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Your life as a teacher
To get an overseas teaching job you are competing with other teachers. It’s just like other professions. As a travelling TESOL teacher you are competing with other like minded professionals seeking a unique offshore lifestyle, working with exciting, inquisitive young minds and getting paid. Teaching will give you new, exciting, and enjoyable experiences every day.

Outside the classroom, you’ll find your new life as a teacher offers you different experiences in climate, food, culture, lifestyle, people, travel opportunities, support and rewards as you build a stimulating and successful career.

Career prospects and development
TESOL teaching is a rewarding profession and offers career prospects and personal development opportunities. There are a potential career paths available for those teachers who decide to settle offshore and seek to put down roots.

Management and leadership responsibilities
The TESOL teacher seeking to settle in a foreign country can progress in their career, either within the classroom or in a leadership role in their school and community.

You can be responsible: -

•	As the supervisor of department, faculty or curriculum.
•	For an age group or as a key development coordinator.
•	As special education needs or pastoral care, or personal guidance coordinator.
•	Liaison with sister schools, offshore.
•	For coordinating areas such as literacy, numeracy or special educational needs.

Continuing professional development (CPD)
All teachers, students, and communities benefit from continuing professional development that serves to increase skills, knowledge and understanding.
CPD can include planning, education and training days, coaching and student mentoring.

You may see an opportunity to support your local community and take responsibility for a project that you identify may bring benefit to your students, colleagues, or community, while allowing you to enhance your skills, experience and the size of foot print you leave, by making a personal contribution.

A project could be as simple as exploring new ways of getting students to achieve better results in English from am early age, to investigating how to acquire and introduce computers into the classroom. Or linking the local community, and world, to your school's website.

You may seek funding opportunities to support a community project to improve the children’s quality of life through education.

Your teaching day
The start and finish times of your school are decided by the Director. Generally they are from 7:30 to 3:30 over a 5 day week. Some teacher employed on contract rates may be required only for those hours they teach.

Mornings commence with assembly, the national anthem, and announcements, generally at 8:00 am.

There are the normal breaks at mid-morning and for lunch.

All Thai schools have a canteen and there are many varieties of good quality, cheap Thai meals. A good meals with an egg will cost about THBaht 20 – 25.

The bulk of the day is divied in 50 minute periods. The number of periods can be up to 9 or 10 depending on the school. You will teach approximately 20 periods per week.

The end of a period is marked by a buzzer or some alert. You normally change classroom.

In addition to teaching you may be asked to attend, or organise a school pageant. You are normally asked to do the carols at Christmas. This is normally not paid for.

Normally, your timetable has you teaching the same classes at the same time each week over the term.

As qualified teacher you will be required to prepare your lesson plans for the coming week in advance and to give these to your Head of Department, also in advance of the lesson.

Most schools in Thailand operate on a 2 semester per year basis with the summer break taken in March and April. October is the mid semester break.

Term dates - Thailand:

-	1st day of 1st semester - early to mid-May
-	Last day of semester – exams - end of September
-	Mid semester break - October
-	1st day of 2nd semester - early November
-	Christmas - no break (no Buddhist holiday)
-	Last day of semester- exams - late February (one week)

You are usually home by 4.30 pm if you live close to your school, which is often advisable.

There are approximately 21 public holiday over the academic year. You are normally paid for these.

Chinese New year is celebrated in February, and Thai New year in April with the Songkran festival involving throwing water. Great fun.

APEC and your school can provide detailed information about what to expect in your new school with regular news and updates from thailand.

Looking for a job
During your training, toward the end of your course, if you are enrolled in Thailand, or when you are qualified to teach, you’ll want to find a job. Your supervisor will discuss you placement, and teaching posts available to you in Thailand, and China, or elsewhere you wish to travel.

There are plenty of sources of information and support available to help you on your way.

You may also apply to APEC if you need to find a school to workat while you complete your TESOL part-time at APEC.

APEC Web Site Teaching Jobs
School vacancies are often advertised at www.apecenglish.com by schools in which there are jobs available. You can access these positions using this website.

APEC has dedicated staff to support teacher recruitment, and will provide additional support, advice and opportunities for its newly qualified teachers seeking their first job. Your supervisor will discuss these jobs with you.


The internet
Increasingly, teaching jobs are advertised online, either on specialist recruitment websites or dedicated sections of the major recruitment sites.

Local and national press
Jobs can be found in the national press - useful titles include “the Bangkok Post”.

The schools themselves
You may try approaching schools direct and find that you are not having much luck. Reasons for not hearing back can be, although the job add sounds good, unfotrunately the school normally may have no infrastructure to deal with applications from foreigners. Or the school picks the first likely candidate, and ignores the rest. Also, decision making in overseas schools is lenghty hierarchial, and often knee jerk.

Choosing your subjects
The age group you teach is often determined by the school’s need and the level you choose to teach. So deciding which age level is suitable to you is quite important. Generally, you will be teaching English to age groups ranging from Kindergarten (3 – 6 years); Primary (6 – 12 years); High school (12 –17 years); to adult. You will define which age group you want to focus on in your online application, and during teacher training with APEC.

In deciding you should consider that you will need a sound knowledge and understanding of how to teach your preferred age group and do a self assessment on your commitment to working with children in your chosen age group.

What age group would you like to teach?
Your decision depends on your preference. Primary teaching is a very popular choice with women, and women are sought after as Primary teachers.

Many women choose not to teach High School students, more so where the classes are all boys. Here male teachers are more sought after.

In any event, every teacher trains to teach at least two key age groups: -
– Kindergarten (3 – 6 years);
– Primary (6 – 12 years);
– High school (12 –17 years); and
– Adult (18+ years)

Which subjects would you like to teach?
If you are a qualified teacher you may consider teaching: -
– Art and design
– Chinese
– English
– Geography
– History
– Information and communications technology (ICT)
– Japanese
– Mathematics
– Music
– Science
– Physical education (PE)

Does your degree relate to teaching English or a curriculum subject?
To teach English with APEC overseas your degree will usually have little direct relevance to teaching English. However, it ensures that your relatded knowledge and understanding of English is sound enough for you to be able to teach it.

Primary teaching
Primary school teachers are expected to be able to demonstrate a sound, basic knowledge of English. A degree is generally required, though not in any subject in particular.

Secondary teaching
Mainly you will teach English, however if you are interested in teaching mathematics or science and don't have a directly applicable degree you may still be able to teach these subjects. Your skills and knowledge might be suitable for teaching the subject. Ask. Suitable degree subjects for mathematics teachers include economics, mathematics, statistics and accountancy.

Modern languages. Can include community languages, like Mandarin or Japanese, as well as European languages such as French or German.

Science subjects. If you are interested in teaching science and don't have a directly applicable degree your skills and knowledge might be suitable for teaching the subject. Ask. Suitable degree subjects for science teachers include biology, marine biology, sports science, chemistry, physics and chemical engineering. As a science teacher no two lessons will be the same; there will be always new challenges to keep your enthusiasn alive.

APEC and later your school can provide you with detailed information and advice about the subjects you can teach and how your degree might relate to them.

Register to receive APEC’s newsletter to receive regular news and updates from the ever-changing world of TESOL teacher training.

What are you doing now?
If you have already had another career life, then there are many other success stories of teachers who have come to TESOL later in life. Your life’s experience can really added an extra dimension to your teaching.

If you have other commitments, such as a family to support, you may be interested in pursuing after hours tutorial teaching which can assist you to generate extra income.

Consider what life as a teacher might be like?
Achiveing the the minimum academic and other requirements to become a TESOL teacher is an important part of the process; but you should also consider the overseas teacher’s lifestyle before you dive in. You can do this by getting some teaching experience with APEC before you fully commit.

Where else can you find information and advice?
This website should provide you with most of the information you need, however there are many other sources you can turn to for more detailed or tailored advice: -

Teachers - meet and talk to experts, including teachers and representatives of institutions providing teacher training.
Online discussions about teaching and particular subjects, countries, cost of living etc.,
APEC - put your specific questions to trained teachers.
Register with APEC - let us know who you are and we'll provide you with all sorts of information, advice and news.

As a teacher you have the power to shape your progress around your interests and life plan.

Your choice of School
Governmant schools
In Thailand, and China, some 90% of children are educated in government schools. This fact determines that most teachers will teach in one of these schools.

The schools are paid for by government funds and their curriculum must address the requirements of the Thai National Curriculum however each school has its own characteristics and focus.

The schools vary in size, location, age group and student gender.

The schools are hierarchial and decision are passed down. All schools are run in a mainly authoritian manner. Deference is to be remembered.

Many schools are attached to a Buddhist Wat (temple) and incorporate a Buddhist teaching by the monks. Thailand has no restrictions on a persons belief. There is absolute religious freedom, however, while very tolerant, you should not to attempt to convert or teach religious instruciton to your students based on your religious belief. They learn more from what you don’t say than from what you do say.

The biggest influence on how a particular school is run is the Director, or headteacher.

The remaining 10 per cent of children attend independent schools, usually paying fees set by their school.

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