Assistant Teacher Recruitment Examination (Thailand)ครูผู้ช่วย

Overview

Khru phu chuai (ครูผู้ช่วย, assistant teacher) is the entry rank for civil-service teachers in Thailand. People are recruited into it through a competitive exam, held each cycle by the sub-committee of teacher civil servants (อ.ก.ค.ศ.) of each educational service area under the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC). It is not one national paper: each area office announces its own posts, subjects and dates, although the rules and exam structure follow common OBEC and Teacher Civil Service Commission guidelines.

This page uses one clearly labelled worked example, the announcement of the Pathum Thani Secondary Educational Service Area Office for the 2025 cycle (2568 in the Thai Buddhist calendar, which the source uses). That announcement offered 28 posts. Other offices and agencies, such as local administrative organisations, run their own rounds and may differ. Always read the announcement of the office you are applying to.

Who can apply

For the example round, the announcement requires:

• Thai nationality and age of at least 18;

• faith in democracy with the King as head of state;

• not holding a political position, local council seat or local executive post;

• not being a person who is incapable or mentally unsound, a monk or novice, or a bankrupt or similar person;

• no prior imprisonment by final judgment (except for petty or negligent offences), no dismissal for misconduct or dishonesty in an exam;

• a degree in the subject group, field or major that the post specifies, with the degree completed and approved by the last application day (15 July 2025) and recognised by the Teacher Civil Service Commission;

• a teaching licence from the Teachers' Council of Thailand valid on the last application day and on the day of appointment, or a document the Council issues for temporary practice. Subjects in short supply may be exempted, with a provisional permit.

Serving civil servants and local government staff need a letter from their employer that agrees to release or transfer them.

Exam pattern

The exam has three parts, all marked out of a total, and each part has its own pass line.

Part A: general knowledge and ability (200 marks)

Part B: professional knowledge and experience standards (200 marks)

Part C: suitability for the post, the profession and work in schools (100 marks)

Part C is an assessment of up to 20 minutes per candidate. The candidate presents work that shows their teaching skill and potential in the applied subject, and explains a teaching plan.

Marking and results

• A candidate needs at least 60 percent in each of Part A and Part B to be allowed into Part C.

• To pass, a candidate needs at least 60 percent in each of Parts A, B and C.

• Passing candidates are ranked by total score, separately for each subject group, field or major.

• Ties are broken by Part C score, then Part B score, then by earlier exam number.

• The ranked list (บัญชีผู้สอบแข่งขันได้) is valid for two years from its announcement, unless a new list for the same qualification and subject is announced earlier.

Important dates

For the Pathum Thani round, the dates were as follows (2025):

• Announcement: 2 July 2025.

• Online applications: 9 to 15 July 2025, 24 hours a day, closing at 16:30 on the last day.

• Payment: by 22:00 on 15 July 2025.

• List of candidates eligible for Parts A and B: 25 July 2025.

• Part A: Saturday 16 August 2025. Part B: Sunday 17 August 2025.

• List of candidates eligible for Part C: 22 August 2025.

Dates differ by office and year.

Fees

For the example round, the application fee was 500 baht, plus a bank service charge of 30 baht. Fees are not refunded.

How to apply

1. Apply only online, through the OBEC application site named in the announcement, in the application window.

2. Choose only one educational service area office (primary, secondary or special education) and only one subject group or major. Applying to more than one disqualifies the candidate from the whole exam.

3. Fill in the form and upload a photograph and PDF copies of your documents: degree and transcript, ID card and house registration, any name-change documents, teaching licence, qualification-recognition proof, a medical certificate from a state hospital, and, for existing civil servants, the release letter.

4. Pay by mobile banking or QR code during the payment period. The application counts only after payment.

5. Print the application and the exam admission card from the site from 25 July 2025 and bring the card to the exam.

After the exam

Candidates on the ranked list are appointed in rank order to vacant posts in the subject they passed, and they choose among available schools. Appointment letters give a reporting deadline, and failing to report in time counts as giving up the right. A candidate who holds a higher qualification than the one used to apply cannot later use it to ask for a higher salary.

For degrees of four years, the starting salary in the example round was 18,220 baht a month. It was 19,120 baht for those with a four-year degree and a graduate diploma of at least one year, or with a five-year degree. It was 21,410 baht for a six-year degree.

FAQs