Teaching English in Bangkok
So you want to come and teach English in Thailand?
This certainly is a popular way of remaining in Thailand and a large proportion of ex-pats and foreigners in Bangkok and elsewhere are employed this way. You needn’t be highly trained, there is usually a job for everyone and it can be a fun and rewarding way to earn a modest living and live in Thailand.
Thai students are willing learners, polite and well disciplined, but their education system and the simplicity of their own language doesn’t help them master English very well and the general standard of proficiency is quite low. Many resort to additional classes, and most of the jobs are found with language schools, teaching in the afternoon and early evening, as well as weekends. Other opportunities exist in universities and private schools if you are a properly qualified full time teacher. There are also a number of private schools that take on foreign teachers, and you would work with a Thai-speaking teacher.
Due to demand, the schools aren’t too fussy provided you are presentable and reasonably professional. You needn’t speak Thai, in fact using any other language in the classroom is discouraged, and a simple TEFL course is usually enough to secure an entry-level job, although the Ministry of Education stipulates that you have a degree and recognised TEFL qualification in order to apply for a work permit. In reality, many schools will hire you part time to pick up a few classes for a term, and you are left to make regular visa runs under your own steam.
Rates of pay vary according your level of experience and qualifications, who you are teaching and the school you are with. There is quite a large scale, with the better paying jobs going to the more senior and experienced teachers. You can expect a minimum of 250 baht an hour if you are just starting out without much experience and might land in a Thai school or language school with a poor reputation.
Often these jobs are challenging as there are management and expectation problems, a lack of direction and facilities. 300 to 400 baht an hour is more realistic if you are with a decent language school and rates can go up to 500 baht per hour if you are senior and experienced. The most lucrative work is for private students where, if you are lucky, you can talk your way into tutoring a rich family’s kids for 500 baht an hour or more, but these can be demanding and you are quite often more of a baby sitter with ill-disciplined kids, than a teacher. Remember too, that for every hour in the classroom you ought to spend half an hour ‘prepping’, and even with course books provided, only a well prepped lesson goes smoothly.
What do I need to teach English?
Teaching isn’t for everyone, and can be quite challenging if you do not have the confidence and patience to stand up in front of dozens of students and keep a class going for two hours. Training is essential and even if some schools aren’t fussy, it pays to take a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) course. Several institutes or schools in Bangkok offer a variety of courses under this general term; they are useful but may not be recognised outside of Thailand. The CELTA four-week course offered in Thailand by ECC is internationally sanctioned and is the benchmark qualification but it is tough to pass and costs about $1,400.
There are several other much cheaper two-week courses that will serve you well and the certificate will get you a job if you’re only intending to teach here in Thailand for a year or two.
Generally a university degree is expected, but not always necessary and even without experience you can expect to find a job within a couple of weeks. Presentation and attitude are far more important and there is competition for the better paying jobs. Teachers’ salaries aren’t very good here and the better language schools have seen plenty of ‘backpacking lifestylers’ in their time. If you are one of these, then you will be competing with plenty of experienced, well-mannered and experienced professional language teachers who have been living and teaching in Bangkok for years.
Remember to dress smartly, be flexible and committed to staying for a reasonable length of time. Teaching is also unfortunately a mug’s game, which means a Swede with good English is more likely to get hired than an African American who has majored in English; that’s Thailand for you.
Some teaching schools in Bangkok offer you the opportunity to work/teach while you study. The pay for such work is usually far below the teachers’ standard and the process seems a bit exploitative of someone for whom funds are tight, however it can help you gain some experience in the classroom.
In the past, teachers without a degree and lacking any teaching credentials whatsoever have been able to purchase forgeries of these documents. While no doubt some successfully pull this off, you may be the unlucky recipient of a botched or low quality forgery, awarding yourself a degree in “socialology” for example, which will not help your job prospects. Lately the authorities have been clamping down on this and offenders have been threatened with deportation.
Remember that while teaching English often gets a rap as a job that anyone with an understanding of the language is capable of doing, an inexperienced teacher with no training can be spotted a mile away.
Where to find an English teaching job in Bangkok
Bangkok is a large city with plenty of opportunities for work, ranging from part-time entry level work to full time posts at private schools for properly qualified career teachers. Here is a run down of the main options.
Teaching jobs at Government schools in Bangkok
Government-run schools are an option for those thinking of teaching English in Bangkok. There are English teaching jobs at both the high school and elementary level. These jobs have the benefit of paying on time and being secure, Monday to Friday positions for the most part, however the major drawback (or plus depending on your perspective) is the sheer number of students and levels you will be required to teach in most cases. Classes of 50 students are not uncommon at all, and you may be asked to teach all grade levels. Not getting paid during term breaks and holidays is also a concern and something you should keep in mind when comparing different government school jobs. Pay isn’t terribly good and even then you will probably not settle for anything less than what they usually pay their most senior teachers, so there can be a little friction. This is the full Thai experience however, and can be loads of fun and a real cultural experience.
Language schools jobs in Bangkok
There are dozens of language schools in Bangkok where locals can brush up in their English via private courses. There are some large English chains operating in Bangkok; teaching jobs in these though tend to be among the lowest paid and as a result it is easy to land a job. Though in most cases the number of teaching hours per week and students are less than at a government school, language schools are less of a sure bet in terms of payment and you will often have to work odd hours or on weekends.
Corporate work
Many companies include English training as part of their staff training and will often arrange for their employees to be taught either through a language school or by bringing a teacher on site. These positions can be found both through the company itself, and language schools. The latter arrangement means that language schools take a percentage of your earnings. Pay for these teaching jobs can be quite good; however, it is difficult to rely solely on such work as it is often hard to come by and when it comes is usually finished after the run of a teaching contract.
Universities/International Schools
Those looking to start teaching English in Bangkok would do well to explore the opportunities at universities and international schools. While Bangkok’s top universities such as Chulalongkorn, Mahidol and Thammasat will likely require that you hold a Master’s degree, other universities hire teachers with a BA and teaching certificate, and in some cases the latter is not even required.
Where to look for a job teaching English in Bangkok
A common mistaken piece of advice is to use the Bangkok Post or Nation newspapers as guides when looking for work teaching English in Bangkok. A good majority of Bangkok’s low-paying chain language schools post ads here and often the other jobs on offer aren’t much better. A better idea is to use the www.ajarn.com website, far and away the best resource on the Internet when it comes to listing a variety of teaching job prospects in Thailand.
