Often the reality of what many educational institutions are seems so far away from the ideologies we get presented with in teacher training that it can be hard to face. However, I don’t think any principal goes into the job thinking, “I’m going to make this a miserable place to work and provide a terrible learning environmentâ€

Before Search revamped their website I was able to go on (as a non-member) and look at the schools attending a fair. Although there weren't a vast amount of schools, for someone targeting Asia or the Middle East (I am targeting Thailand, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia or possibly Singapore) it seemed like there were a lot of options at the Sydney fair. I also thought it would be good that it was one of the first fairs as some schools will like to as much hiring as they can, as soon as they can. Am I wrong about that? From the current website description of the fair I also get the impression that there are a lot of people at the fair who may be looking for a first overseas experience. Does that put those with experience in a position to be snapped up quickly then?

Australia is a long way from the Middle East (where I am now) but it would be a nice little holiday, and worth it to join up and go if I get a position that appeals.

Money is not massively influential in my move, but it is important to me that I apply at the right places and know what to aim for. If I applied places that were paying 80k baht, and then found that anywhere respectable should be paying at least 100K, then I’d be a bit upset.

I’m very open to moving pretty much anywhere in the Far East, but I find Thailand is one of the most interesting places, and also a place that seems to throw up more questions than anywhere else. In almost anywhere in the region I think it’s easier to get a good idea of what to at least expect than Thailand. But Thailand has so many “International Schoolsâ€

For those currently in Thailand, I sincerely hope that the floods aren't having too much of a negative impact on your lives. All the best to you.

It does seem that it's been one thing after another in Bangkok, year in year year out. There was SARS, the tsunami, at least 2 political coups, 2 bloody uprisings with tanks on the streets, SARS, Bird Flu, the now the mass floods. Don't you guys living there worry? Do you find yourself planning year to year or do you want to stay longer no matter what? How much does the health of a particularly influential figure there concern you, and does you have a contingency plan? Do you feel that you need one? (I understand you aren't allowed to write about the person directly but I think you know who I mean). Ultimately, what would it take for you to leave?

Cheers,


Inman

The way I read a lot of posts it seems that it really isn't too difficult to make over 100k baht per month in Bangkok. That's good cash in a place like that. I work in an IB school now and would like to stay in the programme, so I understand I am limiting myself a bit there, but other than NIST what IB schools there worth a look? Will they go over 100K baht per month? What's Concordian like? I'd love to think that I could apply and jump straight in to NIST, but I understand that's not as easy as it sounds. The more I apply to the more chance I have though.

It does seem that there are a lot of people on the forum who know a lot about living in Thailand. I hope that everyone there is doing ok in this current difficult time in Bangkok.

It does seem that it's been one thing after another in Bangkok year in year year out. There was SARS, the tsunami, at least 2 political coups, 2 bloody uprisings with tanks on the streets, SARS, Bird Flu, the now the mass floods. Don't you guys living there worry? Do you find yourself planning year to year or do you want to stay longer no matter what? What would it take for you to leave? How much does the health of a particularly influential figure there concern you, and does you have a contingency plan? Do you need one? (I understand you aren't allowed to write about the person directly but I think you know who I mean).

On a more school related topic, the way I read a lot of posts it seems that it really isn't too difficult to make over 100k baht per month in Bangkok. That's good cash in a place like that. I work in an IB school now and would like to stay in the programme, so I understand I am limiting myself a bit there, but other than NIST what IB schools there worth a look? Will they go over 100K baht per month? What's Concordian like? I'd love to think that I could apply and jump straight in to NIST, but the more I apply to the more chance I have.

Regards,


Inman

I see a lot of talk about teaching couples, but what kind of value does a teacher + TA couple have?

The specific situation I'm asking about is:

My wife and I have worked in the same IB school for a few years now. I am fully qualified teacher and have worked in international schools for a while. My wife has a masters degree unrelated to education, and joined my current school as a TA 3 years ago when they were let down by someone else at the last minute. My wife enjoyed the experience so much she stuck with it. She doesn't have to work but it would be nice if we can continue to work in the same schools together in future. How do I present/market the situation when applying?

Do I apply by myself and then say "oh by the way my wife is an experienced TA, do you have any vacancies?", or should we apply as a couple? How do I go about it and what options does this present? What are our chances?

Fair comments there PsyGuy. I appreciate you putting together such a detailed and thoughtful response. Thanks for that.

Perhaps it was unfair of me to compare a bilingual school/higher paying language school with APIS. Indeed, the benefits of having the words "International School" on your resume are of greater value than pretty much any language school, with the likes of the British Council being the exception.

Considering all the points mentioned so far then, would it be fair to suggest that this school is the kind of place that's a good starting spot for anyone wishing to make the jump from Language/bilingual schools to International Schools? If it really is that easy to make 100k up in Bangkok, I don't think there are many who would choose 60K in Chiang Mai instead. However, there are many who would love to get their foot in the international school door (citing many of the benefits mentioned by PsyGuy, and especially the added bonus that you'd get IB experience and possibly IB training at APIS) and would feel happy to do so for 60K + benefits. I did very similar to this myself a few years ago. As an additional benefit for an experienced IB teacher, I guess it might be a good place to go for a co-ordinator position?

Personally, I'm completely sold on the place. The school sounds very positive, I love that it has all IB programmes, and I hear nothing but good things about living in Chiang Mai. Comparing it to the UK then it's true that the place provides a good package. Still though, you can get return flight from Bangkok to anywhere in the country 5k per time (or 20k per month if you went every weekend) so if I was offered 40k baht or more to work in the same country then it'd be hard not to.

Thank you for the responses.

I think that 70,000 baht up would be ok, considering the place and cost of living, and 80,000 baht up would make it a good move. But if you're looking at the 60,000 baht range then regardless of benefits, that's really not much more than some of Thailand's bilingual schools that I've seen advertising requiring just any degree+2 years experience. If you've gone to the trouble of a B.Ed, PGCE or Masters and getting previous international school experience then I think it's reasonable to hope for more than that. I know the 60,000 baht range is probably good for in that part of Thailand, and I wouldn't be going there with hope of hoarding stacks of cash, but I would at least want to be able to pay a couple of hundred UK pounds per month towards my pension and have a decent summer every year. I just don't see how that would be possible for anything under 70,000 baht. Perhaps I've got the wrong end of the stick with that. Can anyone living in Thailand shed any further light on the reality?

Regards,


Inman

I was in Beijing a few years ago and I understood the British school to have a decent reputation, just not as good as the other ones mentioned. WAB and ISB are tough competition. Being not as good as them doesn't make a place bad by any means. Well done though for identifying the pseudo schools early on. No arguments there.

So many IB schools say in their ad’s “IB experience preferredâ€

I have read some very positive comments about APIS and its location, and I have to say I find this school very interesting, so much so that I made a special effort to have a look at the campus whilst on holiday in Chiang Mai a couple of months ago. It did look quite impressive and in a stunning area. However, I remember seeing them advertising on a site for local hires in Thailand (ajarn.com) about a year ago and the pay didn’t look too flash, especially in comparison with other international schools in Thailand. Do they have different packages for local and international hires, and do they offer the benefits I would usually expect to receive as an international hire such as airfares, relocation allowance etc?. They score 9 and 10 in the “cost of living in relation to salaryâ€