Filipinos: Want to teach in Thailand?

As we begin the new hiring season in Thailand, now is the time to be vigilant. Beware of unscrupulous recruiters and schools that attempt to defraud, lie, cheat or otherwise misrepresent schools. This message is primarily directed towards teachers from the Philippines, but contains information usable by everyone contemplating a teaching stint in Thailand.

Filipinos are being actively recruiting for positions in Thailand. Unfortunately, these recruiters are interested primarily in lining their own pockets. You will not find any legal recruiters for teaching positions in Thailand inside the Philippines because schools in Thailand do not typically utilize these types of recruiters. A lot of recruiting for jobs in Thailand is done by Filipinos who return to the Philippines on vacation.

I would like to share some facts about teaching in Thailand for Filipinos.

- You will probably earn between 10,000 to 15,000 baht per month and it may or may not include housing. Some do indeed earn up to 30,000 baht per month, but on the same token, there are Filipino English teachers in Thailand earning only 7,000 baht per month.

- You need a four year degree and you need to be able to verify that the degree is legitimate. The times of using a Recto Avenue degree have past. In fact, several teachers have been arrested and deported from Thailand because they used a fake degree.

- You need a copy of your NBI clearance. There is talk that no visa will be issued without it.

- Visas are getting more difficult to obtain. The visas are only obtained outside of Thailand. Also, you are limited to only 3 30-day entries per 180 days. Filipinos have been denied entry for exceeding them. A lot of teachers in the past have worked illegally on tourist permits, but that time has come and gone.

- You may be subject to extra requirements as whimsically decided by Thai officials. What does this mean? You may need to take a TOEFL or IELTS test in order to get your teacher’s license. It may mean that you are simply denied the work permit because of your looks.

- You should never pay a recruiter a fee to give you some sort of certificate that guarantees you can teach in Thailand.

These are the facts that illegal recruiters will not tell you. They will tell you about fantastic riches. In fact, we have an institute in our Hall of Shame named OLA. This institute recruits Filipinos with the promise of wealth, but ends up abandoning the teachers after they have finished the course. Some are sent to non-existent jobs, some are told just to bugg off.

One recruiter I know of brought several teachers from a central Philippine island. These teachers paid $500 each for a short certificate course and placement in a school. Upon arrival, they were shoved into an old apartment building, several teachers per room. When they finally got a placement, one teacher ended up in a school earning 300 baht per day and wasn’t paid for holidays or weekends. She was living in an old decrepit building.

Don’t trust the recruiters who tell you about coming to Thailand. They will only help you in one way…relieving you of your hard earned savings or worse yet, put your family in debt to the local 5/6 man. It is better that you research it on your own. If you really want to come to Thailand, there are opportunities to teach English and you can earn a decent salary if you do your homework and are patient, but having a recruiter will not magically make it happen. If you do use a recruiter, you will probably end up looking for the job on your own and be several hundred dollars lighter. The choice is up to you.

Want advice on coming to teach in Thailand? The TEFLWatch Forum has a Thailand Talk room. We have regular group of members who are happy to answer any questions as best they can. I also encourage any Filipinos or other foreign teachers in Thailand to leave comments on this thread to help Filipinos interested in teaching in Thailand.

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