SlyAnimal

How it generally works with teaching license waivers, is that you're meant to show that you are making progress towards becoming a qualified teacher. So you should do at least 1x module during your 2 year license. If you don't, they'll probably (not 100%) give you another license waiver anyway, maybe even 2, but they might include a more strict condition that next time they want to see that you've actually made some kind of commitment to register for the modules (e.g. Signed up for one, or attempted one, even if you haven't actually completed it).

Parents usually give their permission to the teachers to hit their students at school (We certainly did to our son's homeroom teacher). But they give it to the homeroom teachers because they know that the teacher is measured and responsible, not some idiot who is going to beat a kid because they're frustrated and need to take it out on someone. The teachers usually only hit the kids lightly with a ruler, never hard enough to leave a mark, at least for our son's teachers anyway (He's in an EP with a very good reputation, so the teachers are used to dealing with children who have very wealthy parents, and it's a primary school too, in a countryside school or high school things might be different). When I was teaching at a rural high school one of the teachers was usually responsible for dispensing discipline. I never saw it with my own eyes, as it was behind closed doors, but the students were terrified (Although when they left his office, they usually more seemed chastised rather than looking like they'd just had a beating, so I don't think it was all that bad (But enough that they certainly didn't want to do it again). From what I did see, he only had a thin bamboo stick, not weighted etc, and so I don't think it could deliver too much force. I wouldn't be surprised if the students parents had given permission for him to administer punishment though, as most Thai parents would happily outsource discipline to the teachers if they could (At least that was my impression from talking to some of the parents). But in general, I'm a big believer in having the option of corporal punishment, but never using it. As you should always have something as a scarier option for disobedience. I feel that corporal punishment loses it's effect if used too frequently, and then it loses it's motivation. Just like how when I was at boarding school, if the prefects caught you doing something wrong they'd usually give you their own punishment (some type of beating or a physical exercise challenge), or you could elect for the official punishment which was similar to lines. The lines option was only very very rarely taken, as pain is temporary but lines take forever lol (And prefects would never properly hurt you, just cause a little pain).

You need to have a temporary teacher's license from krusapa to register for the course. I'm not sure if you use a teacher's license when teaching at a language school, so you might not be able to.

I'm going to put some notes in here to help others who might do these modules in the future. Just started Module 6 today. There was an "Orientation" at 4pm on Zoom. From the sounds it's very important that everyone attends any group conference call. Looks like there's a 2h "homeroom" time each week when everyone needs to be online. These were initially assigned to fixed dates, but in our homeroom session afterwards we asked the teacher if we could change the dates (Some people had other module homeroom sessions on the same days, others had special class etc), and the homeroom teacher agreed but apparently krusapa wouldn't let them change. Apparently the people who had other things to do could just login briefly for a screenshot though and then go to their other module's class if they needed though. Also the homeroom teacher said that they thought the homeroom sessions would likely only take about 20mins, despite being assigned as 2h. However, we had to "check in" at the start of the assigned time for the orientation, and then "check out" shortly after the end of the assigned time for the orientation, despite finishing 30+ mins before we were meant to, due to something in the system. Checking in / out was essentially just logging into module 6 via the ONE app and then clicking green buttons to proceed, not difficult or complicated despite having no idea about how all this works. I think it was mentioned that there are 72x videos which students need to watch, but I might have misheard. You can start viewing the videos straight away, some of the guys who had done other modules were already upto 10 or 15 videos watched by the time we started the orientation. From what I gather you have to play them completely, and then even maybe go back to re-watch the final 1 minute of the video to get it to count as ticked off. They suggested it's important to get these watched early, incase you don't have time later on, and I assume you can always go back to re-watch them if you need to know the content. Looks like applicants need to score 60%+ to pass, and there will be 4x assignments which must be completed (in addition to attending homeroom meetings + watching videos online) as well as a 2 day seminar at the end of the course, and an exam. Breakdown of how your grade is calculated is: 30% seminars 30% assignments 30% exam 10% attendance With watching the videos being part of these too (I can't remember which part though). Assignments are along the lines of below: 1 - Look at your school's educational quality framework (Thai document you can get from the school), and then say what it is and whether it's appropriate for your school + why. 2 - Explain the process of your school to ensure that the educational quality standard of your school plan is met. Then explain how you, as a teacher, can act or do as a teacher to ensure that school standards are being met. You've then got to show them how you would do this, and how you would assess success etc. 3 - Review the results of the school's latest school assessment report and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your school, and provide recommendations for improvement. Then state how you as a teacher could do to improve the quality of your school. 4 - Write about your learning experiences that reveal your understanding of the quality of educational quality assurance, designing and implementing educational assurance in schools & the use of evidence and evaluation results for educational improvement. Also registration for the next 7 modules will apparently open in October, as one of the people in the class had asked Krusapa and that's what they said (But didn't give a specific date). One thing which seemed to be a common theme from those who have done other modules already, was that it can be a lot of work if you signup to a lot of different modules which overlap. Some people had 3+ modules which were overlapping, because they were doing 4, 5 & 6, and although the start dates are staggered, they overlap. Anyway, that's my experience so far. Figured I'd post up so that others could benefit from the knowledge.

Anyone doing these? I'm in Module 6, Batch 1, starting July 3rd - Sept 3rd, with the Seminar from Sept 13th - Sept 14th. Module 7, Batch 1, starting Aug 7th - Oct 15th, with the seminar from Oct 18th - Oct 19th. Would be interested in hearing from anyone who has done them before on whether there's much work involved with these, and any tests or assignments etc, or if it's just something you just cruise through to tick the boxes so to speak. And if anyone is doing the same course, perhaps can share some info/resources to help with any tests or coursework which are required for them. Also if anyone sees other batches come up on the One App, please post up, as I'd love to register and complete all 7 before they decide to change the system on me again.

Yeah teachers can download the OnePlatform App on their phones, and then register to join the 7 modules. I've got 2 of them starting soon (July 3rd & then a 2nd one on August 7th), each takes about 6 weeks I think (There's an online seminar at the end you have to attend I think). From what I gather, so long as you do 1 or more of the modules you'll be assured another license waiver (And once you do all 7, you'll qualify to apply for a full teaching license).

Yeah some schools are definitely better than others. My current school is pretty much the dream, no gate duty, no morning assembly, all co-workers are friendly (NES/NNES/Thai), able to leave anytime you don't have class, great text books so lessons are easy, tonnes of special class available, annual payrises & the students are amazing. Also helps that my own kids are both at the school, so I get to see it from the perspective of a parent as well. Literally couldn't ask for better from a government school. Although it does make me wonder how so many other schools go so wrong though. As our EP isn't just a great place to work, it's very successful too. The standout factor to me, given the number of foreign teachers we have, is that the working conditions are great, and so most of our teachers have been at the school for 10+ years (Some 20+). As a result, all of the teachers have had time to improve as teachers in a stable environment.

The bonus of private schools, or good EPs, is that you have access to a lot of students from wealthy families, and so you can potentially pickup special classes which pay well if you're a good / popular teacher. If you can pickup enough special class, then you can earn a fairly decent amount. But even so, I completely agree that teaching in Thailand isn't a job you go into to make money, as if you put the same effort into a job in your home country you could invariably save more. You either do it because you enjoy teaching, need a visa + something to do, or want a short term experience. Without an alternative source of income, teaching just isn't viable, especially as teaching salaries are unlikely to rise much (if at all) over the next 10+ years (Just as they didn't over the past 10+ years). Teaching is unsustainable longterm without an alternative income stream (Or at least, ill advised).

My old school got us to teach the Thai teachers when I first came to Thailand around 15 years ago, although it was optional, and they paid us 400 thb per hour. We were all pretty happy to teach it though, since it was immediately after school each day, we got a chance to get to know the Thai teachers a bit better, and it was difficult to get special class in that area. 1000 thb per day, for 8h on a Saturday really isn't great though. You should definitely just give them a polite no. Although if you want some extra money, you might be able to negotiate with them for a better rate. If they're only offering such a small amount they probably can't afford much though, so try to not insult them, but if you're on a "standard" contract of around 35k per month, 20h a week, then you earn around 400 thb per hour. Special classes are often charged at higher hourly rate than what you get paid on your regular contract, but you've gotta bear in mind what they can afford. It's got nothing to do with Krusapa, more about your work permit, but if it's on site at the school then your work permit likely covers it (Depending on the days / times specified if at all).

Generally if you're going to get screwed, it'll be when a new director arrives and wants to start making changes. If you've got a good relationship with your head of department, then they'll insulate you from most of the changes and will fight for you against the director. Although this does require a bit of political capital on behalf of your department head, so if they're young, new to the job or just generally not well respected, then they might not be that effective. If the English department is successful, then they'll have a fair amount of respect and can stand up to the director. If they do make changes, then you've got to either accept them, negotiate or walk. Good relations with your department head will make negotiating easier, and what's particularly important is keeping your cool during negotiations. I remember a new director asking me to take a pay cut because the school didn't have enough money, with a smile and a grin I politely told him that I could find another school if the school needed to save money I could find another school so they could find a cheaper teacher. The director then decided that they had enough to pay for my salary after all, if I'd lost my cool then that reaction might have been different. Similarly, if you do end up leaving your school because you can't negotiate, having a good relationship with them is really important because a lot of the schools talk to each other. Even if you don't include the contact details of someone at your old school, if they're on your CV then the school will probably find a way to contact them. I took a break from teaching during covid, and then when I next applied for a couple of jobs, I heard from Thai teachers at my old school that they'd been contacted by the school I applied to, asking about my temperament etc. So moral of the story, regardless of all else, try and maintain a good relationship with your school.

Definitely wouldn't send my kids to a regular government school unless they were in a special program or I could guarantee that they'd be in /1 or /2 (the smart kid classes). Most EPs are decent, in large part because the student : teacher ratio is a lot better, the teachers care more, and the students get air-con, but mainly because regardless of the program's quality, your kids are in a class full of kids whose parents cared enough to spend a little bit of extra money on their education. That usually (not always) means that the parents care, and so their kids are more likely to be a positive influence on your own kids, also it's better if you kid has wealthy friends than poor friends. Also as you mentioned, EPs are usually pretty affordable, the one my son is in costs around 45k per year I think, and they get 3-4h each day with foreign teachers, which is very reasonable when you consider that the local international school charges 700k+ per year for maybe 5-6h a day with foreign teachers. The EP students do study a lot of special class on top though, with most students studying until 6pm or 7pm each day, and then most of Saturday and/or Sunday as well. And those special classes would likely set the parents back a fair amount.

Maybe a bit late with my reply, but this site has the "real" P6 ONET exam from 2566 (2 years ago). This should give you a good idea on the breakdown (No listening, all multi-guess). One of the interesting questions in it, which we wouldn't usually teach was: I mentioned something in passing to my P5 students about this last week (prior to seeing the above question), but I think I'll have to go into more detail about it at some point (I didn't realize it was only for yes/no questions & question tags).

Agreed. Most foreign teachers I've worked with have had their hearts in the right place. And most who have stuck with it have done a great job given their circumstances. Most being a key word though, as some are definitely not suited for teaching in Thailand for various reasons. But often foreign teachers are significantly less effective than they should be because they aren't managed well by the school. e.g. A large number of teachers are employed by government high schools, where they're assigned to teach conversation to the Thai section kids. When I previously worked in a high school like that, the students would get 1 hour per week, 1 semester a year, with a foreign teacher, so about 20 hours a year. We also wouldn't be provided with any materials for guidance (no text books etc), no oversight and not even any air con. There was simply no chance at all that teachers could make a meaningful difference to students. While at the same school, I worked in a mini-English program. We got to teach the students 2-3x per week, had text books for math / science (but unfortunately not English), and other foreign teachers would teach them other subjects too. We made great progress with many of these students, but so many of them came into high school without knowing even basic English / math, and so what we could do was limited. A few years ago though, I moved to work at a primary school EP which takes things a lot more seriously. The students get 3+ hours a day with various different foreign teachers, we have great text books and everyone is much more focused. As a result, all of the teachers are happy and focused, while the students have amazing English. So much depends on the management of the school, and the resources they have available (Not many can afford to have so many foreign teachers). Also one of the biggest factors is getting them started while they're young, because once they fall behind it's so difficult to catch up again. I remember looking at the text books the Thai English teachers used at my old high school, most of the students couldn't even put a basic sentence together and yet they had text books full of walls of text, it wasn't a surprise that many of the Thai English teachers didn't seem very motivated when not teaching the /1 & /2 classes.

Not sure about the restaurant you're talking about from the description. Was it an expat bar/restaurant? Or one more for Thai people? Maybe you could post the map co-ordinates? Or a photo of the outside of it. Although I think you'd have better luck asking in one of the RoiEt expat facebook groups.

He probably doesn't teach in Thailand at all, as anyone who does would know that foreign teachers aren't going to influence the national ONET results.