Understanding the Phuket Jobs Market

The Phuket Jobs Market:  Teaching English on Phuket

Teaching English is not the only possibility for good employment on Phuket, but it is probably the path most open to foreigners unless you have specific skills that can be applied in the tourism industry.

Hotel and resort teaching Jobs here are some of the best to be found anywhere.  Check this resource for an inside track on those jobs: Hotel and Resort Teaching Jobs eBook

Is it all big money and beautiful beaches?  Not really, and there are some pitfalls you need to be aware of.   Phuket is such a desirable location that employers are quite familiar with the “I want to teach English for a few weeks so I can drink beer and hang on the beach” crowd.

As a result, almost all the better jobs and reputable employers will be asking you for a one-year commitment.  They aren’t interested in the crowd of unreliable people that are just passing through on their way to somewhere else – or that are here just for a lark.

There are quite a few short-term jobs depending on the time of year, but they often don’t come with legal working papers.  While it is quite common to work while on a tourist visa in Thailand – it isn’t recommended.

Low season from about March to October is when the hotels tend to want English training for their staff.  From November through February, everyone is working at full tilt.

Because of the seasonal nature of the tourism industry on the island – hotels, resorts, restaurants and other businesses need to earn as much income as they can during the four months of high season to help them survive eight months of relative quiet.  They don’t have time to study during those months.

The better resort and hotel jobs will hire you on a full-year contract, but they tend to not fill vacancies during high season and wait a bit until things slow down.

Who are the primary employers on the island?

Private and public schools, colleges and universities, language schools, hotels and resorts.

Check the Jobs Teaching English on Phuket page for details and links to the island’s biggest employers.