TEFL course and TEFL Jobs in Cambodia

Overview

Cambodia is an amazing country with a tragic history. After the fall of the government in 1975 to the Khmer Rouge, the government set upon a policy of genocide in which almost two million Khmer people were killed, especially teachers, intellectuals, and professionals in all walks of life. City dwellers were forced into the countryside to become agricultural workers, and the world was turned upside down.

In 1978 the Vietnamese ended the reign of the Khmer Rouge, but the country spent the next twenty years in various states of civil war, and the infrastructure of society was lost. Since 1998, Cambodia has began a new period of re-growth that is beginning to rebuild the country. There is a critical need of professionals in all area, and especially teachers. The new Cambodia is seeing English as a way to help raise itself out of poverty, and so English language training at all levels is supported here, probably more that anywhere else in Southeast Asia.

Salary and hours
Jobs for qualified English teachers are readily available. Salaries for native speakers start in the $10 to $12 dollars per hour range, with lots of hours (more than you want) generally available. While there are certainly more classes in evening and on weekends, there are lots of weekday day classes as well. Cost of living is low, and so the salary provides a good standard of living, but money is not the main motivator here. More than almost anyplace in the world, Cambodia is a place where you can make a serious contribution to better the lives of people that have had a horrific history of torture and genocide and who are serious about making a better life.

Type of teaching
Most jobs are in private language schools. There are hundreds, with huge enrollments. Learning to speak English seems to be the favorite national pastime. All phases of English are in demand, from general conversation to specific vocational languages to English for Academic purposes for students wanting to go abroad. The major University that teaches all classes in English and requires its students to pass an English entrance exam has over 3,000 people in the University program and over 7,000 more in English programs trying to prepare for university classes.

Accommodation
Most good sized schools will help teachers find accommodation.

Start of school year/ best time to look for work
The academic year can vary from school to school, with some running year round and opening new classes every one or two weeks, and others working around semesters (i.e institutes of higher education).

Red Tape
Welcome to Cambodia, the land of very little red tape. As part of its plan to encourage professionals to come and work in Cambodia, you can get the appropriate business visa on arrival in Cambodia with no required special documentation other than your passport. The business visa costs $5 more than a regular tourist visa and can be renewed without having to leave the country or supply any special documentation. Cambodia wants your help and they want you to be here.

Miscellaneous advice
Remember, this is a country that has suffered for years and in some areas conditions are fairly primitive. Rapid new development leaves a strange combination of poverty and success. Don’t look for McDonalds, but the food supply is good and inexpensive. Western products are more and more common, but be prepared for some sensory shocks. If you want to teach in Kansas, this is not it. If you want to make a seriously meaning contribution to people desperately in need of your help, welcome aboard.

FCO

Lonely Planet Guide - Cambodia

Phnom Penh
• Phnom Penh TESOL certificate course plus Khmer	from 0
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