Teaching English in Thailand │How did I find a job in 2 days?

Teaching English in Thailand │How did I find a job in 2 days?

On the ninth month of my trip, when I went to Thailand from India, first thing I did was to visit a Turkish friend I had met in Iran. He was working as an English teacher in Thailand. It was quite surprising for me because he wasn’t a teacher -he was a doctor- but he was teaching English in Thailand ! As soon as I stepped in the country, I went to see him. When he talked about the working conditions, it sounded reasonable to me too. A day after he talked to the school  where he works about me. Luckily, as they were looking for a new teacher, they called me the same day for a job interview. The next day, I started to work as an English teacher in Thailand. Meanwhile, I moved into an apartment across the street from the school. After the third day in the country I was teaching English in Thailand !

I’ve worked there for a month because I had to go back to my country because of my grandmother died. But I can honestly say that it was a dream job to me… In this article you can find frequently asked questions about how to work as an English teacher in Thailand. Hope it will be helpful.

How can I find a job to work as as English teacher in Thailand? 

In Asian countries like Thailand, it’s a very common trend to hire foreigners as English teachers. Therefore, there are agencies that are working to find English teachers. You can get in touch with these agencies through the internet. Most of the agencies say that they are looking for native speakers. But usually that’s not an absolute must. So, they’ll evaluate your application even if you’re not a native speaker. When agencies find a job for you, they get commision out of your salary for a while. If you don’t like to share your money, you can directly talk to the schools or you’ll need a contact. In this case you will need a friend like mine or you need to make a detailed google search.

Do I need to have a bachelor degree in education or English to work as an English teacher in Thailand?

No. Having graduated from any four-year undergraduate program is enough to work as an English Teacher.

What are the documents required for teaching English in Thailand?

As you guess, passport is the main one among the documents required to work abroad. Besides that, they ask for the original of your diploma. If you don’t have it with you, you’ll need to send it through the postal service. Moreover, you need a clearence from a police station in Thailand. In the police station, they also record your fingerprint. Finally, a proficiency certificate from TOEIC exam is required. The documents required are limited with these. To start working at some schools, you don’t even need to have collected all these documents. Under the condition that you’ll complete the documents some other time.

Do they ask for a proficiency of English certificate to hire you as an English teacher?

Yes. I had already scored 6.5 on IELTS test before. But the school I worked at didn’t accept my results on IELTS and TOEFL exams. Instead, they were asking for a score of 600 at least on TOEIC exam. They didn’t wanted me to satisfy this condition as soon as they hired me. After I completed my documents, they told me to attend the exam and obtain the certificate at a later time.

How much is the salary?

Each school has its own salary system. The school I worked at was paying 35.000 Baht for 25 working hours in 5 days a week. The wage increases with the extra lecture hours. After obtaining work permit, the salary rises by 3000 Baht. (It was in 2017)

What are the working hours?

I was working from 08:00 until 16:00. The classes were not all day long. Weekends off.

How is the process of obtaining work permit?

The process for obtaining work permit starts after collecting all required documents. The schools help with lots of things during this process. I have no idea about the process because I had left before it began.

Was it difficult to work as an English teacher in Thailand?

No it wasn’t! On the contrary, it was quite easy. Since I speak English well and since I taught group of 4-7 year olds, it was the most enjoyful job on earth. Especially if you love cartoons and children’s songs, like I do, you can be sure that you will enjoy watching educatory videos and listening songs during the 40-minute lectures. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say working as an English teacher here was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Teaching English in Thailand was the best…

Who was responsible for the accommodation?

Finding a place to stay was my responsibility. Luckily, I found a furnished apartment right across the street from the school and settled there. I was paying 4.500 Baht per month for that sweet and newly-built apartment consisting of double bed, wardrobe, refrigerator, air conditioner, kitchen sink, toilet and shower bath. For cooking purposes, I bought myself a hot plate and a cookware set for a price equals to 50 Lira. I used the communal washing machine in the building for my laundry.


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