While it’s true that it was much easier to set up shop here as an English teacher in the past, it is still a relatively easy place to get established and with the Thais being outrageously friendly, you won’t find it difficult to find a lot of support and advice when getting started.
Please remember that at tefl online pro we assist our graduates with ongoing job support, help and advice, so if you are wanting Thailand teaching English advice then feel free to reach out and contact us.
You can look for work before arrival to Thailand, but we don’t think there is any need to do this and you will easily find yourself being able to hook a much better teaching position once on the ground. Thailand is an affordable destination, assuming you avoid the main tourist hubs, and this will provide you with a lot of breathing space to settle in and find your perfect teaching English job.
How we recommend finding a job in Thailand is to contact a bunch of schools beforehand, travel out to Thailand, receive your (free) 30-day Tourist Visa upon arrival and visit the schools and see which one you would feel most comfortable teaching in. Once you have gone through the interview process and secured the position you will need to leave the country and apply for your Non-Immigrant Visa Type B, which can be applied for and picked up at any Thai embassy abroad (in Malaysia for example.)
Thailand has its fair share of discount airlines and AirAsia are just one of them, which we have flown and can recommend. If you have a larger budget, then either Thai or Bangkok Airways would be our recommendation.
Once you are issued with your visa, you can then return to Thailand to arrange for your work visa to be processed, which only takes around seven days to complete.