Wonders of Thailand
October 14, 2007
I was cruising around the Internet this morning and stumbled across this cool site called Seven Wonders of Thailand.
The idea came up because there has been nothing from Thailand ever featured in any of the “Wonders of the World” lists, either ancient or modern, but there are many wondrous things in Thailand that should at least be considered. So, the people at Paknum Web Forums started putting together this list of Thai wonders, natural, man made and symbolistic.
At the moment they are accepting nominations for your favorite Wonders and Symbols of Thailand. Voting will then start on 1st December 2007 and last until 31st December 2007 when the winners will be announced.
I didn’t have anything new to nominate, but I will definitely going back in December to vote. Great timing since I will have just returned from Thailand and will have had the chance to see some of the nominated wonders first hand.
Right now my top picks would have to be:
Natural: Phi Phi Islands - Krabi
Man Made: Reclining Buddha / Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya
Symbols: Thai Food / Muay Thai / Buddhist Monks
Go take a look around at the Seven Wonders of Thailand website and let me know what your top picks would be and why.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Teach English in Thailand in 10 Days (Part 2)
October 13, 2007
This is the second part of a two part post on how to get a job teaching English in Thailand in just 10 days. If you haven’t read the first part yet you can find it here: Teach English in Thailand
Day 5: Hit the Pavement
Time to actually get yourself out there in front of some employers, so put on your business clothes, grab your resumes, diploma and transcript copies and copies of your reference letters and get moving. The first place you want to go is a photo shop to get some passport type photos. Most of the schools in Bangkok will ask for a photo as part of your application package so be prepared. You can find numerous photo shops around the Khao San Road area where you can get passport sized photos taken for around 100 baht for four. Get 12 or more.
Next go to check your email since you might have responses from yesterdays inquiries. Immediately call and/or email any schools that have shown an interest to schedule an interview. Make sure to get directions to the school as well.
The rest of your day is going to be spent visiting schools. It is not the most efficient way of conducting a job search due to the traffic in Bangkok, but it is good to get some face to face exposure and practice interviewing. The top thing to keep in mind when interviewing is to smile and show enthusiasm.
When you visit the schools greet the receptionist and ask to talk to someone about a teaching job and make sure to hand them your resume. Make sure to smile and be polite at all times. It is possible at some schools you will get an interview on the spot and may even get a job offer.
When looking for walk-in interviews the best place to start is Siam Square because of the large number of English schools. Get a taxi and tell the driver “Siam Square”. He’ll get you there and once you arrive take some time to walk around. You’ll find that there are branches for Siam Computer, ECC, The British Council, English First and Go Chula in or around the Siam Square area. You’ll also find some smaller English schools as well. Siam Discovery shopping mall across the street also has a branch of Inlingua. Visit them all and drop off a resume and get an appointment if possible.
After you’re done at Siam Square get on the BTS and take it to the Ratchidamri station. Once you arrive at Ratchidamri station walk south towards Lumpini Park about 5 minutes to get to AUA, which is one of the larger and most well known English schools in Bangkok. Drop off a resume and try to schedule an interview.
Don’t be discouraged if nothing happens. Remember, the purpose of walk-ins is to grow more comfortable talking to employers.
You’ve very likely had a long, hot and tiring day. Head back to your hotel and take a long relaxing shower and go get some dinner. Head back to bed early because your next day should be just as busy.
Day 6: Searching The Bangkok Post and The Nation
After you have breakfast head straight to a coffee shop or bookstore and pick up copies of The Bangkok Post and The Nation. These are the top two English language newspapers in Bangkok and are a decent source of job ads, although not as good as they have been in the past. Scan through the classifieds circling any promising looking advertisements. Immediately call those with a phone number to schedule an interview. Make sure to mention that you meet their qualifications and are looking for work immediately.
Now go to the internet café to check for any email responses to the inquires you’ve been sending out. Respond to them immediately by phone if possible and schedule an interview. Also, send emails to contacts from The Bangkok Post and The Nation that did not have phone numbers listed or couldn’t be reached by phone.
By now you should have a good sized list of interviews scheduled so you’ll spend the rest of the day heading off to interviews. Dress you absolute best. The job itself may be casual, but for the interview you want to look conservative and as good as possible. You’ve heard the phrase “You never have a second chance to make a first impression” before? Well it is more true in Thailand than most places where employers are very likely to judge you by your appearance, dress, smile and enthusiasm rather than your actual qualifications to do the job. In Thailand looks count for very much.
Day 7: More Interviews
After a good breakfast check you email again and call to schedule more interviews with any schools that have responded. You should still have a decent list of interviews and the rest of today will be another interview day. Remember to dress your best, smile, be enthusiastic and polite.
Day 8: Relax
You’ve had three very busy days so unless you have a very promising interview scheduled take the day off and relax. Sleep late, get a massage, do some sightseeing, but relax. Do check your email and follow up with inquiries, but try to take it easy today.
Day 9 & 10: Interviews and Contracts
Both days start by checking your email and responding to any inquires. You should also check again at http://www.teflasia.com/ajarn/browse_jobs/index.html and http://www.daveseslcafe.com and respond to any new job listings at either site. By this time you should have at least one job offer, but do not accept the first offer. Make sure you examine the contract first carefully.
And thanks to Louis for this…Check your prospective school at TEFLWatch before you accept a position. TEFLWatch has a pretty good list of Bangkok schools with comments from current and past teachers about the working conditions. Definitely worth a look before you accept any contract.
Ask questions about the contract and the job. How many hours a week are you required to teach (anything over 25 is too much)? Will the school sponsor a work visa (they should)? Will the school help you to find an apartment (they should)? What is the pay (anything less than 35,000 baht a month is too low. Overtime should be 400 baht an hour minimum)? If you can talk to other teachers at the school and see if they are satisfied with the job. Are they treated well? Are they paid on time? Once you are satisfied go ahead and sign the contract.
By following the steps above anyone with a college degree can easily find a job teaching English in Thailand in 10 days or less. Keep in mind that TESL/ESL jobs in Thailand do not pay very well by western standards, but the cost of living in Thailand is quite low. If you are able to live simply you will be able to cover your expenses and save a few hundred dollars a month. And there are a huge number of jobs available for English teachers. With a nice appearance and some organizations finding a job and becoming a teacher in Thailand in 10 days is virtually assured.
Popularity: 24% [?]
Teach English in Thailand in 10 Days (Part 1)
October 12, 2007
Many people dream of teaching abroad and Thailand often comes to mind as the perfect destination to live and teach English. Of course there are many questions and concerns, but I want you to know that actually finding a teaching job once there should not be one of them. Right now it’s a teachers market in Bangkok and finding a job has never been easier.
If are a native English speaker with a college degree in ANY subject you can easily find work teaching in Bangkok within 10 days, just follow the steps below.
Before You Leave:
There are several things you’ll want to have in order before you leave to make your job search easier once you arrive in Thailand.
1. Make several copies of your college degree and pack them along with the original in a protective case of some sort.
2. Some employers in Thailand will ask for University transcripts so get several copies to bring along with you.
3. Create a resume specific to teaching abroad before you leave. Make sure it emphasizes any teaching, training or travel experience that you have. Save your resume to either CD or flash drive before you go so you can print it at an internet shop in Bangkok. For added comfort, save it to both places and email it to yourself as well. I know a bit overboard, but I have been bitten by corrupt data before.
4. Most employers will ask for references so make sure to get 2-3 letters of reference from employers, co-workers or teachers. Ask them to write a short letter of recommendation and make sure to let them know you will be applying for ESL jobs. Ask them to include their name, phone number and email address, but NOT to date the letter. This will allow you to insert the date yourself and use the letters for a long time.
5. Send contact emails to the big English schools in Bangkok before you leave. You should summarize your qualifications, let them know when you’re arriving in Thailand and ask for an interview. The big schools are constantly hiring and this simple step might get you a job before you even arrive. The major schools in Bangkok are ECC, Wall Street, AUA, Inlingua as well as several others.
6. Pack 2-3 nice outfits for interviewing. This means suit and tie for men and business attire for women, either skirt or pants is fine, but I think a skirt is viewed more positively by the Thai’s. Once you get the job you can buy your clothes in Thailand (they will be much cheaper than at home), but for the initial interview phase you want to come prepared.
Day 1: Arrival in Thailand
Hopefully you booked a hotel before you arrived, but if not don’t worry. There are literally hundreds of hotels in Bangkok with prices from under $10 a night to hundreds of dollars a night. Use Lonely Planet Bangkok
Day 2: Get Your Bearings
Sleep in late and let your body start to adjust. No job searching today, instead just wander about and start to take in your new surroundings. Get some light exercise and sunshine (good for jetlag). Back at your room unpack your resume, transcripts, degree etc. Unpack one set of interview clothes. If they are wrinkled take them to the hotel or guest house laundry and get them ironed. Have a good dinner and get to bed early.
Day 3: Get a Mobile Phone
You’ll need a number for prospective employers to call you at. Don’t give them the number to your hotel or guest house and ask them to leave a message. This is both unprofessional and unreliable. Many messages will go astray or be delivered late. And mobile phones are cheap and easily available in Bangkok. Simply go to one of the large shopping centers such as Central Pinklao (close to Khao San Road) or Mah Boon Krong - MBK (close to Silom, take the BTS and get off at the National Stadium station) and you’ll find many shops selling both new and used mobile phones. Expect to pay 2000 baht (around $60) or upwards for a decent phone. Try to buy new if you can afford it. You can get used phones cheaper, but I don’t recommend it. The used phones will generally only last anywhere from 2 months to 2 days and there is no return policy. Save yourself some hassle and buy new, it’s still inexpensive.
Once you get the phone you’ll need a number which means you need to get a SIM card for your phone. Most of the mobile phone shops sell SIM cards as well so you can purchase it at the same time as the phone for around 300 baht. They will also install the SIM card for you. If they don’t sell SIM cards take the phone to the DTAC office (4th floor of Pinklao Central and 6th floor of MBK). Once you have the SIM card make sure you ask to have the language on your phone switched to English before you go.
You now have a phone and a number and the final step is to put minutes on the phone. This is done with prepaid phone cards which can be bought at any convenience store, most notably Family Mart or 7-11. Just go to the cashier and ask for DTAC (Happy) or AIS (1-2 Call) card depending on what SIM you have. Cards come in various amounts from 100 baht to 500 baht. To activate the minutes call the access number on the card, enter the serial number (followed by #) then the password (followed by #). Your minutes will be added to the account within seconds.
Day 4: Hit the Computer
Get your resume CD (or the flash drive) and head out to one of the internet cafes. Open your resume and add your new phone number to it and then print out 20 copies. The cheaper internet cafes will charge just 5 baht a copy. Keep your resumes in a thick folder to keep them safe and unwrinkled.
Next, fire up IE or Firefox and browse over to http://www.teflasia.com/ajarn/browse_jobs/index.html where you’ll find one of the best lists of available teaching jobs in Thailand around. Take a look through and copy any of the one’s that seem promising to you. Send an email to each of the promising one’s and paste your resume directly into the body of the email rather than attaching a file. Many people won’t open attachments because of virus risks. In the email tell the school that you are in Bangkok and are looking to start immediately. Ask them to review your resume and ask for an interview. Close the letter with your phone number and email address.
By now you could probably use a break to clear your head, stretch your legs and get something to eat. Head out to get some great Thai food and if you’re adventurous enough eat at one of the many street vendors or noodle shops where the food is both cheap and delicious.
Now back to the internet café and fire up your browser again to visit http://www.daveseslcafe.com . This site isn’t specific to teaching English in Thailand, but there are usually some Thai jobs listed. Browse through the list and send emails to any of the jobs that look good to you. Just like before, tell the school that you are in Bangkok and are looking to start immediately. Ask them to review your resume and ask for an interview. Close the letter with your phone number and email address.
Finally, send follow up emails to the big English schools that you contacted previously, if you haven’t heard back from them yet. Refer to the previous email and let them know that you are now in Bangkok and ready to start working immediately. Close the letter with your phone number and ask for an interview again.
I don’t want to make this a 5000 word post so I’m gonna stop here for now. You’ve done all the necessary preparation and I’ll bet you’re ahead of 90% of the people looking for work for the first time as teachers in Bangkok. You’re now ready to actually get out there and get yourself a job teaching English in Thailand and I will follow up with the steps for days 5-10 tomorrow so check back then.
Teach English in Thailand in 10 Days (Part 2)
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Shopping Outside Bangkok | Really Great Bargains!
October 11, 2007
Last time I took you to the second hand shopping area in Bangkok, Tawanna and Wang Lang. This time it’s time to take an adventure because I will take you to shop outside of Bangkok…We’re going to Talad Rohng Gleua, at Aranyaprathet.
Talad Rohng Gleua as known by Thai people or Golden Gate Plaza as known by tourists, is located 220 kilometers from Bangkok and have to take a trip to East of Thailand. This market is in Aranyaprathet, Sakaeo province. And this is an eastern boundary province, where it is currently legal to cross overland into Cambodia.
Most of the goods in here quite cheap either second hand or new and either copy or real one. So might take you for a long time for shop in here because maybe you will get the copy Jeans but get the price for the real one.
This place also just like the big market that tradesman from Bangkok will buy the goods in here for sell in the big and popular market in Bangkok like Jatujak Market. So don’t be surprise if you will find the same bag in Talad Rohng Gleua and Jatujak, but will cost you double at Jatujak.
Talad Rohng Gleua opens everyday from 7am-5pm and they have a lot of stuff for you to shop like clothes, shoes, bags and a lot of them from various big brand like Prada, Gucci, Hermes, Luise Vitton, Giorgio Armani, Valentino and some from Japan and Korea brand. And they also have toys, electric equipments, chinaware, painted pottery etc.
I’ve never been there yet but some of my friends been there already. If you don’t mind to travel outside of Bangkok and want to get out from the traffic, so Talad Rohng Gleua is the one I would recommend you to go. Or who will know you might want to cross the country to Cambodia and visit the place of civilization like Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. Just make sure you have your passport with you!
For how to get there, usually 2 ways to get there. First by train, and you can take the train from Hualampong Station to Aranyaprathet, two times a day. First one start at 5:55am and get there around 11:40am. And the latter one is started at 01:05pm and get there around 06:30pm, but normally the train will be late and not get there on time about half an hour at least. After you get off the train at Aranyaprathet you will see minibuses and tuk tuk cars waiting for the traveler to Talad Rohng Gleua. But the problem is if you want to take the train back you have to stay there over night because on the way back will have at 1.35pm and 6.30pm for depature only.
The second way to get to Aranyaprathet is to take the bus or van at Morchit and get off at Aranyaprathet, this way you no need to worry that much about returning because will have so many trips available in a day. And when you get off at Aranyaprathet just take minibus or tuk tuk to Talad Rohng Gleua.
Another new service is also have the van at Victory Monument (Rajwithi Hoapital side) to Aranyaprathet at 7 o’clock in the morning.
2 more things that I need to warn you about going to shop there, first it will be the hot weather…not just hot hot like Bangkok, but freaking hot!!! So make sure you have sun screen on, an umbrella, hat or whatever that it’s going to protect you from the sun.
And one more important thing is about the small beggar children. Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t give them any money…walk away or ignore them and then they will giving up and don’t bother you anymore. It might take about 5-10 minutes, but just keep in mind “DO NOT”…if you “DO” you will sorry for that because another 10 small beggar children will come to you just like that. And you won’t have a fun time for shopping for sure!
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Neua Naam Tok Recipe | Thai Spicy Grilled Beef
October 10, 2007
Neua Naam Tok (Thai Spicy Grilled Beef) is really popular in the shops around roadside in Bangkok. And normally when Thai people order Som Tum (Papaya Salad), grilled chicken and sticky rice will have this dish beside along with them most of the time. Alright now I’m ready to present Neua Naam Tok recipe for you.
Neua Naam Tok Recipe
(Serves 2-3 people)
200-300 grams beef london broil or top round
1/4 cup coriander, coarsely sliced
1/4 cup spring onion, coarsely sliced
1/4 cup mint leaf, coarsely sliced
1/4 cup lemon grasses, thinly sliced
1/3 cup shallot, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Thai chilli powder
1 1/2 tbsp roasted Rice Powder
3 tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
4 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp seasoning powder(Rod Dee) or if you can’t find can use 1/4 tsp sugar
1 cucumber, sliced
Wash the beef and grill over medium heat until medium rare. Slice thinly into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a mixing bowl. Follow with coriander, spring onion, mint leaf, lemon grasses and shallots.
Season to taste with fish sauce, lime juice, seasoning powder(sugar) and chilli powder, toss well to combine. Add ground roasted rice and toss lightly again. Arrange on a serving dish and serve with cucumber sliced and rice.
Neua Naam Tok is the first favourite choice when me and Steve starve for spicy food. When I make this dish for both of us, Steve will ask me always “please put chilli powder more”. And of course for me definitely use chilli powder more than just 1 tbsp…And this will give you some idea if you’re the one who crazy about Thai spicy food, you can add as much as you want…
See you next Wednesday…with eggs menu! Read more
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