Thread: Some questions about schools, and....really, I have no idea. Please help.

So in my quest to line my journey up and narrow the list of possibilities down I have come across alot of questions having to do with Thai schools.

My normal routine is google map -> Thailand -> Zoom - > Find City
New Tab, Google Search -> City Name -> Images -> various other searches with other keywords: living in <city name>, teaching english <city name>, various forum searches of the city name, and finally a google search of the city for the word school in Google Maps.

And the problem arises! I have no clue what schools are what. Of course its obvious in the bigger cities with obviously english named schools. However in the smaller cities I just don't know what I'm looking at.

Maybe you can help. I'm not naming for opinions of the schools or anything like that, just wanting to get an idea of the following:

Is there a possible job for an English teacher there?
Does this name have anything to do with the grades that are taught there?

Another reason I ask is because I see similarities across a few cities.

For instance.....the city of Satun, Thailand

What does Municipal 1 School, 2 School, etc...mean? Government run I assume? Can I work there?

What does Santi Pattana mean?

Ban Sai Ngam?


I apologize in advance for the grammatical/spelling errors in this post...It's late, and I am cramming to get my degree finished during the day, while google searching my dream when I should be sleeping...

Seriously putting the cart before there horse there.

Finish the degree.
Get a tourist visa and a plane ticket.
Land with your shiny new parchment and transcripts in hand.
Grab a bus to anywhere. When you see something you like, get off.
Reply to 3 ads.
You should be working within a week or 2.

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Originally Posted by ttompatz

Seriously putting the cart before there horse there.

Finish the degree.
Get a tourist visa and a plane ticket.
Land with your shiny new parchment and transcripts in hand.
Grab a bus to anywhere. When you see something you like, get off.
Reply to 3 ads.
You should be working within a week or 2.

I understand and completely agree the cart before the horse. However, the reason I ask is because I've read that there are certain schools non-Thai citizens cannot work at, and I thought maybe one might have been government. I also ask because there is a thread here, maybe two, where someone asked about Krabi I believe, and was forewarned not to look there, went anyway, came up empty, and everyone said, "We tried to tell you." I just want to avoid that if I can. There are many cities on my list, all of them in the southern region, and all of them small.

I hope to have enough saved to visit atleast two should one come up empty, hopefully three. I figured I would ask those of you who are already there for some guidance to whittle my list down.

It also helps keep me motivated, and focused. How, with the lack of sleep, I don't know.

/ETA Your post in its own right is very motivating though! Thank you! I love the idea of, "a bus to anywhere, get off if it looks interesting."

tompatz advice is sound. just get on the flippin plane, if the timing is right the job will find you. it's way easier than you imagine.

Originally Posted by hungry4knowhow

certain schools non-Thai citizens cannot work at, and I thought maybe one might have been government

The most recent government incentives have been put in place to reward any school that have non-Thai teachers. The idea is to have native English speakers in ALL schools and I have never heard of a school where foreigners CAN'T work as such, just a number of schools that don't have the money (or have the money put feel too attached to it) to employ westerners.

You are really scrolling around google maps, trying to find buildings that are probably schools? If you really want details of schools in different areas, then maybe something like yellowpages would be easier? Or just search 'schools in ***' city'. Don't search it into images or maps. If that is fruitless then google translate the Thai word for school, and the Thai way to write the city name.

By going to the city and right clicking, then selecting, "search nearby"and putting "school" in the search field, it gives an idea as to how many schools are in a locale.

I got that little tidbit of info from a post here in these very forums.

---Update---

Originally Posted by you_me_no_savy_talk_talk

The most recent government incentives have been put in place to reward any school that have non-Thai teachers. The idea is to have native English speakers in ALL schools and I have never heard of a school where foreigners CAN'T work as such, just a number of schools that don't have the money (or have the money put feel too attached to it) to employ westerners.

I must have misread somewhere...I thought I had read somewhere that there were certain schools that a non-thai would never get a job at. Must have misread. I have gone over a TON of information since I started taking this idea seriously.

You can find some teaching jobs in Thailand here (Teach English in Thailand | Reviews of Teaching Jobs in Thailand | GoOverseas.com). Hopefully, these jobs are clear and suitable for you.

Teaching jobs in Thailand | Teaching English in Thailand is another place to find schools and jobs.

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