sidsanuk Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 Guys, Sorry to repeat this thread KS, but the teaching sub forum gets a bit buried as it does not expand into threads like the main forums. I am curious about the qualifications required to teach English in Thailand. From the teaching perspective, do they require a teaching degree? I have 4 years teaching experience from way back in the UK, but my quals are business, not teaching (Masters in Logistics) From a subject perspective, what are the range of qualifications and what is the best one to get? I have seen TEFL, TESOL etc etc advertised locally here in Sydney. The reason that I ask is two fold. 1. I want to help my wife with her English. She is quite good, probably just good enough to go to Uni here in Sydney. She has a first degree from St Johns (marketing) in Bangkok (not quite Chulla I know) as is toying with the idea of doing a Masters here. But the big issue for her, is that her English is not really good enough to get a job here in Oz. Mainly issues with pronunciation and grammar. 2. We will probably retire to LOS at some stage and I thought it could be a useful qualification to have in my back pocket. Who knows? Hopefully I won't need to work beyond 60 (50 now) if business goes well, but heh....shit happens. OK. Now to the obvious responses :-) I know I don't need a teaching qualification to teach my wife English. I am a native English speaker. But it would help a lot, knowing the best way to teach, overcome learning blocks etc. I know that I can just send her to an English School. Done that, a few times. She really needs one on one coaching now, for pronunciation and grammar. She can learn from books, CDs the net. Done all that. Still no substitute for coaching by a native English speaker. Any assistance most appreciated. And OK, I know my spelling and grammar are crap.........so no need for wise cracks re wanting to teach English :-)) Sid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 Depends at what level you want to teach. A university can hire you with only a BA/BS and no teaching experience. Depends on how hard pressed they are to find someone. University pay isn't great, but the hours are usually light and you can pick up plenty of extra work if you wish. Below tertiary education, you wil probably need a teaching licence -- which takes teacher training at home. Still, a secondary school may be happy just to have a white face in the classroom, if they can't find anyone fully qualified. Secondary schools often pay more than the unies, but work you much harder ... plus have no extra classes to teach. You are stuck with the salary they pay you. Go to www.ajarn.com and look around. p.s. If you really want to teach here, it would be wise to get a basic CELTA or equivalent. That opens a lot of doors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene1944 Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 You mentioned the accent problem which seems to be a major stumbling block for many Thais working a meaningful job in the US. At San Francisco State University, a class was offered to eliminate or minimize foreign accents. This was not a course leading to a degree but rather a self-enrichment class that was open to anyone having the tuition. It sounded like a good idea to me. I don't know how effective it is or what techniques were taught as I never knew anyone who took the class. I dont know if it is still offered. Might be worthwhile looking into to see if it is offered in your area and what is involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 You are supposed to have a degree and tefl/tesol certificate as a minimum now. You are not supposed to be able to teach without both. You wont get a license or work permit. However There is a big demand for native english speakers, Thai english teachers are often really bad....from what my students say....some schools bend rules to get a white face in, but that can place you in a precarious position. Best to do everything above board. However once again, You pay peanuts, you get monkeys applies. Pay for teaching is bad, it's not enough to live on anymore. I think it used to be, but no more from what i hear. I'd advise against it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 A degree is enough for a work permit in higher ed. My unie hired 4 lawyers in a row! WTF??? One turned out to be great, another okay, two were disasters. Also, by Thai logic, someone with say an MS in Engineering will probably be hired to teach English before an experienced teacher with only a BA in English. Ask why and you'll hear, "But he has a master degree!" As to the pay, government university salary and housing have not gone up since 1992! That's a helluva long time without any pay hike. You can do well enough though, provided you go to a university that offers extra classes at from 1000 to 2,000 baht an hour. It is possible to make 50 or 60 k, if you do extra classes. But as to living on the base pay and housing, forget it! Secondary schools pay more, but work your butt off ... with no extra classes available. An exception are the genuine international schools, such as Harrow, ISB and Ruamruedee. They pay quite well, but are hard to get into. I met a Thai national who was making 90,000 to teach Thai at Harrow. Foreign teachers get even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 I know one international school in Pattaya where all english teachers are from the Philippines! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Some genius government in the 1990s threw the standards for "international schools" out of the window. Used to be very strict and there were very few of them. Now a new "international school" seems to be popping up every day. The pay isn't great and, as you say, the English teachers are not native speakers. Many so-called international schools nowadays do not deserve the name. It seems to mean simply that they teach mainly in English, instead of Thai. But I have met Danes, Dutchmen, Germans and Poles teaching English, besides Filipinos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Maybe a filipina can teach me something new.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unit731 Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Recruitment Services for Teaching and Administrative Candidates Since 1955, the Educational Staffing services of ISS have successfully assisted over 15,000 qualified teachers and administrators in their search for opportunities in 200 American and international schools around the world. Educators must first apply to establish a professional file with ISS in order to seek an international position through our services. Click here to review the Qualifications for establishing a Professional File with ISS. For additional information contact Educational Staffing: e-mail edustaffing@iss.edu, phone 609-452-0990, fax 609-452-2690. Meet Us! Administrative Vacancies Overseas International Recruitment Centers Qualifications for establishing a Professional File with ISS; Application Forms Reactivating a Professional File © 2006 Copyright International Schools Services â?? All rights reserved Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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