Thread: Introduce myself, asking about the future of Thailand.

Hello everyone,

First of all I wanna thank everybody here on the forum for keeping such a good work, to the people who are sharing they expierences and stories, and to those who are helping so much in this matter.

Few words about me:
Michael, 21 years old, born in Poland. I grew up in Germany lived there for 8 years, in 2000 I went back to Poland (actually it was the decision of my parents. I hadn`t any influence on that) and here am I living now for almost 12 years. I intend to move to Thailand, to teach english. I really want to leave Europe ASAP. I`am thinking a lot about this how I gonna achieve my goals. I have two solution:

a)Save some money, get a TEFL certificate and went quickly to LoS. This would take me I guess, maybe from 6months to one year.
b)On the other hand, I could get here in Poland a degree called "licencjat" (3 years highschool (teaching specialization) - equivalent of a Bachelor degree), then quickly get a TEFL and then went to Thailand.


But the point is that I`m wondering about the future of teaching english in Thailand. So I have a couple questions about that:
I mean, what will it be in LoS in 3 years when I have finished my education? What are the predictions?
Are the goverment or the ministry of education planning some changes in that matter?
Will it be more difficult to get there, then it is now? What do You think about that?
By the way, Is there a high demand on german teachers? I admit that I`m speaking german very well (actually it`s my native language) so I would give it also a try.

After reading some topics here, I realized that it would be better to get a degree, but only thinking about the 3 years that it will take me to get it are horrible.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Welcome to the forum.

I'd suggest going down the BA route, purely because it will make finding a job and getting a work permit much, much easier. It'll help no end with brushing up any little grammar discrepancies if you use the time wisely and then you can get a decent TEFL at the end of it and head over to LoS. I know you're eager to go, but when you're struggling to find work and leaving BKK with your tail between your legs you'll feel much worse than you do now. Wages and conditions aren't going to change vastly in that time (or at all) and it's much more sensible in the long run. I've no idea about the demand for German teachers I'm afraid - perhaps check the Ajarn jobs listings?

Good luck, whatever you end up doing - keep in mind that whilst Europe has its faults, so does Thailand.

You're asking for a crystal ball and no one I know has one. If you really want to come here, prepare yourself as much as you can (i.e. degree) and dive in. If you want to make it and have most of the tools, you'll be OK.

Originally Posted by Genesisx

a)Save some money, get a TEFL certificate and went quickly to LoS. This would take me I guess, maybe from 6months to one year.
b)On the other hand, I could get here in Poland a degree called "licencjat" (3 years highschool (teaching specialization) - equivalent of a Bachelor degree), then quickly get a TEFL and then went to Thailand.

A teaching certificate is not a degree. Immigration doesn't want "equivalent". If it doesn't say "Bachelor of _____ " then you will have problems with the paperwork.

Being a non native speaker means you also need a TOEIC-600/TOFEL-700 (ibt ?)/IELTS-5.5 score.
It also means you will be working at the same wage levels as the Filipinos and other NNSs (b15,000-18,000/mo. with no benefits) and 10 month contracts (no paid vacations).

Teaching German or math/science is an option but there aren't a lot of job opportunities for teaching German and you still need the degree (especially for a job teaching math/science).

.

Originally Posted by Hollow

^ Yeah... play to your strengths.

This is probably the diplomatic way of saying your English isn't strong.

As someone who has very little interest in teachers, my main concerns lie with students. I believe I have students that are at a higher level than you have displayed in your post and they are STILL studying.

So the harsh reality feedback from me is, if you going to study for three years, ensure you improve your English to, at least, Intermediate level.

If you are unable to do that, you will be a further burden on the teaching standards in this country. If you do manage it, with the right attitude, you could easily overcome the 'non native' issue.

I hope you take my comments in the spirit they were intended and I do wish you luck with your intended goals.

Thanks for the informations!

Ok, so I`m going to college this year to get my Bachelor degree. Right now I`m struggling with choosing my specialization. I have a few options which i consider, because I dunno if it must be a strictly Bachelor of english teaching or could it be a english with another specialization? i.e.:
-English Studies with a specialization in teaching & cultural knowledge.
or
-English Studies with a business language specialization.

Would it make a big difference which I choose?
Teaching in Asia would be just a way to getting starder there. As I`m thinking about to start my business later.


If it comes to my current english skills, so I have nothing to hide, I know that my grammar sucks. My speech is communicative, but at least I`m understanding everything written and said in English. I`m not bothering about this because when I came to poland it took my only one year to speak fluently polish and 3 years to master the grammar (and trust me, polish grammar is one of the harderst in the world). So I believe in me and I`m intent to give 110% when it comes to learn and study hard for my goals.

How's your accent, your pronunciation?

I'd say that even with a degree you'll have a hard time as a non-native speaker to find a job if you don't sound English in the interview.