Basics of Teaching English in Thailand for a Living

In the south eastern Asia, the major communication language is English because this area has so many countries and each with dozens of own languages that no lingua franca could evolve here. Moreover, English is the international language for business, entertainment, internet, communication and education. This has led to a great demand of English speaking skills in south Asian countries, especially Thailand. The tourism industry of the country is evolving at a fast pace as well, fuelling the growth in demand of English.

The regulations and compliances of the past have been much relaxed now and the most important consideration nowadays is that the candidate should be a native speaker. This is not only the case in Thailand but worldwide. The employers insist the candidate to be, at least, bachelor’s degree holder because that assures that the candidate has the basic needed education. Weird enough is that this bachelor’s degree is more important to the employers than a more specialised TEFL or TESOL degree. The subject or the stream of the bachelor’s degree is not important though. Anyone applying for jobs using false certificates are trialled in the country. The employers constantly check the authenticity of the degrees from the issuing universities and colleges.

If you are qualified for the post then Teaching in Thailand is a great way of getting acquainted with the Thai society. Having fun is important in the Thailand culture. It is not always easy, especially for introverts, but the experience is rewarding.

You need to decide whether you want to teach the adults or the children, while applying for the job. The international schools in Thailand follow the curriculum from the certificate issuing board’s country, generally US or UK. These jobs pay the most and thus the competition for these jobs is fierce. Moreover, while selecting a teacher, they adhere to the same qualification criteria of their original country.

While these private schools have their own chains, there are completely independent and often local private institutes as well. They vary greatly in quality because there is no central authority. You need to choose an institute which pays well and treats the teachers well. This is why it pays more to be properly qualified. The better institutes are more probable to pick you and the experience is really rewarding.

Government high schools also employ foreigners to teach English. While the pay is less, the stress is less as well, in these jobs.

Mediakids Academy is based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and they offers Latest English Teaching Jobs in Thailand