What is it like for an American to teach English in Thailand?

Question

What is it like for an American to teach English in Thailand?

Answer 1

i just got back from two weeks doing the exact thing.  i spent about three days a week in thai schools.  with the older kids, they speak a lot so you can communicate but still have things to teach them.  with the little kids its easiest to teach them things they can see like colors or things in the classroom.  of course its always helpful to have a translator for things you can't explain, but some days i went without and did fine.  playing games is a big hit.  without a translator its hard to explain them but i again managed to do it.  its a lot of fun!

Answer 2

My experience with Teaching was awesome, Although i found out that I prefer to teach Adults in businesses or Language Schools, it was still an experience i would never trade for anything, Loads of fun, and you really do get loads of satisfaction from it

Answer 3

My experience in Thailand was great.  I loved the country and teaching was great.  But before you go, you should know a few things:

1.  Pay is not too hot.  Don't expect to pay off your student loans or make any much money.  I found that most months I was rolling my pennies to get by.

2.  Rent, food, clothing... it's all cheap.  However, because you are a foreigner, Thai people generally try to scrape you for extra money.  Also, because it is cheap, many teachers tend to buy too much.  Not a good idea if you are on a limited teacher's budget.

3. Visa's are getting more and more difficult to stay in the country for a longer period of time.  A regular tourist visa can only be given out 3 months out of 6.  Teacher's visas are are going to have a huge change next year.  There is very good chance that ALL teachers must attend a 'Thai culture class' and teachers without degrees in education must attend a ’Teachers Licensing Course’ - 1 year I believe!!!  (All courses are expected to come out of the teacher's pockets, unless you have a really good school that will sponsor you)

Not to discourage you from going.  I think Thailand was a great experience,