As someone who has been in Thailand for almost 12 years, starting as a teacher and now working as a hirer, I often see wild ‘facts’ and opinions thrown around on social media about how to apply to be a teacher in Thailand. I think a lot of it comes from people conflating their personal experiences as a universal truth about the rules and conditions of Thailand. I’m going to lay out five major ‘bad takes’ and either offer more context, or just show you’re they’re wrong.
- “You have to come to Thailand before you can get hired.”
This is wrong, and more than that, it can put some people in difficult positions once they get out here. It’s true you can get a job by coming over on a tourist visa and then having the school start your work visa process, but if you’re a good candidate it can often be easier for the school to hire you before you arrive. If you are a high value teacher it is actually in my best interest if you can get your visa before you leave your home country. A work visa must be applied for when you are outside of Thailand so even if you’re here and we hire you, you’re going to have to make a trip to Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos etc. in order to make your visa application. Leaving the country can mean you’ll have to miss classes and that’s not a stress I like to pick up or put on my team of teachers and would rather you arrive with the visa to avoid this.
That said it may be in your best interest to come to Thailand if either of the following is true:
1. You are from a country where there is a high volume of teachers applying. Countries like South Africa and the Philippines (to name a few) are having more and more teachers applying and you might want to stand out from the crowd by being more immediately available.
2. The school term has started (May – November). In this case schools often need quick replacements because of unexpected drop outs or and being immediately available can be preferable to finding the perfect teachers.
Regardless, if you’re a teacher with experience and/or a teaching qualification, take your time and apply before you leave your home country. The visa process can take over a month so give yourself a lot of time. - “The best time to apply for the new term is x”
I can tell you, as a long term hirer, the best time to apply is between January and March for positions starting for the first term in May. Hiring is a laborious process and my goal is to get the hiring done before term two ends at the end of March. I expect people to change their mind, there are so many variables when people are moving country, so I want a team locked in early which means I’ll be better prepared to deal with the late drop outs.
Even that is a loose guideline for when to apply because schools are always looking for teachers due to transient nature of teachers who’ve packed up their lives to move to a foreign country. If your CV pops up in my inbox when I’m not inundated with 200 other applicants there’s a really good chance I’m going to be reaching to you immediately.
If you know what you want, and you’re ready to make the big move, start making your applications now! - “You do need to go through an agency / you don’t need to go through an agency”
Agencies get a bad rap, and in large part that is earned. I have heard countless stories of agencies withholding money, withholding passports and placing teachers in very remote and under resourced schools. Because of this, I mostly agree that agencies are unnecessary and just another thing to navigate when you could be approaching the schools directly. Good schools will help you with your visa, help you find accommodation and help get you settled in your environment. The schools do the jobs that you’re paying agencies to do, so why bother?
This used to be my unbending stance on agencies but now having worked with so many different kinds of people I can see that agencies can offer comfort and give individuals the courage to make this massive step of teaching in a foreign country.
Good agencies can even set you up (for a price) with a TEFL certificate and some real experience in the classroom which can make those first steps into an ESL job just that little bit easier. So if you’re a naturally nervous person and need to feel like you’ve got someone looking out for you, then yeah sure why not, do what’s best for you. There are some terrible schools which will take advantage of you in the same way a bad agency would, so I guess here regardless of the path you choose, just make sure you do your research thoroughly before you commit to anything. - “You’re wasting your time at the Thai government and public schools”
This is true only if you’re coming to Thailand to save money to take back to countries like the United States. You’re not going to make big money at most Thai schools, but you can make a living in Thailand and you can save money to take back home if your countries currency isn’t as strong. If money is a priority and you have your teaching qualifications, then absolutely focus on international schools, but there’s definitely value in all kinds of schools in Thailand
Salaries are low in Thailand, teachers should be paid more (Thai and foreign) but the reality is that when you’re starting off the average teacher is going to be earning anywhere between 30,000THB and 40,000THB a month. It’s not a lot for most people, but it can do a lot for you in Thailand. With this salary you might be living cheap during the week but you can still get away to the islands once or twice a month, you can still put aside money to save for the holidays and you can still live an enviable life in tropical Thailand.
There are a lot of people on social media who will cut this idea down and tell you to not even bother but having seen literal hundreds of teachers over the years live a fun, fulfilled and adventurous life here in my city, I can tell you with 100% certainty it is possible. I understand perspectives change depending on your background but if you’re a young teacher looking to see Thailand and the world, don’t let the negativity hold you back.
There are good schools and there are bad schools, and there will be some nonsense with any school, but you can find something in Thailand that will give you the life you’re looking for. The best of the schools will even be exactly what you need to gain experience and contribute positively to the growth of the school, and the improvement of the education for the students you teach. - “You can teach in Thailand without a degree.”
No, you can’t.
Technically you can, technically you can do anything illegal, but it doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences. Some agencies, and some schools even, will make you promises about being able to get you a job without a degree, but this can put you in very hot water.
1. If you come over without a degree and the agency or school lets you teach you will now be at their mercy because it’s not legal. They can threaten to tell immigration and you are leaving yourself open to exploitation.
2. If you come over without a degree and you get found out by immigration, you will be deported. Personally, I wouldn’t do well with that stress.
There are other countries that will accept teachers without a degree, don’t come over here without one.
Thailand is a wonderful place with the potential to offer you one of the best experiences of your life, but like anything, it means that you need to be proactive with your research to avoid the potential pitfalls. Be brave, be smart and you’re almost guaranteed to have an experience that can change your life for the better.
I plan to write a lot more about my experience here in Thailand so if you’d like to know about anything specific please add it to the comments and either I’ll get back to you there or perhaps be inspired to make it a full topic in my next post.
Two Shoes Travels 