Let's skip ahead a little and pretend you've already landed that cushy job teaching English in Phuket. Before your lucrative job allows you to start rolling in the dough getting a whopping $30 a day, you'll need a place to put that cash. More accurately stated, your new employer needs a place to transfer the money to you.
Nearly all English teaching positions are paid on a monthly basis. Granted, there are a few "part-time" English teaching jobs out there in which you are paid at the end of each week. But you still need a place for the school to transfer you the money. Having a checking account from your home country obviously won't cut it. The international transfer fee ALONE will probably be 25% of your monthly income. And trust me when I say this, with only 30K baht a month as your salary teaching English, you will need every last penny in order to live comfortably in Phuket. 
One of the many Siam Commercial Banks in Phuket
In reading other websites about TEFL teachers, I have not seen much info out there regarding which bank to use or even what one needs to set up an account at a Thai bank. And you definitely need a Savings account at one in order to get your monthly salary. No Thai school is going to give you 30,000 baht in cash every month for a whole slew of reasons.
So you think you want to be a teacher of English in Thailand? Here is a basic checklist of what you will need to get your foot in the door to teach English in Phuket:
- Native English language speaker
- University degree (Bring original University degree with you to Thailand)
- TEFL certification from an accredited TEFL course accepted by the Thai Ministry of Education
- Criminal Background Check from country of origin (some, not all schools in Phuket require this)
Patience and a very, very thick skin
In the next post, I will delve deeper into the TEFL certification course that you must take and pass in order to become a teacher in Thailand.