togaduke Posted August 2, 2001 Report Share Posted August 2, 2001 ok I am a realtor. been selling homes in america. for the last 15 years and good at it sometimes! makeing as much as 100,000 us a year.. not every year mind you, and the last few years its been closer to 50,000.. but my english skills are not the best.. I talk for a living.. what can I say.. been in sales all my life.. I have heard of talking english teachers.. is there a job for this in Bkk or should I just work cold chicago for the next few years and try to save some of the money, I been spending as fast as I make .. or go to los and relax for a while.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Gun Posted August 3, 2001 Report Share Posted August 3, 2001 Dave I'm back in town now - when do you want to collect your stuff? LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmedave Posted August 4, 2001 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2001 Thanks all for your good wishes. The classes are going very well so far, and I'm enjoying each new experience with my various classes. Also, I just had UBC installed, so I have something to occupy my time when not working. (saves me from going out too often and spending too much.) Regarding some of your replies: The utilities are not included in the price of the rent, but many apartment owners charge an extravagant surchage so that the renter's often pay twice what they could for electricity. In my case, the city will bill me directly, so there is no surcharge. From my (limited) experience, it's not at all difficult to get in with the better schools. You read how easy it was for me to become employed at AUA. My previous experience includes a good deal of theatre training and direction which helps in speaking in front of people. I also coached some kids sports teams at parks, and was a teacher's Aide in Junior High for an ESL class. As insignificant as these things may sound, they were all important to those who read my resume. I would love the change to explore more of Thonburi with an old hand. I get off work at 9pm and have the rest of my time frr til 5pm the next day. So far, I've only been to dinner with other teachers so I know nothing about what's out there. I will be at the dance contest Sunday. Hope to see you! Dave P.S. Stickman, if you want to put the report on your site (I noticed you now have a page for reader submissions) be my guest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmedave Posted August 5, 2001 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2001 LG, I tried to call you yesterday. I will be in your area tomorrow (Sunday) I will call again then. If possible, I could pick it up either Sunday or Monday morning before I head back to Thonburi. I'll try to PM you with my phone number if you see this message soon. Thanks again, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steffi Posted August 5, 2001 Report Share Posted August 5, 2001 An interesting report. Could you tell me how old you are? and what preparation did you make before making this movie? Also, had you already established Bangkok contacts. What is your background? Are you a teacher by trade? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 6, 2001 Report Share Posted August 6, 2001 Thanks Dave!! I'm taking the plunge in Sept. I'll be arriving in BKK on Aug 10 and beginning at Ban Phe Sept 10, so your report was a fantastic lead up to my own adventure. I would love to buy you a beer before I venture off to the course. Best of luck, Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gummigut Posted August 6, 2001 Report Share Posted August 6, 2001 Dave: You stated that AUA wanted a one-year commitment but you did not mention that you actually did not give them the commitment. Atleast that is my understanding on our conversations. Basically decent teachers are in demand. This committment was a concern for Dave, so I recommended that he call the guy at AUA and say that this is Dave's first time in BKK on a permanent basis and that he is unsure if this is 100% the right job for him, but as AUA has a probation period (before putting the working papers through) Dave will also put AUA through a probation period, and he may decide to leave but that he won't leave AUA hanging, and that he'll give decent notice and will end his tenure in between AUA session. I understand the guy at AUA understood Dave's situation and things are working out for the best. I have differing opinions on some of Dave's points on the TEFL course. I will share them after I build my computer this week and when I get the time. <<burp>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicSurfer Posted November 25, 2001 Report Share Posted November 25, 2001 Dave... I know this thread has been dead a while, but some of us are still contemplating or actually planning to follow in your footsteps... So I have just discovered your reports and value your input greatly. I am planning to leave the USA for LOS in late March and take the TEFL Int'l course right after Songkran. I've been to Bangkok many times, have a non-BG G/F and a Non-Profit Trading company in BKK with a Thai partner... Non-Profit as in "not making enough to pay the bills"... Anyway, my plan is too get into teaching to pay my daily living expenses and work with my partner to get our business into the black and subsidize my teaching income and build some sort of retirement fund/income. (This is an fine example of a Run-on sentence.) So... I was wondering if you had any interest in posting an updated report. I think some of us may be interested in your perspective after working for 6 months. Are you still motivated? Is the job working out like they promised? Any pitfalls or lessons you have learned that we could avoid or emulate? Etc. Also, being as I'm as artisticly dyslexic as you mentioned you were/are... To overcome the Arts & Crafts hurdles, Would it be helpful to bring any Flashcards or teaching aids with me from the USA? Any suggestions on this? Hope you get this and respond. Sawdadee Krup CosmicSurfer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2001 Report Share Posted November 25, 2001 I'll second that Cosmicsurfer. It'd be nice to have a mini-update in the same vein, if it's not too much trouble. I know these reports are a lot of work to get ready, but if I ever bump into Dave I owe him a few beers already just for this series of exposes! They must be amongst the most useful reports on this board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicSurfer Posted November 25, 2001 Report Share Posted November 25, 2001 A few beers... Forrrgettabouuuttit I'd even consider a Bar Fine... or at least chipping in towards a motorcycle taxi to Plaza Entertainment Centre or Eden Club. CS [ November 25, 2001: Message edited by: CosmicSurfer ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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