Topic: Teacher Agencies vs. School Employment

[SusanRichardson]

Mentioning no names then...

Sometime in the last month I was sent to a BKK school by an agent for an interview. The agent said that I would receive 36k less tax per month (direct from them), which I reckon to be worth upwards of 34,500 net. So after about an hour school offer me the job, ok so far... then they enquire of me if I'd consider going direct thereby cutting out the agent. So I figure, well the school is paying the agent around 40k...

Agents generally are paid by the "hour" so they tell me. I'd be very surprised if the 40k figure is correct when offering you 36k. I think they figure min. 10k profit, and can be upwards to 20k, per month. Always ask about the teaching load/contact hours when going thru an agent. Often times they promise/contract with the schools 25hours a week. Here is the math in case you don't have a caculator handy...

25hours a week X call it 600baht an hour to the agent = 100hours a month = 60,000baht a month.

Then you have the holidays like today, the agent can afford them since they pay you a monthly salary of in your example, 34,500.......

NOTICE: When you work thru an agent, forget October, March, April and half of May.

cheers. Susan

[DW]

Agents generally are paid by the "hour" so they tell me. I'd be very surprised if the 40k figure is correct when offering you 36k. I think they figure min. 10k profit, and can be upwards to 20k, per month. Always ask about the teaching load/contact hours when going thru an agent. Often times they promise/contract with the schools 25hours a week. Here is the math in case you don't have a caculator handy...

25hours a week X call it 600baht an hour to the agent = 100hours a month = 60,000baht a month.

Then you have the holidays like today, the agent can afford them since they pay you a monthly salary of in your example, 34,500.......

NOTICE: When you work thru an agent, forget October, March, April and half of May.
 

Not always.  And this is where the problem is.  It all depends on the contract with the school and agent, the contract with the agent and you.

Some agents will be the sole representative of a school.  the school wants X full time teachers and the agent provides them.  IF its a decent contract, it will be monthly paid with october holidays.  If its a really decent contract it will be for 12 months not 11.

I worked for an agency in a school a few years ago that gave me a 12 month contract with paid holidays.  I was getting 44K, others I knew at different schools were getting 33K and that was employed direct by the schools.