How to become an xpat- International Teaching

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Get some dosh together and do a Masters in Applied linguistics. This qualification, combined with some teaching experience will get you into thai universities, instructor jobs at CELTA/TESOL courses, and management positions at private language schools.

 

A DELTA + degree would probably land you the same jobs in Thailand. Or, more likely, knowing (or being recommended to) the person responsible for recruiting for the position.

[rawiri 0]

A DELTA + degree would probably land you the same jobs in Thailand. Or, more likely, knowing (or being recommended to) the person responsible for recruiting for the position.

 

 

Sure, but i'm taking the MA route due to MA's being a prerequisite to work in the middle east, with the intention of eventually making my way to LOS working in some sort of management capacity. Thats the plan anyways, a DELTA and degree should get you into a Thai university, but thats about the extent of it.

[touristman 1]

Sure, but i'm taking the MA route due to MA's being a prerequisite to work in the middle east, with the intention of eventually making my way to LOS working in some sort of management capacity. Thats the plan anyways, a DELTA and degree should get you into a Thai university, but thats about the extent of it.

 

That seems fair enough.

 

When i first came here, i met up with some 50+ year old expat international teachers............6 months in BKK, 6 months in Korea / Tiawan, and none were short of cash.They seemed happy enough and mixed in a circle of international teachers............their key was that they had real (transferable) qualifications that were respected in real institutes of learning (as well as tick-box places like Thailand).

 

Can i have some details on your course please Rawiri, the costs involved and the content / timescales?

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Sure, but i'm taking the MA route due to MA's being a prerequisite to work in the middle east, with the intention of eventually making my way to LOS working in some sort of management capacity. Thats the plan anyways, a DELTA and degree should get you into a Thai university, but thats about the extent of it.

 

An Ma isn't a prerequisite to work in the Middle East. A typical employer such as BAE Systems will pay you 40k GBP p.a. tax free for a BA, TEFL and 5 years experience.

[rawiri 0]

An Ma isn't a prerequisite to work in the Middle East. A typical employer such as BAE Systems will pay you 40k GBP p.a. tax free for a BA, TEFL and 5 years experience.

 

 

Yeah...but i'll be fucked if i'm working for an english language academy for an arab, koreans are bad enough in terms of being treated like a sub human!

 

That seems fair enough.

 

When i first came here, i met up with some 50+ year old expat international teachers............6 months in BKK, 6 months in Korea / Tiawan, and none were short of cash.They seemed happy enough and mixed in a circle of international teachers............their key was that they had real (transferable) qualifications that were respected in real institutes of learning (as well as tick-box places like Thailand).

 

Can i have some details on your course please Rawiri, the costs involved and the content / timescales?

 

 

This one looks pretty good http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/postgraduate/cou...p/mal_tesol.htm . It works out at about 12 000 Aus $ and is full time for 1 year. At 4 units a semester it's a lot of work but nothing worth having comes easy in life right. Some people may knock MA's but courses that specifically relate to TESOL, combined with experience (i will have 6 years teaching under my belt by the time i start my MA), really do stand you in good steed for the cream of the EFL jobs out there, be they in thailand or elsewhere.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Yeah...but i'll be fucked if i'm working for an english language academy for an arab, koreans are bad enough in terms of being treated like a sub human!

 

Are you only visiting this planet, or what?

 

BAE is British Aerospace and apart from being neither Arab nor an English language academy they aren't renowned for treating their employees like sub-humans.

[rawiri 0]

Are you only visiting this planet, or what?

 

BAE is British Aerospace and apart from being neither Arab nor an English language academy they aren't renowned for treating their employees like sub-humans.

 

 

Save the sarcasm brother, up until this point i had no clue who BAE is. I have tentativley laid out a career path that would see me living and working in LOS on a decent salary. I'd rather not rest on the laurels of a BA and CELTA/TESOL if you are choosing TEFL teaching as a career, it seems rather short sighted to me, but thats just my opinon.

Edited October 1, 2007 by rawiri

[touristman 1]

I don't know what the stats are but the vast vast majority of teachers seem to have a BA (standing joke, BA -please take one ) rather than a B.Eng or a B.Sc.

 

Even though these are language teachers, would they be more employable with an Engineering or Science Degree so that they could also teach (or act as substitute) for Maths / Science classes???? or does it not work that way?

 

Can BA Degree holders even teach Maths?

 

I'm interested in Thailand (tick-box country, little substance) and beyond (Korea, Hong Kong......where substance of qualifications seems to matter).

 

All replies (NOT joekicker please) would be welcomed and gratefully recieved.

 

p.s............40k GBP (tax-free) seems like an 'adequate' salary

 

p.p.s..rawiri, thanks for your reply

[rawiri 0]

I don't know what the stats are but the vast vast majority of teachers seem to have a BA (standing joke, BA -please take one ) rather than a B.Eng or a B.Sc.

 

Even though these are language teachers, would they be more employable with an Engineering or Science Degree so that they could also teach (or act as substitute) for Maths / Science classes???? or does it not work that way?

 

Can BA Degree holders even teach Maths?

 

I'm interested in Thailand (tick-box country, little substance) and beyond (Korea, Hong Kong......where substance of qualifications seems to matter).

 

All replies (NOT joekicker please) would be welcomed and gratefully recieved.

 

p.s............40k GBP (tax-free) seems like an 'adequate' salary

 

p.p.s..rawiri, thanks for your reply

 

 

Hey, i've been teaching in Korea for just over 4 years now. Here's the skinny, If you have a degree in basketweaving from the north east Hartlypool agricultural community college for the academically challenged, and a warm pulse, you will get a job in korea. We are employed as human tape recorders, they want us to teach pronunciation, and thats it. Korean teachers teach math and science, we teach "orange....orange....orange....orange....IT'S NOT FUCKING ORANGEEE IT'S FUCKING ORANGE". There are two options available to you in korea if you have an undergraduate degree, either teach in an after school academy for a private business that may or may not go bust before the completion of your 1 year contract or teach at a public school. There are of course plusses and minuses to both these options, working in after school academy's usually means an afternoon start, small classes and the chance to work with other foreigners and hot young korean girls. This is offset by the very probable chance that your boss will be a money hungry, incompetent, asswipe who cares about nothing (kids and staff included) but the bottom line.

 

Public schools are good in that you have a lot of time to fuck around (hence my internet addiction) so long as you are seen as looking busy. For instance, mondays i have a grand total of 3 40 minute classes but have to be at school from 830-430. The fact that you are payed every month and have 100% of your contract fulfilled are the biggest selling points to me of working in a public school over an academy but, the classes can be huge (upwards of 50) and you really have to have your classroom management/methodology/ lesson planning techniques down. Also, you will be the only foreigner teaching at your school and possibly living in your town if you are in a rural area, this has it's charms to begin with but rapidly gets quite grating.

 

The money can be good, i have friends working in seoul making 4 500 a month with a free house thrown in on top. I make about half that with free accomodation as well but will head off to bigger and better things next year.

 

Feel free to hit me with any questions.

[ginseng 0]

I have a BA in English and with a refresher course I could probably distinguish a subject from an object in a sentence. If I chose to teach English should I get the CELTA or is a TEFL sufficient? I don't want to spend more for training if it's not going to equal higher pay.

[touristman 1]

As a quick aside, the English chap who i bought my 'condo' from was a teacher living full-time in Pattaya.

 

Taught at a local Pattaya school, good hours, flexibilty, was an English teacher and taught computer studies too and was head of a department.He seemed a competent decent chap (about 50), and said that the work wasn't taxing and the extra roles allowed him very easy extra cash and he ALWAYS earned more than he could spend each month ( he had a family here too).If you live where you want, then earing more than your outgoings has got to be the key.

 

Quality of life, and a net financial surplus................not sure how many Brits can claim that in England these days

 

Looks like i'll have to 'learn' English................and then learn 'how to teach it'

[zaphodbeeblebrox 0]

As a quick aside, the English chap who i bought my 'condo' from was a teacher living full-time in Pattaya.

 

Taught at a local Pattaya school, good hours, flexibilty, was an English teacher and taught computer studies too and was head of a department.He seemed a competent decent chap (about 50), and said that the work wasn't taxing and the extra roles allowed him very easy extra cash and he ALWAYS earned more than he could spend each month ( he had a family here too).If you live where you want, then earing more than your outgoings has got to be the key.

 

Quality of life, and a net financial surplus................not sure how many Brits can claim that in England these days

 

Looks like i'll have to 'learn' English................and then learn 'how to teach it'

 

He must have been very lucky. Most English teaching positions in Pattaya pay about 25,000 baht per month. It is the worst city for Native English teaching salaries in all of LOS. Don't get me wrong, 25,000 per month is a lot when you realize that Thai teachers are paid 7,000 to 10,000 baht per month. The average entry level Native English teaching job in LOS pays about 40,000 baht per month, so Pattaya salaries are definitely depressed.

Edited October 1, 2007 by zaphodbeeblebrox

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Quality of life, and a net financial surplus................not sure how many Brits can claim that in England these days

 

Looks like i'll have to 'learn' English................and then learn 'how to teach it'

 

touristman,

 

I wouldn't worry about the English bit too much. Adapting to Thai "ways" in a school as well as the cultural and practical challenges should you choose to live in the sticks will present much more of a challenge.

[zaphodbeeblebrox 0]

touristman,

 

I wouldn't worry about the English bit too much. Adapting to Thai "ways" in a school as well as the cultural and practical challenges should you choose to live in the sticks will present much more of a challenge.

 

Good advice Tom. There are big differences, i.e., you can't fail students, you can't cause a student to lose face, and, as a farang, you can't discipline the kids like a thai teacher (with a cane).

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Good advice Tom. There are big differences, i.e., you can't fail students, you can't cause a student to lose face, and, as a farang, you can't discipline the kids like a thai teacher (with a cane).

 

Yep, there's no cheating either ........... they're merely assisting each other.

[JohnnyK 28]

Save the sarcasm brother, up until this point i had no clue who BAE is. I have tentativley laid out a career path that would see me living and working in LOS on a decent salary. I'd rather not rest on the laurels of a BA and CELTA/TESOL if you are choosing TEFL teaching as a career, it seems rather short sighted to me, but thats just my opinon.

Easy chief, you're the un-worldly dweeb who leaped to a snarky conclusion because you didn't do any homework to know one of the top aerospace companies in the world.

Hope you have a bit more knowledge about the big world when you begin to impart wisdom to your lucky pupils.

 

There are of course plusses and minuses to both these options, working in after school academy's....

The fact that you are payed every month....

 

Feel free to hit me with any questions.

Four questions then:

1) Do you know the difference between plurals and possessives? Perhaps not.

2) Can you spell past participles correctly?

3) Can you use an atlas? It's Hartlepool.

4) How are you ever going to get through an MA?

Edited October 1, 2007 by JohnnyK

[rawiri 0]

Easy chief, you're the un-worldly dweeb who leaped to a snarky conclusion because you didn't do any homework to know one of the top aerospace companies in the world.

 

My man, i've been on the road for the last 7 years.

 

 

Hope you have a bit more knowledge about the big world when you begin to impart wisdom to your lucky pupils.

 

4 years in Korea and no complaints yet, funnily enough, no queries regarding BAE either...fancy that!

 

 

Four questions then:

1) Do you know the difference between plurals and possessives? Perhaps not.

 

 

yes

 

 

2) Can you spell past participles correctly?

 

yes

 

 

3) Can you use an atlas? It's Hartlepool.

 

 

get the joke

 

 

4) How are you ever going to get through an MA?

 

Same way i got through 2 BA'selbow grease, a little luck, nicotine and a shitload of instant coffee

 

I don't want a flame war with you, you obviously are one of the big wigs round here with your 2500+ posts so i'll leave you with the last word. I just came here to catch up with skygod's exploits and thought i would contribute to a thread i know a bit about. I think i'll refrain in the future.

Edited October 2, 2007 by rawiri

[aqua4 2]

Good advice Tom. There are big differences, i.e., you can't fail students, you can't cause a student to lose face, and, as a farang, you can't discipline the kids like a thai teacher (with a cane).

 

 

Yep, there's no cheating either ........... they're merely assisting each other.

 

 

 

Don't forget that Asians love paperwork. There is a form for everything.

[JohnnyK 28]

Easy chief, you're the un-worldly dweeb who leaped to a snarky conclusion because you didn't do any homework to know one of the top aerospace companies in the world.

 

My man, i've been on the road for the last 7 years.

Hope you have a bit more knowledge about the big world when you begin to impart wisdom to your lucky pupils.

 

4 years in Korea and no complaints yet, funnily enough, no queries regarding BAE either...fancy that!

Four questions then:

1) Do you know the difference between plurals and possessives? Perhaps not.

yes

2) Can you spell past participles correctly?

 

yes

3) Can you use an atlas? It's Hartlepool.

get the joke

4) How are you ever going to get through an MA?

 

Same way i got through 2 BA'selbow grease, a little luck, nicotine and a shitload of instant coffee

 

I don't want a flame war with you, you obviously are one of the big wigs round here with your 2500+ posts so i'll leave you with the last word. I just came here to catch up with skygod's exploits and thought i would contribute to a thread i know a bit about. I think i'll refrain in the future.

 

no worries mate, 4 years in korea wold fuck up anybody's brain

a few months of teaching korean males drives me nuts!

carry on!

[short 215]

I've seen more errors in one sentence before, but not recently. I'm sure you could do better. A search for clues would help, as you appear to have found none at all.

 

 

Literacy flames are so passe they show your age.

[joekicker 53]

Literacy flames are so passe they show your age.

 

Huh? I was commenting on his fact-free post, not his style. You may guess my age, but in return I'll guess you didn't read the thread.

 

Just for the record, I really think comments on literacy and typing ability are ridiculous, small cheap shots, stupid and an almost certain sign the guy making the typos already won, going away. The only time I've ever made such a post in more than a generation was to make fun of the type.

 

The person who doesn't make such errors in an Internet forum has got to be a rare bird. Personally, I've never seen one.

[nidnoyham 30]

Ah well, in thee generations, there will be enough Thais living in the U.K, speaking both languages fluently, that the shortage of English teachers will disappear

 

I still think someone like my GF, who spends 6 months a year speaking English over here, could do a great deal of good in her little village school. But she doesn't have the qualifications to teach.

 

This qualification lark is a load of old bollocks. While in Kelso last month, I joined the owner of our B&B in the pub quiz. He had a University education, masters in maths etc, but had to apologize at least three times when he overruled my answers on history, sport and general knowledge. It was me who could convert 63.5 kg into 10stone in my head. Even when giving the wrong answer, he was so sure he was right, we were convinced he must be right too.

 

Ah well, I feel better now.

[Eneukman 1]

Ah well, in thee generations, there will be enough Thais living in the U.K, speaking both languages fluently, that the shortage of English teachers will disappear

 

I still think someone like my GF, who spends 6 months a year speaking English over here, could do a great deal of good in her little village school. But she doesn't have the qualifications to teach.

 

This qualification lark is a load of old bollocks. While in Kelso last month, I joined the owner of our B&B in the pub quiz. He had a University education, masters in maths etc, but had to apologize at least three times when he overruled my answers on history, sport and general knowledge. It was me who could convert 63.5 kg into 10stone in my head. Even when giving the wrong answer, he was so sure he was right, we were convinced he must be right too.

 

Ah well, I feel better now.

 

I find it very sad thay a maths graduate cannot convert kg into lbs in his head. It isn't exactly rocket science to do so - 1kg = 2.2lbs. Therefore 63.5 * 2 = 127. 10% of 127 is 12.7. 127 + 12.7 = 139.7, which is as near as damn it 10 stone. Simplicity itself.

 

Alan

[nidnoyham 30]

Don't panick Alan,

 

He was an Anglo- Kiwi. I am sure a Scot would have know it.

 

He will be driving a 1902 Benz from London to Brighton next month. Gives you some idea of his background.

[zaphodbeeblebrox 0]

Ah well, in thee generations, there will be enough Thais living in the U.K, speaking both languages fluently, that the shortage of English teachers will disappear

 

I still think someone like my GF, who spends 6 months a year speaking English over here, could do a great deal of good in her little village school. But she doesn't have the qualifications to teach.

 

There will always be a demand for native-speaking EFL teachers in LOS. Thais cannot pronounce certain phonetic sounds and blends which are critical to the proper speaking of English. I am tutoring a very gifted 7 year old bilingual 1/2 Thai-1/2 Taiwanese boy. His English skills are more advanced than his Thai skills. He thinks in English, not in Thai. Still, he has major pronunciation problems which will probably never be overcome.

 

Of all Asian countries, Thailand has the lowest English proficiency. For that reason, the schools must hire native English teachers. I would agree that an ethnic Thai, raised in an English speaking country could teach Thai, but I can also say that the Thais are very reluctant to hire such a person due to image issues. And how many ethnic Thais would want to return to LOS to teach? Not many.