Great resource: Want to work at an international school in Thailand?

International Schools for Bangkok and Thailand

Wow!  There are many international schools in Thailand.  Actually, a high number of visits to International School Community each month are from Thailand.  So, it is no surprise that there are many people wanting information about the international schools there.

The website has a great map of all the international schools in Thailand.


It also has all the international schools listed in a table which shows which curriculum each school has, the city it is in, the level of education they provide to students and main language of instruction.

Other highlights from this page:

“We are often asked for ‘foreign schools’ in Bangkok and Thailand. None of the international schools in Bangkok and Thailand is really a ‘foreign school’ since they are all accredited by the Ministry of Education in Thailand, a legal process that eventually makes them Thai schools. International schools use a foreign curriculum, as opposed to the national Thai curriculum, from the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, Australia etc.”

“An international school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national curriculum different from that of the country the school is located in. These schools cater mainly to students who are not nationals of the host country, such as the children of the staff of international businesses, international organizations, foreign embassies, missions, or missionary programs. Many local students attend these schools to learn the language of the international school and to obtain qualifications for employment or higher education in a foreign country”

So, who wants to work in Thailand???

Check out the international schools listed in Thailand on International School Community.

Blogs of international school teachers: “Follow That Elephant!”

Are you inspired to start up a blog about your adventures living abroad?

Check out the experiences of another international school teacher from the moment they signed the contract to what they are writing about after a few years working abroad.

Our 6th blog that we would like to highlight is called “Follow That Elephant”   This teaching couple seem to be quite experienced in the international school community, having worked at more than 3 international schools.  The part of their blog that we would like highlight is about their experience living in Malaysia working at Mont Kiara International School Kuala Lumpur.

Entries we would like to highlight:

2 Months In…
“Everything continues to be absolutely wonderful: the food, the weather, the people, the shopping and the school. We’re having a great time!…Yesterday we went to the sikh wedding. One of the teachers at school married a Malaysian sikh, and they very generously invited everyone from MKIS! Since we were invited to this awesome wedding, we figured we would dress appropriately.”

How great to experience a wedding in the host country that you are living in!

Life Outside of KL
“Aside from the small, yet powerful cultural differences that have really come to the forefront this month, all continues to go well. We are still loving the weather, food, shopping, etc. It was especially nice to take a trip to the amazing east coast . According to my students Redang is the best island to visit. According to the teachers, it’s the most expensive. No matter what you say, we loved it!”

Looks like the next stage of culture shock has set in 2-3 months after the initial move, but that is when you also now know some of the great places to visit nearby as well….places you possibly didn’t even realize were there before you moved.

The World of International Schools
“When I tell people back home in the US that I’m teaching in Thailand, they usually assume I teach English to Thai children. When I try to explain by saying “no, I teach at an international school”, I’m often met with a blank stare.”

This type of conversation has happened to all of us!  Check out this entry for another great overview of the international school teaching experience, from recruitment to the benefits to and from what type of people get into this community this overview is very informative!

*If you are an international school teacher and would like your blog highlighted on International School Community contact us here.

Great Article – How to Break into International School Teaching

International School Community would like to highlight this article by Clay Burell – How to Break into International School Teaching

It is a good overview of what you need to think about if you are a person that is wanting to join our international school community.

Parts of the article we would like highlight are:

“Give yourself months to complete the registration process for these outfits; in fact, just get started now, since I think your file will remain active for at least a year, possibly more, after you sign up. You have to submit an online resume, cover letter, educational philosophy, copy of your teaching certificate, recommendation letters, teacher evaluations, and gobs more stuff to their database.”

We liked the phrase “just get started now.”  It is true.  It is better to get started on the process sooner than later.  Some of the applications for recruitment fairs like Search and ISS can take months to complete.  Especially the confidential references that you need to get your references to submit.  But we thought it good to note to newbies that it is NOT necessary to go to a recruitment fair at all to find your first job.  There are many other ways (Skype, contacting the school directly, etc…) that you can do to get your foot in the door.

“There may be a bit of a “career ladder” to climb to get a job at the top-tier schools. Many people start in less selective schools, build a resume there and establish themselves as international school teachers, and expect their next fair to land them a job at one of the better schools.”

It is important to have a think about whether there are really top-tier schools or not.  There are many international schools out there that many people want to work because they think it is a top-tier school.  But in the reality of working there, many of them are just normal schools with the same issues that plague many international schools everywhere (disorganization, bad management, overworked staff, etc…).  We have seen many times newbies getting jobs at these top-tier schools.  If you are lucky and you are in the right place at the right time, then you can get a job anywhere.  If you are the right fit and have the right personality, many times top schools will not hesitate to hire you disregarding your lack of international school teaching experience.

“Beware before signing a contract. If you break it, you may be blacklisted for the next job fair. Strongly consider sucking it up until your sentence ends.”

We are not for sure this is sending the right word about the lives of international school educators.  One must come to their own conclusion about whether there is indeed a blacklist or not.  It is hard to imagine school heads are taking the time to add somebody to a list, then sending it out to all the other international schools around the world and then having another school read that list and compare it to the list of candidates they are interview to see if there is a match.  If you do indeed break a contract, I bet that the school and you can come to an agreement that will be in the best interest of both parties.  If you are not the right fit, then it is best to not work with each other anyways.

All about schools

More features

Let's connect

Meet us on Facebook
Follow our Tweets
Join our Linked In Group

IS Community