Working smart, not working hard
Making the most of your teaching time
By paying more attention to your teaching hours and your overall availability, it's possible to juggle teaching jobs around and watch your monthly earnings soar.
Freelance teaching
Ever thought about going it alone?
How easy is it to go the freelance route in Bangkok and make money charging students upwards of 500 baht an hour? Well, here are some of the perils and pitfalls of teaching from your home, the student's home or perhaps even in the nearest McDonalds.
How can you find private students?
What works when it comes to marketing yourself as a private teacher?
Teaching private students in your home, or even in the local McDonalds, can be a great way to put five to ten thousand baht a month in the kitty. The problem for many teachers is how to find private students - and then how to keep them.
The 360 degree approach
A new way to teach TOEFL and IELTS
I only tutor TOEFL and IELTS privately and no longer teach the subjects at private language centres. I will not adhere to rules and regulations that mean students have to repeatedly sit tests. It’s a rip-off.
Japanic!
How things have changed in my absence
A lot of forum posters are claiming that Japan might not be the earner that it used to be, then again for those with a bit of hustle the market for freelance work is burgeoning. I personally believe that an English teacher overseas has to view him/herself as a miniature corporation and constantly innovate to keep up with market demands.
January 2003
A veritable trinket box crammed with TEFL oddments
This month featuring teachers who strike it lucky, textbook terrors and the perils of teaching freelance
Caught by the privates
The perils of freelance teaching
From the thrill of the chase and actually getting your first private student to the cancellations there's never a dull moment when your trapped in a living room with an 8 year old and her Chinese granny.
Sunday morning rant
Knocked out in thirty minutes
Too long, too bitter, twisted, cynical and sarcastic to be included in a paper that has a few dozen Thai readers - so the newspaper version was edited quite a lot.
Featured Teachers
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Roda
Diploma (1)
Philippino (female, 26 years old, native Tagalog speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Elie Grace
Diploma (2), BA (1)
Philippino (female, 30 years old, native Tagalog speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Shanisara
BEd (1)
Thai (female, 33 years old, native Thai speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Jeff
Certificate (2), BA (1), MA (1)
British (male, 57 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Billy
BA (1), MA (1)
American (male, 37 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Evan
Certificate (2)
South African (male, 26 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Kieron
Diploma (2), Certificate (1), BSc (1)
British (male, 37 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Martin
Certificate (1), BA (1)
Dutch (male, 33 years old, native Dutch speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Amanda
Certificate (3), BA (1)
American (female, 26 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Derren
Certificate (1)
British (male, 39 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
Ajarn Guests
Fear of change?
In Thailand the government has set 2012 as English Speaking Year with a goal of encouraging students to converse in English every Monday. Such policies are useful but the major leap of enacting legislation to make English an official language for Thailand is also needed
Software for student tests
The integration of internet and computers with education and English learning is something students find normal, and classrooms without some access to educational software may seem quaint. Some students may even feel they can get more ‘professional' teaching from the numerous online ELT sites if a school is behind in IT.
Whatever happened to the shopping mall teacher?
They are the shopping mall English teachers - gliding like pale, undernourished phantoms amid the hordes of weekend Thai shoppers. The main reason I empathize with the shopping mall teacher is because I was once one myself. I know how desperate and soul-destroying it can be.
About Ajarn.com
Ajarn.com was started as a small hobby website in 1999 by Ian McNamara. It was a simple way for one Bangkok teacher to share his Thailand experiences and pass on advice. The website developed a loyal and enthusiastic following. In 2004, Ian handed over the reins to Phil Williams and 'Bangkok Phil' has run the ajarn website ever since.
Ajarn.com has grown enormously and is now the most popular TEFL site in Thailand - possibly even South East Asia. Although best-known for its vibrant jobs page, Ajarn has a wealth of articles, blogs, features and help and advice. But one principle has always remained at Ajarn's core - to tell things like they are and to do it with a sense of humor. Thailand can be Heaven or Hell for an English teacher. It's always been Ajarn.com's duty to present both sides of the equation. Thanks for stopping by.
Friends of Ajarn
The cost of living
How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to survive in Thailand? We analyze the facts.
The Region Guides
Fancy working in Thailand but not in Bangkok? Our region guides are written by teachers who actually live and work in the provinces.
Hi, I’m Tony Dabbs
I was a licensed life and health agent in the USA for many years and now I'm ajarn.com's health insurance expert.
Fun Quiz
Find out how employable you are in Thailand as an English teacher. Is it a case of 'welcome aboard' or "Mom, I need you to send some money again"
Fancy teaching freelance?
How easy is it to cut out the middlemen and rake in the cash teach students at their own homes?
E-mailing for jobs
E-mailing potential employers in Thailand can be a very frustrating experience. Teacher Chris is on hand to give you some top tips.
Renting an apartment?
Before you go pounding the streets, check out our guide and know what to look out for.
