is teaching now really a pain?

Hello bidge.

Welcome to Expat.com!

Hope you'll be helped by other members soon.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Dear Bidge:

The hard part about teaching in Thailand, is finding an employer who will pay fair wages and help with your visa requirements,

ex- teacher in Thailand

thanks for that. That just adds to the list I've already heard about!

[Moderated]

Hi! I'm an expat from the UK teaching in Bangkok, I haven't found anything difficult really, the language barrier can be a bit of a pest but you soon get use to it. I was hired whilst still in the UK and the school I work at is still in the initial stages as it only opened this year. The head teacher is also an expat so that makes it a bit easier!
The schools I think vary as other people ive spoken to have different experiences so it seems its all about good school selection!!
Thailand is so welcoming and lovely though its easy to find your feet!
Charli

go to funlanguage.com or wallstreet.com

If you don't have a degree forget it.
Regulations are now getting really tough for non degree holders.

Hi, I've been here for over two years working in a small international school. Here's the basic low down. If you don't have a degree it won't be impossible, but it won't be easy either; tayto is dead on about the degree requirements these days. Thailand's getting tight.

If you're looking to teach ESL in a private academy type school (and I'm assuming you are), from what I've been told by my friends here, the average salary is about 30,000 baht, that's roughly $1000 USD, which is not a lot to live on, even for here, though many people do it.

You'll have to look around, as some schools will deal with the work permit paperwork, others won't. The paperwork is a hassle for employers, but if you can find one willing to do it, that will take care of all your visa problems. If they won't do the paperwork, then you will have to make continuous visa runs (usually at your own expense).

Visa run to Cambodia is under a 1,000 baht, but to go every other week as the visa is only good for 15 days is a pain. Yes, you can to Laos for multiple entry, but you can only go there just so many times, I think 2 or 3 times is max, after that you have to go to Cambodia (there is no limit to the number of times you can go to Cambodia for visa renewal - I know, I have a filipina girlfriend who has maxed out her Laos runs and now goes to Cambodia every other freaken Sunday - what a hassle.

As for living here; if you shop around, you can probably get a place for around 5,000 baht, but you really have to dig around for it, and the closer you are to downtown Bangkok (if that's where you want to go) the price goes up considerably. Electric bills will run you between 2,000 and 4,000 baht (again, it depends where you live). Phone, food (thai food), water bill, are all dirt cheap. You can get a half-way decent phone for around 2,000 baht, buy the phone minutes as you need them for a 100 baht at a time is good, unless you plan on making a ton of phone calls then you may want a phone plan - that will run you around 400 to 600 baht a month; but you can't get a phone plan without a work permit, so many people here buy prepaid cards.

So all in all it is possible to live here on 30,000 baht a month, but you have to be a little thrifty, and find an employer that is willing to get you that work permit most of all. If you're still set on coming here, you can reach me through my website on my contact page at agstorm.net

I don't normally monitor the expat website.

Cheers, Alex

thanks for that.
I do have a degree in community studies and expected about 30,000 and am aware Thailand is getting more expensive so that's not an awful lot.
My main query is over these new cultural and etiquette certificates that i have heard about. Are they really compulsory and as expensive and time consuming as I've read?

I'd have to disagree with all the above, though well-intended. That's because they are posting from the "mainstream" perspective, and in fact are correct when discussing major urban areas.

I went wandering about the smaller towns. I can only tell you my experience, but I believe you could find the same thing for yourself with a little bit of "shoe-leather."

I ended up in a town, about 6,000 people, where I was the only westerner. THE only one. I stayed a few nights in a small "resort" and on the third day I had teachers from various schools approaching me. Word gets around fast. I'm over 50, dropped out of college after three years, and do not have any teaching credentials. I am, however, well-spoken, positive, and presentable.

I was immediately offered jobs. I went with a Mon-Thurs morning gig, 14 hours total per week, 22,000 baht. 1st -6th grade. It's been 6 months, the kids are somehow learning despite my "credentials", and I am well liked. The work week whips by. The school handles all paper work. I do not meet with parents. I teach, that's it. NO other responsibilities. I even choose my own textbooks.

The school wants me to stay so badly, that when I told them I'd be leaving at the end of the school year, they asked what they could do to change my mind. I told them the reason was the lack of decent housing -- I live in a rat hole, the only rental in town. They offered a small piece of land and a NEW 600sf house, western construction, if I'd stay 5 years.

I'm staying. The house is started, and will be great; the weeks are short, the bennies are great. Lots of paid time off. I could make an extra (and did for a while) 20k per month with private lessons, but I write fiction and garden, so my free time is valuable.

I believe I could go to any small town and accomplish the same, except for the new house. And quite frankly, in small towns, unless you are willing to live very, very Thai, (I am not) that is where you will have a problem. Decent rentals are virtually non-existent.

Don't listen to all the negatives. If you can afford to do so, pack a single bag and travel around for a month looking. You'll likely find something that you can negotiate your own terms.

Good luck.

EDIT: Oh, yeah, no "cultural studies" were required by my school, and the rathole is 1500 baht a month, the new house will be 3000. Easy to live on 20k, or, with private lessons 40k+.

well thats a nice positive story!
cheers for that and it's certainly another approach worth looking at.

My name is Doug and I met a beautiful woman online about a year ago and now we want to meet and be together so I'm trying to figure a way to make that happen. I have read that I when i'm there I can take a month long class to be Certified to teach english.(Is That True?)I will be coming from Texas and I still don't know what kind of Visa I should get and if I can change it once I'm there. Any help you can give me would be Great. My direct e-mail is dougedavis@msn.com

Well Bidge, all I can tell you is what I know from living here for over two years in the Bangkok region. You need a degree, you need a work permit, and you need the culture class. My school took care of all that for me so I never needed to worry about it.

And I will give you this one last tidbit of advice and then I'm done; I've known and seen 3 people who tried to work here in Bangkok without a work permit, and one person who tried to teach in a Thai public school here without a culture class - all four of them were deported.

I'm done. Best of luck to you if you decide to come here, as it is a fantastic place.

AGStorm wrote:

Well Bidge, all I can tell you is what I know from living here for over two years in the Bangkok region. You need a degree, you need a work permit, and you need the culture class. My school took care of all that for me so I never needed to worry about it.

And I will give you this one last tidbit of advice and then I'm done; I've known and seen 3 people who tried to work here in Bangkok without a work permit, and one person who tried to teach in a Thai public school here without a culture class - all four of them were deported.

I'm done. Best of luck to you if you decide to come here, as it is a fantastic place.

Maybe a bit off-topic but It's kind of interesting to know about this 'deporting' What happend? Did they need to pack their stuff and where kicked in a taxi? I'm kind off curious what that would be like. Tough I think it's a very unpleasant expirience.