Ajarn lesson number one
The first steps to becoming a teacher
A teacher, me! Terror was my first reaction, yes I was used to handling million pound budgets and protecting the reputation of celebrities form the British tabloid, but teaching is such a responsibility!
Advice you can truly use
Don't listen to those barstool experts!
Having been warned-- or advised-- that appearance is very important here in Thailand, (just as important as Japan, Korea, or Taiwan I suppose), I set out on job interviews. Most of the advice for teachers on the Thailand websites struck me as either superficial or downright absurd.
Fresh off the boat
Newbies. Don't you just love 'em
I've seen it all before. We all have. These young, naive 20 something newbies, these walking erections with a backpack, who get off the airplane at Don Muang with nothing but a goofy grin and a 42 work vocabulary, and magically land that 40,000 Baht a month job te aching English, while the rest of us, with our credentials, our education, and our experience are left wondering where the good teaching jobs have gone.
December 2002
A year-end selection box of TEFL snippets
Featured this month is corporate work, Mr Micheal from Siam Computer, how to dress to impress at interviews and mingling with rich English teachers.
Manic depression
Looking for jobs in the concrete jungle
There's been more comments recently about how hard it is to get a job. Part of the problem is the rather disinterested or negative attitude of some teachers who simply believe that it's their god given right to be able to land a dream teaching gig with minimal effort.
Contractual obligations
Always read the small print
A not particularly accurate overview of the contracts offered to teachers in Thailand. Taken with a pinch of salt it might give you some ideas of what to expect.
The be all and end all
padding out your resume
'Teach', 'English',' Language' those magic words in cursive writing will work wonders for your job prospects. Were all TEFL courses created equally?
