Thailand forum

Corvus,

You might want to check out this story: http://www.travelfish.org/feature/178

As idreamofdurian said, a lot depends on where you want to work, if you have experience and how long of a contract you're willing to sign.

Bangkok pays the most but you can definately find work in other areas of the country. The going rate is about 30,000 baht per month, but I'm sure this varies.

Some programs will give you a free TEFL certificate if you sign a teaching contract.

You should have no problem finding a job. Wages are significantly higher in Bangkok plus you have greater opportunities to do private lessons to supplement your income. Average monthly salary for a teacher in Bangkok is around 35,000 while in Chiang Mai it's only 25,000 B 'cuz everyone wants to live there and housing is a bit cheaper.

www.ajarn.com is a great resource for getting an idea about salaries, the lifestyle, the expectations Thai schools have from their teachers, etc. There's also plenty of job postings from every corner of Thailand on that site.

Teaching at an elementary school is fun and quite easy-going. Class sizes are typically large (30 - 40) but you'll get an assistant Thai teacher. That helps with the language gap (most public elementary kids will have a low level of English). They typically study writing/grammar with their Thai teacher, and the Western teacher does phonics, conversation, songs, etc. Lesson planning for elementary levels is pretty minimal, which is nice. But you'll likely teach the same lesson to multiple classes, so it can get very repetitive. I taught and sang the "Hello, What's Your Name?" song so many times it started appearing in my dreams!

Nope, I was just a tourist in Vietnam.

I definitely wouldn't want to live/work there... but that's just my opinion.

Thank you both for the heads up. How easy is it to find a place to live and on average what is the cost of an apartment in Bangkok (one that is cheap but relatively close to a sky train). I heard that most schools in Thailand don't handle the housing arrangements or cost as apart of the employment contract. Should I try to arrange a place to live prior to flying over to Thailand or just stay at a hostel/guesthouse? Thank you so much!
P.S. Matt-what part of the U.S. are you currently living in?

Corvus
The Mukdahan MEP program is always looking for native speakers and the pay is pretty good (starting at around 30,000 baht a month - and cost of living is cheap out here). This is a small city - recommend you google it and take a look. I've lived here for over two years and love it, but it's not for everyone.

I am in a similar situation; struggling with a long running mental debate of whether to take the plunge into teaching english as a foreign language. I really wanted to go to China but recent Visa changes make me ineligable. I considered Vietnam too but i've been to Thailand, i like Bangkok, people are generally very nice. Even if the pay isn't as good i think it will be a better fit for me.

I'm probably going to shell out for a CELTA. I know some say you don't need to etc but the way i see it is i want to be as prepared as possible. Also, i sympathise with the argument that often these childrens parents are paying a fair amount of money to private language schools and just because someone is a native speaker, doesn't make them a good teacher. I'm aware that a CELTA doesn't either (learn by doing, afterall). This is a debate that i don't really want to get into though. I do have a pre-CELTA interview next week, its two hours long, not really sure what to expect??

I would ideally like to work at a private language school, purely because i think it would be a better way to 'ease into it' with a class of 15 rather than of 40.

If you look at ajarn and type in 'julia's story' it is a great little e-mail to-and-fro between the 'ajarn guy' and, not suprisingly, a girl called Julia. Essentially it details her journey to Thailand and how she finds it etc. It is a morale boosting tale, especially when you read people slagging off Thai schools, Thai kids, Thai teachers...etc

Anyway, its been a fun rant! sorry if it doesn't exactly tie in with the above. Thanks

"The pre-interview is tough, it is too make sure you're committed to learning and doing lots of assignments, to check you understand the hard work, but also a chance for you to ask any questions you might have about the course."

oh really? i had read it was mostly a formality.

I am not 100% i WANT to teach. Maybe being abroad is more attractive than teaching. Untill i work this out i don't know whether i'll do the course or not to be honest. I have a week to decide (before the interview).

As far as language schools with 30-40, i would avoid taking that job if i could!

Thanks again