Blogs on Teaching and Living in Thailand

In most Facebook groups and on online forums you’ll find people bashing teacher recruitment agencies. I’m definitely not saying agents are always great, but they can be of great help, particularly for the untraveled types, the types who’ve never been to Asia before.

In my experience, Thai schools either do direct hire, or hire an agency to recruit foreign teachers for them. They use an agency because they don't know how to hire or what to look for in an English teacher. The staff at the school may not speak enough English to help the newly recruited teacher to sort out the paperwork. This is when an agency is hired by the school as some kind of a “middleman” taking care of such things as teaching licenses, work permits, health insurance, tax, placing job advertisements, do airport pick up, help find accommodation, offer constant support, and basically satisfying the teacher’s every whim.

Teacher recruitment/placement agencies are nothing new, they’ve existed for decades globally, not just in Thailand. From the Middle East and the US, from Australia to Japan, they provide a service just like any other business and... they have overheads just like any other business too!

Agencies have to deal with the stress both teachers and schools put them under. They need to see situations from both sides and must try to be fair to both parties. No easy task.

There are plenty of crappy agencies, plenty of crappy schools, and certainly plenty of crappy teachers too. But it’s only the schools and agencies that get bashed. I feel this is unfair to the decent agencies out there.

Again, not saying agencies are the total answer, but there are good legit ones too operating in Thailand. In my case, I knew nothing about Thailand so opted for an agency to not only assist me with a job waiting for me (I had little cash with me) so that I could start teaching almost immediately, but also get me up to speed on all cultural aspects prior to entering a Thai classroom with 50 screaming kids!

I chose Teachers For Thailand (www.teacherforthailand.org) after reading rave reviews about them online. They arranged airport pick-up, accommodation, and were crucial in helping me get through the initial stages of cultural shock. Finally I was in Asia. Things were so different over here, from fish and chips and my daily portion of baked potatoes, I now had to navigate my way through the many rice and noodle dishes in food courts located within shopping malls, never mind... part of the adventure!

Back to our topic. Some agencies pocket a percentage out of the teacher’s monthly paycheck from the school, but believe it or not, many agencies receive only a “finder’s fee” which is a fee given by the school to the agency for interviewing and supplying a teacher to the school. Some schools task the agency to find a teacher and nothing more, others will task the agency to supply a teacher, get their paperwork sorted out, help with advice when requested, and resolve outstanding differences between the school and the teacher. Every school is different, every school has different requirements and a different budget.

Worth mentioning is that in a lot of rural areas, agencies have a monopoly on the schools and your only option is to go through them. They're great for new teachers, but they stifle the market for longstanding ones who can do their own legwork.

For me, since I was already a licensed teacher in my home country, I left my agency (Teachers For Thailand) after one year. This wasn’t because it was a shitty agency, quite the contrary, they were fabulous and I truly enjoyed my time with this agency and recommend them to anyone reading this blog. But, opportunities to grow for a career teacher like myself were limited, and this was the reason I left for a position at a top-tier international school. With my one-year experience as a teacher in Thailand under my belt I was now able to command a much higher salary. I am still good friends with the owners of Teachers For Thailand and I still call them from time to time for advice on everything Thailand. They’re really decent people and care for their teachers.

If you choose to work with an agency, there are many benefits. For those who don't want to put in the effort of finding a job abroad themselves, an agency can provide assistance with settling in, obtaining necessary licenses and permits, airport pick-up, finding housing, and even finding a teaching job. Additionally, agencies may have job opportunities in various locations and can provide support in case a conflict arises between the school and the newly hired foreign teacher. The agency also takes care of all the necessary paperwork and offers the possibility of changing schools during the 12-month contract period.

When working with Thai agencies, it's important to be cautious as some of them may be dishonest. There are some agencies that may not pay you during certain holiday periods or may deduct money from your salary when you're sick. Some agencies make false promises, don't provide a work permit, and may advertise for a new teacher after just one semester, treating them the same way. Some agencies may also fail to pay out promised bonuses or refuse to return the deposit they've been deducting from your salary. Some may be hesitant to hire teachers of color or non-native speakers, however, it's important to note that this preference is often the school director's request and not a common practice among the majority of Thai agencies.

It is recommended to steer clear of agencies that do not cover the cost of your work permit, teaching license, or immigration fees; agencies that reduce your salary during a 3-day border or visa run; agencies that do not provide sick pay; agencies that require you to work in non-airconditioned environments; agencies that charge you an "administrative fee"; agencies that offer 10 or 11-month contracts; agencies that do not provide you with a work permit within 3 months of starting work at the school; agencies that give vague responses to your inquiries; agencies that require a deposit and claim it will be returned upon completion of the contract; and agencies that frequently transfer you to different schools.

Some agencies are good, some are bad, and some are middle-of-the-road, just like the individuals who run them...regardless of who owns them. Saying "All agencies are bad" is untrue, statistically impossible, and uninformed.

As to which is better, working for an agency or working directly for a school? Well, since this topic has been flogged to death on the different online discussion forums, I think I’m going to leave this question unanswered and let you draw your own conclusions!

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Blog by C. Pandaiy

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Note that the author of the blog is expressing personal thoughts and musings, which do not necessarily reflect those of KruTeacher. Therefore, KruTeacher.com cannot be held responsible for any potential inaccuracies that may be present in the blog.