How to get a job as an English teacher in Thailand – tips

Any of the “pale-faced brothers,” referred to by Thais as pharangs, is perceived by them as an English speaker – a representative of the world from which one can draw knowledge. Therefore, working as a teacher in Thailand is the most common career chosen by foreigners. At the same time English is taught to Thais, and Russians are not embarrassed by the fact that the locals themselves consider them completely ignorant of the language.

Work as an English teacher in Thailand is possible for those who have graduated from an institution of higher learning. No international degree is required. The standard procedure for employment as an English teacher begins with the presentation of a certificate that you have completed the TEFL course. They give foreigners methodological knowledge of how to teach English in Thai schools (by the way, you can try Russian schools in Thailand) and fill the gaps in their own knowledge. In rare cases, in order to obtain a work license, it will be enough to be able to construct phrases in English and read fluently.

Note. Try to get a job as a teacher at online schools (teaching via Skype), a comparison of which we’ve given on our website.

A little about TEFL courses in Thailand

The TEFL courses are organized right in Thailand. You can complete them if you have a Non-Ed visa (more on how to get a visa to Thailand). The beauty of these courses is that you are guaranteed to work as a teacher in Thailand. Representatives of Thai schools meet with the students even before they graduate and take care of the work visa processing. If you’re a good teacher, taking a TEFL course can solve any problems you might have adjusting to your new society.

TEFL courses are part of the business and world of Pharangs who have settled migrate to Thailand. There are good, average and bad courses among them, you can try this one: teflintercon.com. All of them are paid. For this reason, before you pay out your hard-won baht for the training, read the reviews on the forums. Most of them are in English, so you’ll have something to practice before you can say: I’m an English teacher in Thailand.
Ajarn.com or Teflasia.com.

Working as an English teacher in Thailand

English teacher employment tips in Thailand

Before you find a job as a teacher, make sure you do your homework. Find websites of Thai educational institutions, find out the names of teachers and the principal. When writing a letter, address them personally and try to observe the local rules of politeness. Your written English should be impeccable.

★★★★★★ Don’t try to outsmart yourself and get a job teaching in for-profit schools where English teachers must be native English speakers. This is the condition set by the parents of the students – the English teacher must be from the UK, USA or Canada. At the very least – Australia.

★★★★★★★★★ Don’t hesitate to send a letter of resumes to your chosen school again if you haven’t waited for a response. A gap of one week between correspondence is appropriate. Especially since emails sometimes get lost, too. At the very least, check the school’s email address.

★★★★★★★★★★★An undergraduate or, better, graduate degree is the only way to ensure you can get a job teaching in Thailand legally.

★ Once you are employed, an English teacher in Thailand earns about 20,000 baht per month. After a few months (years) the pay can go up to 50 thousand. The most experienced teachers have a salary of 35-50 thousand baht per month. These figures are true for the provinces. In Thailand’s capital Bangkok, the lower bar of teacher pay is at 30,000. The top one is fifty thousand. Read more about all this in the article about wages in Thailand.

★★★★★★★ Feel free to stop by the first school you like spontaneously. It’s possible that there’s a vacancy for an English teacher there today. At the very least you will be politely advised by a school that is really worth applying to. A personal demonstration of your language skills is always better than a well-written letter.

Demonstrate your teaching abilities in practice. When you’re in Thailand, call the school you sent the letter to and ask to speak to the principal or someone who speaks English. Explain that you are the one who applied for the teaching position.

★ Any demonstration of your actual abilities is a plus. Do you have pictures of you teaching English to kids at school? Attach them to your resume. Sound clips, videos-everything that transforms you from an incognito from the other side of the world into a living person would be a plus.

★ Thais have conservative ideas about teacher appearance. Include a photo of yourself with your resume. Try not to look hipster or overly sexy.

★★★If you have no idea at all how to teach English in Thailand, try your hand as a volunteer teacher. If you like the job yourself and are confident in your abilities, you will be considered for a full-time position.

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