Teaching in Phuket

Many people come to Thailand to teach English. They can teach in Thai schools as the English teacher. Those kinds of positions only require a TEFL or TESOL course. You don’t need to be a qualified teacher but your salary won’t be great. As a qualified primary school teacher, better work opportunities opened up to me. There are about 5 big international schools in Phuket, and a few more up-and-coming western schools. I was lucky to get a position at HeadStart International School (www.headstartphuket.com) as soon as I arrived in Phuket.

 

Year 2 class - 2010-2011

There is a huge gap between the International and the Thai educational system and values. Generally, we consider their teaching style to be outdated. Teachers usually write the lesson on the board, and then require students to copy it in their notebooks. Little emphasis is put on problem solving or reasoning, but the focus is on memorising. Also, learning English in a Thai school will result in mediocre results. I think that most foreigners would want their child learning in an International school because of the up-to-date teaching practices and possibility to reintegrate a school in another western country along the way if needed. Some wealthy Thai parents choose to send their children to International school for those reasons as well. For Thai students, daily Thai lessons are provided in order to follow the country’s curriculum and cultivate their identity. The student population at HeadStart is about 1/3 Thai nationals, 1/3 foreigners, 1/3 mixed Thai-foreigners. It is a very diverse environment with about 30 different nationalities.

Year 2 class - 2011-2012

Year 7 class - 2012-2013

Year 2 class - 2013-2014

From my experience, teaching is the same everywhere. Children are children and when you are in your classroom, you will have similar difficulties no matter which country you are in. Every new year group will pose its challenges. One noticeable difference is that an international school is a business. In that respect, parents normally have a say in decisions and they become a big part of the school. Therefore, the relationship between parents and teachers is very different than in a public school. I saw most of my students’ parents every single day! Such a change from the twice a year parent-teacher meeting at home!

I know that I will most likely continue teaching in international schools, given my passion for travelling. I have been blessed to work at HeadStart International School in Phuket and to have been a part of its growth over the past 4 years. I will never forget the amazing children I taught there.