A
Crash Course On Teaching English In Chiang Mai
In
Thailand ~ by M.J. Young
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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. |
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Wall
surrounding Chiang Mai
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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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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. |
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Schools
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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