Paid Teaching Positions in Thailand

Name: Paid Teaching Positions in Thailand
Brand: GeoVisions Foundation
SKU: 29171
Rating: 4.89 (9 reviews)

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Location

Thailand
- Hua Hin
- Chiang Rai
- Chiang Mai
- Bangkok

Length

12 - 52 weeks

Classroom Audience

Early Childhood Pre-School

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Program Details

Job Type

Teacher Exchange

Classroom Audience

Early Childhood Pre-School

Housing

Apartment Hotel

Age Min.

Age Max

Pricing

Salary / Benefits

$900+/month

Starting Price

1569

What's Included

Some Activities Airport Transfers Some Meals

What's Included (Extra)

Full support from on-the-ground staff

What's Not Included

Accommodation Activities Airfare Meals SIM cards Travel Insurance

Last Updated: Dec 02, 2019

Last Reviewed: Apr 02, 2014

Wish List

19 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Thailand is a country filled with wonders and beauty. Golden beaches, prowling tigers, ancient cities, amazing culture. But Thailand is more than just that. It is a country looking to learn. The demand for English speaking teachers is great.

Visiting teachers are able to teach in Thailand in Primary or Secondary schools, sometimes with the option of teaching at both levels, depending on the placement and availability. Schools are both urban & rural, in Bangkok, central, eastern Thailand; and some limited placements in northern Thailand. Typically, visiting teachers are in the classroom and help with class planning, presentations, faculty meetings, and help with extra-curricular activities.

Program fee starting at US$1,569.

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4.89 Rating

based on 9 reviews

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Rating Spread Teach

5 rating 88.89%
4 rating 11.11%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 0%
1 rating 0%

Benefits 4.9
Support 5
Fun 5
Facilities 4.9
Safety 5

Showing 1 - 8 of 9 reviews

I love teaching in Northern Thailand and I taught 650 Matthom 2 & 5 level Thai High School students every week. This was very rewarding and challenging as most of my students couldn't speak or comprehend English. I develope English lesson with activities that I believed would be benificial to my students. One of the highlights of the week was the English teachers and one Japanese teacher in our school every Wednesday we would play football (soceer) with our students and built wonderful friendships and memories.

What would you improve about this program?

1. The high school I taught at has a list of colleges and universities that needs to be updated as this became a problem with the school I taught at.
2. Thai teachers teach from textbooks yet English teachers develope lesson plans and activities.
3. I observed Thai teachers teaching grammar incorrectly and speaking Thai when teaching English classes and have difficulities pronouncing English words. Thai teachers need to set an example.
4. All our morning assemblies were in Thai and I never knew what was said.
5. Thai classes took priority over English classes and were cancel
without a warning.
6. English teachers were never invited to teacher meetings.

I started from completely knowing nothing about teaching, and was second-guessing this opportunity to travel and teach at the same time. I decided to just go and see what I could do in Thailand. Knowing that I would be going with my best friend made it easier to decide to just go.

GeoVisions connected me through XploreAsia in Hua-Hin, Thailand, a very helpful agency that helped us get placed around Thailand without any fuss. Prior to flying out to Thailand, I completed the TEFL-C (120+ hours) which XploreAsia who was very helpful given the time difference!

Once our one-week course/introduction with XploreAsia, we were all beginning our placements in Thailand. My friend and I were placed in the same region (Suphanburi).

The first month of teaching was not easy for me as I had never taught in my life before even doing this and I felt horrible that I would not be an effective teacher. I felt isolated knowing only little Thai and could not really communicate any further than "hello". Then, I decided to toughen up and go through with it knowing that I will learn to become a better teacher over time and patience.

The next few months, I started learning the Thai language pretty well, and continued practice reading and writing it. After 6 months, I was able to speak, read and write Thai pretty well and wanted to continue learning it to the point of fluency. Parallel to that, I was getting much more relaxed in the classroom, I felt that I was becoming very effective towards my students and came up with games and activities that I would have never thought about doing months ago and I felt that I have developed an everlasting relationship with many of the locals in the town. Once I was finished, I had managed to accomplish so much as an individual in 8 months: I left my students in tears, the teachers that helped me become a better teacher/person, in tears, I also left my financial advisor in tears! How I have made such an impact did not hit me until the last day. Then, I told the school I will be coming back for one more year starting this May. They were quite surprised!

All I know is, after starting this journey, I had no idea I would enjoy this so much. I've learned a lot from the locals, the school and my agents that helped me through my stay. The impact that I have made had me want to sign on for another year to continue impacting those around me in a positive way. It all started with one-click on GeoVisions from searching through Google. The best part about teaching in a different part of the world is that you get to travel and expand your horizons and opportunities.

What would you improve about this program?

Prior to arriving in Thailand, I assumed I would be placed in a certain region in Thailand and I was guaranteed a spot in that region coming from you guys. It turned out it was definitely not a guarantee. I was a little surprised by that, but it did not really disappoint me as my experience was still beyond amazing. Knowing that it is better to stay quite flexible with our choices, this would be something you guys should know.

Read my full story

I was placed before arriving to Thailand. So I completed the shorter on line course, which was very helpful. I was collected at the airport and taken to the hotel in Bangkok
I was given great support regarding transport arrangements and travelled to the north without any problems.
Once in my placement I was contacted on a regular basis by Xplore Asia, checking I was settling in which was good, as the first few weeks are difficult, as you don't know anyone, and its great to know there is someone at the end of the phone / email in the country.
I then completed the course later in the year and had an amazing time, although I am a teacher, I did find it beneficial as teaching English as a Second Language is different from general teaching. So I was glad I did the course and made some great friends and further support from Xplore Asia
I would recommend this programme as you can always reach out if you need support and they will do their best to help you.

My teaching assignment was in Lopburi-(north of Bangkok)-and it was a better situation than I could have hoped for.

The students were all so courteous, respectfull-always saying-"teacher, teacher" - coming up to me asking my name, how Im doing. They were the BEST!!! They were always so happy and grateful, and just satisfied with a simple smile or nod of approval. They sang a song to me at the beginning and end of each class-regardless of age, level in school-(kintergarden-high school), they always greet me and were always eager to learn.

The staff/faculty were extremely friendly and accommodating. They embraced me and I felt very welcome and cared for. I'm was pleased with my accommodations.

Things went better than I thought they would. This is an amazing program.

What would you improve about this program?

Nothing really critical about the program. It took longer to get over jet-lag than I thought and it took time at the school for me to feel like I really belonged as the only westerner. Those are things you have to consider, I think.

In one week we became a family; our curiosities, secrets, motives, and desires were served as catalysts to bonds typically reserved for months of interaction. With this family, I have experienced a blessing by a Buddhist monk at the Khao Tao temple and received a fortune reading. I have fed, hugged, and played with elephants. I have bagged food for over 2,000 rescued dogs. I have cooked Pad Thai and spring rolls. I have eaten deep fried frog. I have had wordless conversations. I have been waved at by school children. I have been clapped at for taking my shoes off as I enter a building. I have been smiled at as I bowed for the King passing by. I have trekked the beach at night. I have divulged my life to strangers.

I have a travel blog about this experience on this program, and have written somewhat extensively about everything on the Teach in Thailand program in the last 4 posts.

The link is: http://chrisgering.blogspot.com/

It's a fair amount of reading. I go into fairly detailed descriptions of my situation. I have also been taking pictures since I arrived in Bangkok and am constantly adding to it on facebook.

Check it: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200925109383169…

What would you improve about this program?

The visa issue is somewhat unclear and you have to be comfortable with visa runs and renewing your visa when you're there. You also have to be open to changing your teaching assignment based on orientation or the TESOL course. Everyone needs to know things can be fluid in Thailand. For some, that might be uncomfortable. For me it was freeing.

As I had never lived abroad, or even travelled for longer than 3 weeks, the idea of moving not just to another country, but another continent was incredibly overwhelming yet intriguing at the same time. I researched various companies in locations all over the world and finally settled on this GeoVisions programme. Jodi was very helpful and thorough in answering all of my questions and I never felt hesitant to inquire about anything (no matter how trivial!)

Upon arrival in Bangkok, I was greeted with a name card and a warm welcome and transported immediately to my hotel where many of my fellow TESOL course participants were staying. This served as a great way to meet other like-minded people from all over the world, and chatting about our upcoming course and adventure melted away any remaining apprehension. XploreAsia's Managing Director, Mike, along with our TESOL instructors, placement team, and several other members of staff even travelled to Bangkok from Hua Hin to meet us and escort us back to the town that would be our home for the next month.

Week no. 1 was orientation week and was hands down one of the best weeks of my life! There was a fantastic mix of excursions from serene temples to pineapple farms to having cuddles with an elephant, coupled with interesting courses in Thai language, history and culture. All of the XploreAsia staff were unexpectedly personable and down to earth. The TESOL course itself was a very intense, rewarding 3 weeks. Both Sandra and Jaco are incredibly inspiring instructors, their passion for teaching and the change that they know it can make in SE Asia is very infectious! From having absolutely no experience in teaching prior to this course, instead of feeling terrified to leave for my teaching placement, I felt excited and confident to get to know my new colleagues, students and surroundings.

Any problems or questions I had were answered straight away and the staff were very easy to get in contact with. This level of support has continued long after I have settled into my placement and XploreAsia are still the people I know that I can turn to with any inquires from Visa runs to contracts; Tyler and Paang have never failed to promptly respond to my emails or phone calls!

Finally, one of the best things that I have left Hua Hin with is a huge network of fellow teachers and friends placed all across Thailand. Any worries, or bad days in the classroom and they are all just a message away to share their own experiences and reassure me (and it also means that I have lots of people and places to visit on the weekends!) Regardless of where you are placed, you leave Hua Hin and XploreAsia with a very big extended family!

My experience with GeoVisions and XploreAsia really could not have been better. I researched a number of different companies prior to making the jump with GeoVisions and I found their staff to be extremely professional from the get go. I was well prepared with documentation prior to arriving to the country and hit the ground running upon arrival. Jodi is a very thorough and organized person.

Mike and the staff at XploreAsia took very good care of us from the beginning. The cultural orientation was extremely interesting and really prepared me for what it was going to be like to teach in Thailand. From there, Jaco took over with the TESOL course and was an extremely inspirational teacher, who gave us some excellent techniques for teaching second language learners.

The whole staff in general was welcoming and warm and made my transition to a new country where I knew no one at all, a very smooth and easy one. Mike is a professional through and through and is generally interested in seeing people succeed in Thailand, because not only is it good for the individual teacher, but it's good for the country and it's people as well.

If you put your faith in these companies, you will not be disappointed. I was looking for a life changing experience and I certainly found one.

The TESOL course was absolutely amazing! In the beginning I felt nervous and very apprehensive about what I have gotten myself into. Looking back now, I can truly see how much I have grown in only a short space of time (1 month). I would definitely recommend this course to people with a fun-loving attitude, a desire to help others and grow and for those wanting to experience a completely different culture and way of living. I feel as though I am almost 100% prepared for any culture shock that will come my way.

The only thing that I would have liked to have seem more of is training specifically on teaching to younger children. Also it would have been good to have more time spent on adopting to change and conflict in a classroom.

Overall though I was very happy with the experience I had and an really enjoying my placement.

Questions & Answers

Do you need to have a bachelors degree to teach?

Do you know what country they are talking about? If it's Thailand then they don't need to have a bachelors, but it will limit where they can work and how much they can make. They will also not be eligible for a long term visa and will have to make a visa run every month or so (can't remember the length exactly). In Myanmar, you really can't teach without a Bachelor's degree unless you have a lot...

By Chris on December 5, 2016

See all 2 answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you decide to teach English abroad with GeoVisions in Thailand?

Jeffrey Ryan Curry profile pic

Jeffrey: It all started with the curiosity to see what I could in a different part of the world. I stumbled upon GeoVisions while just searching for an English Teaching program somewhere abroad.

And I decided to go with Thailand as it seemed the most far-flung part of the world that you could be in. Having the insatiable appetite of always wanting to travel Southeast Asia, I signed up for Thailand for a length of 4 months.

What made this teach abroad experience unique and special?

Jeffrey: Just being immersed in a totally different culture and residing in a completely different part of world was unique in itself: Learning about the religion, culture and how the people of Thailand lived throughout their daily lives was very unique.

I have met so many amazing people I have worked with inside and outside of the school. While teaching, I never knew how much I was actually learning while teaching the material to my very own students! I was re-living my time as a young student in a classroom myself.

Tell us about one person you met you will never forget.

Jeffrey: The one person I will never forget is connected to how much Thai I have learned which is the security guard at my apartment complex. The first day I started teaching, I locked myself out of my apartment complex late at night having an already rough day.

The first person I have ever attempted to talk Thai was this security guard. Ever since he helped me, I have always greeted him every day which gradually led into longer conversations about anything that I could come up with and I would just listen to his responses as carefully as possible to understand him.

Over the past months we were just having decent conversations that spanned a half hour or more, again, about anything! By the time of my departure back to America, I told him I would be back. I did not realize until then how much he had helped me getting the Thai language down by just talking to him.

What were you most proud of accomplishing during your time as a teacher?

"I never knew I would become an English teacher in a foreign country."

Jeffrey: What I was most proud of accomplishing was learning how to speak, read and write Thai close to fluency by the end of my 8 months stay. I thought this would not be achievable as the language was quite hard to learn and study, but by talking constantly to locals, the language was developing much quicker than I thought.

The whole immersion in a completely different country to learn that specific language really does accelerate your ability to learn that language.

Another accomplishment that I was most proud of was gaining the experience to teach at a school from the ground up. I never knew I would become an English Teacher in a foreign country or even become a teacher anywhere!

Ever since I stumbled upon this opportunity, it’s hard to say when I will be back “home” since the opportunities I have come upon while teaching have spread quickly!

How has this experience impacted your future? (Personally, professionally, etc)

"I felt that I left a huge impact on the students."

Jeffrey: This experience has impacted my future completely. Over a year ago, I had a completely different mindset on what I wanted to do in my life: I wanted to become either a GIS Technician, Geographer or Map Technician, but then I realized majority of those jobs require years of experience on top of experience I could not get easily obtain because the demand for internships were so little.

I wasn’t going to sit around. I felt that I needed to change paths as I felt lost and confused with my future. I turned to the rest of the world and their opportunities. Ever since I discovered many jobs as an English Teacher in Southeast Asia, I knew this was an opportunity that may help me get to where I need to be.

Fast-forward a year later, I’m sitting here constantly looking at plane tickets to destinations I have always wanted to go to. I’ve taught in a classroom for the past 8 months which I never had in the past.

After teaching for that long, my communication skills are better, I feel more confident when I talk, I felt that I left a huge impact on the students I taught and that my creativity has been boosted.

I felt really important as the opportunities for a lot of things: tutoring students, parents, anybody who wanted to learn English, and other teaching positions, all of these opportunities were coming to me. I don’t know if I want to pursue a path I once wanted in the past because of how this part of the world made me grow as a better person.

Better yet, the job opportunities have expanded to a few countries: China: working as a transportation planner in Beijing, Japan: continue working as an English Teacher at an International Arts School, Mexico: Working as an Urban Planner in La Paz.

None of this would have happened if I decided to take the opportunity to go abroad, teach and develop everlasting connections with people.

Shari Lefler

Carla Gott

Alex Grant

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Randy LeGrant

Program

Paid Teaching Positions in Thailand

Job Title

GeoVisions Executive Director

We are proud to feature Randy LeGrant, who is the Executive Director of GeoVisions. Randy and the rest of the folks at GeoVisions provide voluntourism opportunities in international education and exchange in over 25 countries around the world. Randy has extensive experience in teach, volunteer, and internship opportunities abroad, and we're delighted to have him here today to share his own experiences and advice. We hope you enjoy the interview and welcome further comments and questions below!

Lets start with a brief introduction. Who are you, where are you, and what are you doing?

My name is Randy LeGrant and I'm the Executive Director of GeoVisions. Our inbound office, where we operate the J-1 Visa U.S. Work and Travel program is located in Chesterfield, NH. Our outbound office, where we operate the volunteer and teach abroad programs is located in Guilford, CT. I work in Guilford and I love it. The building we're in was built in 1750 and the town Green we overlook was built in 1639. About a mile down the road is a working harbor for Lobstermen and we even have a lighthouse. We feel like we walk around in a postcard all day.

Tell us a little about GeoVisions and what this organization aims to accomplish?

We founded GeoVisions on August 11, 2001. We hit our first real challenge a month later on September 11, 2001. But through that, and most recently the global financial meltdown, we have managed every year to grow our programs and the number of volunteers and teachers we send abroad.

Something many people don't realize is the amount of experience the three principals of GeoVisions have. We're old guys and in some respects that works against us. But combined we have 109 years of experience in this field. When we sit down at a table for a meeting, 109 years of experience is a good thing.

And before you take pitty on this old man, I'll also share that I'm a Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do and hold 5 Gold Medals in International competition. I'm in the Dojang four nights a week unless I'm traveling. Even then I research a GTF or ITF school where I'm going to be.

View Entire Interview

Describe a typical GeoVision volunteer.

Is there a typical volunteer that is drawn to GeoVisions? That's a good question. Our volunteers and teachers are mostly 22-35 years of age. 80% come from the U.S. and the other 20% from the UK, Canada and Australia. 65% are female and that actually is lower than the industry average of 80%. We attract more males, I think, because of the unique projects we have available.

When we talk to people with an interest in volunteering abroad or teaching abroad, we ask a lot of questions. A good volunteer is either going to have a very precise reason for going abroad and a very precise location in mind, or the volunteer will be open to suggestions and countries. You either need to be focused on one type of project in one location or you need to be an open canvas, ready to write or draw your experience as it happens.

GeoVisions engages in Voluntourism. We are not an aid or development organization and we don't pretend to be. The type of programs we provide give a volunteer or teacher plenty of time to experience the local culture and to travel around the country. And then we provide the time to roll up your sleeves and get a lot of experience working in a community, and living with a local family.

Many aspiring volunteers are surprised to learn they must pay hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to volunteer abroad. How does GeoVisions address this concern?

The "why do I have to pay to volunteer" is a question we get from time to time. Interestingly, as Voluntourism is now a "mainstream" travel experience, most people know they are going to have to pay. But years ago it was a question we received all the time.

When we open up a new project, we calculate fees based on what it will cost us to support the project properly. We don't want any volunteer to be a burden on the community or a host family. So we build in an insurance policy that covers death, accident, medical and dental. In countries where families need assistance with food for another mouth to feed, we calculate that cost. And almost all projects require a financial arrangement to help offset the cost of a foreign volunteer. The volunteer found out about GeoVisions and the project through the Internet and I don't think anyone understands the enormous cost of marketing programs online. Our annual online marketing fees are more than we pay in any salary to anyone on our staff. And then of course we don't set up a project unless someone from our team goes abroad and fills out a 15-page Risk Management report on the project, the people who work at the project, the community and the host family if we use one.

We maintain a page on our website that explains how we spend volunteer's money and we try to be transparent. Above all, we respect anyone who is going abroad to help others. We respect the time our volunteers are giving and the money they are spending.

I like to think we honor the commitment of our volunteers and teachers by providing solid but very unique experiences. We have a live person answering our phones 24/7 and we care about what our volunteers think and what they are doing. We write to them when they are abroad and check in from time to time with our offices there. We have a big presence on Facebook where volunteers can write anything they want and we also encourage comments on our blog. We don't remove anything that is negative because we know we aren't going to please everyone. But the fact that we are transparent and we do provide many open forums, we know that makes us a better organization each day.

What do you believe is the continuing benefit of volunteering abroad after returning home?

There is a global debate, you know, about whether an organization is for-profit or non-profit. And there is a debate on whether or not voluntourism does more harm than good or if the projects benefit the volunteer more than the local community. We engage in this debate everyday. I comment on at least three blogs each day about these topics.

What GeoVisions is really interested in is what our volunteers and teachers do AFTER the experience. Here we call it the 'Experience after the Experience'. If we do our job in finding sustainable projects that are unique and different from other organizations, and if we do our job in making sure the projects and host families have a sustainable need, and if we do our job in making sure the volunteers and teachers we send are matched appropriately to the projects, then the experience the volunteers have will be positive. What we want to do is encourage our volunteers to be engaged locally when they return. Or volunteer abroad again. We are engaged in research along these lines with Southern Connecticut State University and Voluntourism.org.

What does the future hold for GeoVisions?

We have a very bright future. We do a pretty good job of differentiation in a sea of so many volunteer abroad organizations. If you hear the name Conversation Corps or Conversation Partner, you can equate that with GeoVisions. The Corps represents 65% of our volunteers. Just this week we added Conversation Corps-Nepal and Conversation Partner-Rio.

Thanks for asking these interesting questions. We appreciate your interest in GeoVisions.

About GeoVisions Foundation

Get paid to teach English abroad or be an au pair. Volunteer to tutor English or be a language summer camp counselor. This is a great way to reward yourself with a working vacation for 1 to 12 months in Thailand, France, Italy, and 10 other countries! Earn your TEFL Certification online or in Italy or Greece. SAFETY AND SECURITY "I'm an adult with...