The No-nonsense Guide to Teaching in Thailand for 2025-2026
Avoid the stressful, expensive mistakes most teachers make when moving to Thailand.
✅ How to find the best teaching jobs for you
✅ What visa you NEED to be on
✅Savings needed before moving (upfront costs)
✅ Real cost of living numbers from a Bangkok teacher
✅ Making friends outside of work
✅ How to reach the top salaried positions
We built our How to Move to Thailand Guide based on years of living in Thailand and working out what works and what doesn’t. Plus 1:1 support inside our private community
Meet Steffi (and Jason): Your Thailand Relocation Experts
I’m Steffi, an English teacher who’s lived in Thailand for over 8 years, teaching for the British Council and in a top tier international school. I’ve navigated visas, contracts, housing, and all the real-life details of teaching abroad, and I created this guide to help you move to Thailand with clarity and confidence, even if doing it solo like I did!
This guide is built from first-hand experience all written entirely by me (no AI here, I get enough of that from my students!). It covers everything I wish I’d known when I started teaching in Thailand.
Jason, my partner, brings the U.S. perspective and experience moving on a digital nomad visa – perfect if you’re relocating together, comparing options or online teaching.
Whether you’re teaching EFL or aiming for an international school job, this guide will help you move smarter and settle in faster.
Why We Created This Guide and What We Wish We Knew Sooner
This isn’t just a guide. It’s a shortcut to:
- Feel confident landing the right teaching job – Know how to secure legit positions, check you are on the right visa (including re-entry permits and 90 day reporting advice).
- Stay financially secure on a teacher’s salary – Real cost-of-living breakdowns so you can budget smart, avoid money stress, and prepare for the holidays you can enjoy!
- Exactly what you should (and shouldn’t) expect from your new school
- Thrive in and out of the classroom – Build a life beyond teaching with tips on meeting locals, joining expat networks and finding true connection with friends
- Tap into our trusted teacher network – you find a job at a school, I can probably find you an insider who works there! (Not guaranteed but I know a lot of teachers!)
- Stay supported beyond the move – Join our private Moving to Thailand Facebook group for ongoing help, connection, and community, you’re not doing this alone.
Can I Actually Get a Visa to Teach in Thailand?
If you’re hired by a school, they’ll sponsor your visa and work permit.
This is the most common path for expats teaching in Thailand, whether you’re working in a Thai school, language school or an international school.
You’ll need:
- A bachelor’s degree (in any subject for most schools)
- A job offer from a school
- Basic background documents (like a police check)
This Guide Helped Real Teachers and It’ll Help You Too
So useful!
Feeling braver now!
Who This Guide Is For:
✅ New or aspiring EFL/English teachers moving to Thailand
✅ International school educators navigating their first overseas job
✅ Professionals overwhelmed by visa rules, housing options, and expat life setup
The Dodgy Advice You Won’t Find in This Guide
❌ No border runs: get a legit job that takes care of your work permit and visa
❌ No copy-pasted advice from people who’ve never taught in Thailand: I’ve been teaching here 8 years and counting
❌ No winging it: arriving in Thailand as a tourist and searching for a job is illegal
❌ No unrealistic budgets: live well, no matter your teaching salary
❌ No shady shortcuts like fake work permits or under-the-table gigs, make sure everything is legal and sustainable.
❌ No pretending to know it all — if we don’t have the answer, we point you to a legit, trusted resource.
Ebook FAQs
Got questions before buying?
We’ve answered the most common queries about our Thailand relocation guide below.
Move to Thailand & Thrive!
$20 till the end of June!