#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Teaching In Thailand >  >  > Teaching in Asia >  >  What classification/grade of degree is required?

## CB1985

I am considering moving from the UK to Asia to teach English as a foreign language, and trying to figure out my options.

I am aware that a bachelors degree is required in some countries such as Vietnam and Thailand.

My question is, is there a minimum classification/grade? Or is any degree with honours acceptable?

I have a bachelors degree with honours, but it's a third class which is the lowest level. 

I can't find an answer to this anywhere!

Thanks.

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## Saint Willy

You need a teaching qualification in addition to a bachelors degree.

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## happynz

In my experience no institution in Southeast Asia really gives a shit about First, Second, or Third degrees. They only want to know if you have your degree and some sort of teacher qualification (visa requirements).  At the very least get a 120 hour language teaching course done. CELTA is preferable. If you have Qualified Teacher Status (say a PGCE) you should score something decent.

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## Neverna

May the force be with you.

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## armstrong

> You need a teaching qualification in addition to a bachelors degree.


False. To TEFL in Thailand legally you only need a degree.

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## CB1985

Thanks for the replies so far everyone.

I should have said in my initial post that I do plan to complete a tefl course. I just didn't want to spend the money, time and energy on a tefl course to find out further down the line that nobody will accept me on a teaching job due to having a rubbish degree!

I wanted a realistic idea of what my options would be first.

Your replies are positive on that front, so thank you!

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## cyrille

> In my experience no institution in Southeast Asia really gives a shit about First, Second, or Third degrees


I concur, though I'd remove the qualifier 'South East Asia'.

A shame, since the way I handled that question about the novels of Thomas Hardy should really have sorted out my life for me.  :Wink: 

Basically the only reason to do a CELTA DELTA and MA TESOL is personal standards and because you wanna GTF outta 'education' in Thailand, which I definitely did.  :Very Happy:

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## sabang

I have a masters, from an accredited uni- but I don't think that fact would really make me a good teacher. Other people have fake degrees, or internet bullshit, or nothing at all- and I am quite open minded to the fact they might be better teachers than I. As in, teaching their own native language at a basic level.

It's what you can get away with mate. It's only Thailand. Hi-So's there have fake degrees quite routinely. Even a Cabinet Minister- in this case, one who is a convicted drug trafficker too. Or they pay someone else to do their exams. It's a bullshit country- so get a masters in bullshit, if that is your thing.

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## Topper

> False. To TEFL in Thailand legally you only need a degree.


Armstrong is correct.  I never had a TEFL, CELTA or any of the other certifications in my 17 years of obtaining work permits.  It wasn't til I started teaching online that I needed a TEFL.  I did a $20 online course and I'm golden.

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## cyrille

> I have a masters, from an accredited uni-


O...kaaay....




> I'm golden.


 ::chitown::

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## hallelujah

> Basically the only reason to do a CELTA DELTA and MA TESOL is personal standards and because you wanna GTF outta 'education' in Thailand, which I definitely did.


Better money and the opportunity to work in your home country too if you ever have to go back. I landed a nice gig as the DoS of a language school in Liverpool a while ago but ended up knocking it back on the basis that it would have meant living with the folks again or moving to Merseyside. No thanks, but the salary was about 26k a year, so well worth putting the hard yards in in terms of qualifications.

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## Saint Willy

> but the salary was about 26k a year, so well worth


mot kinda sound like you are saying £26,000 is good…

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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## naptownmike

^ A month?

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## Saint Willy

> False. To TEFL in Thailand legally you only need a degree.



Aaah, see the OP asked about teaching, not TEFLing. Real teachers have a qualification. My mate was TEFLing and he was a plumber, just got a fake degree down Kao San Road.

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## Saint Willy

> ^ A month?




Aaah, of course. Makes much more sense, that would be plum.

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## hallelujah

> mot kinda sound like you are saying £26,000 is good…
> 
> ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


26 thousand pounds in the north of England is a decent salary to start with and will more than keep the wolves away from the door. 

Certainly better than the 6/7,000 or so you could expect to earn in Thailand at some of the shite out there without any decent qualifications. 

I actually looked at other jobs in London and you get a bit extra because it's London, but it would never work unless you shared a house and lived extremely frugally. A mate of mine was teaching there and squatting in Tottenham. Fuck that.

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## hallelujah

30/40K plus if you land a uni job, but they'll be wanting those qualifications...

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## Saint Willy

I’m assuming those numbers are gross? Scary.

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## hallelujah

> I’m assuming those numbers are gross? Scary.


Of course, and not remotely scary at all. 40,000 pounds plus is a lot of money in anyone's world. 

A PGCE-qualified teacher at a state primary or secondary school will start on just over 25k.

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## Saint Willy

> Of course, and not remotely scary at all. 40,000 pounds plus is a lot of money in anyone's world.


£500 per week after tax? You’re having a laf.




> PGCE-qualified teacher at a state primary or secondary school will start on just over 25k.


There’s a reason qualified teachers are fleeing the UK in droves.

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## armstrong

> Aaah, see the OP asked about teaching, not TEFLing. Real teachers have a qualification. My mate was TEFLing and he was a plumber, just got a fake degree down Kao San Road.


He specifically mentions Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

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## cyrille

> Aaah, see the OP asked about teaching, not TEFLing. Real teachers have a qualification. My mate was TEFLing and he was a plumber, just got a fake degree down Kao San Road.


There are people around Thailand teaching pretty much all subjects with no qualifications. I know a guy teaching Biology with no pieces of paper. Manaam taught Maths with no qualifications.What does that prove about Maths and Biology teachers? Nowt.

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## qwerty

Here's a bit of information about teaching in Thailand from someone with about 18 years experience in doing so:
1.  There are two types of teaching jobs here.  There is teaching at a Language School, which does not require any particular degree, though some experience or a TEFL course of some kind might be required by your employer.  The students at Language Schools are usually working adults who need to improve their English for their jobs, or students of all ages who want extra lessons or help with their homework.  

The pluses - no teaching degree is required and you usually will teach small groups, rather than a class of 50 bored 10 year olds.  
You will teach mostly in the evenings or on the weekends.
The minuses - The Labor Dept. will probably want to see a BA or BS degree before issuing a Work Permit.  Also, as most Thai Companies are required to have 4 Thai employees for every 1 foreign employee, they may be unable to get you a Work Permit or the proper visa.  Working on a tourist visa is not recommended, but many people do it.

2.  The other kind of teaching is at a regular school - either a government school or at a private school or in the EP program of a government school.  You might want to work at a government school for a year or so, just to test your stamina and your ability to survive the horrible conditions.  Normal pay is about 30K baht per month.
Private schools range from being marginally better than a government school up to proper International Schools.  In order to teach at an International School, you need to be a certified teacher in your home country.

Most private schools and EP programs at good government schools, have smaller classes - 20 to 25 students, instead of 40 to 50 - air conditioned classrooms, projectors and computers in the classrooms, etc...  Starting pay is usually about 40K baht.  If you have a BS (or BSc if you are from the UK) you might be able to get a job teaching Science or Math.  Many Teflers seem to have Math phobia, so there is always a good demand for people who can teach those subjects.  As a Science teacher and a department head, I earn over 70K per month.

In order to teach in a regular school, you need a 4 year degree in any subject.  This will get you a 'waiver' or a 2 year provisional teaching license from the TCT (Teachers' Council of Thailand).  You can get up to 3 of these waivers... or 4 or 5 if the TCT loses track of how many you have had already, which happened to me.  If you are still interested in teaching after 6 years (less if you switch schools) you will need to get some sort of graduate degree in Education - either a PGCEi or a MEd or a Graduate Diploma in Teaching.  The courses offered in Bangkok vary in cost from a low of 55K to a high of over 150K and take about a year to complete.

If you have a graduate degree or a BA in something like Hotel Management, you can get a job teaching at a university which has a number of advantages (no TCT license needed) but also some distractions (which usually wear short, tight skirts).  AO might be able to tell you more about that.

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## cyrille

> Normal pay is about 30K baht per month.


Exactly what it was when i first taught in Thailand in ... 1989.  :Sad: 




> If you are still interested in teaching after 6 years (*less* if you switch schools)...


'fewer'  :Wink:

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## PlanK

I rolled up in the zeros with my shiny new TEFL cert in hand and found myself overqualified.  The minimum standard for a job was:

1. Be white and have a pulse (ability to speak English optional)
2. Be brown and have some ability to speak English (but get paid less) 

Starting salary was a standard 30k.  Looks like it's been that way for a few decades.  Finally, something that is truly inflation resistant!  I couldn't imagine trying to live on that now.  When I was young and dumb and it was all part of the adventure it was more than doable.

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## armstrong

I remember saving money when I was in Chumphon on 32k. No Lazada back then and nothing in town to spend it on!

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