Current Tefl Job Market In Bangkok

[PeaceBlondie]

I'm not in the job market, and I live in Chiang Mai, so I don't know what the wages are in that Hub of Thai Tefl, Bangkok. So, I searched the easiest site with the most job openings. I just looked for native English speaker's jobs, full time.

Job #1: Under 20K to teach English, math, or science. No kidding!

Job #2: University, master's or Ph.D: 30K to 40K; overtime at 400/hour. Masters in tourism, up to 30K (probably 27K). Fully qualified English teacher, B.Ed and major in English: up to 35K

Job #3: 38K, with a nearly impossible demand for proving you have a degree.

Job #4: start immediately: 35K to 37K. Meaning, you're illegal for one to three months.

Job #5: 40K to 50K

Job #6: rajabat, a related BA required: the standard 27K

Job #7: female, 20 to 22 hours, maybe 40K

Job #8: music teacher, 36K to 40K

Job #9: kinderg, 28K to 35K; start immediate, no mention about work permit; illegal.

Job #10: EP, teach English, math, science: 36K to 40K

Job #11: 'top level school' EP, 33K to 38K. I thought those paid 100k?

Job #12: Science or math, over 40K (a recently burned former school of Mr. Karr)

Job #13: preschool, female, with B.Ed, 50K

Job #14: Filipino, teach math with a B.Ed. in math: 12K plus housing.

Job #15: preschool, 35K to 40K

Job #16: uni instructors, fully certified B.Ed; 35K to 50K

Job #17: absurd, meaningless ad - up to 40K/month to teach 40 hours per week.

That's it, folks. Nobody really promising to get their carcass in gear and provide you with really legal status within a reasonable period of time during the current crackdowns. No job here over 50K, and the advertised jobs at 50K require qualifications that pay 150,000 baht per month back in the real world.

Unforgettable Thailand.

[Thaiquila]

Well, at least they spelled unforgettable correctly. I wonder if they hired an illegal farang for that?

[kenkannif]

A lot of the better jobs are gotten by word of mouth.

Although it's best to look at the hourly rate really as opposed to the monthly rate IMO.

Edited September 13, 2006 by kenkannif

[Loaded]

Agree with KK that most decent jobs in LOS are obtained through word of mouth or contacts. The high-paying jobs are still out there, but schools/unis don't need to advertise because there are many teachers going directly to them. So the scragends are often left to be put on job sites.

[PeaceBlondie]

Yes, and that's why I kind of wondered about referring an MA in linguistics, with many years of teaching, to that website. Not arguing about that, though.

kenkaniff, I'm an old tax auditor who thinks annual income, or monthly income, is the only thing that pays the bills every month. Language centers, sure, that's how they pay. And part time work, of course.

How many of those 17 jobs, do you think, will get their full time teacher a work permit, TL, and visa help within 28 days? Within 58 days? Oh sure, some of them are right on the ball, eager to get legal, but how many, percentagewise, don't know how or don't want to?

[paully]

Gosh. Within 28 days, 10% perhaps? Within 58 days, maybe 35%? Who knows. Maybe I'm doing schools a disservice.

It's very dispiriting to read your list of jobs and pay, PB. The wish list for qualifications/certification goes up and up, yet the remuneration remains minimal. As Ken and Loaded say, most of the 'decent' jobs aren't actually advertised but it's depressing all the same.

[PeaceBlondie]

Well paully, maybe most of those jobs are entry level. But wait, several of them require a B.Ed. and courses in the subject field, such as math; or a postgraduate degree. Many require years of experience.

Of course, those are sometimes just a wish list, and they'll accept anybody who breathes. Not being in BKK, I don't know. But do they pay 35K for anybody whose stinky breath can fog a mirror?

Repeat: while a few job ads promised to "help with a work permit" virtually none said, "For sure, we swear on a pile of amulets that you'll get a work permit" or "Of course, we'll help you get a non-immigrant B without making you fly around the world to get it."

[paully]

Of course, PB, would you actually believe them if they did swear as such, on a pile of amulets or otherwise?

[Ijustwannateach]

I'd ask them up front what percentage of their foreign teachers *already* had work permits, and how long those who hadn't had worked for them. Any hemming and hawing: a sign to run, especially these days.

"S"

[craftwork]

Let me add to the misery...the Manager newspaper the other day ran a piece about a language school teaching English here in Bangkok.

It is run by Thais. The newspaper talked to two teachers there about all the good reasons farang teachers of English are not needed any more.

Some of them sounded rather convincing, too.

[Ijustwannateach]

That seems a little tangential for this thread, but I'm sure it would be interesting as a thread on its own- care to start one up, CW?

"S"

[kenkannif]

Yes, and that's why I kind of wondered about referring an MA in linguistics, with many years of teaching, to that website. Not arguing about that, though.

Got a friend with an MA in linguistics....TEFL....fluent Thai.....works for an agency without a WP!

kenkaniff, I'm an old tax auditor who thinks annual income, or monthly income, is the only thing that pays the bills every month. Language centers, sure, that's how they pay. And part time work, of course.

Actually if you work it out it all can boil down to hour by hour....yes you need a certain figure to pay the bills etc. But you need to look at time spent to money earnt really to have a proper idea of the wages and whether a lesser wage at a higher hourly rate (when all is said and done) is better for you.

[BlackArtemis]

Notice in chiang mai you always see 20-29k

I am making 20k (just on salary) as my first year. But My Fiancee and I have estimated that we could be making closer to 100k a month if we switched over to full time tutoring.

But then I don't have a work permit and have to set aside 400k for my O visa...

[Ijustwannateach]

I think you can get away with the 100K/month tutoring binges if you have another kind of real visa, but you will always need to be careful and be vulnerable to legal harassment - I wouldn't recommend it, seems rather stressful.

"Steven"