Teaching English in Thailand

[bluelabe]

Hello: I'm considering a move to Thailand with my native Thai wife and daughter. The idea of teaching English in Thailand for a profession is of interest to me.

I'd like to ask those of you who are there about the realities of hire. I have no college education, no college degree. I'm willing to take a private course here in the USA from a school like Oxford/TEFL/TESOL... but do these kind of degrees hold any weight in Thailand? Do they get you any "real" jobs? or do you need an English degree from an actual collegiate program?

The areas we would be living would either be in Bangkok area or in the rural areas east/southeast of Bangkok so I'm interested in hearing, for example, if the requirements are higher in the capital and lesser in rural areas, etc.

I'm 48 years old, so USA college is not the most convenient time commitment for me at this time. I'm hoping the private language schools will suffice. Thanks so much for your advice.

[Bobr]

I'm a retired American attorney teaching in Thailand. Your lack of a degree while not prohibitive will make it more difficult for you to find a job, but there are jobs available here for native English speakers. I did a TESL class here and took a teaching job for something to do, and I enjoy it. Not easy for a farang to support himself and family on what a teacher makes here; 30,000 baht a month is about the most you can realistically expect to make, and even that is only for the 9 months school is open. The schools here are closed in March, April and October.
If you don't have any other source of income, it will be a difficult move at best. Sorry for the negative slant.

The other issue is that there are still a lot of schools employing teachers without the correct residence permits. Legally in order to teach one should be in possession of a non immigrant 'B' visa, something that formerly was quite easy to obtain - a written work offer from the school sufficed. Now the application process is more complex, with police clearance, a degree of some kind (not necessarily in English) and teaching diploma (TEFL, TESOL - minimum 120 hour course + a few hours of teaching experience) required.

But the 'cowboy' establishments are still going strong, this being partly responsible for salaries being as low as they are even for legit schools - the latter have to compete with the former and their poorly paid teachers.

Fake 'Koh San Road' degrees have been cracked down on - the schools now have to check an applicant's qualifications - so not a good idea.

As Bobr says, you can go the route of taking a TEFL course in Thailand itself - but check that is of sufficient length, and that it would be recognised in other countries, should you decide to move and hope to teach English elsewhere.

[Cer]

And...........when your teaching career has ended,you will need to qualify for some kind of visa.
With you it will be based on marriage with a Thai woman.This will require a monthly income of 40.000 baht From you,not from your spouse) or 400.000 on Thai bank account.
If you have the inconvenience of loosing your wife this will increase to 65000 resp. 800.000.
You will not be able to build up any pension reserves.
Think before making the step.

[bluelabe]

Thank you Bobr, Frogblogger and Cer for taking the time to respond. It's good to hear that the Thai's are putting more emphasis on accountablity.

In my case, my wife of 23 years has her entire (very large) family still living in Thailand; my family here is very small. We're looking to shift our remaining years to living in Thailand and teaching english was a profession that came to mind...probably because it was so easy in the past to qualify.

I am assuming that when we say "college degree from the US" we're talking about a 4 year institution? or is a degree from a junior college be interpreted the same?

Originally Posted by Cer

And...........when your teaching career has ended,you will need to qualify for some kind of visa.
With you it will be based on marriage with a Thai woman.This will require a monthly income of 40.000 baht From you,not from your spouse) or 400.000 on Thai bank account.
If you have the inconvenience of loosing your wife this will increase to 65000 resp. 800.000.
You will not be able to build up any pension reserves.
Think before making the step.

Originally Posted by bluelabe

Thank you Bobr, Frogblogger and Cer for taking the time to respond. It's good to hear that the Thai's are putting more emphasis on accountablity.

In my case, my wife of 23 years has her entire (very large) family still living in Thailand; my family here is very small. We're looking to shift our remaining years to living in Thailand and teaching english was a profession that came to mind...probably because it was so easy in the past to qualify.

I am assuming that when we say "college degree from the US" we're talking about a 4 year institution? or is a degree from a junior college be interpreted the same?

Afraid I'm not familiar with the US system, but by degree I mean a bachelor degree, which may be four years in the US, but is more usually taken over three years in the UK. Or degree equivalent, because there are certain degree-level professional qualifications that have equivalence.

Sounds like a good project if you have some form of guaranteed minimum income irrespective of any work you may obtain in Thailand, plus a pension in the future (I know you're only 48...). Adequate health cover is an issue too.

[Kelvin Klus]

Due to ASEAN establishment, English skills are more preferred.
Teachers of English may be wanted more.

PS:
I myself want to have my niece and nephew to learn English conversation; so I ran to this thread.
I want a class to be casual & fun. And not in class rooms.

[falangjim]

Whoa! Sorry to post a bit off topic, but you're 48 and your Thai wife is 23? And she still has a big family back in Thailand? I'm sure you are aware of the culture in Thailand enough to know that you'll be supporting all of her extended family. Do you have a nest egg? A 30K baht teaching job is not going to support you and her family, and leave you with enough to retire on. That is if you can even find work in a school, even a rural school without at least a B.A. And if you do go the legal route of obtaining a spousal visa someday in Thailand, as someone else posted earlier, you'll need 400K baht in a Thai bank. Are you prepared to do that? The realities of your situation, I'm afraid, are bleak. But if you can pull it off, I'd be curious how you did it. Best of luck.