Notable

I studied Thai culture and language at Khon Kean University, I still meet with some of the lecturers there occasionally. We had this conversation regarding toms a few months ago, it's by far the biggest relationship trend within KK university according to current staff anyway. I was in 'Vintage' (Thai club) two weeks ago, there were more Toms with girls than guys with girls for sure.

Oh yes of course it's a well known fact that Falang Thai relationships have greater longevity. Just look at some of the posts on this forum over the past years for confirmation, Chang Mai charlie needs to take his head out of the sand. Maybe he's hoping his will be different. Lol

Falang Thai relationships mostly fall apart before long, there's still a stream of desperate old men coming here to replace the ones who know better though. It's better to steer clear of trouble and think with your brain, not your ham.

You'll never stop Thais or other Westerners thinking you've married a hooker, if your partner is Asian. I've met doctors and lawyers (female Thais) who've experienced that prejudice, when with a falang. In the main most Thais think that no self respecting Thai woman would marry a falang, because they're going to be labeled as a hooker. It's a face culture where perception and appearance matter.

I worked part time (for free) at a rural school in the north last year. I completed a BA in Thai language so I can understand 99% of what's being said around me here. It became apparent quite quickly that one kid was being picked on by most of the others, incidentally he was the most intelligent student. I found out in the end that he was half French, his Thai was perfect but because he was actually interested in learning English he was being singled out. The reality is that because of the lack of a decent education system Thai kids (especially in the north) are growing up with narrow minded viewpoints. You can't blame them, the education system is just completely outdated.

I've said this many times before, if you want to live here and hope to understand Thai cultural differences then learn to speak Thai. That way you'll be able to pick up on what's happening around you on a daily basis, thus avoiding the nasty shocks. Thai social nuances are completely different to those of the west, there's always something new to be learned here. Another twist on what you thought to be true previously. Good luck to the OP anyway.

Sounds like she was unhappy anyway, if I were you I'd avoid relationships with Thai girls. I live in BKK and I can speak Thai like a native speaker, but I don't bother with Thai girls anymore. There are plenty of nice looking single foreign girls working here who are slightly more predictable.

I've never seen as many Thai girls with Tom boy partners as there are now. If you go into any university town at night you'll clearly see that most of girls are with a Tom. I know it's a phase but nevertheless shows that they have a propensity towards bisexuality. A senior lecturer at Khon Ken Uni told me rrecently that the reason for this increase is that Thai girls are becoming increasingly disillusioned with Thai men.

They won't get native speakers with an ED to teach in the provinces for 25k. Almost all of the big cities in Issan won't employ Cameroonian or Philippino teachers either, maybe outside the city boundaries yes. The MOD knows it needs to improve standards, but there's no way they want to increase salaries. Just imagine how many teachers would be sacked if an ED was required, those left with ED'S would be asking for 60k a month. It won't happen.

I work for a Thai company translating documents into English. Many of my work colleagues say they want to improve their English conversational skills, but usually they start conversations with me in Thai!

I was sat talking to 5 teachers last night, they were all young grads from the U.S on their first trip here. All but one of them will be leaving after next month. They like many others were disillusioned with the students apathetic attitudes and the system itself. It's sad for Thailand that they keep repeating the same old mistakes, educational, political and otherwise.

Fifthcolumn, you're deluding yourself if you think unqualified teachers can't get jobs in BKK. There are many working with no degree, or a fake one. People with dodgy credentials continue to get employment in the UK and USA, what chance does Thailand have of stopping the practice.

The MOE require teachers to take a cultural course and then to pass an exam to obtain the teachers licence. How can you possibly define that as requiring an ED? A PGCE, CELTA or TESOL along with a BA (any subject) is what will be required.

There do seem to be some people on here who have convinced themselves that the MOE are going to be requiring foreign teachers to have a teaching degree. There's no way that will ever happen, they will most likely ask for the same criteria all the other ASEAN members have. BA plus Celta to Tesol. I have a BA in marketing from the UK and a BA in Thai language and culture from KK university. I still think however that there will be many teachers working here without the required qualifications, despite any changes the MOE make. People who think otherwise should take a trip up north and see how hard it is for schools to get teachers who are willing to stay in the remote areas.

Interestingly enough the best English speaking Thais are usually bar girls. They get to meet plenty of foreigners and practice speaking English almost everyday. I doubt if there's much grammar being taught either, mostly oral I should imagine.

Youyoung is correct, the standard of English taught by Thai nationals is in the main very poor. You only need to go into your local bookshop and pic up any English language work book and you'll see it's littered with errors. Unfortunately things won't change here either, ASEAN membership or not.

Much is being said here about the perceived inefficiency of NES teachers. I can speak Thai with about 90% accuracy and I've had many in-depth conversations with Thai teachers in the past. I also used to quiz my students about their own language and I was shocked at how poor their basic understanding was. The conclusion I've drawn from those past conversations and my own experience is that the students themselves are apathetic about learning. It isn't all their fault, the rote system is outdated and the practice of giving everyone a pass score regardless has to stop. Native speakers here will almost never get to teach difficult grammatical structures, such as reported speech or conditionals. As long as they have a CELTA or TESOL they will be adequately capable teachers.

The Thai authorities will never see a time when every foreign teacher here has an education degree, unless they doubled the average basic salaries. If anything salaries have steadily declined. These people are in the business of making money, educational concerns are almost certainly secondary.

Most schools will hire directly, in fact if you're working in the provinces you'll often be able to negotiate a higher salary if you can find a school who are struggling to get a teacher. Some teachers I know in the NE are on 35 to 40k, teaching science and maths at a very basic level. As with all the 'rules' in Thailand these changes are open to interpretation. I met someone a couple of years ago who'd been teaching at the same school for years on an O visa. The school underwent yearly MOE checks, nothing is set in stone here.

Alex if you are presentable and can smile your way through frustrating situations, you'll be fine here. You will get a job very easily, most teachers can't handle the culture shock and many leave after the first semester. At work you must always smile and be positive, don't disagree with any of their methods, or working practices. Learn some polite Thai expressions, show willingness and they will accept you more.

Unfortunately any new rules will result in fewer available teachers. I don't teach at a school anymore, I do help university students with their English entrance exams occasionally though. It's rewarding to teach students who want to learn, the reality of government school classroom's is much harsher. In a class of 50 there might be 20 who are interested in the lesson, if you're lucky! It can be mentally draining and anyone coming to teach here should be well versed in classroom management techniques.

You only need to look at the other ASEAN member states teaching requirements to see what's going to happen. BA degree plus PGCE, CELTA or TESOL. There's no way they're going to insist on an ED degree.