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Khon Kaen
|
| Q |
The Lonely
Planet guidebook says......? |
| A |
The Rough Guide says that Khon
Kaen is "geographically at the virtual center of Issan". The city is a
center for education and health care in the northeast. The province however
has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the country. There is a large
number of students living in and around the city due to the presence of Khon
Kaen University, Northeastern University, Rajamongol Technical College, The
College of Asian Scholars and many smaller technical schools. |
| Q |
In general, what are the
pickings like for an EFL teacher? |
| A |
There are the usual big
players of the language school world represented here - AUA, California
Institute, and ECC. - along with several smaller schools. There is a
growing demand for qualified teachers at the language schools, public
schools, and private schools. The people here hold English language
education in high regard and spend a lot of their income on education for
their kids. Salaries are lower than in Bangkok. The range is generally
between 18,000 at the low end and about 40,000 at the high end with the
average for an experienced teacher at about 28,000. Sometimes housing is
included in the package and sometimes a housing allowance of 3000 to 5000 is
included above the salary. There is a constant demand for private
instruction and I decline at least 4 offers for each one that I accept. If
you are well presented and offer a good program, you can get by on your
own. I did so for 2 years. There are 3 major secondary schools within the
city limits and each of those schools hire native speakers. The ideal
candidate for this area is usually one who is a bit mature, professional
looking, and preferably married to a Thai. Although by no means a
requirement, being married to a Thai is viewed as being able to make a
commitment and having some understanding of Thai culture. |
| Q |
How far from Bangkok or
civilization? |
| A |
Khon Kaen is located about 450
miles from Bangkok on Highway number 2, about midway between Korat and Nong
Khai. There are 2 bus terminals which are both served by Moi Chit in
Bangkok. Khon Kaen boasts a brand new municipal airport and 4 daily flights
between Bangkok and the city. A VIP bus from Bangkok costs about 260 baht
and the one way airfare on Thai Airlines is 1605 baht. The flight is about
40 minutes long and the VIP bus takes about 5 1/2 hours with a brief stop in
Korat. |
| Q |
Is there any
entertainment or do you invite friends round for Scrabble? |
| A |
Entertainment can be a little
thin for singles looking to mingle with an ex-pat community. There are not
that many of us here and many of us are married and home with UBC after
classes. There are plenty of bars and karaoke places. The 3 major discos
are jumping every night. It's a great and safe environment for an east
meets west experience. There are 3 major hotels downtown: the five star
Sofitel, the Charoen Thani Princess and the Kosa each with four stars. All
of the hotels have the appropriate amenities. The Sofitel is a favorite
because of it's nightly western style buffet and its fitness club. There
are also many lesser known but comfortable and more affordable hotels within
walking distance of most destinations. |
| Q |
How much to rent a house
or basic apartment? |
| A |
It is very common for schools
and co-workers to assist with finding housing. One room, furnished, air con
apartments are available for between 3500 and 4500 per month. Unfurnished 3
bedroom townhouses are 3000 to 5000 per month. There are also more
luxurious digs available at 8000 - 25000. |
| Q |
Shopping malls,
department stores? |
| A |
For day to day living needs,
there is a BigC, and a Tesco plus many smaller local stores. Robinson's has
a store planned for town also. There is also a huge selection of regional
crafts and products at much lower prices than you will see on Sukhumvit.
There are silk vendors all over the downtown area. In plentiful supply are
the locally made traditional and Mutmee silks and cottons, silver jewelry,
wood carvings, etc. Many villages in the province produce their own
signature goods such as silk handbags, clay jewelry etc. The local wet
market in the center of the city is one of the biggest in Thailand. They
have a tremendous selection of meats and vegetables and operate 24 hours per
day. Main shopping malls are Fairy Plaza and Oasis which are normally
populated by the college crowd. |
| Q |
Internet cafes?
(snail-speed Hotmail default page or fatties playing Ragnarok?) |
| A |
Internet cafes are plentiful
in the downtown area and most are filled with kids and games before 10pm.
After that the customers are mostly college students or "Please marry me"
spam girls. Every school that I have been in has an internet connection and
it's pretty much all dial up. The price is right at the cafes - usually 10
to 15 baht an hour. |
| Q |
Will you be stared at?
and what's the likelihood of a good beating? |
| A |
You will be stared at around
the city a little bit and 5 to 10 kilometers outside town the locals might
want to touch the hair on your arms(if you resemble a monkey like I do).
But mainly you will be smiled at and treated with courtesy,awe,and delight
wherever you go. The people here are truly happy and honored to have you
teach in their city. For most of us, there is really no chance of being
beaten up but I guess for some it's guaranteed wherever they go. There are
10 hospitals in the city. |
| Q |
Taxis, buses....or horse
and cart? |
| A |
Local 5 baht buses are great
from very early in the morning until about 8:30 in the evening. After
that, the tuk tuks are very reasonable. I live about 7 km from school and
it takes me 15 to 20 minutes in the morning on the bus. The same ride in a
tuk tuk is 50 - 60 baht. |
| Q |
Main advantages of living
there? |
| A |
The main attraction in living
here is quality of life. It's much more relaxed than Bangkok. It's very
inexpensive to live here. It's easy to establish good relationships with
the locals. It's very easy to get around. Just about anything that you can
buy in Bangkok, you can get here. People are extremely polite and
friendly. You are a big fish in a small pond. Bangkok is a 40 minute
plane ride. Most of the tourists are Thai. You will learn to speak some
Thai or Lao. It's very dry during the dry season and very nice and cool in
the evenings during the cool season. I can get to Don Muang from my house
in Khon Kaen faster than many of you who live in Bangkok. Lots of
soundtrack rental shops. |
| Q |
And what are the
downsides? |
| A |
The downside is that very few
people speak English (upside?). Income is unlimited but salaries are
small. You have to work hard. There is nowhere to hide. Everyone knows you
and what you are doing, so be good and do it right. Nothing works some of
the time and some things work none of the time but nothing works all of the
time. Bangkok is a 40 minute plane ride. One English language movie if
we're lucky. |
| Q |
Any local attractions? |
| A |
The city has a fairly
interesting museum and there are some dinosaur sites nearby. The closest
thing to a public park is Beung Kaen Nakorn, a 3km circumference lake with
dozens of restaurants, sing song places and karaoke bars around it. Some
grass and lots of joggers and aerobics activity every night. Food is very
cheap and plentiful all over the city, 24 hours a day. You can't go 100m
without running into 3 or 4 food stalls - all day and all night. People
here love to snack and the food is very hot. Pizza Company, McDonald's, and
Swenson's are here for the gastronomically challenged. |
