Thread: Tempted To Just Jump on a Plane to Bangkok...

wait till July and come with me :D

Originally Posted by ThePiedmontPenguin

I'd be hesitant to commit to any position lasting over 6 months, would this have an impact on teaching positions?

Hell yes! Are you serious? Share that with any prospective employer and they will say "next!"

Look past the salary, think cost of living. I'm paying 3,000 rent for a condo with elevators and CCTV. It has aircon, covered parking and there is a humble restaurant where one pays 30 Baht for an omlette made with 3 eggs and veggies on rice. When you need to use the BTS to go to school, those 40,000 won't go farther than my 35 k (with a 2nd job) in a town up North.

I believe you could find a job within a week. But why not work the full school year (about 9 months left)?

Chris

Originally Posted by ThePiedmontPenguin

I'd be hesitant to commit to any position lasting over 6 months, would this have an impact on teaching positions?

I missed that. OP is playing with us.

Originally Posted by ThePiedmontPenguin

how much would one be expected to bring to support themselves from landing in BKK to finding a job to getting their first pay packet

Well, you could start by putting your CV on Ajarn.com | Teaching English in Thailand You do have a nice photograph? Then focus on jobs outside Bangkok. More bang for the buck!

A: If you hop on a train to Den Chai and go to NAN, you could rent an aircon room at a guesthouse for 3,500 and have your shirts ironed for 5-10 Baht. To rent a new Honda would be 2,500 a month. And I know of vacancies paying 35 k and WP and they are crazy about young teachers!

You will be fine - financially. Get a longer Visa, save yourself some hassle later on.

Chris

I really need farang around me, it took me 6 months living in the sticks in Uganda to realise this plus, as strange as this sounds, I don't find Thai women attractive. I would go to Chiang Mai but are salaries there really that low? Is there any other cities/towns with good social scenes where I could perhaps have a more comfortable lifestyle than Bangkok? Seriously I'm open to suggestions, as much as I hate the Khaosan Road I know I'd spend way too much time and money there!

I'd obviously tell the school that I'd commit for a year but would I have to sign a contract stating this? In all actuality I probably would stay for a year (likely more) but I'm just cautious about tying myself up in a contract in case things change (i.e. I'm useless with money and could possibly struggle!).

5anuk I could go in July, literally just waiting to see how long it takes me to take the jump and book flights

Edit: Cheers Chris, I'll look into Den Chai and other places outside BKK and as for the bike, well I have a sketchy history on them :-)

So basically you want a cushy teaching job to support your Thai vacation. I believe most of those are taken already.

Originally Posted by ThePiedmontPenguin

With the job market in the UK pretty dire I'm tempted to get on a plane to Thailand next week and begin a new life teaching English. I'm just wondering if it would be the right move, would mid-June be a good time to look for a teaching job? Also I've just got back from travelling so savings are quite low, how much would one be expected to bring to support themselves from landing in BKK to finding a job to getting their first pay packet, (with the possibility of attending the July full moon party)?

Bring 1500 quid as a bare minimum. You'll get by but you won't be living life like a tourist. You can pretty much rule out the party as well unless you do that before you start your job search or bring double the amount of money.

Originally Posted by ThePiedmontPenguin

Ideally I'd want 40k-50k a month, would this be possible? I'm a 23 year-old British male with a BSc degree in Economics from a decent UK university and about 3 months teaching experience in Uganda and Cambodia. I'd be hesitant to commit to any position lasting over 6 months, would this have an impact on teaching positions?

LOL.. you funny man. 30k-40k is more likely for a newbie on a full time contract (lower end of that scale with no verifiable experience or TEFL cert).
25-32k for single term - short time or more likely, hourly pay at some language academy.

Originally Posted by ThePiedmontPenguin

Also whilst I have a degree the original is framed on the wall at home (apparently my parents are proud!), would you suggest to use a photocopy and my original transcript or pay an exorbitant £50 for a replacement degree?

Want to work illegally = leave it at home.
Want legal work, bring it (or a replacement) with you. Immigration WILL want to see it if you are changing to a non-b in BKK. You'll need those transcripts as well and you MAY also need a CBC (disclosure Scotland is pretty quick).

.

Cheers mate I'll get on ordering a new degree.

So basically you want a cushy teaching job to support your Thai vacation. I believe most of those are taken already.

Sort of, would be nice to earn, have some fun and then save enough to get me to Australia. That's the vague and loosely thought of plan anyway.

In a perfect world ...

Bugger, just remembered I only have 5 pages left in my passport, surely that won't be enough? FML

5 pages is plenty for a single trip. Don't know about Brits but Yanks can get refills in a day.

You're really not very well prepared for a journey like this, are you?

Need to get a new passport apparently, meh everything usually works out in the end

1. No money
2. No tickets
3. No job
4. No house
5. No passport.

Yeah, you're good to go!

I'm sorry but you're wrong:

1. Minimal money
2. No tickets
3. No job
4. No house
5. Passport with minimal pages