Online Jobs Throughly Unimpressive...Wait It Out.

[Mencken]

Decent article and followup on the AJ board regarding teaching for peanuts. Urge anyone working public schools jobs to have a read.

Looking at the Aj board which now has nearly nine rows of badges, totally nearly 40 and the ridiculous posts to Craigslist. Some agencies have multiple badges, appearing even more desperate. Toss you a few extra K over 30k, its just a sweetener 33, 35k to entice you to jobs which agencies have burned out their teacher base. If it were a proper, decent job it would offer 40k at a minimum and witbout three paragraphs of stipulations.

The only thing worse than the standard online noise is the plethora of annoying "job boards".

You can really see the desperation and the crappy jobs stick out by the amount of ads any given agency is running.

Another striking thing, appears on the Aj board, there are all sorts of totally sketchy agencies. Seems like pimping you is such good money, everyone severyone trying to get in on it. So, well established or totally unknown, your fate is often the same.

If you are bound and determined to take an online job, if I were you, I would just wait it out and hope the salaries get raised. If not, head for China.

Unless a plum job calls your name, just sit the dance out, these 30-35k 25hr teaching, 40hr office jobs with zero overtime pay (in reality) and sketchy eoy bonus and non existent holidays aren't going anywhere.Sketchy head teachers that will do you know favor.

If you are applying for a bog standard teaching job - just wait, or better make way for China.

The question here is who blinks first. Which days a lot about your next employer.

Highly recommend a year or two in China. Maybe TCT will half sort itself out while you are away. Maybe your waivers will disappear. What's to lose?

"Lifestyle" choices are for people that have savings and options.

How or why anyone that actually needs the money will work for 30-35k a year is beyond me. I do understand the Filipino situation, but westerners working for less than the US national minimum wage (a kot less), is just pathetic.

Get some dignity, go to China and barring that wait till May or June. Thise shitty jobs are going nowhere.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Mencken

[thequietman]

I understand your point and I agree.

I am assuming you are a teacher, so I say this with great kindness.

You are making those of us who are capable of our jobs look ridiculous by this post, which is littered with spelling mistakes. I hate the 'spelling police' as much as the next guy but you are just taking the piss.

Proof read your post please.

[nottocus]

Beggars can't be choosers mate.

[Mencken]

I understand your point and I agree.

I am assuming you are a teacher, so I say this with great kindness.

You are making those of us who are capable of our jobs look ridiculous by this post, which is littered with spelling mistakes. I hate the 'spelling police' as much as the next guy but you are just taking the piss.

Proof read your post please.

Apologies. My poor eyesight + tablet screen.

Point well taken.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Mencken

[Mencken]

Beggars can't be choosers mate.

Stated like a man not in control of his destiny. It will be 25k for you sir.

[nottocus]

Beggars can't be choosers mate.

Stated like a man not in control of his destiny. It will be 25k for you sir.

You'd better multiply that by 8.

[lostinisaan]

If you are bound and determined to take an online job, if I were you, I would just wait it out and hope the salaries get raised. If not, head for China.

Unless a plum job calls your name, just sit the dance out, these 30-35k 25hr teaching, 40hr office jobs with zero overtime pay (in reality) and sketchy eoy bonus and non existent holidays aren't going anywhere.Sketchy head teachers that will do you know favor.

If you are applying for a bog standard teaching job - just wait, or better make way for China.

​ Your post only shows your psychological circumstances you're in and you seem to be completely disillusioned.

Please Google American minimum wage and compare that with 35 K in Thailand. I do not know why you're trying to make many of us look like idiots, working for peanuts.Have you ever heard about people doing two or three jobs, to be able to survive in the States? Please see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage_in_the_United_States

And please do me a favor and go to China immediately. The guys I've met who did that all regret that they left their teaching positions to make slightly more money. working and living in a strange communist environment, etc....

I'm from a cold country in Europe, not even ten elephants could bring me back to the place where I grew up. I've quite well adopted to life in Thailand, speak the language good enough to get around and appreciate life here.

Got a lovely wife and a 16 year old son, who's very different to teenagers his age. We live in a nice villa, pay only 4 K/month, always have enough and decent food and I always have petrol in my tank.

I 'make" only 33 K a month, my wife a few baht, but we live a good life. Your story about 25 hour weeks, not paid holidays, etc... is a sort of misleading for many who might read your post.

Not all are working for agencies and there're schools out there, who treat foreigners the way it should be. With respect. All holidays, whole October and April paid. Plus many unexpected free days. I have six business days I can use when I want, as well.

​ Yes, I could definitely make a lot of money in Europe, but I couldn't live there anymore. And to work for monkey brain eating people who believe that makes them smarter and those who spit in swimming pools when people like us have a swim doesn't seem to be fun.

Finally, I'd like to wish you a nice flight to China. Best of luck, I truly hope that you'r not one of those who regret leaving Thailand after only two weeks.

Please keep us updated. 有好的旅行到中国 ！( Have a good trip!) Niehauu Maa.

Edited March 11, 2015 by lostinisaan

[lucifer666]

I am not religious, but i pray that this OP is NOT a English teacher

[thequietman]

I am not religious, but i pray that this OP is NOT a English teacher

Oh my God ! The irony.

[ozyjon]

Reading your post was akin to eavesdropping on someone else's' conversation,

i tried but could not understand your post, i was interested because i know how

badly paid the teachers are in Thailand BUT I also know a neighbour who taught

in China, he said not a good experience, i could not understand your post in

regards to the meaning of AJ Board or TCT, sorry i am not a teacher.

[mikiea]

Beggars can't be choosers mate.

yes they ca,, they chose to be beggars, and the post is right about china, they will pay & pay well. they want to to taught, they want to learn. here not so much :-)

[lostinisaan]

I am not religious, but i pray that this OP is NOT a English teacher

Oh my God ! The irony.

The OP and lucifer might soon sit next to each other on their flight to Beijing, discussing grammatical mistakes, before they "make the big bucks." Or bugs?

[RtotheC]

These 35k contracts are crap. Working in government schools where you don't get paid for 3 months a year equals out to about 26,000 a month considering the holidays you have to save for. That's peanuts. Considering that the demand for "qualified teachers" is higher and higher every year, will they start to pay more? How long before a TEFL and BA isn't enough and it must be a teahcing degree? I'm glad enough to have moved on to a 50,000 a month teahcing job because if I had to stay and work in one of these government schools for any longer I would also have moved to China, which I've heard nothing but good things about, or maybe even back to Japan.

[lostinisaan]

These 35k contracts are crap. Working in government schools where you don't get paid for 3 months a year equals out to about 26,000 a month considering the holidays you have to save for. That's peanuts. Considering that the demand for "qualified teachers" is higher and higher every year, will they start to pay more? How long before a TEFL and BA isn't enough and it must be a teahcing degree? I'm glad enough to have moved on to a 50,000 a month teahcing job because if I had to stay and work in one of these government schools for any longer I would also have moved to China, which I've heard nothing but good things about, or maybe even back to Japan.

Sorry mate, but you seem to be another passenger on a flight to Beijing soon. Having "Lucifer" and some others on board might be very interesting.

In ten years working in Thailand, always with a proper visa and work permit, I always had 12 months contracts, summer and midterm break fully paid, inclusive all the holidays, etc...

I do not know any government school in Sisaket, nor in Ubon that only pays you for nine, or ten months. Do we really talk about the same topic now?

Have you ever heard the song "Money can't buy me love?" If not, please click on this link, please.

You've heard nothing but good things about teaching in China? Wow. How comes that I've never met one who's happy to work- and live- there?

It's the way of life why I made Thailand to my home country. I truly hope that your plane will always be on the Radar. -Niehauu Maa.-

Edited March 12, 2015 by lostinisaan

[Merwan]

Yes, these are poor wages for qualified teachers. Not to brag but to bring an even deeper sense of the poor wages referred to in this discussion, I make $91,000 USD a year teaching English As a Second Language at a community college in the USA plus benefits (health and state pension). That amounts to 15 hours a week in the classroom for 9 months a year with holidays (Xmas Break of 3 weeks and Spring Vacation one week). Of course, I have been doing this for many years, and I am at the higher end of the salary scale. You can't compare it to Thailand. I just want to validate that you (English language teacher) are really worth so much more!

[ravip]

@Mencken

I make $91,000 USD a year teaching English As a Second Language at a community college in the USA plus benefits (health and state pension).

Is it very easy to become an English teacher in the USA?

I guess it is foolish to find English teaching jobs in Thailand - USA is the place to be!

But then, for learning English? I wouldn't consider the US.

Edit

Get some dignity, go to China and barring that wait till May or June. Thise shitty jobs are going nowhere.

Why China? Why NOT the USA?

Edited March 12, 2015 by ravip

[smotherb]

Beggars can't be choosers mate.

Stated like a man not in control of his destiny. It will be 25k for you sir.

What part of that statement makes you think he does not control his destiny? I would say anyone who takes a job at so low a salary is more likely to not be in control of his destiny. Perhaps you should seriously consider upgrading your skill-set instead of complaining about the pay of janitorial level teaching jobs. Qualified teachers, those with doctorates, or even masters degrees, do not need to be limited to educational degrees to teach, and they are not limited to English. Those who possess terminal degrees and are published and experienced, can demand a decent teaching salary, even here in Thailand.

[WonnabeBiker]

These 35k contracts are crap. Working in government schools where you don't get paid for 3 months a year equals out to about 26,000 a month considering the holidays you have to save for. That's peanuts. Considering that the demand for "qualified teachers" is higher and higher every year, will they start to pay more? How long before a TEFL and BA isn't enough and it must be a teahcing degree? I'm glad enough to have moved on to a 50,000 a month teahcing job because if I had to stay and work in one of these government schools for any longer I would also have moved to China, which I've heard nothing but good things about, or maybe even back to Japan.

Sorry mate, but you seem to be another passenger on a flight to Beijing soon. Having "Lucifer" and some others on board might be very interesting.

In ten years working in Thailand, always with a proper visa and work permit, I always had 12 months contracts, summer and midterm break fully paid, inclusive all the holidays, etc...

I do not know any government school in Sisaket, nor in Ubon that only pays you for nine, or ten months. Do we really talk about the same topic now?

Have you ever heard the song "Money can't buy me love?" If not, please click on this link, please.

You've heard nothing but good things about teaching in China? Wow. How comes that I've never met one who's happy to work- and live- there?

It's the way of life why I made Thailand to my home country. I truly hope that your plane will always be on the Radar. -Niehauu Maa.-

@LOI, good for you. A friend in Surin just reported his school not wanting to honor contracts "till March 31st". Now the foreigner who want "a new contract" must forego a month's salary to make it happen.

A school hired me, verbally guaranteeing a 12 months' contract. The previous school sent all foreigners home as early as February... But then they reneged and wouldn't pay past March nor for holidays. Seems one needs to be careful even with low 25-30 k contracts! (They talk the talk, stating one has to be there to sign the contract in person / or the <director is unavailable> bla bla. Would be nice to get 30 k x 12 months without scams ("SS contributions" and one chooses a hospital only to find out no payments were received by that hospital...).

Hello non NES. Who checks that degree in Uganda? Thought so!

Lots of people from a certain continent get all kinds of "degrees" and become teachers here. Anything goes as long as someone makes money?

[Mencken]

Hey LostinIssan - great, you've made your life here as I have/ad. No quarrel. I'm aiming at the 30-40 single male crowd. The drifters and make no mistake, teaching English in Asia, especially Thailand is drifting.

Were you not on the board about a month ago commenting you thought your job, career was over and having all sorts of grief?? Maybe a mix up.

I'm just pointing to a great thread on Aj and seems most there thought as much of the idea there as they do here.

The other thread on Aj is just as comical, talking about lifestyle as if 35k brings any sort of lifestyle let alone savings. Of course, the future is largely in the toilet for the TEFL edutainment industry. That is simply fact.

As for US min wage, I just hold that up bcz its the lowest of all western countries. So if you are not making that...its pretty sad. People in US working at 7-11 are making more than you and people working at Walmart in 2016 will be making b120 hr more than you. Lol.

Lifestyle...

No worries about me. I've a job lined up on Korea teaching for a year. Wife will work in friend of friend cosmetic shop. Then we will take that cash and use it to relocate to US. Stay until I hit 65 and she qualifies for benefits.

We did a stop in Seoul before, she likes it, the cold and loves the US.

I taught three years. Income was only mad money. But I do believe proper pay for proper work, period

I'm sure you all are living the dream unlike the 22 teachers I've worked with prior. Thus last lot is some real drifters.

One impression over the five years of teachers, maybe does not apply to board, maybe it doe. Seems like Thailand is the elephant graveyard of single men (tarzan movie). Where single men essentially go to live out whatever sad, broken, sexless life they had. Grab any vice they can scrounge up left over from a salary of 35k per month - and die.

That's what I've witnessed. All I hear is yammering about lifestyle, but I look at the 20+ teachers and I only can say two have had any sort of life and one is just a guy working really hatd building a solid career.

Even the ones planning the exit to teaching back home were lost, hapless, ineffective and already burned out. They will never get licens,, guaranteed.

Go do a year in China and go home (Americans). Do you really think you can stay here for the next 30 years?

Finally: Are you American and servicing debt back home? Well, the thb is about to take a bit of a tumble. With that the amount you send back will be even more meager.

30 hours at Walmart = 300

40 hours at Agency = 250 (215$ over 12mos)

As the thb drops and drop it will, we are in unprecedented and historic times, you will make even less in terms of the usd.

Hell, maybe if you are not NES and out of Eurozone its better to be here BUT...EU is gonna take off like a rocket with the currency paired down. If you have skills, you can take advantage of that.

Genius

Lifestyle

Edited March 13, 2015 by Mencken

[Loaded]

Why do so many schools use agencies?

Mencken

You really need to move on. For whatever reason Thailand isn't for you. Maybe it's you or maybe Thailand really is out to get you. Either way, you seem so unhappy here that your next move might be floor 4 Suvanbhumi Airport car park.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Loaded

[lostinisaan]

These 35k contracts are crap. Working in government schools where you don't get paid for 3 months a year equals out to about 26,000 a month considering the holidays you have to save for. That's peanuts. Considering that the demand for "qualified teachers" is higher and higher every year, will they start to pay more? How long before a TEFL and BA isn't enough and it must be a teahcing degree? I'm glad enough to have moved on to a 50,000 a month teahcing job because if I had to stay and work in one of these government schools for any longer I would also have moved to China, which I've heard nothing but good things about, or maybe even back to Japan.

Sorry mate, but you seem to be another passenger on a flight to Beijing soon. Having "Lucifer" and some others on board might be very interesting.

In ten years working in Thailand, always with a proper visa and work permit, I always had 12 months contracts, summer and midterm break fully paid, inclusive all the holidays, etc...

I do not know any government school in Sisaket, nor in Ubon that only pays you for nine, or ten months. Do we really talk about the same topic now?

Have you ever heard the song "Money can't buy me love?" If not, please click on this link, please.

You've heard nothing but good things about teaching in China? Wow. How comes that I've never met one who's happy to work- and live- there?

It's the way of life why I made Thailand to my home country. I truly hope that your plane will always be on the Radar. -Niehauu Maa.-

@LOI, good for you. A friend in Surin just reported his school not wanting to honor contracts "till March 31st". Now the foreigner who want "a new contract" must forego a month's salary to make it happen.

A school hired me, verbally guaranteeing a 12 months' contract. The previous school sent all foreigners home as early as February... But then they reneged and wouldn't pay past March nor for holidays. Seems one needs to be careful even with low 25-30 k contracts! (They talk the talk, stating one has to be there to sign the contract in person / or the <director is unavailable> bla bla. Would be nice to get 30 k x 12 months without scams ("SS contributions" and one chooses a hospital only to find out no payments were received by that hospital...).

Hello non NES. Who checks that degree in Uganda? Thought so!

Lots of people from a certain continent get all kinds of "degrees" and become teachers here. Anything goes as long as someone makes money?

I totally understand your frustration ,when listening to all the lies here. I was stupid enough to quit my former job with a nice big house on campus, a carport and really enjoyed life in a neighboring province. And I thought it was a shitty school? My new job finally woke me up and taught me what shitty really means..

I still don't know if they'll really pay me fully my April and May salary this year. I quit my job, just because I can sleep at home every day, 6 K more a month, but I waste around 3.5 K for gasoline a month, commuting back and forth on daily basis.

At my former school I only taught grade six two hours per week, could stay at my house whenever I had no lessons. 18 hours a week.

Was there already for 3.5 years and the head foreign teacher, made some good friends, the director was a nice guy who gave me a lot of freedom.

I could finally make it happen that they paid for work permit and visa, even for gasoline to renew my visa, when the school van was used for more important things.

6 K more a month for having a lot of more lessons, setting up an EP for grade one, plus teaching ordinary grade ones, grade threes and sixes seems to be a pain in the -deleted-.I'm still waiting for the director to register the school at the SS office, so I do know how many rip offs, calling themselves directors, coordinators, etc...

My biggest mistake was to quit my job at my first school in my hometown, just to find out that working for an agency is nothing else than a big fragging headache.

When I started at a well known high school for an agency,none of my new colleagues had a work permit and we could finally make it happen that the agency sent some guys, because we went "on strike" with the knowledge and ok of the school's administration.

I had to listen to stories like: "If they show up, pay your fine for working without a work permit and go back to work." But the naked truth was that the DOL was already pissed and only a matter of weeks,maybe just days to "raid the school".

Gotta agree with the African native English speakers who all have a degree in education from the same university in Buea. I had to interview many of them and there're times where I couldn't understand them, nor did they understand me. One of these "mumblers" replaced me, when I resigned my position.

Sorry for my long post, but if I'd be in the situation to have to leave the country, I'd definitely try my luck in Vietnam.

I see my job pretty much similar what the guy in the picture's doing. Fighting with windmills.

But as long as I can keep up with all the bs and handle all the ups and down, I'll continue.

Only the word China alone scares the- deleted- out of me.G'Day.-

[aidenai]

One impression over the five years of teachers, maybe does not apply to board, maybe it doe.

Okay. I understand.

Best of luck......................

[aidenai]

Mencken

You really need to move on. For whatever reason Thailand isn't for you. Maybe it's you or maybe Thailand really is out to get you. Either way, you seem so unhappy here that your next move might be floor 4 Suvanbhumi Airport car park.

Right on.

Well said, Loaded.

Edited March 13, 2015 by aidenai

[WonnabeBiker]

Hey LostinIssan - great, you've made your life here as I have/ad. No quarrel. I'm aiming at the 30-40 single male crowd. The drifters and make no mistake, teaching English in Asia, especially Thailand is drifting.

Were you not on the board about a month ago commenting you thought your job, career was over and having all sorts of grief?? Maybe a mix up.

I'm just pointing to a great thread on Aj and seems most there thought as much of the idea there as they do here.

The other thread on Aj is just as comical, talking about lifestyle as if 35k brings any sort of lifestyle let alone savings. Of course, the future is largely in the toilet for the TEFL edutainment industry. That is simply fact.

As for US min wage, I just hold that up bcz its the lowest of all western countries. So if you are not making that...its pretty sad. People in US working at 7-11 are making more than you and people working at Walmart in 2016 will be making b120 hr more than you. Lol.

Lifestyle...

No worries about me. I've a job lined up on Korea teaching for a year. Wife will work in friend of friend cosmetic shop. Then we will take that cash and use it to relocate to US. Stay until I hit 65 and she qualifies for benefits.

We did a stop in Seoul before, she likes it, the cold and loves the US.

I taught three years. Income was only mad money. But I do believe proper pay for proper work, period

I'm sure you all are living the dream unlike the 22 teachers I've worked with prior. Thus last lot is some real drifters.

One impression over the five years of teachers, maybe does not apply to board, maybe it doe. Seems like Thailand is the elephant graveyard of single men (tarzan movie). Where single men essentially go to live out whatever sad, broken, sexless life they had. Grab any vice they can scrounge up left over from a salary of 35k per month - and die.

That's what I've witnessed. All I hear is yammering about lifestyle, but I look at the 20+ teachers and I only can say two have had any sort of life and one is just a guy working really hatd building a solid career.

Even the ones planning the exit to teaching back home were lost, hapless, ineffective and already burned out. They will never get licens,, guaranteed.

Go do a year in China and go home (Americans). Do you really think you can stay here for the next 30 years?

Finally: Are you American and servicing debt back home? Well, the thb is about to take a bit of a tumble. With that the amount you send back will be even more meager.

30 hours at Walmart = 300

40 hours at Agency = 250 (215$ over 12mos)

As the thb drops and drop it will, we are in unprecedented and historic times, you will make even less in terms of the usd.

Hell, maybe if you are not NES and out of Eurozone its better to be here BUT...EU is gonna take off like a rocket with the currency paired down. If you have skills, you can take advantage of that.

Genius

Lifestyle

@Mencken, you may look down upon the sub-36,000-THB-mob but then many of us haven't been fortunate back home.

Stuck in a call center, paying xxx pounds council tax besides rent, tax, NI contributions. Got a car? Then you might be working to pay for it!

OTOH, eating out daily? Appreciating a Honda Wave (@ 1/3 the UK price new) and a small house costing 10% of one's salary?

Yeah, I might not have a career. But at the end of the day, life isn't too bad when one can save hundreds of pounds each month. More importantly, when one has some freedom at work. And the opportunity to work with students is priceless. Yes, there is Thai admin and never ending b.s. / office politics etc. But it can be what you make of it. We do have some control here...

Re China, the internet is full of <recruiters from hell> tales. Just getting all the paperwork done is also a PITA.

Generalisations don't work, JMHO. There are okay jobs where one has a big desk, wifi 99.9% of the time and a printer & scanner in the office. Where one doesn't have to submit lesson plans or go to a temple for a week. But then, the expensive audio system might not work due to lack of cables.

Some TAs hardly ever show up for classes. And one might have a M3/9 class full of misfits who want to sleep or play with their phones and who may not even show up. The once-a-week thing is a waste of time!! It would be better to teach conversation a few times a week for a term and not the net term, IMHO. Another idea would be to group students based on skills, not age.

Anyhow, I have yet to meet a Thai director or HoD who cares to hear foreigners' suggestions.

^^^

In the minds of many directors, NES can be replaced. A Cameroonian I worked with last year is now earning 12 k (down from 25 k). Some schools have a weird idea of what a foreign teacher is worth. There was a trained teacher from the Philippines making 20 k. His TOEIC score was xxx points higher, but he made way less. And don't ask about the "fake degree". *** All schools I have known have shown a drive to cut cost and to replace NES.

Granted, that's a worrying trend. Forget job security and stop dreaming of TEFL being a wonderful career when one is down in the dumps with bottom feeders.

[WonnabeBiker]

These 35k contracts are crap. Working in government schools where you don't get paid for 3 months a year equals out to about 26,000 a month considering the holidays you have to save for. That's peanuts. Considering that the demand for "qualified teachers" is higher and higher every year, will they start to pay more? How long before a TEFL and BA isn't enough and it must be a teahcing degree? I'm glad enough to have moved on to a 50,000 a month teahcing job because if I had to stay and work in one of these government schools for any longer I would also have moved to China, which I've heard nothing but good things about, or maybe even back to Japan.

Sorry mate, but you seem to be another passenger on a flight to Beijing soon. Having "Lucifer" and some others on board might be very interesting.

In ten years working in Thailand, always with a proper visa and work permit, I always had 12 months contracts, summer and midterm break fully paid, inclusive all the holidays, etc...

I do not know any government school in Sisaket, nor in Ubon that only pays you for nine, or ten months. Do we really talk about the same topic now?

Have you ever heard the song "Money can't buy me love?" If not, please click on this link, please.

You've heard nothing but good things about teaching in China? Wow. How comes that I've never met one who's happy to work- and live- there?

It's the way of life why I made Thailand to my home country. I truly hope that your plane will always be on the Radar. -Niehauu Maa.-

@LOI, good for you. A friend in Surin just reported his school not wanting to honor contracts "till March 31st". Now the foreigner who want "a new contract" must forego a month's salary to make it happen.

A school hired me, verbally guaranteeing a 12 months' contract. The previous school sent all foreigners home as early as February... But then they reneged and wouldn't pay past March nor for holidays. Seems one needs to be careful even with low 25-30 k contracts! (They talk the talk, stating one has to be there to sign the contract in person / or the <director is unavailable> bla bla. Would be nice to get 30 k x 12 months without scams ("SS contributions" and one chooses a hospital only to find out no payments were received by that hospital...).

Hello non NES. Who checks that degree in Uganda? Thought so!

Lots of people from a certain continent get all kinds of "degrees" and become teachers here. Anything goes as long as someone makes money?

I totally understand your frustration ,when listening to all the lies here. I was stupid enough to quit my former job with a nice big house on campus, a carport and really enjoyed life in a neighboring province. And I thought it was a shitty school? My new job finally woke me up and taught me what shitty really means..

I still don't know if they'll really pay me fully my April and May salary this year. I quit my job, just because I can sleep at home every day, 6 K more a month, but I waste around 3.5 K for gasoline a month, commuting back and forth on daily basis.

At my former school I only taught grade six two hours per week, could stay at my house whenever I had no lessons. 18 hours a week.

Was there already for 3.5 years and the head foreign teacher, made some good friends, the director was a nice guy who gave me a lot of freedom.

I could finally make it happen that they paid for work permit and visa, even for gasoline to renew my visa, when the school van was used for more important things.

6 K more a month for having a lot of more lessons, setting up an EP for grade one, plus teaching ordinary grade ones, grade threes and sixes seems to be a pain in the -deleted-.I'm still waiting for the director to register the school at the SS office, so I do know how many rip offs, calling themselves directors, coordinators, etc...

My biggest mistake was to quit my job at my first school in my hometown, just to find out that working for an agency is nothing else than a big fragging headache.

When I started at a well known high school for an agency,none of my new colleagues had a work permit and we could finally make it happen that the agency sent some guys, because we went "on strike" with the knowledge and ok of the school's administration.

I had to listen to stories like: "If they show up, pay your fine for working without a work permit and go back to work." But the naked truth was that the DOL was already pissed and only a matter of weeks,maybe just days to "raid the school".

Gotta agree with the African native English speakers who all have a degree in education from the same university in Buea. I had to interview many of them and there're times where I couldn't understand them, nor did they understand me. One of these "mumblers" replaced me, when I resigned my position.

Sorry for my long post, but if I'd be in the situation to have to leave the country, I'd definitely try my luck in Vietnam.

I see my job pretty much similar what the guy in the picture's doing. Fighting with windmills.

But as long as I can keep up with all the bs and handle all the ups and down, I'll continue.

Only the word China alone scares the- deleted- out of me.G'Day.-

• TBH, I'm not getting this "national origin" thing. Last year, I met some wonderful Thai teachers. Young, motivated, highly skilled. Degrees from Chula and KK university. But the system pushes them to earning 1/3 of what some poser with a fake degree and very limited vocabulary gets.
• In Ausria, they held a Mozart competition with the violinist playing behind a curtain. => A Japanese won!
• It makes me mad, encountering posers who cannot write an essay (even if they had 10 times more time than someone who earned a degree would need). The TCT should look beyond "nice looking degrees" and test applicants instead. Let them engage in a conversation! Let them talk about their years at the university, their lectures, their projects and what the degree was all about. Let them write some essay and demonstrate academic writing skills. Or analyze some academic text.
• As a bottom feeder, I want to fight for the crumbs which fall off the table.
• The Thai system sucks - I know an "English teacher" in her 50s who makes a lot more than 35 k teaching P1-P4 kids in a village. Her TOEIC score would be <300, I guess. They should remove national origin as criteria and allow Thai teachers to compete for certain positions with a certain pay grade.
• Yes, they will hire based on looks, but I'd wish they would weed out those who cannot speak the language well and who clearly never went to university.
• OTOH, why shouldn't some well spoken NES without a degree teach conversation?!?
• These days, bad applicants have a field day!
• And some schools are cursed with "HR personnel" who are afraid of contacting foreigners. These schools keep viewing CVs on Ajarn.com but never dare to call, as that would require speaking English

[kaorop]

he seems to have touched a nerve with some

frankly the conditions in many those schools are pretty bad,

then with the middle man agencies sucking the down money.

unscrupulous admin,

downright rude racist co-workers

and money grubbing directors

the visa, wp, qualification and licensing hoops

sure you can make it work,

and i say in all honesty, well done and good luck to those who do

but lets not beat around the bush

its grim.

[aarontendo]

People will work for what they're satisfied with and those who aren't will move on. This really primarily affects those who are in long term relationships, marriage, and have kids and such here. I've heard a lot of talk that many teachers have picked up and moved on, as evidenced by chatter from recruiters and agencies that it is few and far between when they get degree qualified farangs applying. Good spot, especially when you're offering 30k there sparkplug! ;p Declining salaries, possibilities of 10 month contracts, a tightening of regulations and ever-changing qualification goals to meet are creating a perfect storm for the EFL market in Thailand.

I think everyone knows that EFL as a career isn't necessarily the strongest decision from a financial point of view. We've also heard how if you've chosen teaching as a profession it should be for the children and not about money. God knows that get's bandied about back in many of hour own home countries, to which I say that is true but public service should not be a vow of poverty.

Nevertheless, and I stand by this, a sub 30,000 baht income per month is a difficult life to have. Is it the end of the world? No, certainly not as there are many here living on such. Just keep in mind though that the direction the industry has taken has been to reduce salaries and benefits to an even lower position, which as a qualified native speaker doesn't cut it for me. I am fortunate in that I believe my school takes very good care of its staff considering the state of the industry today. There are certainly stories I've heard from friends and as well as those online where they are working in Bangers for 40k or less.

I'm not a fan of people using fake degrees, but I think it's much less common than people make it out to be. Additionally, the suggestions I've seen about having exams or such being conducted by Thai Immigration officials is laughable. Who will they find for a reasonable rate to conduct such? The Thai-English teachers who cannot themselves speak the language? Again, a cost issue because the Thais who are amazing at English are so often earning more in better paid fields.

And to the person who said the fella from Cameroon accepted a pay decrease from 25k to 12k. Amazing, not only for that teacher but for ANYONE else who comes along and accepts it. This is why salaries have stagnated or declined, fellas. Man up a bit and don't accept it.