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Some say the walled city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand has all of the cultural benefits of Bangkok without the traffic and pollution. With bustling night markets, eclectic restaurants, jungle treks, craft villages and over 300 temples (wats) it’s understandably a popular tourist destination. But more than 160,000 residents call the northern capital home, and many of them are foreigners.   While there are plenty of English teachers seeking work in Chiang Mai, don’t let the competition deter you. Many prospective teachers move on when they don’t find a job within the first few weeks or can’t survive the side effects of culture shock. So settle in and stay awhile—get comfortable with Chiang Mai. You’ll have plenty of teaching opportunities before you know it. As the locals say, “Life is easy in Thailand.” Get Settled For budget-minded travelers, transportation and lodging in Thailand is easy on the wallet—a simple room in a no-frills guesthouse is about 180 baht per night ($4.80 USD). Find a room you feel comfortable in and make it your home base while you ask around about apartments. A typical studio costs anywhere from 3500 to 4500B per month ($85 to $110 USD). The best way to find an apartment, or anything else you may need, is by talking to the locals. You may have to stick it out in a guesthouse for a few weeks, so don’t panic. Get to know the people who work there. Frequent the same restaurant day after day and chat with the owner. Thai people are very open and friendly and always willing to help, especially if they see that you intend to stay awhile.

Wall surrounding Chiang Mai

Get Moving

While the central part of the city, or Old Town, is fairly easy to navigate because it’s surrounded by a perfectly square moat, a maze of back roads and shortcuts lie within it. Pick up a copy of Nancy Chandler’s Map of Chiang Mai and keep it with you at all times www.nancychandler.net. This illustrated map will tell you how to find restaurants, temples, markets, villages on the outskirts of town and much, much more. You’ll need a motorbike to get around Chiang Mai, especially to get you away from the tourist spots and into the nooks and crannies, where you’ll experience the real flavor of Thai food, the real heart of Thai people and a true sense of the culture. Rentals are available at agencies all over town for about 150B ($3.65) per day. Once you’ve committed to staying for a longer term, ask around about buying a new or used Honda (new ones cost about $1,000 USD but can be sold fairly quickly with little decrease in value)....
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Get The Job Now that you have transportation, visit every language school in town and leave a copy of your CV. Dress your best; men should wear a dress shirt and tie, women a skirt and nice blouse. Mention to everyone you meet that you’re an English teacher looking for work. Leave your e-mail address with any prospective student or employer and check your e-mail often. Local Internet shops and guesthouses offer access for a small hourly fee. Though cell phones are gaining in popularity, email is still the most reliable way to communicate until you get established and many Thai people don’t have phones (I lived without a phone for 4 months). Most important, if you haven’t heard from an employer in a week or so, go back for a follow-up visit in person and let them know you are still in town and still looking for work. During the summer vacation for Thai students, March through May, teachers are especially in high demand as many parents send their children to summer school for English lessons. Arrive in February and you’ll likely land a job before the summer break begins.

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Get Teaching

Teaching materials can be limited, depending on where you teach, so it helps to bring along some resources of your own or tap into the Internet for fresh ideas (www.daveseslcafe.com, www.eslteachersboard.com). I worked at a small, private language school called Baanpasa. My students were mostly children, from age 3 to 13 (female instructors are often assigned to young learners, while males teach teens and adults). I taught around 15 hours a week at first, but as classes filled up and new classes were created, I was pulling in nearly 30 hours before the summer was over. Pay varied from school to school, but averaged around 160B per hour ($4 USD), which is enough to live comfortably. In recent years, however, the wage seems to have gone up to around 250B ($6 USD) per hour. Universities and larger institutions may offer up to 30,000B ($730 USD) per month for a one-year contract.
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Get Acquainted Don’t be surprised if you end up teaching private English lessons to your new Thai friends too. A neighbor of mine, a woman who ran a paper business, walked up to my house one day and asked if I would give her private lessons once a week. A teacher friend of mine taught weekly lessons to a woman who owned a local Internet shop, and soon ended up teaching her daughter as well. Teaching private lessons is a great way to supplement your income, though it’s not always reliable—students come and go depending on their schedules and level of interest. Get Out And Explore When not teaching, explore as much of the city and surrounding area as possible. Aside from taking monthly trips to the Myanmar border with fellow teachers to get my passport renewed, we took motorbike excursions to the outskirts of town—Mae Wang elephant camp, the wood-carving village of Ban Tawai, an umbrella-making village called Bo Sang, a waterfall and quiet forest monasteries were just some of the highlights. One of my favorite temples, Wat Umong, was a peaceful respite with butterflies fluttering around the treetops, a small lake where turtles sunbathe, ancient chedis and statues, and incense-smoke filled tunnels leading to secret Buddha shrines.

New Zealand Education Services Institute of Languages (Baanpasa)
Sirinthorn Road, Chang Phuak, Muang, Chiang Mai 
Chaiyaphum Road, Chiangmoi, Chiang Mai
Nimmanhemin Road Soi 17, Suthep, Chiang Mai
E-mail: baanpasa@loxinfo.co.th

Australia Centre
75/1 Moo 14, Suthep, Muang, Chiang Mai 
Email: austcent@loxinfo.co.th

YMCA

Email:cmymcaschool@loxinfo.co.th
http://www.ymcachiangmai.org

AUA 

Email: branches@auathailand.org
http://www.auathailand.org

Job Boards/Teaching Resources

http://teflasia.com/jobs/browse
http://www.eslteachersboard.com
http://www.daveseslcafe.com

Local Information

http://welcome-to.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/
http://www.chiangmainews.com
http://chiangmai.sawadee.com/
http://www.nancychandler.net

To contact M.J. Young Click Here
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