Ok, so I have done a CELTA, what should I expect?

[Great White]

I have not done it BTW.

I will do it next year.

I was thinking January start and late Feb finish.

What are the chances of finding work mid-year (school)?

Can you normally find work at the start of each term/semester?

What hours would I be working (since I will be teaching adults)?

Would it be more likely to be day or night?

How much Thai language would I need as a minimum?

I do not have a degree BTW.

[Mario2008]

For adult education not having a degree should not be a problem as there is no teacher license requirement for you.

The job you can expect is mostly at langauge schools, which will want you to work in the eekends and after school hours. There is also the non-formal education, which is in large parts in the weekends. But will also depend on location. Outside the big cities it is probably mostly in the weekends.

Then there are the vocational schools with mostly students from 16 years and older.

[Great White]

The job you can expect is mostly at langauge schools, which will want you to work in the eekends and after school hours. There is also the non-formal education, which is in large parts in the weekends. But will also depend on location. Outside the big cities it is probably mostly in the weekends.

Thanks for the input.

Anyone have any ideas about finishing in late Feb and finding work?

[lostinisaan]

The job you can expect is mostly at langauge schools, which will want you to work in the eekends and after school hours. There is also the non-formal education, which is in large parts in the weekends. But will also depend on location. Outside the big cities it is probably mostly in the weekends.

Thanks for the input.

Anyone have any ideas about finishing in late Feb and finding work?

Find a rich Thai woman and you'll be able to send money back home every month.

Such a course doesn't mean a lot, to be honest. And you don't have any teaching experience.

You might be lucky and find a school that hires you as a trainer to bypass the Khurusapha. (TCT)

But that seems to be a loophole that will be closed sooner, or later, Too many people/schools are abusing this rule that teachers have to have a degree.

How do you sort your visa status out? You'll find plenty of jobs in March, April and beginning of May, as the new academic year usually starts in middle of May.

But only having a CELTA will give you a real hard time. First check your preferable area/province, then look for a job, preferable full time with a 12 months contract.

Some schools change your job title into something else and do not seem to have a problem with it. But it's cheating and it's also illegal.

While others go by the rule and deal with all this self made bullshit, because those who bypass the laws are the ones who're causing the MOE, Immigration and labor departments to change their laws again and again.

I'm doing this job now for 10 years and I'm married to a Thai woman, living here for 12.

But it seems that I have a much more difficult time to have my visa and work permit extended, than a degree less guy, who's employed as a trainer.

Or those who're backpacking and working for agencies for a year, or maybe ten. Get in touch with an agency and you'll find one, as they have huge problems to fill their positions.

They'll get you a work permit and visa and might even pay for it. A good way to get some teaching experience and to find a better job.

Edited November 25, 2014 by lostinisaan

[AjarnMartin]

The job you can expect is mostly at langauge schools, which will want you to work in the eekends and after school hours. There is also the non-formal education, which is in large parts in the weekends. But will also depend on location. Outside the big cities it is probably mostly in the weekends.

Thanks for the input.

Anyone have any ideas about finishing in late Feb and finding work?

The language schools to which you aspire don't follow the conventional semesters like schools so the chances should be good for you to find work. Where are you going to live? If you message me I may be able to point you in the right direction? Good luck!

[Great White]

Get in touch with an agency and you'll find one, as they have huge problems to fill their positions.

They'll get you a work permit and visa and might even pay for it. A good way to get some teaching experience and to find a better job.

Thank you for all the info you posted.

I can get 6 months on my visa, so if I land in Jan, I will be fine until July.

What is the agency you speak of?

And do you mean contact them before or after the CELTA course?

[Great White]

Where are you going to live?

I have nowhere in mind ATM.

[lostinisaan]

The job you can expect is mostly at langauge schools, which will want you to work in the eekends and after school hours. There is also the non-formal education, which is in large parts in the weekends. But will also depend on location. Outside the big cities it is probably mostly in the weekends.

Thanks for the input.

Anyone have any ideas about finishing in late Feb and finding work?

The language schools to which you aspire don't follow the conventional semesters like schools so the chances should be good for you to find work. Where are you going to live? If you message me I may be able to point you in the right direction? Good luck!

Deleted.

Edited November 25, 2014 by lostinisaan

[lostinisaan]

Get in touch with an agency and you'll find one, as they have huge problems to fill their positions.

They'll get you a work permit and visa and might even pay for it. A good way to get some teaching experience and to find a better job.

Thank you for all the info you posted.

I can get 6 months on my visa, so if I land in Jan, I will be fine until July.

What is the agency you speak of?

And do you mean contact them before or after the CELTA course?

You'll have "create" a very good resume. You can mention that you're in the middle of doing a CELTA, but it's not the biggest problem I can think of.

Let's say, you had quite a lot of teaching experience by teaching Eskimos, Mexicans, etc... back home. Try to find somebody who'll put in some good words as a character reference, as well.

I can get you in touch with the HRM of a big agency, which is quite different to apply for a job at their company.

But that would usually be for the new school year, starting in May. Send me your resume and I'll see what I can do for you.

P.S. You might be able to do some English camps, or similar should you have some financial issues.

Edited November 25, 2014 by lostinisaan

[Great White]

But that would usually be for the new school year, starting in May. Send me your resume and I'll see what I can do for you.

P.S. You might be able to do some English camps, or similar should you have some financial issues.

Thanks friend I will do that.

[MikeDK]

Are you planning on teaching adults because thats the only thing you want to do or because you think its the only thing a CELTA-holder can do?

You can easily teach government schools with a CELTA. In my limited experience its preferable to agency work. Mind you, I only worked at two different language schools/agencies/whatchamacallit of dubious quality and each stint was only about six months, but here are my experiences:

Agency work was rough because I only got paid for hours spent teaching. This meant that I was not paid for lunch breaks, planning, preparing, sick days, holidays and personal leave. Furthermore, my income was limited by the amount of contracts the agency had at any given time: first, because it is impossible to teach when no students are buying classes. Second, because some classes might not fit my schedule - e.g. having to drive for 30 minutes each way to teach one or two hours, teaching in the evenings, teaching in the weekends et cetera.

Government school work, in my case, means assistance with visa, paid sick days/holidays/personal leave, regular hours, the same paycheck every month and a certain level of job security. On top of this there is the insurance program and annual salary increments.

Bottom line is that I spend less hours teaching but more hours working - but I make more money now, too. The lessons that I do teach are of a much higher quality because I spend a lot of time preparing for each lesson. Naturally, there is a certain amount of bureaucratic crap that has to get done which the language schools wont make you do: Grading, grade books and attendance sheets are not particularly interesting...

I guess I went off on a tangent here. Back to your original question:

If you plan on doing agency work, I wouldnt worry about getting a job. Most language schools and agencies are always hiring, and a lot of them arent very picky because they set their own requirements for candidates. If there is a need for teachers, which there often is in the business of language schools, they will hire you. I worked with a lot of people during my time doing agency work that would never have gotten a job at a government school due to their lack of a degree, lack of English skills, lack of resume writing skills (counts more than you would think), lack of classroom experience and so forth. Again, the agencies I worked for were in a touristy area and not of a very high standard - I cant speak for all agencies in the country.

Regardless, you should be able to find work all year round - especially if you are OK with working at a less-than-ideal place while you wait for a better job to pop up. In my area, agency work is the most scarce from November until February, as this is when the tourists come. This means that a lot of the hotels wont have time for their staff to take English courses, so the amount of available work drops significantly.

If you decide to give government teaching a try, the beginning of March would be an ideal time to apply. This is at the end of the school year, and most government schools will try to fill vacant positions during March and April.

I hope this helped.

Edited November 25, 2014 by MikeDK

[Great White]

Are you planning on teaching adults because thats the only thing you want to do or because you think its the only thing a CELTA-holder can do?

You can easily teach government schools with a CELTA.

I hope this helped.

I think it would be easier for me to teach adults, as we would share more common ground.

But I am keen to branch out later and try children as well.

I have no degree, so Govment schools is still an option?

Yes, you helped a lot.

Its good to have someone "ramble on" (no offense) because it shows that they are either happy, or angry with their choices.

And you are def NOT angry.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Great White

[SlyAnimal]

I have no degree, so Govment schools is still an option?

Quick answer:

No

Longer answer:

Yes, but it's very difficult to legally teach without a degree. The main problem is usually immigration, not the DoL or the school itself, as they deny your visa extensions.

Recommendation:

I'd stick with the language schools if I were you, and then after a year or so, if you want your weekends back, you'll know a bit more about the industry and requirements etc, so can make a more informed decision regarding teaching at government schools, and whether it'd potentially work for you or not.

[MikeDK]

I have no degree, so Govment schools is still an option?

Oh, I didnt know. In that case, government school is almost certainly not an option. I have heard stories of people getting hired with job descriptions other than English teacher but still performing the act of teaching English, thereby circumventing the MOE requirement of having a degree - but whether they are true, I can not say. I would not depend on it or even hope for it.

With no degree you will have to go the agency route, which is by all means a viable option. However, your duration of stay will be limited by your schools ability to navigate the grey area of visas.

[Great White]

I'd stick with the language schools if I were you, and then after a year or so, if you want your weekends back, you'll know a bit more about the industry and requirements etc, so can make a more informed decision regarding teaching at government schools, and whether it'd potentially work for you or not.

Sweet, I was not sure of my options, so at least I would have some.

Its hard to get a good picture of what to expect due to the fact that so much work in Thailand seems to be "under the table".

[SheungWan]

For adult education not having a degree should not be a problem as there is no teacher license requirement for you.

The job you can expect is mostly at langauge schools, which will want you to work in the eekends and after school hours. There is also the non-formal education, which is in large parts in the weekends. But will also depend on location. Outside the big cities it is probably mostly in the weekends.

Then there are the vocational schools with mostly students from 16 years and older.

Langauge schools in the eekends might not be a good idea.

....seriously though, without a degree, pushes you down the educational food chain

Edited November 26, 2014 by SheungWan

[The manic]

Most TEFL schools do not operate to terms or semesters. But first things first. Do your TEFL certificate course and if you pass it you will not need to ask questions about what to expect. You will know what to expect. Your CELTA is training for teaching adults not kids. After 2 years you can train to do a DELTA then an MA. By this time assuming your first degree is of good quality you might be able to get IELTS training. With just a CELTA you can expect about 30 thousand baht a month. Remember you are competing for the good jobs with highly qualified teachers who can earn from 70 to 120 thousand baht. With two years experience you can get a job in Kuwait saving about 15 to 20 thousand dollars year.

[The manic]

Most reputable TEFL training schools such as IH, the BC, IDP, Trinity house etc will require a first degree to do the Cert TEFLA/CELTA.

[Great White]

Most TEFL schools do not operate to terms or semesters. But first things first. Do your TEFL certificate course and if you pass it you will not need to ask questions about what to expect. You will know what to expect. Your CELTA is training for teaching adults not kids. After 2 years you can train to do a DELTA then an MA. By this time assuming your first degree is of good quality you might be able to get IELTS training. With just a CELTA you can expect about 30 thousand baht a month. Remember you are competing for the good jobs with highly qualified teachers who can earn from 70 to 120 thousand baht. With two years experience you can get a job in Kuwait saving about 15 to 20 thousand dollars year.

Thanks for the info.

Not fussed about the money, but its good to know that if things change (marriage etc), I can climb the ladder.

Cheers

[The manic]

Most TEFL schools do not operate to terms or semesters. But first things first. Do your TEFL certificate course and if you pass it you will not need to ask questions about what to expect. You will know what to expect. Your CELTA is training for teaching adults not kids. After 2 years you can train to do a DELTA then an MA. By this time assuming your first degree is of good quality you might be able to get IELTS training. With just a CELTA you can expect about 30 thousand baht a month. Remember you are competing for the good jobs with highly qualified teachers who can earn from 70 to 120 thousand baht. With two years experience you can get a job in Kuwait saving about 15 to 20 thousand dollars year.

Thanks for the info.

Not fussed about the money, but its good to know that if things change (marriage etc), I can climb the ladder.

Cheers

And then on to decent pay and holidays 80 thousand dollars a year for six months a years teaching.

[Great White]

And then on to decent pay and holidays 80 thousand dollars a year for six months a years teaching.

I doubt that that will ever be me.

I think I will be a good teacher, but I dont expect to get rich.

[The manic]

And then on to decent pay and holidays 80 thousand dollars a year for six months a years teaching.

I doubt that that will ever be me.

I think I will be a good teacher, but I dont expect to get rich.

80K US a year ain't that rich. Just OK but it's about the max a TEFL teacher gets.

[Great White]

80K US a year ain't that rich. Just OK but it's about the max a TEFL teacher gets.

Its a lot more than I need.

I am talking about doing a CELTA, not a TEFL.

[The manic]

TEFL means Teaching English as Foreign Language. CELTA is a minimum entry qualification which enables you to Teach English as Foreign Language. It stands for Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. The difference is that it has been recognised that many non English speakers are not foreigners as they might be immigrant residing in an English speaking country. It is the same qualification for the same purpose except they may have dropped the bar on academic qualifications to get a CELTA.

[Cletus]

Most reputable TEFL training schools such as IH, the BC, IDP, Trinity house etc will require a first degree to do the Cert TEFLA/CELTA.

Can you please tell me the name in full of these schools you mention (IH-BC-IDP)?

I guess BC stands for British Council.

I'm asking because I want to take a TEFL course in Thailand.

Thanks.

[Loaded]

Most reputable TEFL training schools such as IH, the BC, IDP, Trinity house etc will require a first degree to do the Cert TEFLA/CELTA.

Can you please tell me the name in full of these schools you mention (IH-BC-IDP)?

I guess BC stands for British Council.

I'm asking because I want to take a TEFL course in Thailand.

Thanks.

IH - international House. They run CELTA courses in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. They don't require a first degree.

BC - the British Council. They don't run CELTA courses in Thailand.

IDP - International Development Program of Australia. They don't run CELTA courses in Thailand.