Teaching in Thailand

Post by **mortiboy** » November 19, 2012, 10:16 pm

Several months ago I had the opportunity to teach English due to a Thai programme of education
5 month project.
Me, never ever had any experience in teaching, and no qualifications, applied for the programme.
I found it so rewarding and so enjoyed a new experience .It was challenge indeed for me.
A whole new world.
Now, the term has ended. Looks like Thai Education Department not extending their programme.
So, I was wondering, if I could still go teach kids free?
I fear could be a problem with immigration law.
Thailand are strict with work permits.Even though work free, ... still FORBIDDEN!
Have to be careful about that

Post by **Photoman** » November 20, 2012, 3:40 am

Hi Mortiboy

I intend to do the same when I eventually move out to Udon . How true this is I am not sure , but I was told I could volunteer to teach ( using the term volunteer rather than working for free ) . As I say I am not there and you are , so ask around as I am sure was speaking the truth .

I know how you feel it was very rewarding for me too , did you have any training at all ... TEFL ?

Good Luck and have fun .

Post by **jai yen yen** » November 20, 2012, 4:42 am

Working for free or getting paid is the same as far as the Thai government is concerned. Even if you are working for free you are taking a job that a Thai could be doing. Unless of course you are a poor Burmese and work for peanuts for a Thai company with connections.

Post by **bluejets** » November 20, 2012, 7:23 am

I'd like to teach Electrical trades however there does not seem to be a tefal equivilent to that, even though, as most would agree, the need is way up there on a scale of 10.

Post by **harmonyudon** » November 20, 2012, 8:16 am

jai yen yen wrote:Working for free or getting paid is the same as far as the Thai government is concerned. Even if you are working for free you are taking a job that a Thai could be doing. Unless of course you are a poor Burmese and work for peanuts for a Thai company with connections.

No exceptions?? How about the tourist police?? Do they need work permit?

Post by **mortiboy** » November 20, 2012, 9:11 am

[quote="Photoman"]Hi Mortiboy

I intend to do the same when I eventually move out to Udon . How true this is I am not sure , but I was told I could volunteer to teach ( using the term volunteer rather than working for free ) . As I say I am not there and you are , so ask around as I am sure was speaking the truth .

I know how you feel it was very rewarding for me too , did you have any training at all ... TEFL ?

Good Luck and have fun .[/quote]

NO training what so ever! I was very apprehensive to do, as not my line of work in my life.
But WOW! surprise surprise.Kids love "Mr Roy"! Great kids. I miss them so much.
I posted this, in the hope someone would be in the know with Education department.
I never received a work permit. I guess for short period,and passed by Government.... temporary permit
Tourist police? Maybe same....temporary permit ? But TIT Lets not complain about it [-X
Thailand are short of Englsh teachers.
The Asean membership is their main concern.As Thailand is the worse country for non English speaking in the group.
Thailand wants to improve the education of English language.
To take on un-trained teachers, shows the desperate situation here.
When I see the system of teaching English at schools I attended, I realized the need for farang teachers .
Even though not qualified. :roll:

Post by **jai yen yen** » November 20, 2012, 9:51 am

harmonyudon wrote:
jai yen yen wrote:Working for free or getting paid is the same as far as the Thai government is concerned. Even if you are working for free you are taking a job that a Thai could be doing. Unless of course you are a poor Burmese and work for peanuts for a Thai company with connections.
No exceptions?? How about the tourist police?? Do they need work permit?

I don't know if they need a work permit or not but the Thais want some Farang tourist police to help with Farang tourist issues. I also saw the other day an ad for a small school in Issan somewhere that wanted a volunteer english teacher, no pay but a place to stay and meals provided. if they are asking for a volunteer i am sure they would have the necessary permits.

Post by **harmonyudon** » November 20, 2012, 9:54 am

mortiboy wrote:I never received a work permit. I guess for short period,and passed by Government.... temporary permit
Tourist police? Maybe same....temporary permit ? But TIT Lets not complain about it
Thailand are short of Englsh teachers.

If I remember well Roy, you posted before about a farang near Kinaree who was caught cause they accuse him
of working without work permit. He claimed that he help his gfr decorating a new shop/classroom only.
So, lets complain about it.

Post by **Khun Paul** » November 20, 2012, 1:56 pm

Simple really any payment whether in kind or cash is deemed employment, so the necessary Work permit is obligatory, lack of same could mean loss of freedom, loss of visa and even deportation.
So stay legal and free, that is my advice but then no-one pays attention to me these days anyway. They all KNOW better

Post by **Barney** » November 20, 2012, 2:56 pm

I do not know your situation and sure you are a good bloke and do not know how you got to teach for the short time you did and certain you got a lot of gratification out of teaching the kids, you must be able to speak Tahi. I used to teach cricket to youngsters years ago and got a lot more out of that then i gave, But having had a few work permits to work in Thailand I can assure you it is very strict and health and medical checks are thorough prior to visa and work permits being granted, a bit harder than just getting a thai licence to drive, but there is one issue that must be emphasised when applying for employment and that is the security check of who you are and any past life. Every country has security checks for foriegn workers and i have been in a few, a police clearance from your country or origin would be a first thing you should get.
Now i am just saying Ok
Be careful what spotlights you bring upon yourself from different dept of the thai's police or immigration etc that may affect your current visa status by going it alone and wanting to teach young children in a private situation with no qualifications. Just saying Ok.
Search out the current english language schools currently operating for advice and keep it legal.
Good luck and i hope you can achieve a casual volunteer teaching role.

Post by **trubrit** » November 20, 2012, 3:36 pm

I am almost reluctant to post this as there will be many with a different experience and therefore different advise to give, but I will because this is how it works with me .Let me start by saying you cannot do even unpaid voluntary work on a retirement visa,I was stopped and had to change to a marriage one several years ago, which I am still on .I am from time to time called upon to help the police and women and children's welfare departments.Both provide a work permit waiver to enable me to assist, entirely without remuneration but I can submit a claim for expenses incurred carrying out my duties.
This document is held by the dept you are assisting and can be seen by immigration if so requested .With regard to my police duties. I am simply a liaison officer between the local BIB and the Farang needing assistance .To do this I am listed as a Tourist Police volunteer, although I don't have any active duties. So I guess this WP waiver must apply to all other TVP. The Welfare dept also issues a waiver for me, this also enables me to assist in the orphanage. Previously when I taught in the local school on a casual basis I understood they also held one in my name, although I never saw it, so it might just have been a mai pen lai answer.I didn't do this for long so never pursued it .So to summarise. You need to qualify for a work permit, visa wise, but the employing institution can get a waiver for you to do unpaid voluntary work .Make sure they do as otherwise you will still fall foul of working without a permit , and the onus is on you not them.

Post by **mortiboy** » November 20, 2012, 6:41 pm

[quote="Barney"]I do not know your situation and sure you are a good bloke and do not know how you got to teach for the short time you did and certain you got a lot of gratification out of teaching the kids, you must be able to speak Tahi. I used to teach cricket to youngsters years ago and got a lot more out of that then i gave, But having had a few work permits to work in Thailand I can assure you it is very strict and health and medical checks are thorough prior to visa and work permits being granted, a bit harder than just getting a thai licence to drive, but there is one issue that must be emphasised when applying for employment and that is the security check of who you are and any past life. Every country has security checks for foriegn workers and i have been in a few, a police clearance from your country or origin would be a first thing you should get.
Now i am just saying Ok
Be careful what spotlights you bring upon yourself from different dept of the thai's police or immigration etc that may affect your current visa status by going it alone and wanting to teach young children in a private situation with no qualifications. Just saying Ok.
Search out the current english language schools currently operating for advice and keep it legal.
Good luck and i hope you can achieve a casual volunteer teaching role.[/quote]
Yes I can speak the lingo here.How the hell can teachers teach English not being able to communicate with kids
is beyond me.Very difficult ... even if talking in Thai is hard.
God! been here 18 bleeding years! Give me a break? How could I not talk Thai? :-"

Post by **Photoman** » November 21, 2012, 1:08 am

Bluejets ,

I have always been told that , as long as you hold the qualification above a Thai nationals standard you can apply to teach that trade . I met an american about 4 years ago who was teaching electrical work , and like you've said it certainly needs it .

I have asked in the past about freelance photography and it would appear this not included in the list of restrictions .

I am sure there are ways .

Post by **pienmash** » November 21, 2012, 8:01 am

When i first decided to move perminantly to live in Thailand i did a TEFL course in Guillford Uk then upon arrival here i did another TESOL that was more spercific to teaching in Thailand ,,,,,,,, whilst on BOTH courses the instructors hammered into us ,,,, when teaching English as foreign language you should never try to talk the native language of the students being taught ie in this case Thai ............ at first this was ,how the hell can this be but as the courses progressed and ended ,,,then gaining valuble hands on experience teaching in a high profile school in Bkk plus sub contracted out to other places thru a language institute i could then see its perfectly feasable to teach with out using Thai ,, i only ever used Thai when having a joke wit students not whilst doing the meat part of a period .....the Thai who ran the English programme did warn against the over use of Thai in the English programme classes , please mr jon no speak Thai wit student ............

Maybe Nick from AUA could explain abit better than myself ,,nowadays im just a humble shopkeeper .

On the subject of work permits for voluntary work ,,, i was informed just yesterday that changes are in the pipeline ref doing voluntary work in certain sectors , the work in this case was coaching football but the new regs will apply to other activities as well .

mash

Post by **jimboLV** » November 21, 2012, 8:11 am

I can confirm what mash is saying. I have a friend (a Chinese who moved here from Malaysia). He was immediately hired at a private school to teach English, even though he spoke very little Thai. He told me that he was instructed by the headmaster not to try to speak Thai, that the best learning experience was "total immersion". I am using this philosophy on my daughter, who is approaching 3 years old. I rarely speak any Thai to her, only English, and it appears to be working as she is gradually speaking some English phrases.

Post by **harmonyudon** » November 21, 2012, 8:18 am

pienmash wrote:.... when teaching English as foreign language you should never try to talk the native language of the students

You are quite right Jon. The teachers of one of the famous international language institute never talk in the native language in classes. http://www.reginacoeli.com/

Post by **udonfox** » November 21, 2012, 8:54 am

If you work as a volunteer you will need a work permit! The people you are working for,whether it be a school,college,or an English project should provide the paperwork and also send a representative when you apply at the labour office.All the best!!

Post by **Barney** » November 21, 2012, 8:57 am

Mortiboy,
My apologies for the part of the sentence referring to your Thai language skills. In no way did I wish to offend you or demean what you experienced and provided for the kids. Just gave a perspective from being involved with work permits as to being careful about your scenario and the problems with your visa if you don't do it correctly. An aquaintance went through hell in the Rayong district with the wrong visa. Short story is he provided electrical material to my project and thought he was a very silent partner in a business, but a jealous pissed off thai done him over well and trully. He survived to stay in country at a cost. I treat a lot of the smiling Thais in business with suspicion now, as to their real objective towards the foreigner.

Bluejets hope you get something of the ground even in a small way with the electrical coaching. When i finally retire perhaps i can assist with providing some equipment and practical skills training on a casual basis and Mortiboy can become involved to help with my translation for my lack of Thai. I have used hundreds of Thai electrical workers on oil and gas projects both in Thailand and Vietnam and would take them to any country if they had better english skills. We utilise philipino's at present because they speak english, not because they are better electricans.

Post by **pienmash** » November 21, 2012, 9:45 am

udonfox wrote:If you work as a volunteer you will need a work permit! The people you are working for,whether it be a school,college,or an English project should provide the paperwork and also send a representative when you apply at the labour office.All the best!!

As TB has stated ......There is a waiver system for some areas ,,, ie charities etc , where as a volunteer can assist , this is fact cos i firstly enquired then actually done it .

The grey area apears to be at just what exact point does lets say a football coach become just having fun and exercising TO assisting thus becoming a volunteer ,,,,, this kind of thing im told is where changes will come in ,, in the near future .Wether or not these changes will cover teaching i doubt that very much but covering charitable duties etc more likely.

mash

Post by **pmc** » November 21, 2012, 11:21 am

can anybody tell me what the maximin age that a visa will be granted to teach english?
thanks in advance.
ps only with a basic tefl certificate.