Teaching in Thailand

[SpencerK]

Hello

I have a degree from the UK (Not in teaching)  and live in Australia.

I am thinking of teaching in Thailand next year.

From the forums it appears a degree of any sort plus a TEFL / CELTA can get you a teaching post in a company / school.

I am looking at doing the CELTA certification to add to my requirements, however, do I not need to do any specific short teaching training course on top to show proficiency in teaching to get my licence as well as TEFL/CELTA + Degree?

It seems just having a degree plus CELTA/TEFL is enough? 

Also how does one then go about obtaining the teachers licence, is that something I need to arrange when there or is that something the school will sort out?

Many thanks for any input

[moontang]

Skip the TEFL.  The few doors it will open for you are not worth the money.  The degree is by far, the most important.  Add a pulse and a clean rap sheet, and your hired.. for about half of what a fast food worker makes in the West. 

The TEFL schools emphasize the practice teaching, but it seems like those programs are more suitable for NNES and non degree holders. You can brush up on parts of speech, and parts of a sentence on your own.  I like hypergrammar.  

 

I have never met a graduate of a decent university who was unable to enter a classroom.  The paperwork is a goddamn nightmare, that is the deal killer for me, since I am on a retirement extension, which is far easier to maintain than teacher stuff. 

[Isaanbiker]

 You need a BA in any field, not necessarily a TEFL, or a CELTA.  Once you've found a teaching position, the school should assist you to apply for a provisional teacher's license, good for two years.

 

You need some documents from the school, a letter of employment, a letter from the educational area office xxx, please see: 

 

  After the two years, you can apply for two more provisional licenses, but then you'd need to have an additional Diploma in education ( offered by a Filipino university, please Google), or any other qualification that's accepted by Khurusapha, to be able to apply for the full license.

 

  Please see: http://site.ksp.or.th/about.php?site=englishsite&SiteMenuID=4618

 

And: 

 

 

 

  

[allane]

Good morning,

- to obtain a Work Permit and 1 yr. Non-Immigrant "B" visa, you need a four year Bachelor's Degree. Any discipline is acceptable.

-bring the original copy of your degree and transcripts. For the latter, that means a copy signed by an authorized officer of the university, with an embossed seal, preferably in a sealed envelope. You are British; if you do not have the originals in your possession already, the process to obtain them can be long, complex and expensive.

- a TEFL/CELTA?PGSCE is not required to teach here, though having any of these can only enhance your employability.

-the Teacher's Licence requirements are all taken care of by the school, and indeed it can not be obtained unless you are already working at a school.

[RJRS1301]

I think for your own competency and for possible future employment in other countries the CELTA will serve you well, it will also assist with lesson planning, and increase your possible value to employers or other career opportunities

 

You may even be able to utilise your degree in your first discipline 

[SpencerK]

54 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

I think for your own competency and for possible future employment in other countries the CELTA will serve you well, it will also assist with lesson planning, and increase your possible value to employers or other career opportunities

 

You may even be able to utilise your degree in your first discipline 

Thanks for the advice

[SpencerK]

So to clarify, there is no need to have an pre-understanding of sciences to teach subjects like biology, physics, and the arts like History and Geography to school kids? Is the syllabus given and pretty straight forward to follow?

[allane]

Legally speaking, you are correct. You do not need a degree in Chemistry, or even another Science, to teach Chemistry. But keep this in in mind:  The number of Thai high school students studying Chemistry in English is just a tiny percentage of the total. If no qualified foreign teacher can be found, the students can easily be integrated into the regular Thai program where they are taught by the regular Thai Chemistry teachers. It is rare to find a completely unqualified foreigner assigned to the task. This is a reason why English and Mini English Programs are much more preponderant at the elementary level than at the high school level.

My comments do not apply to International schools. They bring qualified teachers from abroad, 

[brewsterbudgen]

Do you plan on teaching English as a foreign language outside Thailand?  If so, I would certainly do a CELTA or Trinity.  While you'll be able to get a TEFL job in Thailand without a (proper) TEFL qualification, you'll find it very difficult to do so in Europe, the Middle East or some other Asian countries. If you've never taught English before, and you want to work in the corporate or exam preparation sector (as opposed to Thai schools), you'll need to know what you're doing.

[cyril sneer]

A bachelors degree is all that's needed and a pulse. Any other course is a waste of money unless you're wanting to get a teachers licence. 

 

Ignore the poster above saying the BA need's to be 4 years, he's obviously american

 

 

[DavisH]

On 6/16/2019 at 12:43 PM, SpencerK said:

So to clarify, there is no need to have an pre-understanding of sciences to teach subjects like biology, physics, and the arts like History and Geography to school kids? Is the syllabus given and pretty straight forward to follow?

I'm in an English program, and I can say with certainty you will need a strong background in maths/science to teach those subjects well. 

If possible, I would do a Graduate Diploma in Education in Australia, if possible, before you come to Thailand. This is a one year full-time course. I did mine through the University of New England in Armidale. You can do that as an external student, so you don't have to live in Armidale to do it. If you are serious about a career in teaching, I would do that.

If you are just killing a couple of years, just do the celta (which isn't a requirement, anyway) and come an teach in a school for a couple of years. You would get a provisional teaching licence, which is required for formal schools. language schools do not require the teaching licence. The GradDip would allow you to get the full 5 year licence. It would also open some doors for better paying international schools. 

 

[onlycw]

Hi,

 

save your time and the money, unless you see this as a career change. - "Management" wouldn't even bother reading the applications of exceptionally good teachers. Folks who got their Ed degrees in the late 1970s and early 80s. All willing to work for 30 k, coming from international schools in Hong Kong etc. Great applicants - but the boss chose some backpacker Dude, 20, who brought his skateboard and gave every one a middle score (which became a headache for the Thais who had to guesstimate scores).

 

The only difference? He had to sign a different book.

 

So if we are talking some village school job, forget about it. Watch videos, educate yourself. Volunteer somewhere...  JMHO. OTOH, Vietnam is obsessed with this qualification and if you want to work there, you better get it.