While this post about teaching in Thailand was written over 2 years ago it is still as relevant today as it was then. In fact, considering the state of the market for English teachers it might be even more useful now.

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 language schools in Bangkok are ECC, Wall Street, AUA, Inlingua as well as several others. You might also want to check out my list of International Schools in Thailand if you’re looking for something more long term and lucrative.

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 TripAdvisor to do some research and find a hotel or guest house that matches your budget. For those on a tight budget head straight to Khao San Road (Banglampoo) which is a haven for backpackers and has dozens of cheap guesthouses. Relax and get some sun if possible, it’s good for jetlag.

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 (4^th floor of Pinklao Central and 6^th 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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At the end of Khao San road, opposite the police station the first thing you’ll see to your right is one of the hottest nightclubs on Khao San, perhaps in Bangkok, Gullivers Travelers Tavern. Both Golf and I know that a trip to Bangkok is not complete without a visit to Khao San and a trip to Khao San is not complete without a trip to Gullivers. Gullivers is quite literally a Bangkok legend and anyone you meet whose been through Thailand backpacking will have a story or two about Gullivers.

Gullivers actually has two locations in Bangkok, one at 6 Sukhimvit Soi 5 and the original and legendary one at 2 Khao San Road. With two floors, pool and foosball tables, VDO games and free internet stations there lots to do, but the real fun is in the people.

The crowd at Gullivers is an eclectic mix of expats, backpackers and Thai’s all out for a good time. You’ll find that the Thai girls at Gullivers are generally there because they like farang (foreigners) so don’t be shy, go ahead and buy a drink for someone and get your game on.

Of course, be careful because the drinks are strong. Last time we were there I started out with Long Island Iced Tea. Golf had never had them or even heard of them, but decided she wanted to try one. Just two drinks later I was nearly carrying her out to the sidewalk. Ever try to catch a cab while your gf or wife hangs (literally) on your arm throwing up in the gutter? Needless to say Golf avoids Long Island Iced Tea now .

Dress is casual so come as you are and you’ll fit right in. Drinks are expensive by Khao San Road standards, expect to pay 150 baht for a large Singha and up to 180 baht for imports. Seeing how strong they are the mixed drinks are your best value for the money at 250 baht. But hey, go ahead and splurge, you can go cheap at other places.

Gullivers is a great place to hang out, just watch people or hook up. If hooking up is your intention be careful though because not all the girls are girls, you will find ladyboys in the crowd. That being the case it may be good to have a designated sober person as well to keep the drunks in line. Trust me, more than one guy has woken up in the morning after a drunk in Bangkok to one heck of a surprise. Don’t be that guy.

This is all specific to Gullivers Khao San. I understand that the Gullivers on Sukhumvit is even larger, but I’ve never been there. Maybe next trip.

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Now that it’s just 61 days until the next vacation in Thailand it’s time to start thinking about hotels. Really not much of a problem for us though. We are looking to keep a fairly tight budget this trip so we know we want to stay at a reasonable hotel, yet we still want some level of amenities and cleanliness. Luckily we found a place that satisfies on both levels last time we were in Bangkok.

SD Avenue Hotel is a bit out of the way, so if you want to be in the center of the business/tourist areas around Silom/Sukhumvit then keep looking. SD Avenue Hotel is in the Pinklao area of Bangkok which is across the Chao Phraya river from Khao San Road. This is actually kind of nice, because the hotel is not as expensive as comparable hotels from Khao San area and yet we are just 15-20 minutes from Khao San by taxi. And for those times we want to hit Silom or Sukhumvit we are 45-60 minutes away using the ferries and Skytrain.

The SD Avenue Hotel is not one of the more well known places to stay, but in a city with hundreds of hotels that’s no surprise. What SD Avenue is though is a really good place to stay for the money. Just 1800 baht a night and you get a fairly big room, it’s clean and the water pressure is good. There’s also a nice big pool on-site and they have a dining room although I wouldn’t really recommend it, you can get much better food nearby. Central Pinklao is just a few blocks away if you want a regular restaurant or Western food and there is a good outdoor restaurant 2 blocks away outside the 7-Eleven where I had some really good kao moo dang last time we stayed there.

I’ve stayed at other hotels in Bangkok, and some have better location, many have better food (not really a concern in Bangkok), most were more expensive and none had bigger rooms. If you aren’t too concerned about being a little out of the tourist/business areas then I think you’ll be very pleased with SD Avenue Hotel. Those who like to spend time at Khao San Road, but want to have a more quiet hotel to retreat to will also appreciate the SD Avenue hotel.

If anyone else has stayed here or at similar hotels in Bangkok (in the $50 a night range) let’s hear about it.

Steve and Golf recommend you Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor

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