In response to this article I have to agree. Although I have a degree, I too plan my teaching hours I think quite well. I work 8 - 3.30 in a primary school teaching 20 x 50 minute lessons a week (4 per day ) 33000 baht. I then teach an extra 9 hours a week after school privately which brings in another 20000 baht. My day finishes at 5pm on a Monday, 6.30pm on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and at 2.15pm (Ihave no last period) on a Friday.
I do no school or private related work between 2.15pm on a Friday until 8am on a Monday.
I live very happily on 53000 and like the person says in the article the works out there just don’t tire yourself out by planning it badly.
Nice to see some success stories and strategies to get there on this website. Not to put too much of a hot light on it, but “the friend” ended up earning 65K baht a month only until Saturdays burned him out. And his youthful age conveniently helped out his marketing: he’s in his twenties. How many parents would let a 30 or 40 year old man “play with” their children? And then his marital status: It took “this friend” getting married to reach 120K baht a month. You’ve seen the CV pictures on Ajarn.com. Do these guys look like they are in their twenties married to an internationally educated Thai woman?
Now this couple have enough money so “the friend” can get a degree and a proper diploma. Or doesn’t the Thai Ministry of Education care about the education level of its foreign teachers, no matter how pint-sized the students may be? It’s a great story. It really is. Useful advice in the second half, too. I’d say it’s the exception, but happy to be proved wrong.
By Jimmy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 2011-12-08