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I posted this in SAL as well, but I figured I could probably ask here as well. I'm looking for teaching jobs in SEA (I'm thinking Thailand, if only because the airfares are cheaper in case things go south). I haven't quite finished my TESOL Certification, and I'm looking for trustworthyish places to work. Does anyone have much experience looking for teaching jobs?
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Jul 31, 2013 12:06
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See my post here. Generally speaking if you dress well and have a bachelor's degree you should be able to land something full time paying at least $1,100 a month, and in exceptional cases double that depending on the school and location. Chiang Mai salaries are generally a bit lower than national averages. The best time to get hired in most schools is from mid-April to mid-May. Don't expect airfare or housing, but you will likely have health coverage and your work permit paid for.
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Jul 31, 2013 12:58
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Random note, I recall reading that the special work permit type that they created for teachers purposely doesn't include SS contributions or benefits, but that you can still pay in on your own. I'm not teaching, but curious to hear your thoughts, Mothra. EDIT: In case there's any confusion, yes, I'm referring to the Nazi special forces.
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Jul 31, 2013 13:22
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That sounds right. The teacher work permit is pretty standard for all government schools and includes some sort of state-mandated Thai cultural class. That said, if you work at a private school or language center you don't always wind up on that visa. I know in Chiang Mai there's plenty of teachers who are getting their visa runs to Vientiane paid for to get double-entry tourist visas. Just ignore the big "EMPLOYMENT PROHIBITED" stamp, I suppose.
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Jul 31, 2013 14:10
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MothraAttack posted:That sounds right. The teacher work permit is pretty standard for all government schools and includes some sort of state-mandated Thai cultural class. That said, if you work at a private school or language center you don't always wind up on that visa. I know in Chiang Mai there's plenty of teachers who are getting their visa runs to Vientiane paid for to get double-entry tourist visas. Just ignore the big "EMPLOYMENT PROHIBITED" stamp, I suppose. Yup. A lot of people work illegally. Technically I'm doing that right now, due to some nonsense with my former agency, but I'm on Non-Immigrant ED visa, which means I'm sort of a student of Thai language. The school has already let the ministry know, I'm just waiting to do a Thai culture course and then I can get a work permit. Patrovsky, finding a teaching job in Thailand is silly easy. Have a look around ajarn.com and apply for a couple things. Even if you don't match the qualifications it doesn't mean they won't hire you. Agencies will always be hiring at all times of the year, just be sure to do a little research on your agency. They range from "sort of shady but pay you on time" to "oh my god, they never paid me for anything but charged me to do a TEFL, placement, etc."
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Jul 31, 2013 14:21
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Thanks for the link. I'll Google options before I apply for anything, just so I don't accidentally end up it a bad position.
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Jul 31, 2013 14:29
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Apparently there's been an oil spill http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2013/07/31/thai-oil-spill-feared-to-be-spreading
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Jul 31, 2013 14:57
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A lubricant spill on Koh Gay Pissadarn. Next there will be an antiretroviral spill off Pattaya.
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Jul 31, 2013 15:20
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Patrovsky posted:Thanks for the link. I'll Google options before I apply for anything, just so I don't accidentally end up it a bad position. It's futile and counterproductive to look for teaching jobs in Thailand before you're there and in possession of a Thai cell number IMO. You can find something, but it will be something everyone else has passed on. Show up first and you get to see the school to help scouse out sketch, get a chance at the more desirable / competitive jobs which already have on the ground applicants, and get to live in Thailand while you job search which can be done fairly inexpensively. Ajarn.com has an active forum with only a small amount of permanently jaded British poo poo heads. Anyone specifically looking at Thailand and generally at SE Asia should spend a good amount of time there reading threads and maybe asking questions. My English teaching thread got moved to that Careers subform against my advice. raton fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Jul 31, 2013 |
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Jul 31, 2013 15:56
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Anyone have any tips for the cheapest and most efficient way to visit Malaysian Borneo, Sumatra, and Bali (starting around the time my Malay visa is going to expire, ...so I either need to do Indonesia first, get an extension, or run to Singapore/Brunei)? I'll likely be spending a month or two at each, after which I have no idea where I'm going...
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Jul 31, 2013 17:05
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Hey guys, I spent four months in Thailand and Cambodia in 2010 and have just managed to get to a place which will allow me head out there again in the end of October or early November. I have a quick question regarding teaching English in Thailand and thought I'd post about it now since it's already come up on this page. I'd like to spend a year teaching English in Thailand this time round. I don't have a degree, however I am a (well turned out!) native English speaker from the UK. I'm currently thinking of doing a TEFL course in Thailand (probably in Bangkok) and then trying to land a job in a smaller less popular place. One of my favourite towns last time I was there was Trang which ReindeerF visited a little while ago I think - glad to hear you enjoyed it! I'd love to teach somewhere like that. How feasible is it to land a job that'll pay me enough money to live (and hopefully not spend any of my current savings) with only a TEFL course albeit one gained while in Thailand itself (which I seem to remember is the best way to go about things - get the TEFL course in the country you intend to teach in). I met up with a goon last time I was out there and had a good night of drunken shenanigans on KSR, hoping to do the same again this time round. I can't wait to get out there again.
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Jul 31, 2013 17:35
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http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/07/31/north-texan-killed-in-thailand-over-singing-dispute/ “Witnesses said Carter got angry when the band played ‘Hotel California’ instead of the song he requested, and he refused to step down,” Krabi city police chief Col. Taksin Pochakorn said.
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Jul 31, 2013 18:50
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From Dallas, of course. I bet I can guess where he was, too. It's not like Ao Nang has a poo poo-ton of rough areas. I love Ao Nang, have been down there a number of times and have made a number of friends. I've never had a single issue.
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Jul 31, 2013 19:03
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Vietnam talk. Most of the hostels in Saigon and Hanoi seem to be designed around small groups or couples. Half don't even have mixed dorms. I'm going to need suggestions please. I didn't know I would need a partner for this.
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Jul 31, 2013 19:31
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I never had this issue. Just rent a room and ignore how many people they want in it. I forget the exact name, but Madame Whatever ## worked fine for me.
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Jul 31, 2013 19:34
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Agoda.com is pretty nice for solo travelers. The prices they show you are the cost for the room, not per person in the room like every hostel site shows. You can't show lowest price to highest on the website (you have to plug in prices on the sidebar) but you can on the mobile app. I stayed in Saigon Youth Hostel and it was pretty nice, they have 4 bed dorms with ensuite bathrooms with a really nice shower. I don't remember if there were mixed dorms because I stayed in the female dorms. Why do you want mixed dorms anyway? They've got a sister hostel called Saigon Backpackers that's not in an alley too. The problem with Saigon for me was that most hostels aren't really social places. You have to go out to bars to meet people typically. Just book a room somewhere around the Pham Ngu Lao area, that's where all of the backpacker bars are.
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Aug 1, 2013 03:05
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Ted Ed Fred posted:I have a quick question regarding teaching English in Thailand and thought I'd post about it now since it's already come up on this page. A word of warning: a real bachelor's degree is required to get the teaching work permit from TCT, and in turn work at most government and international schools. This is something that Thailand has actually gotten semi-serious about in the past two years. Without one, your options are limited to some universities, private language schools and kinder stuff. There might be some exceptions but probably 98% of TEFLers here these days have diplomas, so it's going to put you in a tricky place. This is where a TEFL might help, but I have to stress might. TEFLs don't seem to matter too much to schools, but are more valued among language centers. One thing is that they don't put much emphasis on quality of TEFL; a CELTA has similar mileage to an online diploma mill one among some employers. I don't want to make things sound too dreary, and I'm sure someone will pop in and contradict me. My impression, though, is that it's been getting progressively more difficult for non-diploma'd teachers to get legit work. I don't really have a concept of what teaching without one would pay, but if you're limited to entry-level language school positions I'd suspect starting at 30,000 baht-ish per month. Somewhere like Trang looks pretty small (under 100,000), so maybe consider a place about twice or three times the size, like Surat Thani or Hua Hin (Chair Huxtable can speak more to this, I think). Again, nothing is impossible (it's Thailand!) but you could find yourself facing a bit of an uphill battle for a good job or, you know, making your own diploma. The long and short is that you won't be able to teach legally in Thailand, but totally no one in Thailand has ever worked illegally ever. One good bet might be to focus yourself on business English and aim for language schools. Don't be too eager to strike Bangkok from your list just yet, either. edit: Some quick research suggests that up-country in Isan and other areas might be more lax about having a degree, and might be willing to get you a work permit. Salaries would be around 25,000 bath a month, though. MothraAttack fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Aug 1, 2013 |
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Aug 1, 2013 03:17
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Arrived in bangkok! Bought a cheap 3g sim card while walking to my hotel somewhere in Bangkok with the help of terrible navigation. I arrived here so early, moght as well get lost for a bit. Anyway, bergeoisie, if you're still up for for a meet up this evening/night, you can contact me at -removed- or my probably correct phonenumber: 0851361255 Mucking About fucked around with this message at 14:14 on Aug 1, 2013 |
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Aug 1, 2013 03:18
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More on that karaoke murder:quote:On its website the Longhorn Saloon advertises "jam with the band" as one of its attractions, along with "good music, funfunfun and friendly staff". Karaoke continues to be a murder magnet in Southeast Asia. I remember a few years ago, I think it was Vientiane that just banned it completely for a while. The Philippines also had the My Way murders (link. Friends don't let friends drink and sing, I guess.
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Aug 1, 2013 04:42
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Imagine how bad it would be if 99% of karaoke wasn't in private rooms.
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Aug 1, 2013 04:50
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Smeef posted:Imagine how bad it would be if 99% of karaoke wasn't in private rooms.
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Aug 1, 2013 05:02
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So the OP made Laos sound a bit on the boring side, but a friend of mine said although it's a bit underdeveloped, but an incredible country. What do you guys think of it?
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Aug 1, 2013 05:45
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Laos (at least everywhere north of Vientiane) is awesome and not boring at all.
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Aug 1, 2013 05:54
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Everyone who lives here loves Laos for whatever reason, usually citing the people, the food, the natural beauty and the way of life/attitude. I typically describe it as sleepy, not boring, which is a slight distinction.
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Aug 1, 2013 06:00
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My girlfriend has put me in charge of finding a nice place to stay in Bangkok in exchange for her planning the rest of the trip. I normally use hostelworld but it seems like every place on there in Thailand has as many horror stories as good ones. What's a good place to find honest reviews and recommended hostels/cheap hotels?
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Aug 1, 2013 06:56
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Agoda or Tripadvisor. Be sure to look for guesthouses -- the happy medium between a hostel and a hotel.
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Aug 1, 2013 07:08
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ReindeerF posted:Everyone who lives here loves Laos for whatever reason, usually citing the people, the food, the natural beauty and the way of life/attitude. I typically describe it as sleepy, not boring, which is a slight distinction. I find the food pretty lackluster, and I guess it's sleepy in terms of nightlife, but there are tons of great and exciting outdoor activities.
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Aug 1, 2013 08:00
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I mean like literally sleepy. People are asleep in the middle of the day - it's that kind of sleepy. I asked my friend who moved up there after about 15 years in Thailand about it after a few days noticing how sleepy things were. I was like, "I have to say that even by Thai standards this place moves at a snail's pace, man. How do you ever get anything done?" and he said, "I don't." Then stories followed about buying a house and utilities and banking. Personally I think this is part of what appeals to people about Laos, it's incredibly laid back, sort of a sleepy backwater. You can still have fun in sleepy backwaters.
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Aug 1, 2013 08:10
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Oh, yeah, it's absolutely sleepy in that sense. Most service interactions don't even involve speaking.
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Aug 1, 2013 08:12
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Tomato Soup posted:Agoda.com is pretty nice for solo travelers. The prices they show you are the cost for the room, not per person in the room like every hostel site shows. You can't show lowest price to highest on the website (you have to plug in prices on the sidebar) but you can on the mobile app. Yeah agoda has some nice places, but I guess I am gunshy about getting a place for $28 in Vietnam, seems like I shouldn't be paying that unless I need quality. Actually not sure what I expected, maybe just a greater availability of non-private rooms. I'm looking for mixed because the only other option is female dorm and I don't look female or identify as female unfortunately. The female dorms often have fewer people and are more available. I suppose if people don't use the hostel as a social place then I should just pick a place to sleep. Any advice on Vietnamese sim cards or non-eating things. I've thought about nothing except eating cooking and shopping.
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Aug 1, 2013 08:33
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DontAskKant posted:Any advice on Vietnamese sim cards or non-eating things. I've thought about nothing except eating cooking and shopping. When I arrived in Hanoi I got a sim card at the airport for like $10 USD with unlimited 3G for a week. Best phone country ever.
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Aug 1, 2013 09:15
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DontAskKant posted:Any advice on Vietnamese sim cards or non-eating things. I've thought about nothing except eating cooking and shopping. For 100,000 ($5), you can get a SIM card. If it's Mobifone, you text "DK MUI" to 999 and you'll then have unlimited 3G for a month and it will deduct 50,000 from your 100k credits. Buy a Mobifone one, I can give you an extra free 100k credits, I used to get these cards free at work. Non-eating things usually involve drinking. There are the usual war museums (not that great) or Cu Chi, where they have fake Vietcong tunnels to crawl through and you can shoot guns. I am actually planning to go there, I want to shoot AK47. For hotels, I know you can find cheap $10/night or around that price. They're not great but for a few days it's OK. Bui Vien/De Tham St. are packed with small hotels, you will have no troubles finding one without booking in advance - this is not the peak tourism season.
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Aug 1, 2013 10:44
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MothraAttack posted:A word of warning: a real bachelor's degree is required to get the teaching work permit from TCT, and in turn work at most government and international schools. This is something that Thailand has actually gotten semi-serious about in the past two years. Without one, your options are limited to some universities, private language schools and kinder stuff. There might be some exceptions but probably 98% of TEFLers here these days have diplomas, so it's going to put you in a tricky place. This is where a TEFL might help, but I have to stress might. TEFLs don't seem to matter too much to schools, but are more valued among language centers. One thing is that they don't put much emphasis on quality of TEFL; a CELTA has similar mileage to an online diploma mill one among some employers. I know a few people without degrees who teach here, and some have had a tougher go of it than others. Your starting salary will NOT be over 30k and there will be no reimbursement for visa runs. It's just the way it works. It won't stay that way for more than a year, but that's still a year. At my school there's one teacher without a degree, at my last school (a sister school of this one in bangkok) there were several, and even more that worked at a school about 30 minutes away (they bussed them there every morning). I have a friend in Lopburi who just traded up jobs and they've somehow managed to fudge a non-b for her and are working on a work permit. Another friend was hired on by an agency to substitute teach, but when the school in Trat got him for two weeks they told the agency they wanted him to stay on, despite the lack of diploma. Now his degree-less girlfriend also teaches there and the school is pretty pleased with it. Do you have any thoughts on where you'd like to live? Are you looking for the authentic Thai experience, or do you need some western comforts? I know you said you'd like to be somewhere like Trang but a google search has only netted me the impression that it's just a beachy province in Thailand. What is it about there that you would like to live with?
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Aug 1, 2013 10:45
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Quick note on the Non-B thing. Technically it lists a college degree as a requirement somewhere in all that mess, but functionally it's not required. I've had three separate work permits and it's never come up. I quit school with like 18 hours left to start a company way back when. I have no idea what people list in my papers, heh. This is for a normal non-B, so it's not the same as a the requirements for teaching that you kiddy fiddlers have to deal with post-John Mark Karr, but I figured I'd toss it out there. By the way, writing this post caused me to google John Mark Karr's name to make sure I spelled it right and it looks like he's been busy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_Reich EDIT: My favorite thing I learned about in the last month or so are the "lottery tips" stands at the markets and at roadsides. Like lottery mor doo stands that help you pick the most auspicious lottery number for a fee. Superstition is a motherfucker. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 11:22 on Aug 1, 2013 |
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Aug 1, 2013 10:58
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Bugblatter posted:However, if I take lemonadesweetheart's advice and go to Penang, I'd probably have to go there prior to the Highlands and Tamar Nagara. Gotta see if all that is feasible in 10 days though. Might mean shaving a day off of Tamar Nagara? Pennang is somewhere that is always highly recommended when I ask people in Malaysia about where to go, especially if you like trying new food. I think it would be worth shifting your plans around a bit. Also if you're at a loose end in KL let me know I'm always up for a few drinks. My email is nowher3man at gmail.com
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Aug 1, 2013 11:59
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Senso posted:For 100,000 ($5), you can get a SIM card. If it's Mobifone, you text "DK MUI" to 999 and you'll then have unlimited 3G for a month and it will deduct 50,000 from your 100k credits. Buy a Mobifone one, I can give you an extra free 100k credits, I used to get these cards free at work. Welp, eating AND drinking it is.
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Aug 1, 2013 13:02
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Silentgoldfish posted:My girlfriend has put me in charge of finding a nice place to stay in Bangkok in exchange for her planning the rest of the trip. I normally use hostelworld but it seems like every place on there in Thailand has as many horror stories as good ones. What's a good place to find honest reviews and recommended hostels/cheap hotels?
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Aug 1, 2013 15:07
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ReindeerF posted:EDIT: My favorite thing I learned about in the last month or so are the "lottery tips" stands at the markets and at roadsides. Like lottery mor doo stands that help you pick the most auspicious lottery number for a fee. Superstition is a motherfucker. Isn't the Thai lottery based off the closing numbers of the stock exchange, or something? That's how they play it in Burma, at least, Thai stocks and all.
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Aug 1, 2013 15:26
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That much I'm not sure of, but I'll ask around. EDIT: I do like the idea of a place with enough institutional distrust that the SET seems like a fair arbiter of anything. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 15:35 on Aug 1, 2013 |
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Aug 1, 2013 15:32
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There are also a lot of illegal private lotteries in Thailand, typically with tickets sold by students or the disabled. I asked a Thai person why anyone would play an illegal lottery run by the Thai mafia and administrated by Thai students and their answer was basically "more money ka  "
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Aug 1, 2013 17:36
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