With a whole platter of cultural, geographical and historical attributes, Thailand has emerged to be one of the most sought after travel destination. Be it marine escapades along the alluring beaches.

To the prospective teachers of ESL traveling in from across the globe, Thailand has proven to be as fertile as its sprawling productive fields. It's easy to get a work permit, the cost of living is low, and English is always the second language for Thai people. With an average compensation of 30,000 – 40,000 baht a month the Thai cities can promise comfortable standard of living to the ESL teachers. Some schools often offer health insurance though the policies might be the most basic. But further beyond the material remuneration, the country fuels them with unparalleled cultural extravaganza, rewarding teaching experience and a whole lot of adventure and fun to indulge into.

The demand for good, qualified English teachers is truly mind-boggling where it is a challenge to choose the best from the lot! Armed with a TEFL certificate, a bachelor’s degree and a considerable amount of confidence earned out some teaching experience the ESL teacher stands more empowered and employable in the Thai job market. However, by flaunting just one or two of the above features you can be eligible enough for a decent teaching job.

Avoiding the non-yielding months of December and April, it is always suggested to explore the job options only after settling in Thailand – this adds value to the credentials.

With exotic destinations spread over mountains and beaches; locations boasting of archaeological and anthropological significance and traditional beauty, one never falls short of options in Thailand.

Choosing from an exciting assortments including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Lopburi and numerous more, spotted over the length and breadth of the country one can get the taste of both the urban and rural Thailand. Compared to the cities the pay is definitely less upcountry. But, it isn’t difficult to conveniently live off a full time salary of 25,000 baht on an average - the hustle and bustle, the pollution and the living standard is comfortably low in these rural areas. However, the choice of job-location is surely determined by the teacher’s level of motivation, personality and priority.

A teacher in Thai schools is highly respected and is expected to be an educator and an entertainer simultaneously. A neat and smart appearance clad in formals and coupled with an enthralling personality spells success. Shorts, ripped jeans, T-shirts, tank tops, and mini-skirts should be avoided. Tattoos, long hair, and multiple earrings are also frowned upon. It is important to dress appropriately for interviews, classes, and school functions. Schools always fish for people who are reliable and committed to at least a year’s contract.

Teaching expectations vary with the type of school, the curriculum, and previous exposure to native English speakers. Work load and schedules also vary greatly. Class size and curriculum determines work load. Where most schools only require you to work for 5 days a week, some allow work for 6 days. Owing to their natural flair for English language, better pronunciation skill and a more professionally inclined work ethic the native English speakers score much high as English teachers in Thai schools.

In addition to regular high schools - both government-sponsored and private, teaching of children is the biggest growth area in contemporary Thailand with new nursery schools and kindergartens opening up everyday. However, this job is an exhausting one and suits female teachers far better than their male colleagues by the virtue of their patience and perseverance.

The teacher can opt for either Full-time or Part-time employment in Thai schools. Full-time jobs come with features like fixed monthly salary against fixed teaching hours paid despite public holidays, school activities, and other random class cancellations and attendance irrespective of teaching and non-teaching hours. Part-time on the other hand is paid per class taught at an hourly rate where the teacher enjoys the liberty to work as per his/her wish. However, part-time wage is not very stable considering the amount of public holidays, and class cancellations that are guaranteed to occur throughout the year. This alternative is good for the debutant teachers, retirees and weekend workers.

The boom of globalization that has touched the shores of Thailand has multiplied the demand for learning English among the Thai adults. With absolute material reasons like getting a decent job, the objective behind learning the language today is ‘compulsion’. The classrooms thus often reflect a laid-back attitude and low motivation placing the onus of learning entirely on the teacher. This is an arduous yet challenging task for a dedicated ESL teacher in Thailand.

Yet another lucrative market for the ESL teachers in Thailand is the corporate sector where the job is to teach company staff ranging from secretaries to managers at their workplace. Encompassing all the positive and negative aspects, corporate-teaching pays well at around 450 to 700 baht per hour with teaching hours generally after 5pm when the companies finish working.

If hit right and handled well, freelance teaching can turn out to have tremendous prospect for ESL teachers in Thailand. For the native-speaking teachers, the Thais are ready to cough up anything from 500 to 1000 baht an hour for guidance in conversational English, grammar, academic and business writing, TOEFL preparation and innumerable such needs. Tutoring usually involve one student and often his/her family at their home in the evening.

The basic prerequisites should be a workable knowledge of the native language, a strategic location, some basic business acumen and negotiation skills besides being smart, professional and friendly. Leaving aside problems like last minute cancellation of classes, private tutoring promises to pay the most.

The availability of work permit depends on where the teacher is employed. In Bangkok, a degree and a TEFL or possibly a BA in English alone fetches a work permit (as most likely a PGCE, BEd, MA TESOL etc. would). There might be other requirements at certain schools. However in the provinces it possible to get work permit purely with a TEFL. In case of those attached to business or corporate houses the work permit might identify you as a consultant or of some similar profile.