Destination: Thailand

I just realized that I do not have a Destination TEFL report up on Thailand yet. I taught in Thailand for several years so I figured that it would be a good idea to put one up and make things easier for teachers considering teaching in Thailand.

There are many different types of jobs available in Thailand. You can do corporate work, language institute work, university work and even teach at ordinary primary and secondary schools. The largest number of available jobs are at primary and secondary schools throughout the Kingdom of Thailand. This is followed by university work and language institute work.

Pay starts out at between 25 to 30k baht per month for provincial teaching jobs and increases up to 50k for some of the larger schools in Bangkok. The cost of living is quite low in Thailand so it is possible to make ends meet with the salary on offer, as long as you avoid expensive nights out.

Finding a job is relatively easy, just find one after arrival, keeping in mind that January through March is the toughest time to find a job as schools are winding down their school year and not looking to bring on new teachers. The most important factor in finding a job is to dress nicely and have a great looking CV. Qualifications needed differ from school to school, but expect that you’ll need a 4 year degree and some kind of TEFL certificate. It’s all rather flexible though.

Visas are the real hassle in Thailand. Requirement change on an often basis and this makes it tough to plan ahead. Plus they have started to require teachers to complete a rather idiotic Thai culture class before giving them a teacher’s license. It seems like to much hassle to me.

Anyways, I’d love to hear other comments on Teaching in Thailand and more advice.