Jump to content
Thaiway

what do you think about teaching in thailand?

Rate this topic


eleothegreat

Recommended Posts

Hi. I'm Elle from the PI. I have a couple of friends who are now in thailand, teaching English (I think). I'm not really sure about it because I haven't really talked to them ever since they left, but I think the idea sounds interesting. I just have a couple of queries - maybe some of you can answer them:

- What do you think about teaching in Thailand? Are there plenty of foreign (non-Thai) teachers?

- I have friends who aren't education/teaching majors, but they were still able to teach. Is that possible?

- What is the paying scale for teachers? I think the regular rate here is 7,000 persos to 10,000 pesos. That's

basically around 4911.25 to 7016.25 baht. What's the pay scale for starting teachers there?

Not that I'm really after money, though. But I do want to experience something else than the usual life here. And I think Thailand would be for me. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

- I have friends who aren't education/teaching majors, but they were still able to teach. Is that possible?

- What is the paying scale for teachers?

I don't know very much about it, but I do know that legally a school cannot hire foreigners anymore who are not licensed teachers. That came about due to foreign pedophiles who got teaching jobs. I also know that a friend, someone who is a licensed teacher, got a job teaching in a private school. They started him at 25,000 baht per month.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it depends on if you are wanting to work for the public section or the private sector. There are many schools that are private and that teach English and other languages and the rules for hiring them are different than in the public systems.

For private work, the jobs pay varies and some go as high as 60k baht per month or more. There are some amazing international schools in Thailand and there are also many great English schools. What exactly were you looking for?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With regards to hiring non - teaching graduates, I suppose the schools there should be stringent about it just like they are here.

But I shouldn't be worried because I'm an education/teaching graduate (currently teaching Korean students online here in the Philippines). I'm actually thinking about teaching ESL as well, because I'm an English major. And of course - I want to do it all legally. Which is why I've been reading, researching and of course, asking around.

By the way, the starting pay is huge in comparison to the starting pay for new teachers here.. University teachers get bigger than highschool and elementary teachers, though. What about the cost of living there? Is 25,000 baht enough? Is 60,000 enough for a single woman (who has a kid back home to support?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the cost of living there? Is 25,000 baht enough? Is 60,000 enough for a single woman (who has a kid back home to support?)

It depends on the lifestyle you wish to lead. If you want to live in a small room with no air conditioning, eat mainly from the street stalls, and maybe have enough left over for a beer once in a while, then 25000 baht per month is enough. I know people who live on even less. However, if you want a halfway decent lifestyle, as a single person I wouldn't want to try it on less than 75,000 baht per month.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What kind of work is there for foreigners without a degree? Anything that would pay enough to live there for a little while?

In a word, no. I realize that's blunt, but unless you are in a position to establish a business of your own there really is nothing practical that Thailand will permit. For most foreigners, Thailand is a place to visit and a place to retire, but not really a place to come looking for a job.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I did the conversion properly 75,000 baht is about $2,200 a month. If there's not really much work a foreigner can do, and you don't have a good retirement package, you're right, the idea of living there doesn't seem too feasible.

What about a foreigner with some kind of Internet-based business selling products or services to people outside Thailand? I wonder if the Thai government would still consider that working in Thailand if you were based there and performed the work there, but the customer was somewhere else. That may bear some looking into.

Doesn't seem like it would take much to generate the income mentioned above by selling on eBay or something. If you had someone in the States or elsewhere to handle logistics and you handled the business end from Thailand (and were allowed to do so), that might be a viable way of living and "working" there.

What do you guys think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you had someone in the States or elsewhere to handle logistics and you handled the business end from Thailand (and were allowed to do so), that might be a viable way of living and "working" there.

What do you guys think?

I think you would be ok with something like that, but I can't be certain. If it were me, I would check with Immigration or a Thai attorney first. Better still, I would check with both. My guess is that there would be no problem because you would be making purchases from a Thai business and you would be shipping through a Thai shipper. But I am only guessing. When it comes to legal issues I would urge you to check with the proper authorities rather than relying upon answers you get from a web site.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking for a teaching option in Thailand? Well, I must say there is a huge scope for English teachers in Thailand. There are many kinds of teaching options available for English teachers. You can teach children in schools, or teach business English classes, and TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS preparation classes.

A large majority of teaching jobs involve teaching children at schools. There are numerous job options available with Thai government schools, bilingual schools, and international schools. Depending upon the option you choose, you can expect the salary from 25,000 baht per month (government schools) to over 100,000 baht per month at international schools. While government schools in Thailand require you to hold a university degree along with relevant work experience, many private schools accept any Westerner with our without a university degree. If you are looking for a high-class lifestyle, you should plan to join either a bilingual or an international school. However, you must possess a university degree, one to two year’s teaching experience and preferably a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate. If you fulfil all these conditions, you can expect around 50,000 to 100,000 baht salary every month.

Those, who do not have a university degree and relevant teaching experience, can consider joining a language school. A large number of Thai parents enrol their children for weekend or evening language classes. As far as the salary package is concerned, you can expect anywhere between 400 to 700 baht per hour, but no surety of getting consistent work. If you are looking for extra income, you can join a language school along with your full time job.

Many Thai students and business executives enrol themselves at a language school to prepare for TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS exams to study at foreign universities or learn English language to enhance their job skills. Many language schools have ongoing requirement for language teachers and are ready to hire Western teachers. These classes will be on a part-time basis and be in the evenings or on weekends. Pay scales will range between 300 and 700 baht an hour (only the lower level language schools pay 300 baht an hour and only the unqualified, inexperienced teachers accept that low of a salary). Teaching these classes is usually really fun though, because the students really want to be there and want to learn. Most language schools require a university degree in order to be able to teach these courses, and some do also require experience in teaching TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS preparation classes.

Teaching Corporate/Business English - This is usually the most lucrative teaching opportunity but jobs are more difficult to get. Many language schools and agents need Western teachers to teach in-house Business English classes at companies all over Bangkok. These courses will run for around 10 weeks and pay between 400 and 800 baht an hour (the good agents don't pay less than 600 baht an hour). These classes themselves are fun to teach as, again, the students usually want to learn, and preparation time for classes is quite easy. However, they are short-term contracts and class cancellations can happen often as work at the company takes precedence over English classes.

There are also full-time opportunities at corporations but these jobs are few and far between. I currently work at one of these full-time corporate jobs and salary and benefits are excellent, as are my students. It has however taken me almost five years to get a job like this as most companies don't want to spend the money necessary to have a full-time in-house Business English instructor. These jobs all require verifiable university degrees, TEFL certification and usually at least three years experience.

These are the four main opportunities for teaching English in Thailand. There are other opportunities but around 90% of the jobs will fall under one of these categories. All have positives, all have negatives, but if you're careful about choosing a job and don't jump at the first job offer you get, there are many teaching opportunities in Thailand so you could end up with a great job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a word, no. I realize that's blunt, but unless you are in a position to establish a business of your own there really is nothing practical that Thailand will permit. For most foreigners, Thailand is a place to visit and a place to retire, but not really a place to come looking for a job.

I would agree to a point. I am over in Thailand teaching (I am from UK)and my wife is also over here. It will be very hard for her to get a job but she is going to study a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course and then she will be able to work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

- What do you think about teaching in Thailand?

Hi

I moved to Thailand this year and started work at a private International School in Bangkok on 10th August and I love it.

Everyone is so friendly and polite, the students are great and the weekend visits are something else - it is just like living in paradise!

I am from UK and I am - obviously - a trained teacher.

Someone further down the post says that you need to be and I would agree.

My VISA and work permit have been sorted by my school.

I am earning 78,500THB a month (with 20,000THB a month housing allowance on top) - which is more that we both need for a fantastic way of life.

I think the key is to secure a job before coming over so you can get the right VISAs sorted before you arrive.

Good luck - it's well worth the effort!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi. I'm Elle from the PI. I have a couple of friends who are now in thailand, teaching English (I think). I'm not really sure about it because I haven't really talked to them ever since they left, but I think the idea sounds interesting. I just have a couple of queries - maybe some of you can answer them:

- What do you think about teaching in Thailand? Are there plenty of foreign (non-Thai) teachers?

- I have friends who aren't education/teaching majors, but they were still able to teach. Is that possible?

- What is the paying scale for teachers? I think the regular rate here is 7,000 persos to 10,000 pesos. That's

basically around 4911.25 to 7016.25 baht. What's the pay scale for starting teachers there?

Not that I'm really after money, though. But I do want to experience something else than the usual life here. And I think Thailand would be for me. :P

I was living and studying in Thailand for almost 7 years, and besides being a student, I was teaching Spanish in some small language´s institutes. Back then-I'm talking about 3 years ago- they were paying me 600 Baht per hour. It was a part time job, but it was really helpful for me as a student. I remember seeing plenty of foreigners working as teacher, but is was in the private sector, and you didn't need to have a teaching background, only be a native speaker of the language you were going to teach. I don't know how it is right now, but I'm pretty sure you can get some job teaching there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know how it is right now

I know how it is right now. If you don't have a work permit, then don't work in Thailand. If you are caught working without a work permit you will face criminal charges, heavy expenses, and possible prison terms and deportation. If you want to work in Thailand, make sure to get a work permit first.

For those who think I am incorrect about this, I suggest consulting a Thai attorney and immigration officials before you attempt to work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What kind of work is there for foreigners without a degree? Anything that would pay enough to live there for a little while?

If you're a native English speaker, you do not need any formal university education. I'm sure you'll be able to find a number of English teaching jobs. You could complete a 1 week certification class in teaching English as a Foreign language.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find these Salary quotes as very hard to believe. Maybe Bangkok is different but I am teaching in a University in Rural Thailand and only earning 25,000 Baht per month. Am I being ripped off or is that the difference between working in a Govt establishment and the private sector?

I think the salaries in the private sector are higher. I understand if you are a good teacher, you can make even more money on the side as a private tutor. The big money is in Bangkok.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the salaries in the private sector are higher. I understand if you are a good teacher, you can make even more money on the side as a private tutor. The big money is in Bangkok.

If you work for an International School in Bangkok and you're a native English speaker, you are likely to earn anywhere between 40K and 60K per month - which is also dependent on your years of experience and organizational tenure. A headmaster earns around 90K in some schools.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a friend who taught English in a private school in Pattaya. He is a licensed, experienced teacher and was not required to take a TEFL course. He was paid 25,000 baht per month. He was required to have a work permit, but the school got it for him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...