Tips for the newbie teacher

Keep these points in mind and you'll cope far better

Don't get stressed by the job. Remember that you are merely the latest in a long line of farang teachers who have come and gone. There isn't enough time to make any real progress with students' English so just try and make it fun for them.

Home or away?

Where is the best place to do a TEFL course - Thailand or your own country?

A good question that occasionally pops up on social media is “should I take a TEFL course in Thailand or in my home country (USA, England, etc)? I’ve noticed that the question never really gets a decent answer, so I turned to a dozen or so of Thailand’s TEFL course providers and asked them for their input.

Get realistic Thailand!

Postbox letter from Ryan

I think Thailand needs to be more realistic about what it's looking for with TEFL teachers. You don't really need any qualifications to teach TEFL at the real TEFL level other than being a native-speaker and having a CELTA, etc.

18 red flags

18 points to consider carefully when choosing a school

From unpaid mid-term breaks to having to pay for white-board markers. What are the things that turn teachers off the idea of working for a particular Thai school - and are they justified?

Language school memoirs

Tales from an academic director / recruiter

I was a lead teacher, academic director and recruiter for a private Thai language school with several branches. I did this job for well over a decade and as you would expect - there's a story or two.

The dreaded demo lesson

How to make sure your demo lesson goes as smoothly as possible

Now that the busy hiring season is almost upon us, many schools will be asking potential teachers for a demo lesson. Don't panic. Let them know who the professional is.

Tackling the Skype interview

Having an interview on Skype is nothing to fear if you are well-prepared

Skype is now used by many companies as part of their recruitment drive. If you are faced with the 'ordeal' of a Skype interview for a teaching position, what can you do to improve your chances of performing well and landing the job?

Be the worst teacher you can be

A guide to making life difficult for you and everyone else

There's simply not enough information on how to be a crap teacher and just coast by. There's almost nothing on how easily you can do things that can get you fired or at least lose you the respect of everyone around you.

Ten reasons to quit teaching English in Thailand

How soon will you be heading home?

Are you a new teacher in Thailand? How's it working out for you? Have you found a nice apartment yet? Scoped out all the cool places to buy coffee and street food? Fantastic. Welcome on board...