To teach English legally in a Thai school you normally need a bachelor's degree, a work permit, and either a Thai teacher's licence or a temporary permit that your school requests from the Teachers' Council of Thailand. A TEFL certificate helps you get hired, but it is not one of the official requirements, and there are no official figures for teachers' pay (as of October 2026).
Teaching is among the most frequent routes for foreigners to work in Thailand, and the jobs exist all over the country, from international schools in Bangkok to government schools in small provincial towns. The rules, though, are stricter than many online recruiters suggest. A school that asks you to start before your paperwork is done is asking you to work illegally.
This page covers the job: the qualifications, the licence, the kinds of schools and what to look for in a contract. The visa and work permit process is the same as for other employees and has its own page on the Non-B visa and the work permit; here it gets one short section.
Teaching in a Thai school: the rules (October 2026)
- Licensing body
- Teachers' Council of Thailand (Khurusapha)
- Minimum age
- 20
- Degree
- Required in the standard routes; the only non-degree route needs a foreign teacher's licence
- TEFL/TESOL
- Not listed in the official licence or permit criteria
- Temporary teaching permit
- Requested by the school; 2 years per permit, at most 6 consecutive years in total
- Visa
- Non-B, teacher category on the e-Visa portal; criminal record certificate required
- Work permit
- Required in addition to the licence or permit
Degree, TEFL and what the rules actually say
Thai law requires anyone who teaches in a government or private educational institution to hold a professional teaching licence, under the Teachers' Council's regulations of 2016. The Government Public Relations Department's guide to the rules (2023) lists the routes to a full licence for a foreign teacher. You must be at least 20, and have one of:
- a degree in education, or an equivalent qualification;
- a degree in another subject plus a teaching licence from another country;
- a degree in another subject plus a teaching certificate requiring at least one year of study;
- a degree in another subject plus a pass in the Teachers' Council's professional knowledge tests.
On top of that, a full licence requires at least one year of teaching practice in a Thai institution, assessed by the school, a work permit, evidence of residence in Thailand, and no disqualification under Section 44 of the Teachers and Educational Personnel Act of 2003.
A TEFL or TESOL certificate does not appear in either the licence or the temporary permit criteria. Schools and agencies often ask for one, and a good course with real classroom practice will make your first term easier, but on its own it does not make you eligible to teach legally. Claims that "a TEFL is enough" leave out the degree requirement.
Send your transcripts in the university's sealed envelope. The official guide warns that any document opened before it reaches the Teachers' Council will be treated as void. Order sealed official transcripts from your university before you leave home; getting them from abroad later is slow.
The temporary teaching permit: how most new teachers start
Few new foreign teachers meet the full licence conditions on day one, if only because of the year of teaching practice. The standard first step is a "permission to practise the teaching profession without a professional licence", usually called a waiver or temporary teaching permit.
The key point is who applies: the school does, not the teacher. It files the request online with the Teachers' Council through the KSP School system. To qualify, the teacher must be at least 20 and hold either an education degree, a bachelor's degree in a field the school requires, or a qualification below degree level combined with a foreign teacher's professional licence. The school submits its own letter, a copy of your passport and current visa, your degree and transcript, your teaching contract and a recent photo.
Each permit is valid for two years, and the total may not exceed six consecutive years. Within that time the teacher is expected to upgrade their qualifications and obtain a full licence. The permit is not a lifelong arrangement, and a teacher planning a long career in Thailand should plan the route to a full licence early.
These rules come from the Government Public Relations Department's pages, last updated in 2023; the Teachers' Council's own site did not respond when we checked. Ask your school for the current requirements before you accept an offer.
Where foreigners teach: the main types of school
The employer shapes the job more than the city does. The main types are:
- Government schools. Primary and secondary schools run by the state, often hiring foreign teachers for conversation classes. Classes can be large, and many posts are in provincial towns.
- Private and bilingual schools. Schools with English programs, where foreign teachers may teach English or other subjects in English.
- International schools. Usually following a foreign curriculum, and usually wanting qualified, licensed teachers with experience in that curriculum.
- Language centers. Private schools teaching English to children after school and to adults, often in the evenings and at weekends.
- Universities. Lecturer posts, usually asking for a higher degree.
Many teachers are placed through recruitment agencies rather than hired directly. An agency can make the first job easier to find, but your contract, your visa and your permit should still be clear about who your employer is. Ask whether the agency or the school is the employer named on your work permit.
Pay: what we can and cannot tell you
We do not print salary figures. No official body, neither the Office of the Basic Education Commission nor the Teachers' Council, publishes pay scales for foreign English teachers, and the figures on recruitment sites and forums vary widely by school type, location and qualifications. International schools and universities usually ask for more qualifications than other employers; ask each school how its own pay scale works and what moves you up it.
Compare offers on the whole package, not the monthly figure alone. Ask each school, in writing:
- Is the salary paid for twelve months, or only during term?
- Who pays for the visa, the work permit, the extension of stay and the temporary teaching permit?
- What is deducted each month for income tax and social security?
- How many teaching hours a week, and how many extra duties (camps, events, weekend classes)?
- Is there a housing allowance, a contract-completion bonus or a flight allowance?
- How much notice is required to leave, and is any salary held back until the contract ends?
Then set the offer against what life in that town costs. A resident's monthly budget, built from official tariffs and your actual rent, is the fair comparison.
The visa and work permit, in short
Teachers apply for a Non-B visa in its own category on the e-Visa portal ("employed as an academic staff/teacher"). Compared with ordinary employment, two documents stand out: a supporting letter from the school's authority, which may be the Ministry of Education, the university or the international school itself, and a police certificate from your country of residence. The portal also asks for proof of at least 30,000 baht in funds. The visa gives a single entry within three months of issue.
The Department of Employment's work permit is still needed on top of the licence or temporary permit, which do not replace it. The work permit guide linked above covers the permit, the yearly extension of stay and the re-entry permit. Applying for a police certificate takes time in most countries, so order it as soon as you start applying for jobs.
Ask the school to confirm in writing that it will apply for your teaching permit. The waiver is the school's application, not yours. A written promise in the contract, with a timeline, protects you if the school later says it "forgot".
Warning signs before you sign
Most schools follow the rules. The ones that do not tend to show it early. Be cautious if a school or agency:
- asks you to start teaching on a visa exemption or tourist visa "while the paperwork is done";
- cannot tell you who will apply for the work permit and the temporary teaching permit;
- offers a job without seeing your degree, or suggests a degree is "not really needed";
- wants to keep your passport;
- will not give you a written contract before you arrive.
Working without a permit is an offence for you as well as for the school. If a job only works on those terms, it is not a legal teaching job.
Settling in as a teacher
Teachers usually rent locally and need a Thai bank account to be paid; our guides to leases and deposits and opening a bank account cover both, and banks generally accept a work permit as the supporting document. A school year means at least one 90-day address report to immigration.
Learning some Thai helps in the staff room as much as in the market. Start with a short set of everyday Thai phrases, and learn how the wai works, because you will see it many times a day in any Thai school. For health cover beyond any social security your school provides, see health insurance for expats.
Frequently asked questions
Can I teach English in Thailand without a degree?
Not legally in a standard school job. Both the full licence and the temporary teaching permit require a degree, except for the rare case of someone with a qualification below degree level who also holds a foreign teacher's professional licence.
Is a TEFL certificate required to teach in Thailand?
It is not listed in the official licence or temporary permit criteria. Many schools and agencies ask for one when hiring, and good training helps in the classroom, but a TEFL does not replace the degree requirement.
How much do English teachers earn in Thailand?
There are no official pay figures for foreign English teachers, and published numbers vary widely. Pay depends on the type of school, the location and your qualifications. Compare offers on the full package, including holiday pay, deductions and who pays the visa and permit fees.
Who applies for the temporary teaching permit?
The school applies to the Teachers' Council through its online KSP School system. Each permit lasts two years, with a maximum of six consecutive years, during which the teacher is expected to qualify for a full licence.
Sources
- Government Public Relations Department (thailand.go.th) – Professional licence requirements for foreign teachers (2023) (checked October 2026)
- Government Public Relations Department (thailand.go.th) – Permission to practise teaching without a professional licence (2023) (checked October 2026)
- Thailand e-Visa (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) – Non-B, employed as academic staff or teacher (checked October 2026)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Non-Immigrant Visa B (for business and work) (checked October 2026)