I forgot to address the issue of free-lancer illegality. It is illegal to teach freelance, but technically, it’s also illegal to have a work permit for a full-time job and accept any other form of employment. My point would be that nearly every teacher has been engaged in ‘illegal’ activities at some point, as the work permit/teacher’s license/visa issues are so illogical and problematic.
If you don’t advertise and you only rely on word of mouth, it’s nearly inconceivable that you would be nabbed by the authorities. I have never heard of any farang getting stopped for his/her work permit. You work in your own home or in others’ homes, so your exposure to Thailand is actually minimal outside of the travel to and from students homes and actually working with said students. I’m not sure how the authorities in this country would even know what’s what regarding the teaching profession. I wear shorts, a Polo shirt and sandals to work, so I look like every other vacationer (I don’t get involved in the whole hi-so, face-promoting fashion fad in Thailand, mostly because people that wear suits and work in 3rd world classrooms end up looking a bit funny, but maybe it’s just me).
Ultimately, when you discuss legal vs. illegal in a country like Thailand, your’e kind of spewing hot air. The distinction has minimal meaning here, especially if you have the funds to guide hands of any Thai officials one may come across. That’s all they seem to really want anyways. Set aside 50,000-100,000 THB to help ‘expedite’ your case if you are picked up by the police/immigration.
I love what ‘anonymous’ has done. I dread the possibility of working for a Thai school again, and am putting it off for as long as I can. I am looking for alternative routes to securing enough income here for my family. And anyone who dates or is married to a Thai knows you are married to the family. So, without too much commentary on that, let me just say I am all for the idea of working illegally as a freelancer in Thailand, letting the freelance work become the cake instead of the icing. With Thai schools cutting so many benefits (and that’s why we really join a company, right? So we can get a work permit, insurance and paid holidays) why not take it all on? No more sports days, camps, form-filling meetings, BS professional development and Thai administration shenanigans. And yes, no more goofball fellow falangs to deal with in the office, too. Good luck! Hope it continues to work out for ‘Anonymous.’ Good to hear a success story, even if it’s not all on the up and up. What I’d love to hear is a Thai administrator’s point of view on ajarn.com. Not likely, but wouldn’t it be nice to hear the headaches they go through when trying to hire a decent foreign teacher on 30K a month?
Anonymous, you are obviously doing well having gone down the freelance teaching route - and yes, there is good money to be made if you hit it right - but it’s also worth pointing out that a lot of teachers are understandably wary of doing it full-time for fear of the work technically being illegal.
I’ve always felt that freelance teaching is the ‘icing on the cake’. It’s something you do a few hours a week to supplement the invcome from your day job. Once it turns into a full-time operation, then you are putting yourself on the radar. I mean, you even signed your comment as ‘anonymous’ so I’m guessing you yourself are aware of the risks involved.
I read these stories and my sincerest sympathies go out to those teachers experiencing this. The attitude towards education in this country is severely lacking and that creates a system in which all parties (except the top) suffer in the wild pursuit of profit (minus any accountability). When I see these stories, I have one thought: Stop doing this. Stop working for other people and cut out the middle man. I paid a Chinese visa brokerage (Chinese people living in Thailand always seem incredibly knowledgeable about Thai government procedure) to secure a Marriage “O” visa (which not everyone can get but as an alternative, my American friend used the same agency and got a 1-year non-B). I quit my job at the Thai school I worked for and went off the grid, teaching private lessons to students from international schools. It took a while for my reputation to get off the ground but now I comfortably make 50-60,000 THB in the bad months and 80-90,000 THB in the good. I rarely work more than 4 hours a day and often it’s more like 2 hours per day. I pay no taxes. I accept no cr*p from Thai administrators and other profit filters that just suck off of the bottom line for boneheaded purchases, “tea money” and other Thai educational pastimes. I also deal with immigration only four times per year. My friend has to pop in and out Cambodia on his non-B and he has the same deal. There is an incredibly strong market for reliable, results-oriented private tutors out there. So many teachers are quacks in Thailand that, if you can tie your own shoes, people here will pay you to teach their kids.
I agree with the anonymous commenter suggesting teachers offer private tutoring. I don’t understand why more teachers don’t aggressively pursue this option. I’m not even a teacher, I sat down at Starbucks, same time each day, for two weeks straight. During that time I was asked if I was a teacher and if I could provide private tutoring by two students…and hello…I was only visiting Bangkok. If you want opportunity, there is opportunity to be had. But you have to actively pursue it. And I don’t believe many teachers do—because I personally know quite a few.
By Richard on 2012-02-21