Moving to Thailand and looking to teach English

[Scott]

33 minutes ago, soley13 said:

True this part also worries me.

 

I'm English born and bred but my dad is from Iran. He and my mother were together for a year back in the 80s. I've was born in the UK and lived here all my life speak and live my life like any other English kid.  The only thing is I have a foreign surname and a Mediterranean complexion. So I look sort of Italian or Spanish or Isreali something of the sort.

 

how will this impact me in Thailand?

 

 

It will impact, but it should not impact a lot.   The Director I work with would look at the picture and ask, 'but where is he from?'   She means what is his ethnic background.   In the end, it's the passport that makes the difference.  

[soley13]

9 minutes ago, Scott said:

It will impact, but it should not impact a lot.   The Director I work with would look at the picture and ask, 'but where is he from?'   She means what is his ethnic background.   In the end, it's the passport that makes the difference.  

Thanks Scott.  Can I ask if your currently working over in Thailand?

 

Yes a British passport is like gold! Thank god I was born here. 

 

I'm well spoken with a neutral English accent hopefully that will help, I'm well groomed and well dressed.  I know (or have I just assumed?) Thais are quite judgmental when it comes to looks and appearance. 

 

 

 

[maprao]

Op you have an MSC and get between 22 and 25k pa???

Hard to live on that in the UK

[soley13]

Yup welcome the the UK.

 

the MSc is no guarantee of anything in the field of Psychology.

 

even with the MSc due to cost cutting and lack of budget from health services public or private you can start on £18,000. In the NHS the salary range is from 21,000-28000 and capped there.  

 

You can only jump to the higher wages by completing a Clinical Course which takes three years or competing a PhD whilst working which effectively ends your life and is extremely stressful. 

[Scott]

1 hour ago, soley13 said:

Thanks Scott.  Can I ask if your currently working over in Thailand?

 

Yes a British passport is like gold! Thank god I was born here. 

 

I'm well spoken with a neutral English accent hopefully that will help, I'm well groomed and well dressed.  I know (or have I just assumed?) Thais are quite judgmental when it comes to looks and appearance. 

 

 

 

Well kind of, sort of, maybe!   How's that for being evasive.   I am semi-retired, but I am involved with the schools that I previously supervised and assist in a number of areas with them.   I no longer go in to the schools, but I am in contact with them and do some assistance with recruitment as a lot of the applications still come my way.  

 

I also help with the grading and scoring systems for several of the schools.  

 

[starshiptrooper]

On 12/21/2016 at 2:52 AM, ozmeldo said:

From my experience, it's very difficult breaking into upper tier schools here. This coming year may really tell it all for me. Day job in special elite-ish schools and programs will cap out at about 50k (BKK publics at 37-39) if you have the Moxy and courage to repeatedly job hop (starting over at the bottom too), risk the school waiver system and might be forced to work with small kids, that's what will get you up over 40k. Which is a pittance.

 

There are plenty of well run mid-tier schools with salaries that allow you live a very comfortable life style here. Many of those also hire within Thailand.

[futsukayoi]

On 12/19/2016 at 8:22 AM, yellowboat said:

Health care is booming everywhere in Asia.   Malaysia and Singapore will hire people who speak English.   Malaysia offers sane lifestyle that is similar to Thailand.  Thailand is becoming overrated. 

 

Teaching English is either a good experience to far less so.   If you can get a hotel or airline gig, that would be great. 

 

If you like an apartheid regime which massively discriminates against Chinese and Indians and is giving more and more support and legal backing to Islamic bigots then Malaysia is great.

[muzmurray]

31 minutes ago, futsukayoi said:

 

If you like an apartheid regime which massively discriminates against Chinese and Indians and is giving more and more support and legal backing to Islamic bigots then Malaysia is great.

 

Seeing as apartheid is and was a purely South African thing, I fail to see how it affects Malaysia?

[soley13]

On 19 December 2016 at 2:36 AM, a1falang said:

I've heard having a work stint in Thailand in your CV can be a black mark in the eyes of UK and other Western employers later. They all "know" men go to Thailand only for one thing (assuming the OP is male) and will make snap judgments about your character.

If I did return to the UK I would make the move back to education or take a course. Also my employees like me a lot so I could always get my job back quite easily 

[soley13]

On 19 December 2016 at 2:51 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

With a CELTA and your degree you should find a job (in Bangkok) easily.  Try the corporate sector as the pay can be quite good (around 600-1,000 baht an hour) and there are lots of companies and corporate agencies looking for English teachers, as well as hospitals and hotels.  Alternatively, exam preparation pays well (IELTS, IGCSE, TOEFL, TOEIC, GMAT).  There a language centres that specialise in this (I work for one) and if you meet the requirements you can also get work as an Examiner.  It's not difficult to earn over 80,000 a month for not a lot of hours!

Thanks this is quite positive. Hard to judge between peoples negative experiences and the positive ones.

 

But I assume that being someone educated I could be someone who is employable and make a decent life for myself over there 

[Rhys]

and of it is all luck of the draw...

[zeichen]

Well some advice seems a little optimistic. You have no teaching qualification so cannot get jobs at the best schools. You have no experience and sorry but a 120 hour course is just a very rough starting point.  You will not earn anywhere near 80k baht a month starting.  If you actually learn how to teach and prepare students for test prep, you can earn 1k baht an hour but right now, I doubt you could even teach those courses. Most native speakers don't even score very well on them without practice anyway.

 

You are only qualified for basic EFL communication courses as is.  With some proper training (CELTA/TEFL etc. are just intro courses) and experience you can earn a living here but it will take time, networking and a very good personality.

 

Promotions happen here because of who you are and not what you know or what you are capable of doing.

 

As for moving here because of a girl. That is a whole other thread. But good luck with that.  Really, don't throw away a career back home to take a dead end teaching job that you have no idea if you are any good at just to be with a girl.  Come for long holidays and build slowly.  Volunteer teach on the weekends locally and build up some skills.

 

If your girl friend was from a different area in England, would you quit your job and move there without having a job opportunity just to be near her? 

[soley13]

16 hours ago, zeichen said:

Well some advice seems a little optimistic. You have no teaching qualification so cannot get jobs at the best schools. You have no experience and sorry but a 120 hour course is just a very rough starting point.  You will not earn anywhere near 80k baht a month starting.  If you actually learn how to teach and prepare students for test prep, you can earn 1k baht an hour but right now, I doubt you could even teach those courses. Most native speakers don't even score very well on them without practice anyway.

 

You are only qualified for basic EFL communication courses as is.  With some proper training (CELTA/TEFL etc. are just intro courses) and experience you can earn a living here but it will take time, networking and a very good personality.

 

Promotions happen here because of who you are and not what you know or what you are capable of doing.

 

As for moving here because of a girl. That is a whole other thread. But good luck with that.  Really, don't throw away a career back home to take a dead end teaching job that you have no idea if you are any good at just to be with a girl.  Come for long holidays and build slowly.  Volunteer teach on the weekends locally and build up some skills.

 

If your girl friend was from a different area in England, would you quit your job and move there without having a job opportunity just to be near her? 

This is just the planning phase. In practice I wouldn't move until Janury 2018.

 

There is a strong possibility that the move would be for approximately two years. After that we could move to another Asian country or back to the UK. She only intends to return to her workplace for 12-15 months and then quit for a new job at an NGO.

 

So I wanted to gauge the market to se how someone like myself would do when entering the job market in Thailand. Too be honest a 30,000-40,000 salary would suffice in the first two years as I have some other income streams that are tied to a job in the UK (though not enough to live off)

 

If I was in the UK and in a solid relationship I would move to any city, why not? However if the relationship flimsy  then I probably wouldn't.

[zeichen]

On 12/25/2016 at 9:05 AM, soley13 said:

I could happily survive on 30,000 Baht, I'd pay my rent upfront for the year or live with my Thai girl friend as she has her own condominium.

Im I being foolish? 

 

 

Have you ever visited Thailand? have you ever tried to actually live here especially BKK on 30k baht a month?  Yes of course I know people who do, but coming here to start a new life, without really knowing what life is like. Also strange that you are planning 2 years in the future for a girlfriend that may or may not last when you actually meet her family.

 

First of all, most haven't mentioned but you cannot even work in Thailand for more than a few years without a teacher's license. So most teaching jobs will just be a temporary position. Universities are an option but not without experience.

 

I like the suggestion of getting licensed to be a school counselor. That can open a lot of doors.

 

Yes, I think you are being foolish, but that's your choice. Sounds like you are not happy in your life in the UK.  Your salary is quite poor for a "Professional".

 

I wouldn't change my life for a girlfriend unless we were at the marriage stage.  Sounds like you haven't been dating very long.  But if you are determined to give up your life and take the plunge,  make sure that you have the qualifications necessary to make it here. Search the Ajarn forums and website. Look at what jobs are available. Look at the requirements that you might need to fulfill.  Start volunteering or become a supply teacher back home. Get some real classroom experience. The 8 hours from a TEFL/CELTA course isn't worth anything. 

 

Also, why does it matter if she is "middle class"?  I  really will never understand those that drop the degree and family social class in a discussion.

[soley13]

23 hours ago, zeichen said:

 

 

Have you ever visited Thailand? have you ever tried to actually live here especially BKK on 30k baht a month?  Yes of course I know people who do, but coming here to start a new life, without really knowing what life is like. Also strange that you are planning 2 years in the future for a girlfriend that may or may not last when you actually meet her family.

 

First of all, most haven't mentioned but you cannot even work in Thailand for more than a few years without a teacher's license. So most teaching jobs will just be a temporary position. Universities are an option but not without experience.

 

I like the suggestion of getting licensed to be a school counselor. That can open a lot of doors.

 

Yes, I think you are being foolish, but that's your choice. Sounds like you are not happy in your life in the UK.  Your salary is quite poor for a "Professional".

 

I wouldn't change my life for a girlfriend unless we were at the marriage stage.  Sounds like you haven't been dating very long.  But if you are determined to give up your life and take the plunge,  make sure that you have the qualifications necessary to make it here. Search the Ajarn forums and website. Look at what jobs are available. Look at the requirements that you might need to fulfill.  Start volunteering or become a supply teacher back home. Get some real classroom experience. The 8 hours from a TEFL/CELTA course isn't worth anything. 

 

Also, why does it matter if she is "middle class"?  I  really will never understand those that drop the degree and family social class in a discussion.

Thanks for your contribution.

 

Yes the idea of counselling sounds good but does that require a good command of Thai language, or can this just be delivered in English?

 

As for being middle class it was to emphasise similarity in positions financially and by edication relative to our respective home nations 

 

As for low wage here in the UK, welcome.  This is the reality. People think the UK is somehow a golden land of opportunity. Wages stagnating, cuts in public sector and austerity.  Things are not all that good here at the moment.  When I tell you that they will pay someone £18,000 even if they have an MSc, that is a reality.

 

Can I ask if your British yourself and if your currently living in Thailand or have done so  in the past? 

 

 

0

[zeichen]

As for counseling positions they would be at international schools hence the need to be certified in your home country. Would be school counseling, dealing with learning problems as well as emotional. Also the opportunities are not limited to Thailand.

 

I am not British, I have lived in Thailand for the past 15 years. I have worked in education since I was 22. I have taught all over asia. I personally, dislike teaching in Thailand the most out of every other country in the area.  30k baht a month is just a slap in the face.  Even at International schools unless you are at top tier schools, the pay is still subpar for the amount of work.  In China in 6 months I save more than I can earn here in 3 years. 

 

Personally, I think it is always a mistake to uproot your life just for a relationship that you don't really understand the depth of problems.  If her parents were educated abroad perhaps you would have less problems but you really have no idea of how she will change once home.  Sometimes can be completely different.

 

If you leave your career for 2+ years and try to go back, you really think it will be that easy?  It can be a huge struggle to get back into your field. Especially if you were just in Thailand teaching EFL. It is not regarded as a valuable profession. People just think that I speak English, I can teach. It really isn't that simple to be an effective educator.

 

I do wish you good luck.  Just don't make a 20 year old;s mistakes when you are in your 30's. Get certified PGCE, QTS, and get some local experience and then come to Asia with a real plan and option for a life. You cannot really exist here for life supporting a family on 30k baht with no room for advancement.