I posted this in the staffroom but it wasn't getting many views so I thought I'd try here. If that's not allowed, then I'll delete it.Alright. Can someone clarify this for me? A prospective employer has told me that without a CELTA equivalent, they would not be able to issue me a work permit or Non Immigrant visa. I don't have a 120 hour TEFL certificate and my B.A. degree is not in Education, so does this automatically rule me out for ever receiving a work permit and thus never teaching legally in Thailand? I don't know if they're just saying that instead of saying they want applicants to simply have the certification for their own screening purposes. This has me asking myself the question: what if someone is teaching a subject in English (for example, maths or science in a bilingual k-12 or government school)? If they don't have a TEFL are they awarded no work permit either, even though the subject they are teaching isn't EFL? Or would they be able to get a work permit if they had a degree in exactly what they were teaching? What about people working in SAT/GMAT prep business (no TEFL, no work permit??)? I've seen posts on several places (here included) that you simply need a degree to teach legally. Maybe that means to get a visa, but without a work permit that visa is useless, no? It just doesn't seem that cut and dry to me. Sorry if I've missed something obvious here. Thank you in advance for any replies.
If you have a degree (from a properly accredited university) and a passport from an anglophone country then you can get a non-b and a work permit.
A TEFL/CELTA/etc is NOT a requirement for the visa nor it is a requirement for a W/P.
It might be an employer requirement or it might be that the "employer" is also in the business of selling TEFL certs.
If you are not a passport holder from: UK, USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand then you can add a TOEIC score of 600+ (IELTS 5.5, TOEFL 500) to your list of requirements.
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Thanks to both of you.I don't want to say on here which company told me this, but they are a big chain (but they have a good reputation) and were very explicit that the certification is required for teachers to receive work permits.Seems they should simply say it's they who require it, not Thai immigration, to avoid confusion.
CELTAs or their equivalent have never been a requirement for the issuing a WP or Non-imm B visa. Which ever chain said this is just plain wrong (or up to no good). Having said that, I do find the whole thing a little strange, I would have thought, for TEFL jobs, I would have thought that a CELTA would be more useful than a degree in botany or some such thing, strange world, innit? Degrees in underwater basket weaving are more highly classed than specific certification in the area to be taught (however brief that course should be).
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could be a polite way of saying they aren't going to hire you
fred
Company? What are you doing with a company?Originally Posted by uncrebel11
I have a science degree and a TEFL and teach English at a Christian high school. When I applied to an international school, I was told I needed to be credentialed from my own country plus have two or three years of teaching experience. The lady told me that international schools are required by Thailand to follow that rule. I have also seen British Council jobs require the CELTA and it didn't appear that a TEFL was an equivalent. Depending on what you were applying for, they may have been following some such rule. Or they may have just not wanted you.
Well that may be true, but I would submit to you that I think it's not polite when it spreads misinformation about the legality of teaching without a TEFL certification. It says it in all their ads, so it's not just me that got the message. That's great if they only want CELTA certified teachers, just don't say that it's a legal requirement is all. It can make people confused.
Again, that's fine. Doesn't upset me if that's the case, but I'd prefer them to be blunt about it and tell me that themselves. What I don't want is an excuse using wrong information just to make me feel better.
Excuse me. It's an international language institute with branches all over the world. I guess "company" is not appropriate....I'm sure a lot of people can guess who I'm talking about by now. They have very shiny offices on Silom and near Siam Square.
i agree. but on the other hand it would be a very thai way of doing things.
---Update---
extremely thai way of doing things
The only thing I have found that is straightforward in this country is any vehicle I happen to cross in front of.
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