Topic: Teaching at public / private high schools in Thailand?

[bcqcboy]

This is just a question I'm asking out of curiousity and perhaps for the distant future. I'm an English teacher at a public Korean high school and I love my job (make 90,000+ Baht a month, he he he) and while I have trouble seeing myself ever leaving this job, it may come to pass that I grow tired of Korea some day. If that happens I was wondering if there are any jobs open to foreigners in the *public* school system in Thailand. I just returned to Korea from a holiday in Thailand and really loved it. With some money saved, I could see myself living there for a while. However, I refuse to work in a corrupt and incompetant private education industry.

So, what I'm wondering is if there are any jobs at schools that are not privately owed or at non-proffit, private high schools that have a sound academic reputation? Has anyone worked at such a place? If so, what was it like?

[Johnny Rotten]

However, I refuse to work in a corrupt and incompetant private education industry.

won't be seeing you here then?    government and private schools stink with corruption.

[Troopie]

I've worked in 2 government high schools here & I recommend you check out the postings for Hua Hin School. That is a bad example, agreed, but it isn't outstandingly so.
Oh, & it isn't just the private schools that are corrupt, so be prepared!

[bcqcboy]

Reading this board does not create a very positive impression. Does anyone have good experiences at Thai middle or high schools to share?

[hero]

Seriously mate it ain't all bad!  This forum (as was its previous incarnate) is seen primarily as a place to report bad schools and  bad work practices and to let off steam.  Unfortunately, I also think many with positive experiences to share (myself included) are put off because in the past positive threads have come in for a bashing from the hate squad purely because they were positive posts.  So currently it exists as a negative zone!

I think that taking into account the number of teachers working here because they like it here (i.e. loads!) says that it ain't all doom and gloom!

I personally love my job(s) here and wouldn't be anywhere else really (although I may be heard moaning about it too from time to time!)

[hero]

That said - if you are well eqipped, experienced and qualified I would generally give government schools a wide berth.  Unless you visit the place and check out the people running the program and the teaching conditions etc., there are good ones and nice places to work but they are outweighed by the bad ones IME.

[Freddy Farang]

I'm an English teacher at a public Korean high school and I love my job (make 90,000+ Baht a month, he he he)

Yes but what's the cost of living there?!!!! Doesn't matter what you earn it's your disposable income that matters at the end of the day.


(Bubbles from Little Britain)

[Notanewbie]

"I refuse to work in a corrupt and incompetant private education industry"

Quite judgmental aren't we? Especially for someone who has never worked here. Maybe in Korea they love foreigners who feel the need to pass judgement on every aspect of their jobs, but it usually isn't the ticket to success in LOS. Thailand is Thailand, don't like it, please don't come. We already have way too many whining losers who think becasue they have a white face they have to right to constantly bad-mouth the country from sun up to sun down, we don't need another. Sure, everyone lets off steam once and awhile, but if you start off with a superior attitude you will not be happy here and people here will not be happy to work with you. Please stay in Korea where you are making around 25,000 US a year (about the same as the assistant manager of the local McDonalds in Korea I suspect, wow, you really made me jealous of your riches).

[MrQ]

Keep the personal attacks under control please.

[Notanewbie]

Sorry,

But the OP bragging about his great salary and then complaining about others who are ?corrupt? was just too hypocritical to let pass. Holier than thou attitudes from those with no clue really gets up my nose. I know I should just ignore it. But what the heck, this is the Internet, if one can?t rally against one?s pet peeves and pretentious hypocrites on the Internet, where can one? Fine, if Thailand is too corrupt for one?s sense of justice, don?t come here. What is so hard about that? But why insult an entire industry in an entire country when one is in another country? Was the OP trying to persuade us of his superior position in life? Does the OP think all teachers in Thailand are such losers as to be impressed by a salary that is barely above minimum wage in our home countries?? I really don?t understand the purpose of the posting. Was it to find out some general information? Was it to impress us with his lofty salary? Was it to insult the entire private education industry in Thailand? Ok, maybe I shouldn?t have tried to knock the OP off his high horse, I will try to place nice with others from now on and hope to get a gold star or two from some of the elementary school teachers looking in.

"private high schools that have a sound academic reputation?"

Ok, I will be helpful. No, there are no good schools here, therefore I suggest you stay in Korea forever.

[admin]

Ok, Notanewbie, point taken, but you are pushing it into the really really off-topic department, so I highly suggest that you move it on over to Sour Gripes. Sounds like a perfect thread for Sour Gripes.

Let''s stay on-topic.

[bcqcboy]

Sorry,

But the OP bragging about his great salary and then complaining about others who are ?corrupt? was just too hypocritical to let pass. Holier than thou attitudes from those with no clue really gets up my nose. I know I should just ignore it. But what the heck, this is the Internet, if one can?t rally against one?s pet peeves and pretentious hypocrites on the Internet, where can one? Fine, if Thailand is too corrupt for one?s sense of justice, don?t come here. What is so hard about that? But why insult an entire industry in an entire country when one is in another country? Was the OP trying to persuade us of his superior position in life? Does the OP think all teachers in Thailand are such losers as to be impressed by a salary that is barely above minimum wage in our home countries?? I really don?t understand the purpose of the posting. Was it to find out some general information? Was it to impress us with his lofty salary? Was it to insult the entire private education industry in Thailand? Ok, maybe I shouldn?t have tried to knock the OP off his high horse, I will try to place nice with others from now on and hope to get a gold star or two from some of the elementary school teachers looking in.

"private high schools that have a sound academic reputation?"

Ok, I will be helpful. No, there are no good schools here, therefore I suggest you stay in Korea forever.

My remark about 'a corrupt and incompetent private education industry' was directed towards Asia in general but *Korea* in particular, not Thailand. If Thailand's private education sector (for-proffit, private academies - not regular schools) is significantly different it would be nice to hear about it, but from stories I've heard it sounds as bad or worse than Korea's. I was hoping that regular, state-funded middle and high schools may be different, though from the responses on this thread I take it that also may not be the case.

My original reason for posting this was because I visited Thailand (during my paid winter holidays, he he) and really loved the country and the people. If one could get a job as a real teacher in a real school I think it might be a wonderful place to live. Winter in Korea lasts forever and I much prefer too hot to too cold (It's still going down to zero at night here). However, I will not be an English clown making a businessman rich by catering to the whims of unreasonable parents who have no idea how to teach EFL in Korea, so why would I do it in Thailand? If, on the other hand, there are real teaching jobs in Thailand that only involve teaching at the secondary level at a real school, it would be very interesting to hear about them.

[bcqcboy]

I'm an English teacher at a public Korean high school and I love my job (make 90,000+ Baht a month, he he he)

Yes but what's the cost of living there?!!!! Doesn't matter what you earn it's your disposable income that matters at the end of the day.


(Bubbles from Little Britain)

I live on residence at my school in a two-bedroom house the school owns and have free cable and Internet off the school's feed. Utility costs in winter are horrible - perhaps 6-8,000 Baht / month. For food, beer, and ciggies the cost is about 50-100% more than Thailand. All in all it's a great place to save money.

[Notanewbie]

"However, I refuse to work in a corrupt and incompetant private education industry."

"I have trouble seeing myself ever leaving this job, it may come to pass that I grow tired of Korea some day."

"My remark about 'a corrupt and incompetent private education industry' was directed towards Asia in general but *Korea* in particular."

The education system in Korea is corrupt and you refuse to work there, but also can not see yourself ever leaving Korea? Maybe I am missing something here, are you making a distinction between private and public schools in Korea? What does that have to do with teaching in Thailand? Where exactly do you REFUSE to work? You seem to have a fixation about your pay, why then are you so judgmental against other people (school owners) who are interested in making profits?  In econ 101 class we teach people usually go into business, whether in the educational industry or others, to make a profit and the way to make a profit is to provide a service or product people are willing to pay for. Why is that corrupt?

"I will not be an English clown making a businessman rich by catering to the whims of unreasonable parents who have no idea how to teach EFL in Korea, so why would I do it in Thailand?"

I don't understand. Have you thought about teaching in North Korea or Cuba?

Business people in Thailand, Korea, the UK, The USA, or Nigeria all are interested in making a profit. Nothing at all wrong with this.

Is your purpose posting here to try to discredit the free-market economic systems of the world or is it to find out information about teaching in Thailand?

"If Thailand's private education sector (for-proffit, private academies - not regular schools) is significantly different it would be nice to hear about it, but from stories I've heard it sounds as bad or worse than Korea's."

How is it so "bad"

Government schools in Thailand are mostly restricted by law on how much wages they can pay a foreign teacher. In general, private schools pay more, have better facilities and are less corrupt due to having the profit motive which is absent in the public school system. A corrupt school gains a bad reputation which hurts profits.

Public or private, both have advantages and disadvantages.

I strongly recommend you stay in your top dollar perfect environment in your pristine public school in Korea and not come to Thailand and become contaminated by individuals from all walks of life since the entrepreneurial attitude is common here. Normally overly judgmental people do not prosper in Thailand, I am surprised that they do so well in Korea. 

[bcqcboy]

"The education system in Korea is corrupt and you refuse to work there, but also can not see yourself ever leaving Korea? Maybe I am missing something here, are you making a distinction between private and public schools in Korea?"

Yes, I am. In particular I'm making a distinction between regular middle and high schools, and after-school language academies, the latter of which can be quite pathetic.

"What does that have to do with teaching in Thailand?"

I'm wondering if it's same-same over there.

"Where exactly do you REFUSE to work?"

At a school that is not really interested in students learning but only wants their parents' money.

"You seem to have a fixation about your pay, why then are you so judgmental against other people (school owners) who are interested in making profits?? In econ 101 class we teach people usually go into business, whether in the educational industry or others, to make a profit and the way to make a profit is to provide a service or product people are willing to pay for. Why is that corrupt?"

Because in Korea what happens at a lot of private language academies is nothing short of fraud.

"Business people in Thailand, Korea, the UK, The USA, or Nigeria all are interested in making a profit. Nothing at all wrong with this."

That depends upon how they go about making it.

"Is your purpose posting here to try to discredit the free-market economic systems of the world or is it to find out information about teaching in Thailand?"

I'd be interested in knowing if there are jobs like mine in Thailand, which I may consider doing some day.

""If Thailand's private education sector (for-proffit, private academies - not regular schools) is significantly different it would be nice to hear about it, but from stories I've heard it sounds as bad or worse than Korea's."

How is it so "bad""

Ummm, you've read this very site?

"Government schools in Thailand are mostly restricted by law on how much wages they can pay a foreign teacher. In general, private schools pay more, have better facilities and are less corrupt due to having the profit motive which is absent in the public school system. A corrupt school gains a bad reputation which hurts profits. "

Thanks - that's the sort of thing I was intereseted in.