I've been down this road before.....Advice Please! Thanks.

[puukao]

OK, so I'm thinking about teaching English in Thailand (again), and looking for some advice.

I have spent 1-year in Thailand, mainly Chiang Mai. I enjoyed the city, and seem to prefer the North.

Besides BKK, which city, or cities, seem to hire the most teachers with little experience? I have taught for over five years in a classroom, but neither English nor in a proper school. My students were generally middle-aged men. To anyone interested, I can send you my resume, introductory video, etc...

I don't plan on flying back to LOS for at least another month, but looking for some help to make the process easier.

I do have my TESOL and fully understand the salaries are quite low;nonetheless, I would like a one-year contract and ideally a day trip to Chiang Mai.

Any and all advice is grateful. I'm open to all ideas......

[SlyAnimal]

Besides BKK, which city, or cities, seem to hire the most teachers with little experience?

Anywhere that's not in the city

The cities, particularly close to Chiang Mai, often have so many teachers to choose from that there is a lot of competition for the roles, and thus they will generally prefer someone who is a "better" candidate, whether that be based on experience, qualifications, age or simply how white your skin is :-P Schools in the countryside are less desireable for foreigners and thus you'll have less competition

The 2nd term starts in late October, so you'll probably want to start looking in September, although a lot of places won't even realize that they need a new Farang teacher until the 1st of November when their teachers have collected their October salary for their 3 weeks holiday & disappeared with it.

[lostinisaan]

I do have my TESOL and fully understand the salaries are quite low;nonetheless, I would like a one-year contract and ideally a day trip to Chiang Mai.

There're no particular cities where schools pay less experienced teachers a lower salary. Mr. Sly was right,. the competition in CM is very high and salaries are generally low. Too many job seekers make it easy for directors to pay a Master's degree holder peanuts.

There're a few schools seeking teachers for October/November already now and there'll be more. What type of school would you like to work?

​ There's a huge difference between an ordinary primary, or secondary government school and one with an EP. Those schools with an EP usually do pay a higher salary, you've got air conditioned classrooms and some other goodies.

Jobs at colleges are really bad paid and a lot of private schools in smaller cities pay even less than a government school.

If I were single, I'd look for an ok school close to a lovely beach. Those positions where the teachers ran away after pocketing the October salary are not always advertised at certain websites and you should do some legwork.

Make sure that all in your contract is really true, not that you end up working for three schools, or have to do English camps and seminars to receive your salary for April, half of May and October.

Best way to find a suitable job ( I would look for a few and decide later) is to prepare a few sets of a good resume and go from school to school in your preferred area.

Never change your idea of a 12 months contract, plenty of schools just follow agencies they had before hiring directly and offer only 10 to 11 months, but if they urgently need a teacher, they might change their mind.

. Important in my eyes is to have a proper insurance and the Thai SS should be included in your contract. Mine had already paid around three times more than I paid in, so it's really useful and gives you a good feeling to know that all is covered, should the shit hit the fan.

Best of luck. I usually hear of schools that are hiring for the second term, but that's in the lower Isaan.

[lostinisaan]

Besides BKK, which city, or cities, seem to hire the most teachers with little experience?

Anywhere that's not in the city

The cities, particularly close to Chiang Mai, often have so many teachers to choose from that there is a lot of competition for the roles, and thus they will generally prefer someone who is a "better" candidate, whether that be based on experience, qualifications, age or simply how white your skin is :-P Schools in the countryside are less desireable for foreigners and thus you'll have less competition

The 2nd term starts in late October, so you'll probably want to start looking in September, although a lot of places won't even realize that they need a new Farang teacher until the 1st of November when their teachers have collected their October salary for their 3 weeks holiday & disappeared with it.

I hope that you're not one of them. I mean those who're waiting for their October salary and then run like the wind......lol-

[aidenai]

@ OP - do you hold a university degree? If not, don't come to Thailand to teach in a basic education school.

[jadee]

Besides BKK, which city, or cities, seem to hire the most teachers with little experience?

My answer would be Samut Prakarn. It is the province south of Bangkok, most people would consider it part of 'greater Bangkok', and it isn't technically a city but if you look at the population, it's second only to Bangkok and that means opportunities for teaching in schools. SP is an interesting place; if you start on Srinakarin road outside Seacon Square and Paradise Park and head due south, the road is pretty much a continuation of Bangkok. Heading off the beaten path, you realize that the province is mostly factories and apartments. The main town is Paknam, there are some cool places like the three-headed elephant temple and they are in the process of extending the BTS line from Bearing about 40km through SP. My feeling that the schools hire teachers with little experience is that schools rarely advertise on sites like ajarn, if you go there, you won't find much. Most teachers seem to apply to schools in person or get work through agencies.

[puukao]

I have a degree in Economics as well as an MBA. I'm pretty "white", athletic, and straight teeth. lol. I do have a skype interview Monday, and they have seem my credentials as well as my vimeo introduction. I wouldn't mind working in Issan. I would not work in Pattaya or Phuket, and that's really the short list of places I would not enjoy. I passed the content exam for Social Studies to teach in America, but I need to take an "alternate certification" path which means a Master's degree and more school loans.

I'm not worried about my ability to teach and enthusiasm brought to the classroom. I'm worried about getting there, starting a job, and then the work permit gets stalled and I'm stuck. Trying to avoid a little stress before taking the plunge.

[BruceMangosteen]

I hope that you're not one of them. I mean those who're waiting for their October salary and then run like the wind......lol-

Some Government schools are cutting October "holiday" down to one week. This to make up for lost days due to sports week and temple activities. It may make it very difficult to actually run like a rat and still get October's wages.

There is also a move toward more strict gate duty and attendance requirements for flag ceremonies(8AM), Bangkok M.of Ed. lawyers have been consulted and wage deductions amounting to one days wage.have been deemed legal despite no mention of same in the "contract". Even if you teach that day, since you skipped the gate and assembly requirements, you don't have to be paid. There is also a new rule regarding smoking and drinking(booze) on campus which said lawyers have been consulted. The new solution to such conduct is to cut wages. They figure once again, and perhaps correctly, there are plenty of Filipino's to replace those who think they can be so slack and not do as they are told. O O and God Bless You.

[muzmurray]

I hope that you're not one of them. I mean those who're waiting for their October salary and then run like the wind......lol-

Some Government schools are cutting October "holiday" down to one week. This to make up for lost days due to sports week and temple activities. It may make it very difficult to actually run like a rat and still get October's wages.

There is also a move toward more strict gate duty and attendance requirements for flag ceremonies(8AM), Bangkok M.of Ed. lawyers have been consulted and wage deductions amounting to one days wage.have been deemed legal despite no mention of same in the "contract". Even if you teach that day, since you skipped the gate and assembly requirements, you don't have to be paid. There is also a new rule regarding smoking and drinking(booze) on campus which said lawyers have been consulted. The new solution to such conduct is to cut wages. They figure once again, and perhaps correctly, there are plenty of Filipino's to replace those who think they can be so slack and not do as they are told. O O and God Bless You.

Wow! Something as important as that, and yet you seem to be the only person who has heard it?

[Scott]

I hadn't heard it was deemed OK by the MoE, but I know a few schools that are implementing it and they are a little careful about getting into legal troubles, so I assume it has come from somewhere.

[zeichen]

I have a degree in Economics as well as an MBA. I'm pretty "white", athletic, and straight teeth. lol. I do have a skype interview Monday, and they have seem my credentials as well as my vimeo introduction. I wouldn't mind working in Issan. I would not work in Pattaya or Phuket, and that's really the short list of places I would not enjoy. I passed the content exam for Social Studies to teach in America, but I need to take an "alternate certification" path which means a Master's degree and more school loans.

I'm not worried about my ability to teach and enthusiasm brought to the classroom. I'm worried about getting there, starting a job, and then the work permit gets stalled and I'm stuck. Trying to avoid a little stress before taking the plunge.

Actually all you need is to pay 5k USD and less than one year with the "Teacher Ready" program out of Florida and you will have a teacher's license for 5 years after you pass Praxis 1 and subject.

If you get a job in Thailand, or China teaching subject matter with other US licensed teachers you can do it while you teach here.

[puukao]

I have a degree in Economics as well as an MBA. I'm pretty "white", athletic, and straight teeth. lol. I do have a skype interview Monday, and they have seem my credentials as well as my vimeo introduction. I wouldn't mind working in Issan. I would not work in Pattaya or Phuket, and that's really the short list of places I would not enjoy. I passed the content exam for Social Studies to teach in America, but I need to take an "alternate certification" path which means a Master's degree and more school loans.

I'm not worried about my ability to teach and enthusiasm brought to the classroom. I'm worried about getting there, starting a job, and then the work permit gets stalled and I'm stuck. Trying to avoid a little stress before taking the plunge.

Actually all you need is to pay 5k USD and less than one year with the "Teacher Ready" program out of Florida and you will have a teacher's license for 5 years after you pass Praxis 1 and subject.

If you get a job in Thailand, or China teaching subject matter with other US licensed teachers you can do it while you teach here.

Interesting, thanks. I have passed the Praxis exam a few years ago, it was easy. I will look into this later.

appreciate the help.

[puukao]

I think teacherready from West Florida University (I think) is pretty legit, so thanks. I have to see how long my Praxis score stays relevant, so I don't have to re-take the exam. Will look into that later today.

On an honest note, I failed to make it to the final round of Teach for America.....but I made it past a few hurdles (application, interview, etc...). And they did hire some girl who tweets about loving doggie style with her boyfriend. ?????? LOL. The phone interview was supposed to be 29 minutes and I talked with some kid for 1 hour and 25. Oh, anyhow......i'm not mad at all.

Will update on how today's skype interview goes.....i'm not worried, since I don't mind working most places in Thailand. But let's hope I get something in the next few weeks.

[puukao]

Supposed to have a skype interview now, but the person at the government school south of BKK isn't responding. It's been 20 minutes, I'll give it a few more minutes. Oh, I'm not surprised.......It's OK, like I said previously, I would rather be north BKK instead of south. But it would have been nice to get some practice interviewing for these types of jobs.

any interview hints now that I'm online?

[puukao]

So I had a 45-minute skype interview. Of course it was easy, and they seemed to like me. But they want to see me in a classroom, and I'm in America without a ticket. OK, so let's say I book a ticket and fly there next week. IF I don't get this job, I will only have 30 days (minus maybe 3-4 days for this in-person presentation) to get a job and permit?? I was hoping I would get something more concrete via skype before I really commit.

I do have another skype interview in two days.

Of course I would worry about flying there and they found someone perfect the day before I land. Yes, we all know this can happen.

Thoughts anyone????

[puukao]

well, it seems like i need a visa before going anyhow. AND I think I need paperwork from the school, then i get 90-days on a single entry.

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/contents/files/consular-services-20120410-204531-918186.pdf

so it looks like today's interview was just for practice.....it's OK, learning process.

[SOTIRIOS]

...you are overqualified....and a conscience is a handicap....

..as for degrees...a high school degree is superior to a local masters degree if you ask some people....

...but it's all about title and pretense.......

[Harveyg]

An English teacher just left my college. We're just finishing midterms. But far from cm. nakhon nayok

[Harveyg]

An English teacher just left my college. We're just finishing midterms. But far from cm. nakhon nayok

[Deepinthailand]

I hope that you're not one of them. I mean those who're waiting for their October salary and then run like the wind......lol-

Some Government schools are cutting October "holiday" down to one week. This to make up for lost days due to sports week and temple activities. It may make it very difficult to actually run like a rat and still get October's wages.

There is also a move toward more strict gate duty and attendance requirements for flag ceremonies(8AM), Bangkok M.of Ed. lawyers have been consulted and wage deductions amounting to one days wage.have been deemed legal despite no mention of same in the "contract". Even if you teach that day, since you skipped the gate and assembly requirements, you don't have to be paid. There is also a new rule regarding smoking and drinking(booze) on campus which said lawyers have been consulted. The new solution to such conduct is to cut wages. They figure once again, and perhaps correctly, there are plenty of Filipino's to replace those who think they can be so slack and not do as they are told. O O and God Bless You.

Just got in from school reading this first I've heard of any of it Oct holiday is same as last year for me. As for flag ceremony never done it yet and I expect never to. My first class is 11am and although I'm supposed to be in school at 8am I never am till 1045. Was told many years ago to stop being silly and turning up at 8am.

[Just1Voice]

My 2 cents? You couldn't pay me enough to teach in a Thai school.
And, yes, I am more than qualified.
I was invited to teach once about 8 years ago at Varee International School in Chiang Mai. I asked if I could observe for a week first. They agreed. By Friday, I was so disappointed and disgusted at what I saw, I swore I would never teach in Thailand.

[ericthai]

I have a degree in Economics as well as an MBA. I'm pretty "white", athletic, and straight teeth. lol. I do have a skype interview Monday, and they have seem my credentials as well as my vimeo introduction. I wouldn't mind working in Issan. I would not work in Pattaya or Phuket, and that's really the short list of places I would not enjoy. I passed the content exam for Social Studies to teach in America, but I need to take an "alternate certification" path which means a Master's degree and more school loans.

I'm not worried about my ability to teach and enthusiasm brought to the classroom. I'm worried about getting there, starting a job, and then the work permit gets stalled and I'm stuck. Trying to avoid a little stress before taking the plunge.

If you can find a place that will hire you or say they will hire you while you are still in the USA get your B visa in the USA. I haven't gotten a B visa in the USA for many years (5-6)

but I used to get a 1 year multi entry with ease. If you wait to get a B visa around at one of the neighboring countries of Thailand you will only get a 90 day B visa. I would call the nearest Thai embassy / consultant and ask what they need for a B visa, then request those documents from the school. Good Luck!!

[ericthai]

So I had a 45-minute skype interview. Of course it was easy, and they seemed to like me. But they want to see me in a classroom, and I'm in America without a ticket. OK, so let's say I book a ticket and fly there next week. IF I don't get this job, I will only have 30 days (minus maybe 3-4 days for this in-person presentation) to get a job and permit?? I was hoping I would get something more concrete via skype before I really commit.

I do have another skype interview in two days.

Of course I would worry about flying there and they found someone perfect the day before I land. Yes, we all know this can happen.

Thoughts anyone????

If you dont get paper work from a school to get a B visa before you come, then at least get a Tourist visa for $40 which will give you 60 days and can be extended by 30 days at

immigration for 1900 Baht, it is valid 90 days from date of issue so dont get it too early. You can also get a METV visa (multi-entry tourist visa) this is will give you 60 days per entry and

the visa is valid for 6 months (from date of issue) cost is $200. Allot of people in the past have stayed long term in Thailand on visa exempt and making visa runs, Thailand is

cracking down on this so I would make sure to get a visa prior to coming to Thailand to save you allot of headache.

.

[lostinisaan]

I have a degree in Economics as well as an MBA. I'm pretty "white", athletic, and straight teeth. lol. I do have a skype interview Monday, and they have seem my credentials as well as my vimeo introduction. I wouldn't mind working in Issan. I would not work in Pattaya or Phuket, and that's really the short list of places I would not enjoy. I passed the content exam for Social Studies to teach in America, but I need to take an "alternate certification" path which means a Master's degree and more school loans.

I'm not worried about my ability to teach and enthusiasm brought to the classroom. I'm worried about getting there, starting a job, and then the work permit gets stalled and I'm stuck. Trying to avoid a little stress before taking the plunge.

If you can find a place that will hire you or say they will hire you while you are still in the USA get your B visa in the USA. I haven't gotten a B visa in the USA for many years (5-6)

but I used to get a 1 year multi entry with ease. If you wait to get a B visa around at one of the neighboring countries of Thailand you will only get a 90 day B visa. I would call the nearest Thai embassy / consultant and ask what they need for a B visa, then request those documents from the school. Good Luck!!

It's a great idea to apply for a Non-B while still in the States. Thai consulates are always easier going than embassies, because American people work there.

I guess a contract is enough and having a Multiple Entry B, it can't be taken away from the school should the job turn out to be a joke.

Such a visa must be around 160 bucks. I'd go for one, the only problem is that you'll have to leave the country for a minute every 90 days.

They might be okay when you tell them that you pay for your own visa. I know two schools who've sent money for flight, including pocket money, but the guys never showed up

Free Pattaya ticket for them.

Good luck with your interviews.

.

Edited July 26, 2016 by lostinisaan

[puukao]

Thanks for the replies. If you see a job opportunity anywhere in Thailand (Yes, I would like to be near CM; however, visiting CM once every 3-months would be good), please email me at procyclist at gmail.com. Or use my "business" email at investing at gmail.com. Yea, I got in the gmail beta program as I had a friend in NYC many, many years ago.

Harvyg, feel free to email me anytime.

Thanks again.

Edited July 26, 2016 by puukao

[1FinickyOne]

I am outside a small city in Northern Thailand - the teachers here are mostly gap year college grads, many have teaching careers planned in USA,.,, and I think all of them find their way here through agencies which place them... I am sure nobody requests this area but near all of them love it once they get here...

[ozyjon]

Not many '' teaching English in Thailand '' posts recently

whats going on

[puukao]

I did speak with an agency last night for an hour.....super easy, nice lady.

BUT they do want me there in one week.......i'm not in my 20's and i do have many things I need to do before i go.....2-weeks, maybe....3-weeks, yes.....but one is not enough. AND you only work for 2 months before the term is over.

SO the plan, i think, is to get a non-b visa, get all my stuff sorted, and head over there in about a month.....hopefully then meeting a few agencies and starting at the end of October.

i have a feeling the demand to teach a few years ago was greater. I might be wrong.......

[lostinisaan]

On ‎7‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 0:13 AM, puukao said:

I did speak with an agency last night for an hour.....super easy, nice lady.

BUT they do want me there in one week.......i'm not in my 20's and i do have many things I need to do before i go.....2-weeks, maybe....3-weeks, yes.....but one is not enough. AND you only work for 2 months before the term is over.

SO the plan, i think, is to get a non-b visa, get all my stuff sorted, and head over there in about a month.....hopefully then meeting a few agencies and starting at the end of October.

i have a feeling the demand to teach a few years ago was greater. I might be wrong.......

Are you really sure that they pay you for two full months? Please be aware that some "outstanding rip offs" only pay the hours you've actually teaching. Many schools finish their tests around the 20th and that would be the end of your contract?

 

         But of course you can sign a new one afterwards. Don't let them bring you down and look for a job working for the school and not for such an agency monkey.

 

        I was there, done that. But three years was enough even under much better conditions. The name of the school was on the contract and I got paid 10 K for October and April. But that was many moons ago and the agency really fair to us. If somebody was sick we could cover his/her lesson and received 600 baht an hour.

 

     

  

 

 

  

 

 

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[puukao]

You are probably right.  The agency hasn't emailed me back after I told them I couldn't fly there immediately.  The government school sent me an email saying they really want to hire me, but it would also begin this week.  They also wanted a demo class, which is fine; however, I wasn't going to fly there immediately solely on that lead.  

So the next question.......August I can stay in work in USA no problem.  I think the new school semester or term begins around Halloween.  I would like to spend a few weeks in CM, preferable mid to late-October.

Thoughts on when I should arrive in Thailand??  The earliest would be around September 2nd.  

Thanks in advance......