Phuket electrician

All they want to see is a preferably white skinned, presentable, polite, culturally aware positive person. Half clown, half whipping boy. I don't think there is a test designed to identify such an individual until there is, a degree and a TEFL cert are the 'shiny' pieces of paper they want to see.

There is discrimination here but try and change Thailand and you'll just end up angry, frustrated and on your way to the border again.

Everything is temporary. Sir David Frost and others have said all we have of value is time.

As others have said any test is exactly that. It's not training it's a test of ability. The preparation for the test is the training.

Although a good source of information it's out of date. Originally the Rajabhat was a teacher training college by royal decree, this no longer the case. Rajabhat is now a government funded university.

Thai secondary school classes in my experience are limited to 50.

What do you do with those applications?

You're so incorrect just making yourself look silly.

Read the figures at transparency international.

Incorrect to say the UK and the US is corrupt. Contrary to the view of transparency International. Whereas Thailand has a serious corruption problem. The poor and vulnerable are the ones to suffer. It's a government issue as the figures quoted in the article are from the public sector. Blame the government. Simple solution elect a clean administration.

Too busy drinking tea perhaps.

You can do a web search to find the meaning of these acronyms.

That would be 'they are lower risk then?'

Think of the shock and horror if they installed cameras to photograph red light jumpers. Transform road safety at junctions, generate large amounts of cash and create a new industry to administer the fines. Thailand the 'hub' for road safety.

To present a fake document to a government official is a criminal offence. Psychology doesn't factor when presenting language. This is why the salary is thirty thousand and not one hundred and thirty thousand. Many ESL teachers go on to complete a PGCE and gain a higher paying job in SE Asia.

It has been said here many times that native English speakers are employed to present language. Pronunciation, word stress, intonation (not intoxication).

It is all about money. Asked to do research Thai colleagues ask how much money? Academic achievement is about money, research is plagiarised, copied and pasted. The TOEIC test is cash cow for Thai administrators. As many TV members have said the questions and possible answers are silly. A test designed by a non-native speaker.

Thailand is a developing economy so education standards are set to improve. It will take a few generations but it is positive as apposed to being negative.

For the time being the opportunity to 'teach' and gain experience in Thailand without the hassle of immigration, get paid a sustainable wage, enjoy holiday benefits, nice working environment and have an enjoyable job in a beautiful country is a worthwhile endevour in my opinion. Highly recommended.

HND/HNC is not a degree.

Thai people are shy by nature and it is perhaps a little ignorant to expect a person to converse with a complete stranger in a second language. Some members have said their language instruction has helped a Thai improve their English. That may be so, but consider any discourse in a new relationship will start off tentatively.

Please do not assume Thai graduates to be inferior to their western equivalent. To do so might be considered a little ignorant even foolish. It is about communication, only a bigot would consider themselves superior to another human being.

It seems non white skinned people or people without a degree feel discriminated against. TIT not the west, you can bark all you want, you'll just get tired and realise it's the wrong tree.

That is not my point (if that was a reply to my earlier post). I am German, white, and I hold a degree in law. What I will never be, though, is a native speaker of English; close to it with every single Cambridge University certificate they invented, but not native.

My point is: what's the buzz about being a native speaker?

For any situation vacant there has to be a benchmark, a requirement. Wouldn't you agree?

If you want a specific job and feel you are qualified then apply in the most effective fashion. Bend the truth to highlight your suitability. It's common practice isn't it?

I only talk to people with blonde hair and blue eyes, avoid people with glasses, black people, Koreans, never eat anything but French food, drink Danish beer, and eat sauerkraut for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Really, Just because someone has a different view point, looks different from you doesn't mean they are wrong and you are right does it.

Old men on Harley's make me laugh, western men with Thai girls are hilarious, stories about foreigners losing their money are priceless. When I see a foreigner on one of these 3 wheeler's it makes me giggle - good on em'. it say's more about them than some pretentious farang riding or walking around looking ridiculous, giving the rest of us a bad name.

We wouldn't have The Beatles or Rock 'n Roll, or any of the music we enjoy. Still have slavery, No America, Australia, no TV etc etc if we had a blinkered view like too many foreigners here.

We grow up mature and become adult and realise everybody is different, yet has the same value, same right to personal preference and proclivity. I don't particularity like Hello Kitty or Mickey Mouse boxer shorts.

Grow up!

It seems non white skinned people or people without a degree feel discriminated against. TIT not the west, you can bark all you want, you'll just get tired and realise it's the wrong tree.

A white skinned native English speaker with a TEFL certificate and a positive attitude is considered qualified to present the language to Thai students.

Thai people have a perceived regard for white skinned, western educated people with a positive attitude. It's a fact, it doesn't mean it is correct.

If you don't have these qualifications and attributes you will be discriminated against.

A colleague handed in her notice at school prior to a two week scheduled holiday. She didn't receive holiday pay. If she hadn't notified the school they would have paid her as normal.

Penalised for being honest.

Every day in Phuket people cheat at traffic lights. The car in front jumps a red so the person behind does the same.

Perhaps there is a culture of reward for cheating here in Phuket. the school saved money and the driver and passengers avoided a serious accident.

Funny to see cars accelerating towards an amber light as if it's a matter of life and death. Plebs

Teacher is a bit of a misnomer. Native language instructors are not required to understand education only present the language. As some members have said grammar is not important. It is exposure and language use through repetition, drilling and corralling that is required from a ELS 'teacher'.

Please don't assume the word teacher in Thailand to mean the same thing as in the west. A white skinned ELS language instructor is referred to as a professor in a Thai university. Likewise a guy working in a bike repair shop or fixes air con is referred to as an engineer.

Phuket is know as a city but we know a city must have a cathedral - in England.

This is not the west.

With experience of 'full-time' language teaching here. You need to organise and present between three and six 16 week courses each 20 week semester, record attendance of 200 + students, design exams and assess their ability with sensibility. Then do it all again with three and six different subjects and 200 + different students in the next 20 week time frame.

Know how to use a computer, make sound reasoned decisions and display professional judgement and conduct.

My personal experience is that this is very similar to studying for a western degree. There is minimal managerial support. You will not be told you are off track just not offered a new contract when it comes up for renewal.

This is not a difficult job for an experienced graduate. Without this experience or other relevant experience, I don't know.

A preferably white skinned native language teacher doesn't say or know anything, do anything, don't think, come up with ideas or rock the boat. Manage this simple task and present TEFL methodology until the cows come home for B30,000/month. 3 months paid holiday, WP, visa, and a self perceived sense of worth.

Personally it's a better deal than making money in Europe and spending it on traveling to SE Asia twice a year.

One lesson in life, everyone's different.