in Thailand ; the places you fancy to teach will no doubt have a full complement of qualified teachers , you are dreaming and you need to come down to reality on earth .

Someone really killed your dreams didnt they?

Is reality on Earth?

Last I checked there is not much here.

A pseudo-reality created by the elite that not too much are aware of. The world is run by the MIC in case you didnt know.

[Great White]

There's enough wannabe teachers here already ...

get a degree then check back ...

Who said I am a wannabe?

You might have a degree by if you were not born to teach, then you are not a teacher.

Teaching comes from the heart, not from a book.

But whatever, you seem content in your misery.

Who am I to care about what you have been made to believe?!

[Great White]

There is no legal minimum salary. You can get a work permit without a degree. Most full-time jobs are in government schools and the requirements are more than in other teaching positions including a teacher license.

Thanks, I like your quip BTW.

ie being informed.

Teaching to me is something you are born to do.

You can get an education, but if you are an "idiot", then at best you will be an educated idiot.

The world has too many of those.

I would like to create more leaders, not more followers.

[Great White]

whats wrong with lotus tesco.

I am proud of my 99 baht big c shoes.

Same.

[jdinasia]

There is no legal minimum salary. You can get a work permit without a degree. Most full-time jobs are in government schools and the requirements are more than in other teaching positions including a teacher license.

Thanks, I like your quip BTW.

ie being informed.

Teaching to me is something you are born to do.

You can get an education, but if you are an "idiot", then at best you will be an educated idiot.

The world has too many of those.

I would like to create more leaders, not more followers.

The best advice you have been given is to get a degree in education. This is possible in Thailand or via distance learning.

The fact that you can get a work permit without a degree, or that you can legally teach without a degree, does not diminish the fact that a degree is essential to a career in teaching.

[brianp0803]

I didn't see anything in your post about your qualifications but the comments see to imply you don't have a university degree.

Correct?

Not sure of your approximate age or savings in the bank.

Not going to save money for retirement in Thailand.

Important factors if you want to move here permanently.

Without a degree then can't work legally teaching at a Thai school.

Working at a language school school is possible. Hours are limited and lower pay.

They will choose the best qualified but often hire teachers working other jobs and already have work permits.

[ubeturazz]

if you really want to teach english, but don't want to get a degree, try the neighboring countries that do not require a degree and some pay more than Thailand.

i have a friend without a degree who taught here for several years, but was finally forced out after skipping around and taking less and less money, who went to work in Cambodia. he tells me he is making more money and nobody cares about a degree. this will surely change in the future, as it has in Thailand.

if it's only Thailand you are interested teaching in, than i recommend you take the wise advice of other posters on this forum.

[georgemandm]

Great white how old are you may I ask , you want to come to thailand to make a life and you are in one of the most lucks places in the world Australia I think you need to look in to what you want thailand is not for young people to make money it is very poor and you want to come to a poor place like thailand and make money I an old and I have a lot of money and my money was made in the luck country Australia I would say to you stay in Australia make some good money and then come to thailand I am just trying to help I have seen it here how all the teacher here are not making much money but have some money from back home to help them out .

Why would you not make good money back home you can make sh?t loads if you work hard and here in thailand you will never ever make that money but like a thai would say UP TO YOU .

[brianp0803]

When ready to retire, to get extension to stay for retirement, you need a bank account or income of 800,000 baht per year.

Each year retired in Thailand this will be checked.

Difficult if work in Thailand many years and not enough money to retire here.

Need to come to Thailand with this already.

I love living in Thailand but I made my money to support my retirement before moving to Thailand

[Friendly Stranger]

30k would be the maximum amount for an unqualified teacher, working illegally.

But no employment after age 60. No health care for them either (unqualified teachers).

Not to mention the schools treat them badly, and dismiss at a moments notice.

What would be the "normal" rate?

I would imagine I could live off 20k easily.

Most of what I pay now in Oz goes to rent, and that would be less than half in Thailand.

OP, You're under estimating Thailand, as some of your observations are setting you up for possible failure as 20k a month for a newbie is not realistic as it would take you a while to figure out how to budget to that level.

For what you want to know, go to ajarn.com.

[SlyAnimal]

@OP

Do you want to come and live in Thailand long term? Or just short term? (1 year or less)

Short term there are lots of options, as the primary thing which prevents people staying long term is their visas/extensions of stay.

So think about the visa/extension you'd want to get:

B Visa / Employment Extension:

As a teacher, you need to either:

1/ Work at a school with a teacher's licence. For this you need a degree.

2/ Work at a language school which can provide proper documentation (I've heard these often aren't provided).

3/ Work at a university (But without good qualifications, they'd be simply unlikely to hire you).

The jobs for 2 & 3 which assist non degree holders get WPs/Visas are often sought after positions and difficult to get.

Work in Thailand as a non-teacher.

You'd just need to find the right company to hire you + provide paperwork. However, unless you work in a field which requires specialist qualifications, experience or skills, that make a foreigner necessary rather than a Thai citizen, it's likely on the list of prohibited occupations for foreigners.

Marriage Extension:

You mentioned in a previous post that you have a wife. If do you can get a marriage visa. With 400k THB in the bank you can get annual 1 year extensions, and you're allowed to work. It's also possible to get a 1 year multiple entry visas without showing funds.

If teaching, a work permit may be possible, even without a degree, at the discretion of the dept of labour (They sometimes grant WPs to non degree holder teachers, but immigration usually still won't issue extensions for these teachers).

Those are your legal options if you intend on working here.

However, regulations are often changing, usually to become more strict. So what works now, might not in 3-4 years time, so think carefully before you decide to make a move over. In general, if you're planning on having a wife & kids here, then I probably wouldn't recommend working as a teacher in Thailand unless you have money from abroad and/or a BEdu. As a teacher's salary is pretty decent for a single guy and ok for a couple, but I wouldn't want to raise kids on a teacher's salary one (Although with a working wife it'd be ok).

[MikeDK]

My situation was not quite like yours, but in some ways they are comparable.

When I first came here, I came with a uni degree (BA) only. I got my CELTA certificate in Phuket from International House - I highly recommend this provider. It was very intensive, as it was only four weeks but with a whooping 120 hours of classroom learning, 6 (or was it 8?) hours of observed teaching practice as well as lesson plans and assignments for homework. It was worth it, though - I learned a lot!

When I finished my CELTA it was time to go job hunting. However, I have the disadvantage of not being a native English speaker. This meant that I had to get the TOEIC test done to get legally employed (English language proficiency test, a requirement for non-NES teachers), but there were no testing centers in my area at that time. Because of this, I could get no teaching licence and thus no job at government schools.

I had to go the route of agency teaching - 250thb for in-house lessons, 300 for out-of-house lessons. No sick pay, no insurance, no paid lunch break - I didnt even get paid for time spent preparing lessons. In other words, I only got paid for time spent in the classroom. Whats worse, if no one bought any lessons from my agency, I would have no one to teach and thus would not get any money. My point being, my experience is that agency teaching sucks - and if you dont meet OBEC requirements, its quite likely that you will be doing exactly that.

I finally got the TOEIC test done and ended up with a job at a government school. I make 33k/month now with yearly salary increments, paid insurance, 2x2 weeks of paid holiday and ten days of paid personal leave - all while working legally. This also saves me the visa runs, which I had to do every 90 days while working for the agency - and yes, I had to cover the costs myself.

I am currently on my first teaching waiver which lasts two years - and it is possible to get a second one, which amounts to a total of four years of teaching without working towards qualified teacher status. Other teachers at my school are already working on obtaining QTS - the easy way is to simply do a PGCE online.

With all of this in mind, my advice is this: If you have no university degree, get one in teaching. It may suck having to do it, but your stay here will be much more enjoyable because you wont have to live hand-to-mouth, someone will always be there to employ you and you get to pick and choose. Furthermore, should you ever want to go to another country, having a degree in teaching means that you will most likely meet the legal requirements for teaching - no matter where you go.

Another option is to plan to come here and stay for half a year. Try to do the non-licensed agency teaching and make your own experiences. The problem with this approach is that you may fall in love with the country, a girl, a boy or all of those things. At that point, going home to get a 3-year degree will be much harder than just doing it right the first time around.

Whatever you choose, best of luck!

Edited November 1, 2014 by MikeDK

[DogNo1]

If you're determined to come to Thailand to teach then I suppose no amount of advice telling you not to do it will not register. If you're game to test the reality of the employment situation here then have at it. You may be interested, though in reading the threads on TV started by people who have come to Thailand and find that time has slipped away and they are facing retirement with no money. Some are eventually repatriated to their countries in dreadful condition since Thailand is no place to be without money. NancyL in Chiang Mai has helped some of them. You could search in her posts. If you can delay satisfaction, you may find that getting good qualifications and teaching in another country to save money before you come to Thailand leads to greater eventual happiness. Good luck!

[Friendly Stranger]

If you're happy to work without a work permit and in the private or corporate sector go for a CELTA. Working with adults should ensure a higher rate of pay than working with children in a school - and is more mentally rewarding.

Expect to earn 600 baht per hour in those sectors so 50 hours a month should get you 30k baht - but you should be able to get 15 -20 hours a week if you're good (and lucky).

Not fussed about the money so much, but 50 hours a month seems pretty lazy.

Not sure what I would do if I was only teaching 2 hours a day.

Some buds of mine have to work at 2 and 3 different schools just to make their hours.

Don't think ppl are jumping on you here, but these sort of questions come along so often and they're giving you some of the pitfalls.

You better connect yourself with other teachers first as you have much to research.

[Friendly Stranger]

I think you need a better plan , you need to spend time in Thailand ; the places you fancy to teach will no doubt have a full complement of qualified teachers , you are dreaming and you need to come down to reality on earth .

Someone really killed your dreams didnt they?

Is reality on Earth?

Last I checked there is not much here.

A pseudo-reality created by the elite that not too much are aware of. The world is run by the MIC in case you didnt know.

Good grief. Hey OP, has innocents already died with you and now you're going to start with sharp tongue responses to ppl. Actually, the advice the individual was giving is spot on and was not a flame. Thailand is not what it once was in regards to teaching as the competition is there and with ASEAN around the corner, they'll be many hungry ppl trying the same thing as you. Maybe try Vietnam or Cambodia, as I hear there is a need for teachers.

Like previously mentioned, many of the responses are based on reality and the experiences from many ppl.

Edited November 1, 2014 by Friendly Stranger

[brewsterbudgen]

CELTA is definitely the best bet if you haven't taught before. It's intensive and hard work, and it is possible to fail. But once you've passed, there are plenty of language schools and corporate work out there, especially in Bangkok. A degree helps but is not essential. Don't expect to earn more than around 30,000 at first, but if you're good at it (in Thailand, good = popular) you can do well and your income can rise.

Don't listen to the naysayers. I'd never taught before, did a CELTA in Bangkok in 2005 and have worked here ever since. I'm now earning around 70,000-80,000 a month and I've never been near a "proper" school (although I have a Sociology degree from 1982!!).

[mikecat]

Despite what you might read on TV you will need a degree to work here legally as a teacher.

If you have never taught before I would definitely do the TEFL. It will give you a good introduction to teaching in Thailand and give you plenty of practical teaching tips and experience. I did my course in Chaing Mai which is a nice place to do it. I was a trainer for years before starting as a teacher in Thailand and I found the course hard going but really useful.

If you are qualified there are plenty of jobs around paying in the area of 30,000 Baht.

Finding the right one is the hard bit (dont use agents), make sure they are on the ball with paperwork for visa and work permit.

I love the school I am at and the kids are just great but I have read plenty of horror stories so be selective.

[saakura]

Thailad eventually will do you in in the long run.

You mean Thailand is not a great place?

Even if I do a year it will be amazing IMHO.

I have been there many times already, so have a little idea on the country.

It is a place in which I am happy, and that is all I care about.

The poorer I am, the happier I am for some reason.

I guess it has to do with forcing myself to adapt/change/survive (and not sitting in a comfort zone).

You Sir, are in love and love is blind.

[brewsterbudgen]

Just to be clear:

TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign Language

TEFL is not an actual qualification, just an acronym for the profession.

CELTA is a TEFL course that is recognised worldwide and, along with the Trinity TESOL, is recommended for those who want a TEFL career (as opposed to doing it for a year or two to finance their travels). It is however a qualification for teaching adults and not ideal if you plan to teach kids.

[Cereal]

You should consider Laos. You don't need a degree to teach there legally, it helps, and will let you teach at one of the several international schools in Vientiane. Plus the Lao are nicer people in my opinion. But I've lived there for 9 years and am married to a Lao so my opinion is biased.

I've been to Thailand dozens of times and I know for a fact that farangs get screwed over there much more so than in Laos. No beaches in Laos though, so that could be a downer.

[fxe1200]

I am not a Teacher but know off Teachers that came here with little qualifications and have grown old with no money, no house and living month to month in their 50's wearing Tesco clothes and are heavy drinkers.

They have Thai families now so they cant leave.

Be aware before you plan a life in Thailand as a Teacher. Not recommoned unless you have an other income or are rich!

.

I do not drink, or party, and having little money means nothing to me if I am happy.

The ave pay is upwards of 30000 baht correct?

I live off that now in Australia.

30k would be the maximum amount for an unqualified teacher, working illegally.

But no employment after age 60. No health care for them either (unqualified teachers).

Not to mention the schools treat them badly, and dismiss at a moments notice.

They also forget about your outstanding payment and let you hire a lawyer to claim your money, which takes time. They might revoke your work permit and then you have a visa problem, and have to leave, and come back to attend your court case. They will ask you to do extra hours for free, and if you do not do them, they kick your butt out, and so on. Some of the other teachers at school are professional mobbers. Come here and see. There is even a website or blog for ill-treated teachers. But I forgot the address.

[mikecat]

Without a degree you would be working illegally.

Without a degree in education, the number of years you can work legally is restricted.

What he means is you need a degree to gain a work permit (actually it's up to officials if you need a degree or not) and be legally employed and because of the insistence of a degree in education you get a two year waiver if you have any degree, but you need to complete exams and cultural courses to get a license and continue legal employment.

I advise:

1: Get a TEFL cert as it'll help you prepare for the classroom.

2: Choose a CELTA over a TEFL cert if you want to go global. CELTA is also focused on the teaching of adults, hence the name. Ask yourself if you aspire to teaching adults or children.

3: A degree makes life easier in terms of getting a work permit and employment, but it's not the only way to gain legal employment.

You will not get a work permit without a waiver or a licence from the Teachers council, they no longer give a waiver/licence without a degree.

It is possible to find schools that will call you a Librarian or some other such position that doesnt need sanction from the teachers council. These schools are hard to find though.

The problem with working illigally is that the schools are usually rubbish, the pay is rubbish and they have always got it over you. It only takes one person to dislike you and you out the door (country).

Also means endless visa runs and more expense. Sooner or later immigration will suspect what you are up to and then you have even more crap to deal with.

[brewsterbudgen]

The OP might be wise to read through the job listings and other articles on **url of commercial site removed** rather than take much of the ill-informed advice being proferred here!

[brianp0803]

The OP might be wise to read through the job listings and other articles on **URL to commercial site removed** rather than take much of the ill-informed advice being proferred here!

Although some of the listing ask for very high qualifications with low pay. It is a wish list.

They may accept lower but to get a work permit for teaching you will need to meet TCT qualifications

[BudRight]

It also not that difficult to obtain a degree as I have friends who were in the Lowest grade classes in school which past their exams and now have degrees.

Also Uni is a great life experience and great fun.

4 years full time is too much IMHO.

Part time would be ok.

I will see if there are online courses also.

You've been given good advice - if you want to <deleted> up your life then ignore it.

Also Thailand is damn expensive, despite what you may have heard. You'lol need more than 30,000 baht a month.

Edited November 1, 2014 by BudRight