# Moving to Thailand to Teach English! NEED ADVICE!



## yocumdt

I have recently decided that college is not right for me right now and that I need a change of pace in my life. I am twenty years old and am considering moving to Thailand in order to teach English. I have no idea where to start. I do not have a bachelor's degree and I am not yet sure which program I should use to get my teaching certification. I am currently putting in long hours at a factory near my home in order to save money to move. I need to know what I should do before I decide to move forward with this decision and where the best jobs are for my qualifications. Any advice at all is much appreciated!


----------



## joseph44

No bachelor-degree, no teaching-qualifications and way too young........won't be easy.
The teaching qualifications can be solved by attending a TEFL, TESOL or CELTA course. Preferably in the country where you would like to start a teaching career. 
The bachelor degree is another thing. One of the reasons to require a BA is to restrict the age of the teachers. Therefore, you will never see teachers younger than 23 years of age. 

Of course you could try and make the move........but IMHO it is better to wait for a few years, get some kind of degree and save at least USD 20,000, so that you are able to survive without a job during the first year. In the meantime you could obtain a teaching qualification in the USA. Whatever you do......stay away from online-TEFL-courses. They are not very high-valued by educational-employers.


----------



## TomC

joseph44 said:


> Of course you could try and make the move........but IMHO it is better to wait for a few years, get some kind of degree and save at least USD 20,000, so that you are able to survive without a job during the first year.


20K, Yeah, I like it. Never want to be under capitalization. Get a BA and save 20K, then FLY like an eagle.


----------



## stednick

*??? teaching, are you sure ???*



yocumdt said:


> I have recently decided that college is not right for me right now and that I need a change of pace in my life. I am twenty years old and am considering moving to Thailand in order to teach English. I have no idea where to start. I do not have a bachelor's degree and I am not yet sure which program I should use to get my teaching certification. I am currently putting in long hours at a factory near my home in order to save money to move. I need to know what I should do before I decide to move forward with this decision and where the best jobs are for my qualifications. Any advice at all is much appreciated!


Yocumdt: You asked for advice, well here it is.

Reading your post it appears you need to redefine, or establish, your long term goals and your plan to achieve them. You need to do some serious soul searching. The first place to start is to define where you picture yourself in 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years. As you are 20, where do you want to be when you are 50 years old. Married? With children? Living at the top of the food chain? Lottery winner? Nose-to-the-grindstone successful? Happy-go-lucky-artist type? 

Difficult question. What do you want out of life? After you have answered this all important question you can begin to define the path that will get you there.

As far as saving funds to become a teacher in Thailand; Why do you want to teach? and, Why Thailand? First things first, if you truly believe you have the calling and talent to be a first-rate teacher, then get your degree in education, intern, and pursue teaching credentials. If you approach teaching as an escape, diversion, or easy money, you are doomed to failure. 

Thailand. Why Thailand. Have you been here? Do you know the downside of an impoverished third world country? Can you withstand the incredible heat? Spend serious amounts of time reading through this forum. There is a massive amount of experience documented here. Not tourist stories. Real life questions and answers, information exchanged among Ex-pats who have lived here and can provide true guidance. Read, read, read, and then read some more.

Also, do not limit your investigation to Thailand. Read other countries forums. Do an extensive investigation of your options. Take your time. There is no rush. Plan, plan and then, plan some more. Anticipate problems. Have a well thought out game plan. Have an exit strategy. Have a plan B and a plan C. 

In closing: You are responsible to, and for, yourself. Do not take this responsibility lightly. You will benefit the rewards of your hard work, and, you will suffer the consequences of impulsive foolishness.

I hope this helps. Good luck and let us all know what you decide to do.


----------



## TomC

stednick said:


> Yocumdt: You asked for advice, well here it is.
> 
> Reading your post it appears you need to redefine, or establish, your long term goals and your plan to achieve them. You need to do some serious soul searching. The first place to start is to define where you picture yourself in 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years. As you are 20, where do you want to be when you are 50 years old. Married? With children? Living at the top of the food chain? Lottery winner? Nose-to-the-grindstone successful? Happy-go-lucky-artist type?


It has to be one exceptional 20 yo who can think like what you've just laid out. When you're young, you never feel like you can die and 1 year is like forever much less 10 years. Using myself as an example, years ago I worked for Boeing and I quit 4 months shy of 15 years. Now I found out that they use the number of years in the calculation for pension. 15 instead of 14 would have been a nice little bump in the pension calculation. What kind of bone headed decision to quit? But at the time, 4 months was like forever and who thought about pension anyway?


----------



## stednick

TomC said:


> It has to be one exceptional 20 yo who can think like what you've just laid out. When you're young, you never feel like you can die and 1 year is like forever much less 10 years. Using myself as an example, years ago I worked for Boeing and I quit 4 months shy of 15 years. Now I found out that they use the number of years in the calculation for pension. 15 instead of 14 would have been a nice little bump in the pension calculation. What kind of bone headed decision to quit? But at the time, 4 months was like forever and who thought about pension anyway?


 Well... if he, or she's, got the balls to quit college, save money, move halfway around the world to teach language in a Foreign country and be intelligent enough to ask for advice from experienced Ex-pats, he or she, is exceptional. My input is food for thought. I hope it leads to the formalizing of future plans. What do you think about this yocumdt?


----------



## TomC

stednick said:


> Well... if he, or she's, got the balls to quit college, save money, move halfway around the world to teach language in a Foreign country and be intelligent enough to ask for advice from experienced Ex-pats, he or she, is exceptional. My input is food for thought. I hope it leads to the formalizing of future plans. What do you think about this yocumdt?


I don't have the answer, but I just think it's bad idea to skip college. Maybe 30 years ago, you could survive in the U.S. with a highschool diploma. But now it's a global economy. You're competing with the Chinese, Indians and the rest of the Asian Tigers. Here is more food for thought of how important education is for the Asians. Indira Gandhi National Open University has enrollment of 3.5 million students. Yes, that's not a misprint. 

Of course, skip college if you're going to party, or run up huge debts. Go to accredited school that you can afford. Work part time to pay for it and save, save, save while keeping up the grades. Work like a maniac like the Asians. Then we can talk.

P.S. Maybe it's a good idea to come and see how difficult life is in the developing countries like Thailand. Then you can go back and appreciate what you got. It's a maturation process.


----------



## falangjim

yocumdt said:


> I have recently decided that college is not right for me right now and that I need a change of pace in my life. I am twenty years old and am considering moving to Thailand in order to teach English. I have no idea where to start. I do not have a bachelor's degree and I am not yet sure which program I should use to get my teaching certification. I am currently putting in long hours at a factory near my home in order to save money to move. I need to know what I should do before I decide to move forward with this decision and where the best jobs are *for my qualifications.* Any advice at all is much appreciated!


What qualifications? Stay in the US, get some college experience-if only for two years. Then come to Thailand and take a TEFL or CELTA course. You won't find anything here with what you currently have except working illegally.


----------



## godfree

*Good advice!*



yocumdt said:


> I have recently decided that college is not right for me right now and that I need a change of pace in my life. I am twenty years old and am considering moving to Thailand in order to teach English. I have no idea where to start. I do not have a bachelor's degree and I am not yet sure which program I should use to get my teaching certification. I am currently putting in long hours at a factory near my home in order to save money to move. I need to know what I should do before I decide to move forward with this decision and where the best jobs are for my qualifications. Any advice at all is much appreciated!


The advice you've received from forum members thus far is sound. Your lack of a degree (can you get a 'certificate' of some kind? That would be helpful). If not, many schools are skirting the Goverment's requirement that expat teachers have a degree, simply because they need English teachers so badly.

But a GOO TEFL certificate is a must. By that, I mean one that really teches you how to put together an attention-holding 60-minute class. I've taught EFL in Japan, and I have a doctorate in education, and I've seen one school in Thailand (no dout there are more) that gives you a really strong grounding. You can check them out at UniTEFL Chiang Mai Thailand | TEFL Courses & Online TEFL. They also have a strong job-placement service that's free.


----------



## Lyn_57

yocumdt said:


> I have recently decided that college is not right for me right now and that I need a change of pace in my life. I am twenty years old and am considering moving to Thailand in order to teach English. I have no idea where to start. I do not have a bachelor's degree and I am not yet sure which program I should use to get my teaching certification. I am currently putting in long hours at a factory near my home in order to save money to move. I need to know what I should do before I decide to move forward with this decision and where the best jobs are for my qualifications. Any advice at all is much appreciated!


You need to do what is right for you!!! If college isn't the right thing now, it might be in a few years. 

In the mean time you need to experience life and if that means uprooting and moving to another country then DO IT!! I am a volunteer teacher in Cambodia (with TESOL but no university degree) and am so happy I've made the move (I'm 55 yrs). I would suggest volunteering first to get a grip on how to teach, once you have done a reputable TESOL course. I live on $65 US a week including rent, electricity, water and food so it can be done. If you want to earn money without a university degree you can expect about $5 an hour here. I worked at a private school for 15 hours a week at $5 an hour and lived comfortably on that however I decided not to continue with the paid work as I gained far more satisfaction working as a volunteer. 

You do need to read about life in a third world country and be prepared to forgo the luxuries that you are presently accustomed to. You also need to learn that you can't help everyone - remembering that almost everyone in a third world country needs help. It is very easy to burn out here unless you have the mental strength to not spend every waking moment helping others - you must also look after yourself.

As for climate.........I'm surviving and so are thousands of other volunteers and visitors. Sure it's unbearably hot in summer, but a little suffering is good for the soul and makes a stronger, more resilient person.

So...............live the dream


----------



## sir lancelot

Look, Thailand is generally a breeze, and even a 20 year old with a decent enough grasp of English could come here and find a teaching job, *************** You won't earn top dollar but can still live comfortably, have a much better job than in a factory, meet a lovely Thai girl, go to the beach for cheap, travel and see something different. Hey, why not!

One important thing, you should do a TEFL course (1 month, abut $1,500), there a few to choose from,

*********

*MODERATED *: (1) Rule 2 while it may occur in this country, this forum cannot support or publicise illegal visa/work permit activity, and (2) Rule 14: Due to this country's libel/defamation laws, negative consumer/labour opinions, can result in problems both for the original poster and the service provider - paragraph deleted accordingly.


----------



## falangjim

You're being deceived if anyone here on this forum tells you that you can "live comfortably" on less than 30K baht a month. And if you find a lovely Thai girl to spend time with, kiss whatever you save of that pittance goodbye. 

Holidaying in Thailand is a breeze. Living and teaching here is definitely not. Immigration and visa issues will be one massive headache. I'm baffled by the people who try to do it. Cambodia visa runs every month? What a waste of time and money. These kinds of teachers usually last less than a year and then move on. 

Why don't you take a vacation here first. Test the waters. Don't cut your ties back home with the boring factory job because it is that steady job that is keeping you afloat. Coming to Thailand with little money and no experience is a recipe for an adventure, but a misadventure. Take a look at some of the foreign losers on Kao Sarn Road trying to scrape 25 baht together for a plate of phad Thai. Yeah, that's living. :ranger:


----------



## stednick

*Money ...*

Money ... 

Money is a funny thing. I never seem to have enough. My wallet and my pockets seem to have these invisible tiny leaks in them that money slowly seeps through. My pockets always seem to have less in them then the last time I checked. Maybe some of them Thai spirits I hear about are up to tricks.

Anyway, the point is, there are many items that are small/low cost that never seem to make it onto the budget sheets. These small incremental expenses do add up and add up to a considerable amount of "unexpected" expenses. They are budget killers. 

Jim - you are "Right On" in your post. Double the 30k to 60k, then my definition of "comfortable" may be achieved.


----------



## TomC

falangjim said:


> Why don't you take a vacation here first. Test the waters. Don't cut your ties back home with the boring factory job because it is that steady job that is keeping you afloat. Coming to Thailand with little money and no experience is a recipe for an adventure, but a misadventure. Take a look at some of the foreign losers on Kao Sarn Road trying to scrape 25 baht together for a plate of phad Thai. Yeah, that's living. :ranger:


This could work for some 20 yo as an adventure but most likely not for the long term basis. Some of these kids can rely on moms and dads to bail them out. But then you always have some who have to scrape by as you described. That's the price you pay for adventure or misadventure.


----------



## sammycandice

*Working in thailand*

What part of Thailand are you looking for a job, best advice I was giving is if you don't have a degree then go into the school ad prove to them how serious you are about the job. let me know if you live in bangkok and I can help you out


----------



## Jerleaw

Dude think twice... there are already a lot of people looking to chase dreams.. Get a job over there and come on Holidays... It remains always a better option. Living somewhere and coming on holidays is a world of difference.


----------



## Ovidia77

Check out: ajarn.com Lots of info there.


I taught in Thailand and it was OK for a while. In 2005 I was earning 28k/month and once you're fed up with the 20 baht rice meals, it is not a lot of money. Just don't take it seriously  and you'll be fine. Make sure you set some money aside to get out of Dodge 

Good luck!


----------



## TomC

Ovidia77 said:


> Check out: ajarn.com Lots of info there.
> 
> 
> I taught in Thailand and it was OK for a while. In 2005 I was earning 28k/month and once you're fed up with the 20 baht rice meals, it is not a lot of money. Just don't take it seriously  and you'll be fine. Make sure you set some money aside to get out of Dodge
> 
> Good luck!


Exactly. Ditto on ararn dot dom. I've seen this same question often. I think it can be a good experience for a young person as long as it doesn't affect their career in their homeland. As gap in employment is not a good thing for anyone's career. Perhaps, you can explain away a year in Thailand but not much longer than that. I think it can be advantageous to use this as a lesson for future retirement in Thailand. My ballpark figure is it cost half to retire in Thailand compared to back home. And definitely save enough money to get out of Dodge.


----------



## Song_Si

*Volunteer English teachers arrive*










The “Thailand English Teaching Project 2012” in the news today.

Two links: from Bangkok Post



> More than 100 language teachers have arrived from England under a programme to improve the standard of Thai students' English ahead the launch of the Asean Economic Community in 2015, education permanent secretary Sasithara Pichaicharnnarong said on Monday.
> 
> The. teachers, all volunteers, were recruited under the Thailand English Teaching Project 2012.
> 
> Ms Sasithara said starting tomorrow, July 24, the teachers will head out to about 100 schools spread throughout the country, where they will teach English tor students for six weeks.
> 
> The British Council is preparing the teaching curriculum and providing teaching assistance.
> 
> more



and from the British Council



> The British Council, together with Thailand’s Ministry of Education, has launched the “Thailand English Teaching Project 2012”. The project will bring UK undergraduates and recent graduates to support the teaching and learning of English in Thai schools.
> 
> The first 67 British volunteers will arrive in Bangkok on the weekend of 21st – 22nd July and take part in an induction programme on 23 and 24 July. After this, they will leave to work as English Teaching Assistants in host schools around the country. They will stay for an initial 8-week period until mid-September.
> 
> The project will support the skills development of Thai school pupils who face the future of an integrated ASEAN and a more internationally competitive global world in which English will be a basic skill. For the UK volunteers, the project will help to develop more rounded and employable UK graduates with an international outlook.
> 
> more


Hope we see some follow-up on this, and whether any of these teachers choose to stay on in Thailand longer-term.


----------



## Glen10

*?*

Hey bro, if you want to come to Thailand, then come to Thailand. I suggest you come for 2-3 months and see how you like it. If you're a young backpacker it's easy to make it here on 20-25(on average-more in Bangkok) bucks a day--less after you get settled in and learn the ropes. Come with a buddy if you can. Buy a Let's Go or Loney Planet travel guide off of Amazon and find a ticket off of Cheapseats
If you want some more info, get back with me and I'll help you out. Don't let someone try to feed you a bunch of baloney and try to tell you that you need big bucks here. You don't!
If you like it here you could extend your ticket and stay for a year(or more) and study Thai--it's cheap!


----------



## lip420

yocumdt said:


> I have recently decided that college is not right for me right now and that I need a change of pace in my life. I am twenty years old and am considering moving to Thailand in order to teach English. I have no idea where to start. I do not have a bachelor's degree and I am not yet sure which program I should use to get my teaching certification. I am currently putting in long hours at a factory near my home in order to save money to move. I need to know what I should do before I decide to move forward with this decision and where the best jobs are for my qualifications. Any advice at all is much appreciated!


From what I learned you normally need a degree to teach in Thailand. You could still probably find work, but I am not sure if it's legal.


----------



## cooked

cooked said:


> Teaching English without a certificate and experience will be a poverty stricken, work permit lacking experience. If you google 'TEFL Thailand' or go to Ajarn Forum - Living and Teaching In Thailand you will get some info about this. Learning to teach English in Thailand will get you an ED visa. After that you have to get a job, the better schools get you a job.


Sorry, I more or less repeated myself.


----------



## lip420

cooked said:


> Teaching English without a certificate and experience will be a poverty stricken, work permit lacking experience. If you google 'TEFL Thailand' or go to Ajarn Forum - Living and Teaching In Thailand you will get some info about this. Learning to teach English in Thailand will get you an ED visa. After that you have to get a job, the better schools get you a job.


You don't need a certificate to teach in Thailand. To legally teach there you usually need a degree. Certificates aren't a legal requirement some schools just prefer them.


----------



## stednick

cooked said:


> Sorry, I more or less repeated myself.


Good and solid information bears repeating.


----------



## dave the dude

lip420 said:


> From what I learned you normally need a degree to teach in Thailand. You could still probably find work, but I am not sure if it's legal.


That is not quite right. Teaching in a Govt school requires a degree but teaching/lecturing in a Uni does not and legally they can take experience into consideration


----------



## lip420

dave the dude said:


> That is not quite right. Teaching in a Govt school requires a degree but teaching/lecturing in a Uni does not and legally they can take experience into consideration


What's not quite right about it?
Qualification status
Teaching in Thailand: Is it possible to teach English without a degree?


----------



## dave the dude

lip420 said:


> What's not quite right about it?


You quote website information which looks quite believable but I am just stating my FIRST HAND experience. Whether you believe it, is up to you.
I am here doing it, thats all! I have the visa and work permit and T shirt 555


----------



## lip420

What were you arguing with? What's wrong with this statement, "you normally need a degree?"


----------



## dave the dude

> From what I learned you normally need a degree to teach in Thailand.


I am sorry if you think I was arguing. It was not my intention and the I agree with the above statement. I was just to put 'meat on the bone' to help others. Visa's / Work Permits /Regulations are a minefield here in Thailand, just look at all the websites available!

Sawadee Bee Mai! :clap2:


----------



## cooked

Oh dear. Plenty of people come here on an ED-visa, get a TEFL certificate and go on to teaching English for ฿20 000.- or so a month. No degree.
The statement, "you normally need a degree to teach in Thailand" is grammatically correct. That's all that's right about it as far as teaching English here (and not 'there') is concerned.


----------



## expatseek

*teaching jobs in Asia*

Without qualifications you could move to China, perhaps, and find a job in a second tier city. It still won't be easy though. As mentioned, a TESOL qualification would be a big lift to problem of a lack of qualifications, yet without a degree leaves you vulnerable. So, if you're absolutely committed to the idea of moving to Thailand, get a part-time job or a low hour job, with low pay, that at least provides you with accommodation, and try to build up your income offering private tutoring.


----------



## Jaidii

A bachelors degree (certificate and transcript) in any subject field and from an accredited university is a must to be legally employed by and teach at a government school - a university or private language school does not fall in this category.
Check the 'Khurusapha' Thai Teachers' Council website.
TEFL/TESOL certificates are not a legal requirement here but the courses (big business in foreign countries) are useful and should provide you with the foundation and more importantly the confidence to teach English.


----------



## Smalls

While there are plenty of regulations governing employment as a teacher in Thailand, they aren't always followed. My advice for an aspiring English teacher would be to correspond with a recruiter. They often know how certain circumstances can be worked with to place prospective teachers in teaching positions.

As stated above, without a degree a TEFL/TESOL cert. is an absolute must. I'd suggest looking into programs in the country and city that you'd like to work. Best of luck!


----------

