TEFL programs in Thailand are directed to get English teaching jobs mainly, world wide. English teaching jobs in Thailand are confined to the three types of teaching schools prevalent in Thailand:
At Asian College of Teachers (ACT), we believe in making our courses available to teaching professionals across the globe and provide them with outstanding learning and employment related courses in the field of pre-primary education, TEFL, special education and education management which will not only lead them towards a successful teaching and training career but aid them in making a strong impact on individual lives and society.
Spread all over Thailand, these schools have few or no English teachers and hence there is a lot of freedom for TESOL teachers to opt for what they aspire to teach. The focal point is more on general uses of English which is a beneficial factor of getting a TEFL qualification.
Numerous chains of Commercial Schools, such as ECC Thailand, ELS International, and CBC are located in big cities such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Other places that hire TESOL certified foreign teachers to teach in Thailand are The International School and Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. These schools are more valued places to teach English and may require part-time English teachers for weekends. All the upcoming ESL teachers with a TEFL or Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate can expect these schools to pay fairly well. Chulalongkorn has an evening extension program for business English. Classes are held in the evenings to accommodate work schedules of students who are mostly adults with specific job-based need for English in the fields of construction, banking, food services etc. However there isn't remarkable liberty on what to teaching matter.
The 120-hours TEFL program in Thailand can give one the advantage of private tuition or freelance teaching option which in Thailand pays the most. The private tutors having TEFL qualification or certification generally visit the students at their home during evenings to assist them develop certain skills or strengthen certain weaknesses. Single students are often joined in by their family members to learn.
Teachers with accredited TEFL certificates can find that altogether there are about a dozen schools and the level of professionalism among them varies. Some of the schools are run strictly as profitable businesses with little concern for educational standards. The TESOL certified teachers should look for those schools that have some international endorsement and foreign management as they tend to have a much more favourable environment for effective teaching.
Since the schools are inundated with backpackers hoping to hang around in Chiang Mai for a few months earning money, the schools can be quiet sticky with applications. However, the more effort it takes you to secure a job, the better the language school is likely to be, providing decent course books and resources, placing the students at the right levels, monitoring your class preparation and paying on time. In such cases getting qualified with TEFL TESOL courses surely help a lot.
AUA Language Centre In the old town on Ratchadamnoern Road. The American University Alumni is the oldest language school in Chiang Mai and serves over a thousand students each term. The school hires before the beginning of each six-week term after conducting a two-week trial, so don't expect a quick start here. They expected a degree and a TEFL qualification. In many cases schools choose students with TESOL qualification over CELTA as TESOL / TEFL covers all age groups while CELTA deals with only adults. So it can be said that TEFL programs are far better than CELTA certification. Wages are 300-350 baht an hour, with regular hours, a full time contract and usually a work permit. They are extremely professional and quite strict with their teachers.
Chiang Mai University is on the outskirts of town on Suithep Road, west of the city. Supposedly the best university in Northern Thailand, with thousands of students, and located in beautiful surroundings, the university is a pretty decent place to work. They have all kinds of pay scales that can seem a little confusing. Starting salaries are 300 baht an hour. If you are qualified with TEFL teaching certificate and wish to work full time, then you'll be paid about 20,000 - 30,000 THB monthly.
When you add it up, you actually get less per hour working full time. The bonus is you get long paid holidays and a work permit if you decide to sign up as a full time teacher. CMU has a large English teaching staff and hires at the beginning of each semester. There are plenty of summer courses, so it's possible you could work most of the year. Being a Thai government institution, they won't hire you if you don't have a degree, although they don't care either way if you have a TEFL or not. Jobs are plentiful here, though some teachers have expressed frustration in dealing with the Thai department managers.
The British Council Out of town on Bamrungrat road, east of the moat. The council is well known throughout the world for its superior quality. They hire native English speakers of all nationalities if you have a TESOL certificate and some experience, paying 300-450 Baht an hour (depending on seniority and volume of teaching). The council has excellent resources and facilities and very good students. There's also a good opportunity to work elsewhere in the world for this organization. They have a strict hiring process, taking only those with degrees and TESOL qualifications.
NIS / Baan Pasa Also known as the New Zealand school of English, they are reasonably professional and fairly busy at their Nimmanhemin branch but the other school on the northeast side of the moat struggles. Sometimes they hire, paying 200 baht per hour with no guaranteed hours. The school has decent students and some useful resources, and aren't too strict with their teachers. So non-native English speakers can try and find jobs here.
CEC Nimmanhemin road/main branch Soi 13 Srimankalajarn rd., a busy, Thai run school with a heavy Christian theme, focusing more on kids and activities. The owner, Khun Amporn, is very professional and dynamic, though they tend pay little attention to syllabi and neglect to use decent course books. They are always hiring for bit work, preferring well presented and mannered people regardless of whether you have a TEFL or not. Pay is 180 - 250 baht an hour depending on class size. Three branches, including one near Payap University.
ECC Huay Kaew road, near CMU this is a national franchise, with individual ownership of each branch, resulting in mixed quality among the schools. Chiang Mai branch is better than most, and is busy with university students. Newcomers often have success finding a job here, though part-time and at 200 - 250 baht an hour. Little direction is given to teachers and course books are often quite unsuitable.
London House This wholly Thai run outfit is located in the old town near Wat Phra Singh and is quite new. Some consider this to be a last resort and teachers are paid modestly. Worth a try nonetheless. There are other smaller independent schools, especially for young kids. In Phuket, teaching English qualification or TESOL qualification can be useful for the upcoming ESL teachers as the city has good number of primary, secondary and international schools. There are various nurseries and kindergartens available throughout Phuket and all you TESOL certificate holders can teach children aged 18 months to 6 years. These nurseries or kindergartens have English speaking staff and cater mainly to expat and mixed children.
Thai Primary schools in Phuket are innumerable and are both government and private. A few of the private schools have bilingual programmes like:
The secondary schools in Phuket are government schools and have Thai language curriculums. Chalermprakiat and Satree also offer optional English Program curricula.
International schools are also available in plenty in Phuket and offer as great platforms for the EFL or ESL teachers to start their English teaching stints with.
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This course gives me an opportunity to enhance my teaching ability. First, the materials and the lessons provided are very useful.The course provides teaching approaches and relevant techniques which I can apply to class. Second, my coordinator - Annie Joseph is extremely nice. I really appreciated her priceless comments and feedback. Lastly, the online platform really fits this time. During this pandemic, it's hard to go out and study in college so studying online is the best choice. I try to study anytime I'm free. The website and the system were really supportive in which I could access all sections easily.I would have been regretful if I hadn't applied for this course.
I struggled a bit to start with but that made me sit back and really think about how I answered the questions. Some parts of the course confused me but when I asked Annie she was able to explain it clearly for me, I also have some friends here in Chaiyaphum who are teaching English as a second language and they were very helpful in advising me about different scenarios they have experienced in the classroom. I would like to add that not a single teacher over here has done a tesol course so if I choose to teach in a classroom I don't think I will have any problems.
The TESOL English language certification course from the Asian College of Teachers was comprehensive and well structured. It has given me a very solid grounding in teaching English both online and at language schools. I am working as an online teacher with Amazing Talkers and have also applied to Wall Street English to teach in Bangkok where I live.
