Teach English In Thailand
Program Options
Get Paid to Teach and Travel Abroad in Thailand
Teaching English in Thailand offers the unique opportunity for travel and adventure while making a difference in the lives of your students – all while getting paid!
As a member of the local community, you’ll be immersed in Thai culture and experience warm Thai hospitality. By helping your students improve their English proficiency, you’ll increase their access to education and work opportunities.
Join new friends for weekend getaways and explore one of the most diverse and beautiful countries in Southeast Asia.
All-Inclusive Support Services
CIEE will guide you through every step of teaching English in Thailand by providing:
- Guaranteed job placement at reputable schools throughout Thailand with flexible 1 or 2 semester contracts, and spring or fall start dates
- Expert visa guidance and preparation before departure
- Orientation upon arrival in Bangkok, including airport pickup, hotel accommodations, cultural activities, and Thai language lessons
- The opportunity to meet other CIEE teachers and make friends
- Safety net of international insurance, emergency assistance, and ongoing support from our top-notch partner organization in Bangkok
Teach in Thailand Program
- Thailand
Work as a lead teacher at a school improving Thai students’ conversational English skills with opportunities to teach other subjects.
Let the Experts Support You on Your Teach in Thailand Adventure
Guaranteed Placement and One-on-One Assistance
Teaching abroad is rewarding, but it can also be challenging and intimidating. That’s why we offer the most comprehensive pre-departure package around, including:
- Guaranteed job placement at a reputable school before departure so you know where you will be teaching and what to expect
- Expert visa guidance and all required documents to obtain a Thai work visa – no need for visa runs after arriving in Thailand
- An online course with all the info you need to feel prepared
- The opportunity to connect with other teachers before departure and start to find friends you’ll want to travel around Thailand with
A Comprehensive, In-Country Orientation
You’ve arrived, you’re thrilled to be in Thailand but also a little overwhelmed. Our program provides an in-country orientation to get you up to speed -- and comfortable -- as quickly as possible. It’s also a great chance to network with other CIEE teachers and find friends to travel with on weekend adventures. Orientation upon arrival in Bangkok includes:
- Airport pickup, 4 nights of hotel accommodation, and most meals
- Five days of engaging orientation activities with fellow teachers, including:
- Classes in Thai language
- Sessions on TEFL theory and practice
- Cross-cultural training
- Accommodation and most meals
- Cultural excursions
24/7 Support and Assistance
Our program offers continuing support even after orientation is over and you've settled in at your school. Throughout your time teaching in Thailand we provide:
- Ongoing support services. The helpful team at our in-country partner organization is ready to coach you on logistical, professional, or cultural challenges
- Support from an English-speaking school coordinator, who will help you adjust to your new job and host community
- Free housing arranged by your school so you don’t have to worry about finding housing on your own
- Assistance obtaining Thai work permit and coverage of work permit fees (at the completion of your contract)
- A completion bonus after two consecutive semesters of teaching to support the cost of return airfare
- iNext international insurance and 24-hour emergency assistance services. See the policy description for more information.
Teach in Thailand in 60 Seconds
See what adventures await when you Teach English in Thailand and learn how CIEE will support you every step of the way – all in just 60 seconds.
Teach in Thailand: Jennifer's Story
Follow Jennifer’s journey of teaching in Thailand as she makes new friends, overcomes challenges, and gains self-confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for teaching English abroad and these are just a few of the benefits that set it apart from other locations:
- Friendly and welcoming people: Thailand is known as the “Land of Smiles” because of the kind and friendly nature of Thai people. As an English teacher, you’ll experience warm hospitality and find that your colleagues, neighbors, and even strangers will be quick to offer you help when needed.
- Affordable cost of living and competitive salaries: Thailand has a relatively low cost of living compared to many Western countries. The salaries of foreign English teachers are also relatively high compared to local standards. This means that your salary as a teacher will go far and you can enjoy a comfortable lifestyle while saving money or using your extra income to travel in your free time.
- Opportunities for travel: Thailand has stunning beaches, mountains, and cultural sites that you can explore with friends on your weekends. Travel is very accessible with affordable public transportation, such as busses and trains, that connect every corner of Thailand. On longer holiday breaks, you can also hop on a budget flight to other nearby countries in Southeast Asia.
There are so many other reasons to teach in Thailand, including the chance to grow personally and professionally, and make new friends and memories that will last a lifetime.
Read More: My Decision to Teach English in Thailand
English teaching positions are available throughout Thailand in all regions and in a wide variety of towns and cities. A large proportion of English teachers work in Central, Northern, Eastern, and Northeastern Thailand, which are more heavily populated compared to Southern Thailand. It is possible to teach English in southern coastal areas, such as Phuket and Krabi, but positions in these touristy areas are more limited.
Every region of Thailand offers something you unique and with an open mind you can have an incredible experience in any location. Regardless of where you work, you can also easily travel throughout Thailand on weekends to explore the national parks of Northern Thailand, the islands and beaches of Southern Thailand and everything in between.
On the CIEE Teach in Thailand Program application, you can list your top three regional preferences and any other preferences you have regarding program location. We strive to match you to a school that meets your placement preferences, but keep in mind the the Thai schools make the final hiring decision.
CIEE Teachers earn between 30,000 and 43,000 THB per month, plus rent-free accommodations! The entry-level salary is 30,000, but if you are TEFL certified, or teach subjects other than English, you will earn 32,000 THB per month. Teachers with Education degrees and/or professional full-time teaching experience may qualify for even higher salary categories. For details, see our Program Details page!
Thanks to the rent-free housing and low cost of living, any of these salaries will afford you a comfortable lifestyle while allowing you to put aside some money for travel during holidays or after your contract is done!
TEFL certification is highly recommended, but not a requirement for teaching English in Thailand. TEFL certification will give you the confidence to be a lead teacher, design lesson plans, and manage a classroom. Put simply, TEFL certification will make you a better teacher and help your students learn more.
For these reasons, Thai schools prefer teachers with TEFL certification and pay a higher salary of 32,000 THB per month, as long as the certificate is ready at least six weeks before arrival. CIEE TEFL’s 150-Hour TEFL Certificate exceeds international standards, never expires, and its accreditation is recognized by the US Department of Education.
You do not need to speak any Thai to teach English in Thailand. In fact, Thai schools will want you to only use English when interacting with students to help create an English immersion environment on campus.
Although it is not required, there are benefits of learning at least some basic Thai phrases if you’re teaching English in Thailand. First, speaking a little Thai will go far toward making daily life tasks, such as ordering food, asking for directions, or taking public transportation easier. Second, by learning Thai you will demonstrate that you value and respect Thai culture and you’ll be more respected as a result. Finally, learning Thai will help you meet people and build relationships. Colleagues and neighbors will enjoy helping you learn Thai and setting up a language exchange is a great way to build friendships.
If you want to learn some basic Thai phrases before moving to Thailand, checkout ThaiPod101 on YouTube. CIEE’s Teach in Thailand orientation in Bangkok includes Thai language lessons to help new teachers get started.
Read More: Learning Thai While Teaching Abroad in Thailand: A Little Bit Goes a Long Way
One of the benefits of teaching in Thailand is that you will be immersed in Thai culture on a daily basis and have the opportunity to develop intercultural communication and adaptation skills. But how exactly will you fit in? How will you be viewed by locals? The short answer is that each teacher’s experience will be unique. Each teacher comes from a unique cultural background and consequently will be perceived differently from others. Similarly, Thai people are diverse coming from a variety of regional, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds.
However, there are some common Thai cultural values shared by many Thai people that will shape your experience. For example, Thai people tend to value the common good of groups, such as families, above the interests of individuals and will seek to maintain group harmony. Similarly, Thai people tend to use a more indirect style of communication and avoid direct confrontation that would lead to someone being embarrassed publicly or “losing face”. Keeping this in mind, a foreign English teacher who strives to maintain group harmony and seeks to avoid expressing disagreements directly will likely be respected by colleagues and more successful at fitting into Thai culture.
CIEE has gathered a set of diversity resources for teaching abroad to help support candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds. This includes firsthand perspectives, as well as discussion of Thai attitudes related to specific issues of identity, such as sexual orientation and race/ethnicity.
Read More: How to Fit Into Thai Culture as a Foreign English Teacher
Working hours will vary slightly from school to school in Thailand, but a typical assignment will have you in the classroom for 20-25 classroom hours per week, Monday-Friday. This amount of time does not include class planning, faculty meetings, school events, grading, or extracurricular activities. Including those activities, you can expect a full-time, 35-40 hour work week.
Yes, friends or couples can teach in Thailand together and will most likely be placed at the same school together. You just need to apply at the same time and specify in the placement preferences portion of your Teach in Thailand Program application that you want to be placed together.
No, you do not need to find your own housing while teaching in Thailand. With CIEE’s Teach in Thailand program, your school will provide you with free housing on top of your monthly salary. Teachers are only responsible for paying for utilities, typically $20-$30 USD per month.
Teach in Thailand Blogs
My First Week Teaching in Thailand
I was placed at a boarding school in Chiang Rai. The first week for anything is pretty exciting so I wanted to give you a breakdown after orientation! Hint: I... keep reading
Thai Kindness
Hey there, Liz here. Growing up my parents raised me to be paranoid, skeptical, and overly cautious. Sometimes I prepare for the worst, when I should be looking for the... keep reading
Three Lessons I Learned as a Teacher in Thailand
I lived and worked in Thailand for five months. Honestly it is surreal being able to say that - living abroad has been a lifelong dream of mine. I have... keep reading
More Information
Still Have Questions?
Check out our FAQ page for more answer to your questions about teaching abroad.
Further Assistance
For more help, call our team at 207-274-5783 or send us an email at teach@ciee.org.
