Requirements for Temporary Teaching Permit in Thailand

There are two types of teaching license in Thailand. The first is the standard teaching license and the other is the temporary teaching license.

I have previously created a post on how to get a standard teaching license when you’re planning to teach in Thailand. You may follow the link to know the basic requirements for the five year-teaching permit.

This post will outline the criteria and the process on how to obtain a temporary license from the Teachers’ Council of Thailand (TCT).

Temporary Teaching License

The foreign teacher who obtains a temporary teaching license is granted permission to teach for a period of  two years. This will allow the school and the foreign applicant to comply all the requirements set by the TCT to acquire the standard five-year teaching license.

The temporary teaching license is a certification that the school will apply for on a teacher’s behalf as soon as he/she starts working. According to the April 2019 revision, a foreign teacher has to meet the following criteria to be granted temporary teaching permit:

Criteria for Granting Permission

Section 46 of the Teachers and Educational Personnel Council Act, B.E. 2546 (2003) provides that no person can claim the right to teach or practice the teaching profession in Thailand unless granted license by the Teachers’ Council. The provision further stated that any educational institutions are also prohibited to employ unlicensed teachers.

• Not younger than 20 years of age
• Satisfy any of the following requirements:

(1) Have qualifications not less than that of being holders of a degree in education or its equivalent

(2) Have qualifications not less than that of being holders of a bachelor’s degree in an area needed by an educational institution requiring carrying out teaching duties

(3) Are not holders of a degree, and they hold a teaching license from another country

• Are devoid of prohibited personal attributes as specified in Section 44 (B) of the Teachers and Educational Personnel Council Act, B.E. 2546 (2003)

Conditions for Granting permission

• Educational institutions must request permission in specific cases.  Foreigners must teach in the educational institutions under the control of their heads  in accordance with the conditions specified in their teaching permit.
•  No more than two years can be allowed in a single permission period and can be extended for a total period of not more than six years.
• The person granted permission to teach is required to satisfy professional qualifications for a teaching license within a period of six years from the first permission of teaching permit.
•  If the person granted permission to teach violates professional ethics, does not adhere to the conditions specified, or does not satisfy the professional development standards, conditions and methods specified by the Teachers’ Council of Thailand, said person’s permission to teach shall be revoked.

The applicant may visit The Teachers’ Council of Thailand website for downloadable forms and further details.