TEFL General Information Requested

[Joel]

I have been looking into the possibility of TEFL in Asia (other other places). Specifically, I am looking for information from those who have done so in the recent past.

I am looking into areas which offer the highest salary and the lowest cost of living. The reason I am asking here is due to the often unreliable nature of information on the internet. I have checked Dave's Cafe, and, though I trust it, I though I would probe this forum for personal experiences. My primary area of interest is SE Asia, primarily Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam (possibly Laos and Cambodia). China is not out of the question. From what I can gather, it is possible to earn somewhere between 800 and 900 USD in Thailand and Indonesia.  Does this often include accommodation and health care? Has anyone been to either in the last few months and offer info on the cost of living a simple, though not entirely ascetic lifestyle (one that includes reliable in house internet). I am a veteran traveler, accustomed to extreme budget travel, though my girlfriend is not. I have also heard that South Korea is a great place to earn (and, more importantly, save money). My primary concern is making enough money not to have to spend out of pocket.

I suppose my main concern is in finding a reliable, confirmed program that is friendly, upfront, and will not attempt to take advantage, preferably in a nice location and not in a large smoggy city. Qualifications include a masters degree, several years' teaching experience, and (new) TEFL cert.

Thanks in advance for any information.

 

[Greg]

Hey Joel,

Sounds like you certainly have the qualifications!

Korea, Japan, and even private schools in China seem to be where all the TEFL money is...but if you want to stick with SE Asia, I have met the most career-driven teachers working in Vietnam. Add me on Facebook, I can put you in touch with several teachers working in Vietnam now and one that just finished in Thailand.

http://www.facebook.com/bucho.ky

Best of luck!

[goteachthailand]

Joel,

I agree with Greg for the most part. I'm just back from Thailand having spent almost two years teaching there. Our wages were quite low on an international level but allowed us to have a really sweet lifestyle and save money at the end of each month. It was just pretty worthless once we moved back to Europe.

The Korean government is ploughing money into their English-teaching program. There are huge incentives for language school owners and as such, relatively high wages for employees. An American house-sat for me and he said teaching for 6 months in Korean allowed him to save enough to live comfortably in Thailand for about a year.

Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea all pay pretty well as I understand. Thailand (particularly the nicer places) offers some of the worst pay as we knew people teaching in Vietnam and in Indonesia that were earning quite a bit more than us. However, I think it is largely a case of the grass being greener on the other side. You can earn more money teaching in Ho Chi Minh City, but not in Vietnam as a whole. Furthermore, I found Vietnam and Indonesia especially to be quite a bit more expensive than Thailand.

Regarding information, my girlfriend and I recently launched a site about our experiences so please feel free (or anyone else for that matter) to get in touch with us via our site (link in my signature) or PM.

@Greg, I'd love to share information and to exchange ideas with your teaching colleagues. I've added you on Facebook!

[Joel]

Thanks to the both of you for the information. Greg, I have added you on Facebook, though it turns it that I have had a change of plans and will no longer need the info on Thailand, or on teaching English for that matter, at least for the time being.