Jess left a comment yesterday on Travelhappy’s Teaching English In Japan article saying:

“Hi,
You mentioned you worked at Universities, could you give some advice about how to get work at a university? It must be quite difficult but is it possible?
Thanks”

Lindy, who wrote the article, sent through this useful response:

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find work at a university but it is possible if you hold a MA and can speak Japanese. The other thing is, most of the Japanese universities only hire from within Japan, whereas some of the language schools hire from abroad. Basically, what that boils down to is finding a job and getting into the country and then looking for jobs at universities once you’re there.

If you want to check out the jobs and requirements you should check out these websites:

• www.gaijinpot.com
• www.jobsinjapan.com
• escapeartist.com
• www.ohayosensei.com – This site is mostly for qualified teachers and tends to have more university jobs.

This article was originally posted at: Travel Happy
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Finding A Teaching Job At Japan Universities

Following on from my previous post about submitting a CV or resume for an ESL job, what should you do to maximise your chances of a job offer if you are asked to attend an interview? As the manager for a corporate language training company in Bangkok I have the task of recruiting new teachers. I have endured many colorful, frightening, enlightening, and spectacularly bad interviews and demonstration teaching sessions. I thought after having had all of these ‘experiences’ I could share what I have learned and hopefully make life less painful for those of you who are seeking ESL teaching posts.

The Actual Interview

1. Don’t show up late without calling (10-15 minutes in Bangkok is no big deal but more than that warrants a call.)

2. Please don’t show up super early – it is almost worse than being late (again 10-15 minutes is fine)

3. Bring a copy of your CV (please not sweat-soaked)- have a look at some CV tips on Top 10 CV Tips

4. Know a little about the company that you’re interviewing with. (A quick Google search will do)

5. It’s not a good idea to talk in a negative light about previous employers. (Makes you seem like a complainer)

6. Listen to what the interviewer is saying. (Asking questions that have just been explained in detail 2 minutes later isn’t a good sign.)

7. Come prepared. (If you were asked to bring a sample lesson plan something written on the back of recycled paper doesn’t look great)

8. Ask questions about the employer. (Interviews are supposed to be a 2-way street)

9. Try to put a positive spin on previous employers and your experience. (Highlight your strong points)

10. If you taught kids and hated it, don’t call them ‘little bastards’

If you are doing a demonstration lesson:

1. Prepare ahead of time

2. Bring an actual lesson plan – see this page on Jobmonkey.com for a sample of a lesson plan

3. Ask questions if you are unsure about the demo lesson (class size, level, previous knowledge of grammar points)

4. Build a good rapport with the students

5. Be friendly and explain what you are going to cover (write it on the whiteboard or blackboard)

6. As you are unfamiliar with the class, check that they understanding before moving on to the next point

7. If you haven’t taught in the country before try to keep things relevant to the age and culture of the students – don’t assume they understand the same cultural references as you. Keep it clear and simple and explain your actions

8. Always preface what you are about to do to ensure the class understands what is expected of them

9. Have a definite warm-up activity to break the ice with the students

10. Wrap things up by reviewing what you have covered in the lesson and let the class ask questions

I have interviewed and attended more than my fair share of demo classes and must say that I have had some great interviews but also many that took some very odd and sometimes bizarre twists and turns. I think the most important thing is to be professional and not a stark raving lunatic who spits and waves their arms around wildly in an interview. I would like to think that common sense would dictate behavior, especially in an interview. Remain polite and professional and you should be fine. Good luck in your next interview!

Read more about finding a ESL job in Japan, Korea and Thailand

This article was originally posted at: Travel Happy
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ESL Jobs: Preparing For Your Interview To Get The ESL Job

I am the manager for a corporate ESL (English as a Second Language) training company in Bangkok. One of my responsibilities to recruit new ESL teachers for various positions that we need to fill. I have to say that I am constantly surprised and sometimes baffled by some of the CVs (or resumes) that I am sent. I thought I would write something to help those of you looking to find a good ESL teaching job and avoid being instantly deleted from the inbox.

Do
• Use correct punctuation and capitalization on your CV
• List specific dates for jobs you’ve had
• Give some information about what your responsibilities were at each job (not too many details)
• Try to keep your CV to one to two pages
• Include your current availability
• Send a cover letter for the specific job that you are applying for
• Spell-check your CV
• Include how and when to contact you
• Use an appropriate closing
• Use a professional salutation

Don’t
• Use all lower-case letters
• Send documents that weren’t asked for in the job ad
• Send a 15 page CV!
• Send a picture of yourself that hasn’t been re-sized – around 100k maximum
• Send an inappropriate picture (i.e. with you on a night out with your friends)
• Avoid using punctuation all together
• Use an unprofessional e-mail address like: johncoolteacher@hotmail.com
• Over exaggerate your abilities too much ( ‘I want to save the world’ is going a bit too far)

I have read a lot of CVs in my time and have come across some very odd things. Your TEFL CV should not have spelling mistakes and lack every form of acceptable punctuation. You are actually applying for a job as an English teacher so keeping that in mind will go a long way. I have often interviewed people who may not have been exactly what I was looking for because they had a professional ESL CV. Often times the CV’s are much too casual and use not only inappropriate language but also spelling. There are a lot of ESL jobs out there, but the number of quality opportunities is not nearly so great. If you want to land your dream job- the first step is putting together a professional and up-to-date CV.

Read more about finding ESL Jobs in Japan, Korea and Thailand

This article was originally posted at: Travel Happy
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ESL Jobs: How To Prepare A CV (or Resume) That Will Get You An Interview

I often get emails from friends and sometimes friends of friends asking for advice about teaching in Japan. I have been teaching in Japan for nearly three years and have taught at a conversation school, two universities, an English Camp, private businesses, and even a kindergarten. With that in mind, I decided to put together a little overview of some of the information I think is useful. Hopefully, it will guide you in the right direction and help you avoid some of the pitfalls in the process.

Earning Money – And Spending It
English teachers in Japan can expect to make a base salary of 250,000 yen per month. 110 yen is roughly $1 USD. (See Travelhappy’s currency converter). Depending on what type of housing you opt for your monthly housing can range from 50,000 – 80,000 yen. That includes utilities. The biggest variant in your expenditures is going to be food and entertainment (that includes drinking). You will at least spend 60,000 even if you live modestly and do a fair bit of cooking. If you are one to hit Tokyo for all-nighters on the weekends, you will be lucky to have change in your pocket by the time payday comes. You can save money or you can go hog wild but probably not both.

How To Get A Teaching Job
The easiest and safest way to get a job in Japan is though a Language Institute, provided you have a university degree. There are several other small language schools but they often don’t sponsor your visa. It is very easy to pick up work with any of the Language Institutes. They hire all year around, sponsor your visa, offer a one-year contract and help with accommodation. They will not pay for your flight but they can usually offer you a cheaper airfare. Do a bit of research first, I actually found a better deal for myself on the same flight they offered me. Basically, there are three big ones in Japan and each one has a little something different to offer:

NOVA Intercultural Institute:
www.teachinjapan.com
NOVA offer shared accommodation but it is expensive. You will share with either 2 or 3 instructors. Generally, it will cost you about 60,000-75,000 a month, including utilities, which is a bit steep for what you get. As far as pay goes, it depends on where you’re located but will range between 250,000-275,000 a month. NOVA take care of your work visa. You will work about 30 hours a week and have 10 days of paid holiday during the first year. NOVA are a reputable company and probably the biggest name in English teaching in Japan.

ECC:
www.japanbound.com
ECC will also take care of your visa and do offer housing though they don’t tell you how much it is gonna cost you -probably about the same as NOVA. As far as a company goes, they are probably the best company in terms of charitable deeds. They do a lot of charity work and make hefty donations to various causes. If that is important to you it may sway your decision. The pay is a base of 252,000 a month but they do give 7 weeks of paid holiday!

GEOS:
geoscareer.com
Pretty much the same deal as the other two. You will work about 30 hours a week and get a base of 250,000 a month. GEOS does offer single accommodation at a reasonable price of 65,000 a month plus utilities of 10,000. If having privacy is an issue for you it is a definite plus and the cost is well within the norm. You don’t have to fork over any hefty deposits or key money either, which is nice. GEOS will take care of your work visa. The other big benefit is that they will give you a 100,000-yen bonus at the end of your contract.

Alternatives
JET Programme:
www.jetprogramme.org/e/
The JET programme is geared towards young university graduates and works in conjunction with the Japanese Ministry of Education. With JET you will work as an ALT, assistant language teacher. An ALT teaches English at Junior High and High Schools. Typically, you teach at several schools and commute between them. You will work with Japanese teachers at your schools and the locations vary from extremely rural to the madhouse that is Tokyo. Don’t always expect to be greeted with open arms as some of the Japanese teachers feel threatened by you and may even be openly hostile towards you. That is not the norm but it does happen and I have heard a fair share of horror stories. Just a warning to be prepared but more than likely you will have a positive experience. They do provide airfare reimbursement and help with accommodation. The monthly salary is 300,000 and you work about 35 hours a week. You may be expected to participate in special events, which may occur on the weekend or on holidays. Often times, the Japanese teachers don’t speak much English so learning a little Japanese would be very beneficial.

Job Opportunities Once In Japan
Those are the easiest ways to get the coveted visa you need. You can’t get one once you’ve arrived. The upside is that once you have your visa you can pretty much do whatever you want. If you find that your job is boring you to death or you find a better opportunity, you can quit your job and change with no problems. Your visa does not tie you to your job and you have that loophole if your job ends up being less than you expected.

Once you’re here with visa in hand there are more opportunities available to you. Many companies do not provide visa sponsorship and many require you to already be in the country. If you are lucky, you can land a university job though they are becoming increasingly difficult to get. But don’t get discouraged. Give it a go. The holidays are great and the hours can’t be argued with. A good website for jobs once you are here is: http://www.gaijinpot.com. There is a lot of part-time work there if you need to earn some extra cash. It is very easy to earn extra money by taking on private students – you can register online though the website. There are various companies that offer student-teacher placement and you get to set your own fees. Also, check in the Japan Times on Mondays. They have a pretty good classified section. If you want to make extra money there are a lot of ways to do it.

Japanese Teaching And Culture Shock
As far as Japanese students are concerned…. well, they are special. Keep in mind that culturally things are very different in Japan. A quiet student is considered a good student and they do not like to stand out. At times, you may feel frustrated but remember it is due largely in part to the education system. In terms of learning English within traditional schooling, all they do is grammar and translations. They have no opportunity for listening or speaking and although they have studied English for 6 years their speaking and listening ability is quite low. Conversely, their reading ability is much higher. Creative thinking is not highly valued in education and therefore, it is not encouraged. You will have to work hard and deploy massive amounts of patience in order to foster creativity. I think a lot of teachers feel very frustrated, especially in the beginning. It does take some getting used to but if you are prepared mentally for the stereotypical student, it won’t come as such a shock.

Helpful websites
Japan is expensive but it is manageable. If you are one who needs the culinary comforts of home expect to pay the price for it. Western food is much more expensive than Japanese food and it is not always easy to find. You will get good at tracking things down. A good source of information is: www.japan-guide.com. There is loads of information about cost of living, customs, transportation and other helpful stuff. If you want to find your own accommodation or need some help these websites cater to foreigners:

www.sakura-house.com
www.cheaphousing.tokyo.com
www.fontana-apt.co.jp

A last word
Japan used to be the premiere spot for teaching English; that is slowly changing. Don’t get discouraged, it is still a good place to teach and make money but it is no longer the oasis of opportunity it once was. The number of college-aged students is decreasing and nearly 25% of colleges and universities have had to shut their doors. As such, the competition for jobs is increasing but it is still easy to live and work here. Japan is extremely safe, if you use common sense, and it is easy to navigate your way around. It is also a good place to be with regard to traveling. During the low season, it is really cheap to fly out of Tokyo. It is also relatively close to lots of places that are very cheap like Thailand, Korea, and Vietnam. Your yen will go a long way in those countries. As far as the people go: Japanese people are friendly and often times overly generous. Once you have managed to make friends they will do anything to help you. I think as long as you have some idea of what to expect and have an open mind, you will make the most of your time in Japan. You can even save a fair bit of money if you are don’t go mad while you’re here. Good luck!

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This article was originally posted at: Travel Happy
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Teaching English In Japan: A Quick Guide

The big step to move abroad to teach, live, and ultimately travel and learn a new culture is a tricky one. One of the easiest places to start your teaching English adventure is South Korea. It is also a snap to land a job in China, Japan, or Taiwan, but teaching English in Korea is a good choice for a variety of reasons. If you time it properly, you can work for a month in Korea and see what you think of it before you make any long term commitments.

Lonely Planet Korea

I recommend getting a job at one of the numerous English learning camps that take place in Korea in the summer (mid-July to mid-August) or winter (unfortunately, many of these usually start on Dec. 29th and run to mid-February). The summer camps usually last a month in Korea and if you do it right you can squeeze in two camps while you are there. Winter camps tend to last from two weeks up to a month. The good thing about summer camp is that the school session is about to start so they are in real need of teachers. You are in high demand. Some of the positions don’t even require a university diploma, but most of them do. Some English teaching jobs in Korea require a TEFL qualification, but I assure you it is not necessary.

You can typically make anywhere from 2,500,000-3,000,000 won for a month-long camp. [$2400US to $2900US]. You do the math – it’s not too shabby (See Travelhappy’s Currency Converter) You will get free accommodation and food while you work at the camp.

Ask your potential employer lots of questions
When you apply for English teaching jobs in Korea, be absolutely sure to ask questions about the accommodation- don’t take anything for granted! A friend of mine was stuck in the woods in a little cabin with no heat in the middle of winter and let me tell you it is freezing.

Don’t be fooled by offers that seem to good to be true. I applied for a job this past winter that advertised a salary on the high end plus flight reimbursement. Upon further clarification, with real perseverance on my part, I discovered that is was not at all a reimbursement but merely deducted from my final salary. I wrote a feisty letter explaining the difference in semantics and declined the job but they did change their ad very shortly there afterwards. So, the moral of the story is- you really can’t be too careful.

A lot of the camps are run by private companies and sometimes will try to cheat you out of your final salary. Ask lots of questions and negotiate your salary – they need you. As far as the Korean winter camps go… well, you may have to celebrate New Year’s with a bunch of screaming kids but you will get paid more. The demand for teachers is much higher in winter as most people don’t want to give up their holidays and it is expensive to fly during that time. And did I mention that it is cold? Well, it is.

Finding a job online
You can find lots of Korean camp jobs and other longer term jobs on www.eslcafe.com, www.hiteacher.com, www.englishspectrum.com, www.eslemployment.com, and one of my favorites www.koreabridge.com/classifieds/index/htm. There are all good websites and the last one has it broken down by location in Korea and also has a lot of other helpful information. like language exchange, cultural classes, apartments for rent and generally useful stuff. There’s also the Seoul Craigslist.

The other big benefit of getting a Korea camp job first is that once you have it and start the job hunt many of the schools, hogwans, and language school will pay for you to fly to Japan to get a working visa. The camp jobs will allow you to get up to a 90 day temporary visa and that is a good start but you will need to get a different visa in order to stick around.

Choices for jobs
The choices come down to this for full time English teaching jobs in Korea : public or private schools ranging from kindergarten to high school, hogwans which are privately run institutions (money-making pits), and the coveted university jobs (www.aacircle.com.au/teach-in-korea-info.htm). One of the best bits about working in Korea is that if you are careful in choosing your job you can get nice accommodation for free. This will allow you to save a lot more money. The cost of living in Japan is outrageous – I know, I lived there for over 3 years and it is very rare to have free accommodation as part of the deal. Most of the employers actually charge you more than you would pay on your own for sharing with 3 or 4 people, but it is not easy to get your own place in Japan.

You can save lots of cash
With an English teaching job in Korea, you can save heaps of money if you are not running wild in the streets of Seoul every weekend. It is easy to spent pocketfuls of cash if you aren’t careful…. Not that I would know. Really. Nearly all contracts are for a year and if you work for a public school or university you will get long holidays. We like long holidays. Korea just doesn’t have that exotic ring to it like Japan or China so you will have a larger assortment of jobs to choose from. This means you can be a lot choosier about what kind of job you want to take.

The country and the people
Korea is a lovely country despite the biting cold and sauna-like summers. The people are truly hospitable and extremely friendly. I have never had so much help. I think that may be due to the fact that Korea is very Christian. More than 25% of the population is Christian, but it seems like a lot more. When I say I say this because there are churches everywhere-in rice fields in what looks like the middle of nowhere.
You will see neon crosses everywhere, even along seemingly deserted areas. There is by no means any shortage of places to worship.

This being the case Korea leans towards the conservative side of things. Depending on what kind of person you are you may find it a bit of a surprise at first. With that in mind I can say confidently that Seoul is a great city and extremely easy to get around on your own. Gotta love the infrastructure that comes with the Olympics. Hooray.

Once you are outside of the big cities, Korea is still very agricultural. This is not a bad thing but you can imagine it is very very quiet and you will definitely feel a little out of place. Don’t let that worry you though, like I said Koreans are generally extremely friendly and will try to help you even if they can’t speak a word of English.

One other good thing is the buses. Most Koreans travel by bus and it is very cheap. Long-distance travel may take a little longer, though you could opt for the more expensive express train, but it is convenient and there are nearly always buses leaving in fairly short intervals.

Watch out for the names. Many cities have nearly identical names and are often spelled in multiple ways due to letter mixing of b’s, d’s and accents. You could end up someplace that sounds the same and is even spelled the same but is not where you meant to be. Don’t be fooled by thinking that just because you showed the smiling ticket lady the map she would put you on the right bus. Looks can be deceiving.

Upon arriving in a new and completely unfamiliar place you might have to go into tourist information and ask with a meek smile-”What town am I in?” and the woman behind the counter wonders what is wrong with you, but answers again with a smile. You then discover you are hundreds of kilometers away from your intended destination. Hmmm, what is there to do around here? You may at this point be wondering if you wanted to take my advice. Trust me. It was not my fault.

Short-Term Visa (Camps Only C-4)
One thing that is important to understand about English teaching in Korea is the rules of the visa. Unfortunately, these are quite nebulous and it seems there are always new regulations passed but no matter what they never seem uniform. Each embassy seems to have its own way of doing things.

For camps you will need an E-2 visa. Once you have all the required paperwork you can pop into the embassy or consulate nearest you and should have your visa in 3 working days. The only problem is for these camps they are notorious procrastinators and you may well find your self begging at the embassy door trying to explain that you just got the documents and that you have already purchased your airline ticket.

My best advice is start looking for the camp jobs early and after you get one you think looks good bug the crap out of them to get you the paperwork. It may work. I have been very pesky in the past and still did not get the paperwork till Christmas Day and spent the entire day in the embassy. They don’t celebrate Christmas in Japan. It was not very pleasant.

You will have to pay the cost of the visa yourself and it varies by country but usually runs about $30 to $50 USD. This is standard. You can request up to 90 days but depending on the mood of the person issuing your visa you may get exactly what you need or a bit more. Always ask for 90 and see what you get. They won’t deny your visa- so give it a shot. In the past if your visa was long enough you could fit in two cheeky camps (usually just summer because the school break is longer) but it has all gotten a bit sticky in the past year. It all depends on if they write the name of your camp on the visa you receive. For example at the Tokyo Consulate they always do this but in Osaka they do not. So you can work more than one camp if your visa is from Osaka and not Tokyo. Again, each embassy/consulate does it differently.

There is no actual information in black and white about this. I have searched as I found myself trying to do two camps but there is nothing. Some people have had to fly to Japan at their own expense because their visa had the camp name on it. Immigration is tough on these camps as they are usually run by private organizations and are seen to be elitist, as only rich kids get the chance to attend them. They have been known to “raid” these camps and if the paperwork is not in order some poor souls have been ordered to leave the country and the camp can be fined heavily.

Long term work visa (E-2 Visa)
Once you land a longer contract teaching English in Korea and get your visa (outside the country) there are some things you should be aware of. Your visa is tied to the company you work for – think of it as an umbilical cord. If you change jobs you have to get an entirely new visa, which means a trip to Japan. You are restricted from working additional jobs without the permission, in writing, from your parent company. They are strict about this. Remember they are a formerly communist country. They don’t let a lot of things slide. You can easily get another visa if you change jobs but you may have to pay for your flight, but the good thing is flights are cheap and they may even pick up the tab. It depends on how badly they need you. Always negotiate. They will always initially say no, but be stern and they will come around. Business is business and they have a lot more money then you do. Koreans have taken to capitalism and they can be quite ruthless when it comes to money and profit.

Don’t let any of this deter you. You can make a nice chunk of money but just be a little careful. If you don’t want to stick around for a long term contract teaching English in Korea you’ll have a few thousand dollars in your hands and can travel in South East Asia for a while on that. All in all, Korea is a good place to live, travel, and work.

This article was originally posted at: Travel Happy
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Teaching English In Korea

Thailand seems enticingly exotic as a place to live and work, and the idea of picturesque beaches and a cheap lifestyle is terribly inviting. If you have ever thought about dropping life as you know it and hop-scotching around the globe with your university degree as your ticket to ride, Thailand has a lot of different options for you to explore. However, teaching English in Thailand is not completely straightforward.

The demand for English teachers is evident all across Asia. The easiest place to get an English teaching job without a TEFL Certificate is definitely Japan. When I say the “easiest”, I mean in terms of pay, quality of living, and the teaching work itself, but if you are looking for something a little different, Thailand has a lot to offer. I will take the opportunity to warn you now that things are not always as clear as they seem in Thailand. You really do have to be on your toes and ask the right questions when interviewing for teaching jobs and heed my words: take nothing for granted.

The TEFL/CELTA conundrum
As with many things in Thailand there is an official answer and an unofficial answer to this question – should you get a TEFL or a CELTA qualification?. It’s not necessary to have a qualification to teach in Thailand but it’s pretty desirable, as I’ll explain below.

There are a lot of back-packers working stints as teachers which floods the market with cheap labour. For the most part most of these people do not have any teaching experience or any qualifications but they are native English speakers and sometimes that is good enough.

To work in Thailand “officially” you should have a TEFL Certificate in order to get your Teachers License which you need in order to qualify for a Work Permit. Just as important, you will also get paid significantly more money if you do possess a TEFL or CELTA Certificate. If you want to spend some time here and earn a decent amount of money I would definitely recommend you get one of them. It will more than pay for itself. You can even take the course here in Thailand. Even if you decide to teach elsewhere, the certificate will earn you more money and hopefully help you develop your teaching skills.

Here are a couple of different websites which offer TEFL and CELTA Certificate Courses:
www.teflintl.com
www.eccthai.com
www.eliteinstitute.com/CELTA
www.teflteachthai.com

You will have to wade though all of the offers and decide for yourself which course suits you. I wouldn’t recommend doing an online course as it is often viewed as inferior and not recognised by many schools.

VISA (mis)Information
Do you really need a work visa to work in Thailand? The answer to this question depends a lot on you. If you want to work legally and avoid the tedious and expensive border runs then I would suggest doing things legally. It saves you a lot of hassle in the long term even though the visa process can be less than straight-forward. When looking for jobs in Thailand make sure that your school will handle this gruesome process for you. Many schools do offer some help or guidance, but believe me, that isn’t enough. They must actually do it for you. Basically, they will ask you for loads of documents and they do need originals. You will need:
o Original University Transcripts
o Original University Diploma/Certificate
o Original TEFL/CELTA Certificate
o Lots of photos. Do yourself a favor and ask for the exact size. I had to get my mine done 5 times because they were never the right size. GRRR!
o A Health Certificate from a Thai Doctor (When I got mine they checked my blood pressure and asked if I was healthy and gave me the certificate.)

If possible ask your school for a checklist otherwise they will ask for one thing at a time and it gets a bit frustrating and time-consuming. There is some useful information on this website about the visa situation in Thailand www.ajarn.com/Banter/visaworkpermitfaq.htm

Other good websites about Thai visas are:
www.thaivisa.com
www.business-in-asia.com/th_workpermit.html

Once you find a suitable job your employeer will give you some paperwork and you will have to make a visa run to get a Non-immigrant B Visa. You have to have this type of visa in order to apply for a Work Permit and a one year visa. This is valid for three months. It seems like a long time but you will soon find out that the mass of tangled red-tape takes a while to unravel. The good thing is your school will handle it. I advise you to keep tabs of your visa expiry date and keep pestering them about the progress of your visa. Recently at my Bangkok school one of the teachers had their visa expire because…. well because someone wasn’t paying attention.

I think the easiest place to go on your visa run is Penang, Malaysia [see www.thaivisa.com/306.0.html for practical info on how to do this]. Cheap flights can be purchased online though budget air carrier www.airasia.com Believe me you don’t want to take a bus or a train. Pay the extra money (it isn’t much more expensive) and get there quickly and avoid the hassle of going by land. It is a nice place to hang out for a couple of days while your visa is being processed.

Important Questions to Ask
If you are new to Thailand and new to teaching – be careful. Things are not always straightforward here. Ask a lot of questions and if things seem a bit seedy or unclear than maybe it is best to look elsewhere. There are heaps of jobs in Thailand. You will notice that the general pay is about 30,000 baht. [That's roughly £420 or $730US]. Believe me it isn’t enough. You pay a premium for most things in Thailand just because you are a farang (foreigner). If you were Thai that money might seem like a windfall. Most Thais make about 6,000 baht a month and in Bangkok the average salary is about 15,000B a month.You can calculate this in your own currency at Travelhappy’s Currency Converter. This does create a little tension between you and your Thai co-workers so tread carefully and always be respectful. They work a lot harder and have many fewer benefits such as health insurance, bonuses, and longer working hours. Negotiate your salary and all benefits: everything is negotiable. Don’t be shy or you will be scrounging for change a week before you next paycheck is due to be paid. While you can get by on a little money now and then things are still expensive and add up quickly. Also, ask about bonuses and airfare reimbursement. Bonuses are not at all uncommon if you fulfill your one year contract and work full-time. At some international schools they will either pay you cash up to a certain capped amount for a ticket home. This is a lot of money when you are earning Thai Baht. Also, make sure they handle your visa, work-permit, and teacher’s license. These things cost money and you do not want to pay them yourself or have to deal with the government offices who issue these documents.

Housing
This is where you will pay much more than your Thai counter-part. You may pay double what a Thai would pay for the exact same accommodation. Look around and check different locations and prices before you decide on a place. You can stay in a cheap guest house while you are looking. Very few teaching jobs provide accommodation and if they do it is very likely because they are located in the country-read between the lines-in the middle of nowhere. I advise checking the rate on water and electricity. The Thais pay the utility company directly thus getting a much lower price then the farang. You can expect to pay between 4 and 5.5 baht per unit for electricity. Also water is usually a fixed rate of 300 to 500 baht which is 3 to 5 times more expensive then paying the utility company directly. It seems like extortion to me, but it is a common practice here in Thailand and completely legal (I think). The point is this adds up. Our first electricity bill was nearly 5,000 baht!!! That is more expensive than home and I am from Florida where we use a lot of A/C. So be careful. For living in Bangkok, anticipate spending up to 15,000B a month for an apartment of your own, and a further 3500B in utilities. [Here's a useful list of websites that feature Bangkok apartments for rent]. Outside the capital it should be a lot cheaper.

Teaching Jobs
There are several options for actual teaching jobs. You can teach at an international school and the benefits of are higher income and sometimes they are better organized and are accustomed to working with foreigners. Typically, you will get longer paid holidays as they observe Thai and foreign holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and New Year. These are often Christian Schools- usually in name only as most Thais are Buddhist – but they generally offer higher educational standards than most Thai Schools. That also have better facilities. Many Thai schools are not air conditioned and are not the most comfortable places to work in. They just don’t have the same financial resources that the international schools do.

International schools don’t have the same calendar year as the regular government schools. Their school year begins in September and runs until October. This varies by school but that is a general guideline. A TEFL or CELTA would serve you well if you plan to work in an international school. The salary runs up to 80,000 baht per month. This is a lot of money in Thailand.

The second option is a bilingual or even a trilingual school. They too are fairly well-equipped but not quite as well as the international schools. Some people choose to work at these schools part-time for various reasons. The up side of that is less time working (hooray) but the downside is you have to pay for your own work-permit (if you decide to get it), teacher’s license, and visa. Usually, you will get about 6 weeks of paid holiday but I cannot stress enough to ask for the school calendar before the school year starts. It sounds like common sense but we weren’t given the calendar until 2 months after school started and it was less time off then we were initially told which led to some disgruntled teachers. The pay for this type of job is usually between 36-45,000 baht a month plus paid holidays and a bonus after contract completion. The bonus varies by school, but is typically close to one month’s salary.

The third option is a government school. Some of the schools pilot programs and are well-equipped. This means A/C, projectors, and sometimes even computers. These are the exception for government-run schools. Most are stuffy, hot environments with few resources and sometimes no books or very sub-standard books. The pay for working at a government school is much lower as expected. The salary range is 20,000 baht to 35,000 baht. The class size is also much larger than the other two types of schools. These schools are free to Thai nationals and they are crowded. An average class size is usually 50 students. It is not the easiest environment to teach a language in. Also, there are usually no bonuses at contract completion. There is not much incentive to work in government schools but many people choose to do it.

The last choice is to work for a Private English Institute. These are plentiful and by far the least appetizing. The working hours are more often than not much longer and usually only provide for one day off per week. They often have very poor resources and tend to be ill-organised and tend not to offer work permits. Many people work there illegally and are quite happy to do so. Whatever suits your fancy.

A great website for Thai jobs is www.ajarn.com. There is a lot of useful information there. Other jobs can be found on Dave’s ESL Cafe – www.eslcafe.com. I recommend having a good look around before deciding on a job. Thailand is extremely transient so people are always coming and going and jobs are always becoming available.

Thai Culture
Thai people are lovely. A big smile will get you a long way here. It is important to always keep your temper under control. A temper flare-up will get you absolutely nowhere. Even if something is absolutely ridiculous it will work out better if you just work though the problem and pretend to be amiable even if you want to start shouting profanities and banging your fist. This is a predominately Buddhist country and it is evident in the number of temples and shrines that you will see everywhere. The concept of time in Thailand is not the same as other places. Thai people don’t seem to be in a hurry most of the time and it is definitely something that you just have to get used to. This is still a developing country so sometimes things are not up to Western standards and a vast majority of the people here are poor. If you decide to live and work in Thailand it is important to keep things in perspective and always be considerate to the customs and traditions of the Thai people.

While Thailand is a developing country, virtually every luxury you might want from home is available here. In general, you can buy almost anything your heart desires. It is an easy place to live and Thai people are genuinely helpful. They call it the land of smiles for a good reason, and if you want to live and teach here, you just have to do your homework and you will enjoy your time in this amazing country.

If you want some more detailed information about Thai people and culture, try these sites:
www.guidetothailand.com/thailand-travel-information/visa.htm
www.ethailand.com/index.php?id=781

This article was originally posted at: Travel Happy
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Teaching English In Thailand