Looking for a job in Thailand

[RyanReid]

Hi, 

 

You probably get a lot of posts like this on here, so if this is in anyway an infringement of any rules, or even etiquette on here, feel free to remove it, or let me know and I will remove it myself.

 

I will introduce myself to begin with - I have been teaching English for around 2 years, for 18 months on a volunteer basis in my native Scotland, and for the last 6 months I have been living and working in China. I don't have a bachelors degree though, I should get that out there straight away, I feel. I do, however, have plenty of worthwhile experience, and I also have a 140 hour, online TEFL certificate.

 

I am due to arrive in Bangkok on Wednesday, and whilst I am there I might look for a new job. Is this even possible, given my non eligibility for a work visa. It's not really an issue here in China, although Thailand may well be a different case (I would assume it's much less strict than China though!).

 

Any advice on whether I can/where I should look for a job would be much appreciated. To be honest, ideally I wouldn't be working in Bangkok, it seems like it could be a little crazy there for me!

[muzmurray]

No degree is going to make it nigh on impossible for you to find work that will provide both the correct visa and work permit. Also, with no degree, you will not get a waiver from the TCT, so the vast majority of schools are closed to you.

[puukao]

Yea, no degree means you are not serious about education.  Kids need a role model, not someone who thinks 140 hours of that crap TESOL is enough.  I've hired about 100 people in my life, and WHY would I choose someone without a degree??  never would, unless maybe I was buying a product they developed.

 

so maybe create an App for the iphone on how to learn English.

 

You will end up taking the lowest of the low salary, have visa issues, save zero money, spend all your money, and still not have a degree.

 

but you can still have a great time in Thailand and maybe take online classes towards your degree.

 

 

[Scott]

You can get work, but getting the non-immigrant B visa and a work permit will be more difficult.   You won't be able to get a Teacher's License without a degree, so many avenues of teaching will not be available.  

 

Best of luck.  

[kingstonkid]

OK there is work available the Tesol online may not help but a letter from where you are teaching will

 

Bangkok is crazy but there will be work pin may. Hotspot now as it is midterm

[Honthy]

The main problem is the WP - work permit -. One important condition to get WP is a BA. A lot of "teachers" can solve this problem, illegally. 

[jayci]

And even more pertinent is a police check.

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[sandgroper2]

4 hours ago, puukao said:

Yea, no degree means you are not serious about education.  Kids need a role model, not someone who thinks 140 hours of that crap TESOL is enough.  I've hired about 100 people in my life, and WHY would I choose someone without a degree??  never would, unless maybe I was buying a product they developed.

 

so maybe create an App for the iphone on how to learn English.

 

You will end up taking the lowest of the low salary, have visa issues, save zero money, spend all your money, and still not have a degree.

 

but you can still have a great time in Thailand and maybe take online classes towards your degree.

 

 

Totally agree. People without a degree have absolutly no work ethic, dont care a hoot about education. If you dont ave a drgree like me have, yor uselessl.

[tezzainthailand]

4 hours ago, puukao said:

Yea, no degree means you are not serious about education.  Kids need a role model, not someone who thinks 140 hours of that crap TESOL is enough.  I've hired about 100 people in my life, and WHY would I choose someone without a degree??  never would, unless maybe I was buying a product they developed.

 

so maybe create an App for the iphone on how to learn English.

 

You will end up taking the lowest of the low salary, have visa issues, save zero money, spend all your money, and still not have a degree.

 

but you can still have a great time in Thailand and maybe take online classes towards your degree.

 

 

There have been plenty of fine teachers who have taught without a degree.  And there are plenty of average teachers (or worse)  out there who have degrees but become complacent and think that because they have a degree they can cut corners and if the school doesn't want them they can find another simply because they have that golden degree.  And don't knock the TEFL courses, there are some dodgy ones but without techniques and methodologies that the good TEFL courses give you, you are in trouble.  The Thai education authorities would be better off insisting that degrees are not necessary (though it would be an advantage in finding work) and demand that teachers do an accredited TEFL course every four or five years and that a 10,000 baht bond (deposit) is paid and refunded after 6-12 months (to mitigate fly by nighter/backpacker teachers).

[little mary sunshine]

Do yourself and your future students a service and

have the proper academic credentials;. Minimum 

being a BA before considering the teaching PROFESSION.

[wxpwzrd]

5 hours ago, puukao said:

Yea, no degree means you are not serious about education.  Kids need a role model, not someone who thinks 140 hours of that crap TESOL is enough.  I've hired about 100 people in my life, and WHY would I choose someone without a degree??  never would, unless maybe I was buying a product they developed.

 

so maybe create an App for the iphone on how to learn English.

 

You will end up taking the lowest of the low salary, have visa issues, save zero money, spend all your money, and still not have a degree.

 

but you can still have a great time in Thailand and maybe take online classes towards your degree.

 

 

 

If you're serious about this statement (people with no degree) you are absolutely wrong.

[Global Guy]

There are exceptions to just about everything in Thailand but for the vast majority of cases you will not get a job worth having, not get a work permit, live a standard of living just above poverty, and not be able to save or build towards your future.

 

Quality of teaching ability is irrelevant in Thailand. Especially in the low paying jobs you will get, you'll be more of a farang clown/entertainer/babysitter and a foreigner face for the school than someone responsible for serious education.

 

I had a good friend who taught without a degree at a decent school. But he didn't get paid much, was always broke, lived in a little closet sized room in a building where mostly poor Thais lived (which was a nightmare) , couldn't save enough to get a better place to live, any girls he met who had their act together, so to speak, weren't interested in him because as great a guy he was, he gave the impression that he had no ambition nor thought about having a future. I met these girls, they weren't gold diggers. They had degrees and decent jobs, so they were doing better than him. He became disillusioned about his future in Thailand and went back to the US.

 

Your online teaching certificate means nothing to schools that want CELTAs or TFELs or whatever credentials.

 

So, if you want to live like a pauper then it's your choice. The only other option is to tutor on the side and maybe afford a little better place but then you'd be working all the time, mostly on weekends for that.

[ebonykap]

1 hour ago, wxpwzrd said:

 

If you're serious about this statement (people with no degree) you are absolutely wrong.

Yes, if he is serious I had better race out and get my degree in macrame.. this is sure to make me a great teacher.

During my working life, I often came upon these degree qualified, pretentious types - all theory and no understanding of the real world. I hated dealing with them as they had no business acumen at all, and only believed what their university filled their heads with.

[bark]

7 hours ago, muzmurray said:

No degree is going to make it nigh on impossible for you to find work that will provide both the correct visa and work permit. Also, with no degree, you will not get a waiver from the TCT, so the vast majority of schools are closed to you.

I think half the Foreign teachers do not have a real degree. You will fit right in.

Wonder why Thai kids are stupid about English ? Here is the answer.

[bark]

1 hour ago, wxpwzrd said:

 

If you're serious about this statement (people with no degree) you are absolutely wrong.

He is right , 100 %.

[zd1]

2 hours ago, sandgroper2 said:

Totally agree. People without a degree have absolutly no work ethic, dont care a hoot about education. If you dont ave a drgree like me have, yor uselessl.

What a load of codswallop, your saying if you haven't got a degree you have no work ethic and that is a ridiculous statement to make, there are many people out there without degrees that have a great work ethic. I don't have a degree and i'm not a teacher however I have run several businesses which require dedication and a strong work ethic, I have also met many people who do have degrees but who don't have an ounce of common sense and outside of their field of knowledge they know very little.

Your last sentence is barely comprehendible I hope your not teaching English.

 

To the op you can get a job teaching here but as people have said pay will be low and you probably won't be able to get a work permit, however you may try private lessons and if your any good and get a good reputation the work will roll in.

Good luck and take what some people on here say with a very large pinch of salt.

[MaxiMaxi]

10 minutes ago, bark said:

I think half the Foreign teachers do not have a real degree. You will fit right in.

Wonder why Thai kids are stupid about English ? Here is the answer.

It's because the thai teachers they have at school don't know and speack a bad pronounced english 

[F4UCorsair]

I guess there are many Enhlish teachers posting on TV?

 

I know of a few because they've identified themselves, and whilst I don't know their qualifications, degree/TEFL, none, one, or both, but judging by their standard of written language, I wouldn't permit them to teach English to my dog.

 

I think TEFL is a better qualification, for teaching English, than many degrees,  with BEd being an exception, but the authorities want a degree, so that's it.

[puukao]

Of course all uneducated people will agree with each other.  I don't care, but I feel bad for all of you who are too lazy to get properly educated.  Well-rounded?  Of course not.  Social skills?  Doubtful.  Ability to talk on a variety of topics?  Impossible.  Afraid of people with degrees?  Yes.  Insecure?  Yes.

 

not my problem......impossible to talk to the ignorant.  

 

now get me my coffee!!!  

[Mansell]

I know quite a number of people teaching in Phuket without degrees and making a good living. You will be operating on the edge of society, but where there's a will there's a way. Do what you have to do. I won't tell you who to talk to, or what to do. But if you are on the island you will find your way....and if not, you will have a fun vacation. Funny about China being more lax. They wouldn't take anybody over sixty five, which is odd because many times they are the best teachers with the most experience. Good luck.

[LammyTS1]

Yes, as others have mentioned, you cannot obtain a WP without a degree.
Your only options would be to teach through a language school as a "language consultant" or obtain a fake degree.
You would be better to stay in China or maybe look at positions in Vietnam. Salary in both countries a lot higher than Thailand & they place more importance on being TEFL qualified than having a random degree.





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[smotherb]

4 hours ago, jayci said:

Can he get a degree from khao San road. A degree is no proof of intelligence or teaching ability. References and experience would be more important.

Sent from my Le X820 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

You are correct, a degree is no proof of intelligence or ability; similarly, the many certifications one gets in any industry are no guarantee  the holder can do anything. Both the degree and the certificate say only one thing--the recipient went through the hassles to get one. Of course, a four year degree is more hassle than most certificates.

[smotherb]

4 hours ago, KIWIBATCH said:

 

Absoluely correct........A degree is no proof of intelligence or teaching ability...........

any bets on whether the poster or the people who liked this post have a degree?

You are correct; however, as I have said, and neither is an industry training certificate proof of intelligence or the ability to do anything.

 

[White Christmas13]

4 hours ago, sandgroper2 said:

Totally agree. People without a degree have absolutly no work ethic, dont care a hoot about education. If you dont ave a drgree like me have, yor uselessl.

Can you translate this in to English please

[BJones]

It is possible. I worked for a recruitment company, and we had one applicant without a degree who was able to qualify for a work visa. I cannot remember exactly the process that was needed to get this for him, but the situation was a public school, and the guy had a been an ambulance driver who had done some work towards a degree, for which he had transcripts. 

Another girl from South Africa was able to get one too. It's not easy, and it depends on the local authorities (it's much tougher in Chonburi, for example). Somebody has to really want you.  

[duanebigsby]

2 hours ago, bark said:

I think half the Foreign teachers do not have a real degree. You will fit right in.

Wonder why Thai kids are stupid about English ? Here is the answer.

one hundred percent horsesh@@t from someone who has never seen a Thai classroom. Most Foreign teachers have degrees as that's the only way to get a work permit and schools are, for the most part, playing by the rules. There are many, many reasons the Thai English education is poor, but blaming the NES teachers is out of order. How do you teach conversational English in a class of Fity? The system is buggered, not the teachers.

[F4UCorsair]

4 hours ago, little mary sunshine said:

Do yourself and your future students a service and

have the proper academic credentials;. Minimum 

being a BA before considering the teaching PROFESSION.

BA???  Are you kidding?  A BA Is more useless, If that's possible, than my BSc, my MOST useless qualification, and a waste of a few years.

Edited December 13, 2016 by F4UCorsair

[tezzainthailand]

28 minutes ago, duanebigsby said:

one hundred percent horsesh@@t from someone who has never seen a Thai classroom. Most Foreign teachers have degrees as that's the only way to get a work permit and schools are, for the most part, playing by the rules. There are many, many reasons the Thai English education is poor, but blaming the NES teachers is out of order. How do you teach conversational English in a class of Fity? The system is buggered, not the teachers.

That's probably true, most foreign English teachers might have degrees, but there are countless schools in Thailand (many in rural areas like Isaan) that are crying out for teachers but cannot get them because many of the foreign teachers you talk about don't want to move there and the Degree requirement is an obstacle for teachers without degrees wanting to teach.  That's where there needs to be some compromise, or to allow TEFL accredited teachers (without a degree)  to teach at a marginally lower pay rate than those who have a degree and teach. 

[UPDEHSOI]

5 hours ago, sandgroper2 said:

Totally agree. People without a degree have absolutly no work ethic, dont care a hoot about education. If you dont ave a drgree like me have, yor uselessl.

Umm, 'tis plain to see that "YOR" degree ain't ain't got nuttin' to do with English. ( or would yor post be sorta 'tongue in cheek'?

[Goldbear]

You don't have to be a black belt to teach a white belt. 

 

I am sure that a smart high school graduate, who is motivated and who has the right kind of personality could do fine teaching basic English. Of course they would have to learn how to teach English but that's what the training courses are for. 

 

Most university graduates don't have degrees in teaching, anyway. I have a bachelor's degree and I didn't learn anything about teaching English when I was at university. 

 

Good luck to the OP.