Long Gun Posted November 24, 2001 Report Share Posted November 24, 2001 quote: Originally posted by bobl6: Then if I were to teach for 2 years, I would be able to register with those special recruiting organizations.As both you and Stick point out, it would make me a much more fitting candidate. The unappealing part of that is that I am already 46 years old. Incidentally, I was looking at employment offerings on the web at Assumption (a catholic univ in Bangkok)and they had specific age limits=35 + 40 for their teacher opportunities. Is this typical in the field of international schools? I really do appreciate all your help and I hope to meet yourself and other board members in Woodstock in May. Thanks again. Those 2 years might also give you a good idea of whether you enjoy the job or not too, though after teaching for 13 years in the UK first, I don't really think teaching here even counts as the same job! For all sorts of reasons I almost consider it a privilege. Being well looked after for spending time with such delightful young people feels like it must be almost illegal at times! I am pleased to say that recruitment trends seem to be swinging a bit in our favour, Bob. For example, I think international schools have often leant towards the younger, fresher, more dynamic sort of applicant, in part because they are cheaper but I gather that applications from this group are falling as, on paper, the packages offered don't look so good. The profession in the UK is in such a desparate state that all sorts if incentives are offered now so that the salaries here may not look so attractive to someone who doesn't know how far that money can go, and exactly how good the quality of life is by comparison. The advantage you would have in May is that schools with vacancies at that point are going to be pretty desperate to fill them before they break for summer in June. I do know someone who was working in a Thai school and landed a good job without ever having taught in their own country - though they were qualified. Bloody excellent teacher, too! To be honest, I know of a vacancy coming up which would be ideal for you, if you were qualified, and maybe if it was still there in May, there might be a way .... Contact me privately if you want to know more! LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted November 25, 2001 Report Share Posted November 25, 2001 Bobl, most I know of anyone making at a university in Thailand is around 40,000 a month. Asia Institute of Technology (multi-nationally funded) may pay beyond that, but it's strictly technical and ESL. The international secondary schools pay more than the unis. However, they work you much more and the students will be more like western brats than orderly Thai kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2001 Report Share Posted November 25, 2001 To Flashermac Thanks for the info. When you say that the international schools work you pretty hard, do you mean that there is the expectation that besides teaching classes, the teacher should also act as a sports coach and after school club advisor without extra pay. I have looked at the ajarn site to get an idea about salaries and Stick's site about teaching English and I only saw 1 place that paid higher than 40k as well=St. Francis Xavier. Of course , there was also one to teach English to airline hostess and hotel trainess for 30k. I am sure that ad will get plenty to even work for free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Gun Posted November 26, 2001 Report Share Posted November 26, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Flashermac: Bobl, most I know of anyone making at a university in Thailand is around 40,000 a month. Asia Institute of Technology (multi-nationally funded) may pay beyond that, but it's strictly technical and ESL. The international secondary schools pay more than the unis. However, they work you much more and the students will be more like western brats than orderly Thai kids. Well, all things are relative but I would say that if you are being paid 3-5 times as much, then you might expect to have to put a little more time in. I don't have experience outside the international system, just as I don't think you have any outside the Thai system (correct me if I'm wrong) but a working day that ends at 3.30 of which maybe 50-60% is spent teaching, with a 5 day week and 14 weeks paid holiday doesn't exactly seem over-demanding to me. Add to that small class sizes (25 max but specialists may be teaching as few as 2 or 3) and the fact that most of the students in Bangkok are Asian and come with that built-in work ethic, politeness and lovely smile and it really can be a very rewarding and enjoyable job. From a personal point of view I would far sooner be teaching kids who have been brought up in this sort of system where they are taught to learn for themselves rather than taught by rote by somebody waving a stick at them. Believe me, they bear very little resemblance at all to your average 'western brat'! LG [ November 26, 2001: Message edited by: Long Gun ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 27, 2001 Report Share Posted November 27, 2001 To Long Gun Your further details about international school teaching sound quite attractive. I didn't realize that the international schools in Bangkok would have a high proportion of Asian students. That's a plus to me because at least where I grew up(Boston) the Asian kids were the most well disciplined. I assumed that extracurricular involvement was required since there were a number of questions regarding that in the Search Associates and ECIS application process.The athletic part would probably help keep me in shape anyways so its not a problem to me.Is tennis popular in the schools? By the way, I sent you a private message thru the board. Hope you received it. See you later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Gun Posted November 27, 2001 Report Share Posted November 27, 2001 quote: Originally posted by bobl6: I assumed that extracurricular involvement was required since there were a number of questions regarding that in the Search Associates and ECIS application process.The athletic part would probably help keep me in shape anyways so its not a problem to me.Is tennis popular in the schools? By the way, I sent you a private message thru the board. Hope you received it. See you later. Many international schools are quite well off as far as sports and recreation facilities are concerned. Patana, for example, being out of town where land isn't so much of an issue, has 3 squash courts and a gym, 4 all-weather tennis courts, a very large playing field, plus another smaller one, 2 large covered hard-court areas and 3 swimming pools, one of which is olympic size, 50 metres, 8 lanes, with a grandstand!! Obviously they want to get plenty of use out of those so there is always a busy sports program after school and most schools supplement it with other activities ranging from Scrabble to wakeboarding, as well as ongoing drama and music programs. Many schools now require staff to offer an activity after school, typically this would just be for one hour, one afternoon per week, and this is often a contractual obligation. Sports, music and drama teachers tend to be involved much more regularly than this but a lot of the sports coaching is done by teachers of other subjects who just enjoy this extension of their work. Most of the Bangkok schools have Varsity teams which are involved in SEASAC, along with schools in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar and there are regular regional championships which schools take turns to host, on a rotating seasonal basis. The volleyball and football seasons have just finished and basketball, golf and tennis have started. There is also now a Bangkok based ongoing competition, BISAC, giving younger students the chance to compete in tournaments with other schools. In other words (!) any contribution you could make to this sort of program would be welcomed, especially by the PE teachers who sometimes end up having to coach everything. To redress the imbalance in the workload of these, plus music and drama staff, some schools are now offering additional remuneration for any activities over and above the contractual one. Response to your private mail is on its way! LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Gun Posted December 4, 2001 Report Share Posted December 4, 2001 quote: Originally posted by bobl6: By the way, I sent you a private message thru the board. Hope you received it. See you later. Bob You seem to have disappeared as mysteriously as you first arrived! Just wanted to check whether you got my private message? LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 5, 2001 Report Share Posted December 5, 2001 To Long Gun Sorry for not responding quicker , I went last weekend to Mexico for my birthday =46 years old now. I was sick for a week upon my return. They have a mini sanuk scene in some of the border towns but you feel like you are being serviced in a fashion similar to a fast food restaurant drive-thru.I am going to send you a message at your personal email address after this post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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