living and teaching English in Bangkok
Replies: 7 - Last Post: Nov 25, 2012 7:13 AM Last Post By: baylee
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living and teaching English in Bangkok
Hi guys,I am a qualified teacher with a Masters degree. I have been trying to find fulltime teaching work in Australia for next year (I'm currently working as a teacher's aide) but it is proving very difficult.
I was thinking if I don't have any success I may try my hand at teaching English for 6 to 12 months in Bangkok and try to make some connections so I can work at International School in South East Asia after that. I have spent a reasonable amount of time in Bangkok as a tourist, plus know a few expats and locals that live there.
So I have a few questions:
Is it hard or expensive for foreigners to rent a one bedroom apartment in Bangkok? Or would it be more convenient to rent a room in a guesthouse?
In terms of ease of a salary for teaching English in Bangkok, what is the weekly wage? Is it easy to get work in this area? When does the school semester/year start?
If I have a Masters in Teaching from a highly regarded university in Australia that qualifies me to teach English to Australian students (ie. not not English ESL) will this be enough? I don't really want to pay for and get the TEFL certificate if it is not necessary. I already have asolid grounding in literacy, grammar - not to mention all of the advanced English stuff that native speakers did in school.
Is it easy to find private tuition opportunities? I hear these pay quite well.
If someone was to live fairly cheaply (as say a student would in Australia) and eat street food/cook for themselves and maybe go out drinking once a week, what would be the weekly cost of living roughly?
Also, what is the situation with Visas if you are wanting to teach English and stay for a minimum of 6 months?
I know these questions are pretty basic but I am still sussing things out and thinking of a plan B if I cannot get fulltime work in Australia.
Thanks
1
I suggest that you take a look at this other forum: http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/You will probably find the answers to most of your questions there.
2
You'll get much better info and advice if you go to the dedicated Thailand teaching website athttp://www.ajarn.com/
We really need REAL teachers and with suitable quals you could go straight into the International School circuit. Salaries aren't great compared with home country, but you need to relate that to cost-of-living indices.
Get your Google map up and have a look at a few real estate websites. Here's a start:
http://www.easyhomes.tv/rentals?sale_rent=1
5
I taught in Bangkok for 9 years, and was lucky enough to work in 2 decent schools, but even then it became a bit much and in the end I turned my back on teaching, much to the amazement of colleagues as we were on a decent package (baht 6 figures a monthh, 3.5 months off fully paid per year, maximum 16 x 50 minutes teaching hours a week etc.) I wrote an article a few years back explaining why I left and it doesn't make pretty reading. http://www.stickmanweekly.com/StickmanBangkokWeeklyColumn2009/Stickman-Bangkok-Walking-Away-From-The-Classroom.htmI implore you to seek a position at an international school. Outside of international schools ethics and professionalism vary greatly. I don't want to burst your bubble or discourage you but I reckon teaching in Thailand is something you should think of doing for a short period i.e. 2 - 3 years and perhaps look at it as a springboard to something else.
Good luck securing a good position.
Edited by: Stickman
6
Thank you Bangkokboy and Stickman (by the way stickman I love your website and read it regularly). I am going to apply for International School positions through Search Associates. However, I am worried I may be leaving things a little late for them. Further, as they work with the more prestigous International Schools like ISB and NIST they generally require you to have 2 years teaching experience which I do not have. I currently only have a year and a half experience of hosting formal tutorials at The University of Melbourne and 6 months working with Special Needs children in the classroom. Though valuable experience, sadly neither are looked on as highly as fulltime classroom teaching experience.For the less highly regarded International Schools what is the best way to get in contact with them. Is it necessary to go through a recruitment agent like Search Associates or to contact the school directly? Are there any particular schools that either of you would recommend?
I don't mind working in a more lowly regarded school for less money if it means I can gain experience and from there use this experience to open doorways to the better schools.
Thanks for the advice guys
7
You can rent a pretty nice one-bedroom apartment close to BTS station for 15000-17000 baht a month. Teachers salary is around 30000-45000, so you will have some to spare for luxury and great food every once in a while. From what ive heard, most schools will provide their teachers with work permit.
