The TAP Program jobs - what are they like?

Your teaching job under the TAP program will be quite similar to many other formal teacher posts for foreigners in Thailand. Each of the 200 people currently managed by the manpower company are placed in government schools but managed by them, including curriculum, mentoring, supervision and payroll.

Usually the school incorporates all three levels, kindergarten (Anubaan), junior (Pratom) and senior (Mattayom). Some may be Anubaan and or Pratom only.

Typical working hours and daily routines in a Thai school

School hours are from 08:00 to 16:00, although you sometimes need to remain after hours to teach privately (for extra pay), and show up a little early. There are often days when school activities take precedence over the classes, and you get to join in the fun or take a break from the whiteboard. Weekends are off and there are 15 days a year of public holidays, as well as 2 months off in March and April and six weeks in September and October.

As a TEFL teacher you will not be in charge of teaching one particular class. Instead you are usually part of a team of ESL specialists who float among the classes, so that each gets at least one lesson a week with a foreigner. Although they have English once a day on their schedule, it is mostly taught by a Thai teacher. Your job is to work on particular elements of the curriculum, such as speaking, grammar correction and pronunciation.

As a new teacher you will be guided by a curriculum advisor who works from the head office in Bangkok and visits the school regularly. There are course books and lesson prepping materials, including activities and games to make the class fun and impressionable. The expectations are not pressured, there is seldom any failing of students in Thai education.

Typically you will be teaching about five lessons a day, each usually 50 minutes. In-between classes you ought to lesson prep for the next session, though you also have time to relax a bit and work on learning Thai language. You do not need any Thai to teach, nor are you permitted to use it in the classroom.

Mostly the level of English is elementary of average, only when you are more experience will you need to be expert enough to teach to an IELTs or TOEIC level. There’s no need to explain the intricacies of grammar, for example. Also, for your confidence, the Thai teacher usually accompanies the lesson.

How we prepare you as a teacher in Thailand

Aside from the training we will give you, bags of confidence, creativity, enthusiasm and energy, along with patience and some etiquette considerations will help you achieve good results. As long as the kids are going home raving to the parents about your lesson, the head teachers will be satisfied.

As part of the job you are expected to get involved with school activities, of which there are many. As someone special, you get additional attention, so be prepared to kick a football around at lunch time with the boys, or be quizzed periodically about your home country. Teachers are generously supported by the community, it’s not uncommon to be invited to places by parents, and in return you are expected to be a role model. Showing up early, well presented, to welcome the kids to the school earns you lots of brownie points.

Note! This is a description of typical jobs and working environments, the exact role and position you will be given may vary slightly. All TAP candidates are given several choices, but exact details are subject to short-notice change.