Talkin’ bout my situation

Everyone's situation is a little different

30th January 2012

A section of the ajarn website for those teachers looking to embark on a teaching career in Thailand and have so many questions and no real answers.

Lofty assumptions for pay expectations on ajarn

Sent in by Nick Busch

28th January 2012

Most jobs here pay 30,000 baht at best - and more still pay in the neighborhood of 20,000 baht. It is rare to find one that pays 40,000 baht in Bangkok, but there are a few jobs at business English schools for adults and so on. Universities in Thailand almost universally pay between 25,000 and 30,000, with a few exceptions.

You are merely entertainers

Sent in by John in China

20th January 2012

I really can’t see the point of teachers complaining about salaries. Time after time there are instances of corruption, bad behavior by directors and coordinators, unruly student behavior with no disciplinary procedures.

Be warned!

Sent in by Dennis Faulkner

22nd December 2011

This is just a 'be aware and take care' story. The week before last I was offered a job with a teacher agency and invited to start immediately. But as I was already working for another school so the best I could do was give the agency a week’s notice and I eventually left my old school last Friday

How to compile a flawless resume

Make yourself stand out from the crowd

3rd October 2011

This month many of our "kababayan" are busy writing their resumes hunting for jobs so I would like to write about an idea resume.

How low can we go?

Sent in by Martin Chilvers

5th August 2011

There seemed to be a time when 30-40,000 baht a month salaries were the norm, and I suppose like many teachers I felt that things were only going to get better. But what's going on in Thailand?

Things I won’t do for work

They say that everybody has a price

5th July 2011

Although most of my TEFL experience has not been in Thailand, there is still a long list of things I won’t accept in a teaching job. Talk numbers and cross my palm with silver because these are the things I simply won’t do for work.

A sad state of affairs

Sent in by Apso

29th June 2011

So the "Dwang has finally hit the fan", and there is a shortage of qualified teachers in Thailand, so much so that some agencies have to hire people to look for unqualified teachers in Khao San Road.

Who’s insulting who?

Sent in by Lucie

13th June 2011

We are all free to choose what jobs we apply for, and those of us lucky / well-organised enough to have a teaching degree or plenty of experience can choose to apply only for the better-paid jobs, confident that we'll get offered at least one of them.

Win-win teachers

How to become a more valued employee

26th May 2011

Whether in the staffroom, lunchroom, shop floor, barracks, or around the water cooler next to the cubicles, the main topic of conversation has always been how incompetent the bosses and management were.

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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.