Lorn

They do not look to hot to me and by the looks of things Russians. The Pm is buliding bridges with the Russia PM how cosey.

What a waste of time and money and those Russians will do anything to stop competition. Just a complete waste of time I would say.

Try searching Google Images with the models' names. If you don't think they're hot then you must be very cold.

BTW, only one is Russian.

Really? Where are the other two from? Two of three "big names" mentioned are Thai but the poster is obviously referring to the unnamed people in the photo.

PS

Ajarn is a pretty hack site. I check it often, there's rarely any decent jobs. In fact, I think the agencies posting there more to be wary of than to interview with. If nothing else, surely the pay is crap.

Many of the agencies I know to be dodgy.

Teachers posting up cv there, yeah hey pretty much not much game - but they stay up for months.

Wait till March sure.

Don't apply to any agencies just directly to schools. I applied to 4 or 5 and was offered interviews for all of them. But I can't see any decent places taking you if you aren't committed for a year.

Think of Robin Williams. A person with family and unlimited resources. Millions of fans. He could have cut loose from all attachments and gone anywhere and done what ever he wanted. Still he hangs himself. Depression issues and suicide is something that is very powerful and not well understood.

Poor example. He wasn't just suffering from depression so he couldn't just do what he wanted. He also had a incurable, degenerative brain disease- Lewy body dementia.

Fair enough. If the current bunch of farang rejects scraping a living on the English teaching circuit were any good, Thailand wouldn't score so poorly for English speaking. Let the locals have a go.

Except for the fact that foreign English teachers in Thai government schools still need to teach the government curriculum which is often wrong and has been dumbed down to the level Thai English teachers can teach.

Not that English teachers in Thailand are all the cream of the crop (some are, some aren't) but if they have to teach trash, the children will not learn regardless of how good or bad the teacher is.

Actually the curriculum is of way too difficult a standard. The problem is the final exam/university entrance exams. Until the format of those move away from grammar and vocabulary, you can't expect teachers to focus on communication skills.

You you, satop satop, Thai good for sapeak ungit, no ploblem, you think to mutt, now satuden back to wyolin lesson.

So my wife has great English, but as for teaching anything but the very basic stuff, no. Now these blokes want to have 500 teachers to learn English and then to teach it to Thai students ok, but at what level??? how many teachers out there have already been through this exercise and had great success?

Can you please stop posting from such a position of ignorance? And how do you get likes for this drivel? They are not teaching 500 teachers English. They are teaching 500 Teachers, who are already at B2/C1 level, new methods for teaching English. The best of these teachers are then going to be selected to pass on what they have learnt to the next group of teachers at a later course. All of the teachers who went on the course are going to be monitored to see if they apply what they have learnt in their school classes. The success of the course will be evaluated based on that.

Agree with all the comments here.

It is an excellent piece.

It is interesting this in The Nation also.

It seems that the press from what is traditionally either side of the political divide have both been heavily critical of the govt in the recent weeks.

The other major English language Bangkok based news outlet ran a pretty scathing editorial over the weekend on the army and corruption, and not for the first time.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it but are cracks now starting to appear in this govt or maybe they have been there from the outset?

Yes definitely seems like some shadowy figure has given the go ahead for the press to be more critical of the general lately.

nestle are now owning up to the fact that they were involved in the employment of slave labour for their produce ie seafood .

Ok let me rephrase what I said. Nestle have been saying for years that they will clean up the slavery in the coffee and chocolate industry but done nothing about it. Why would one expect any different here. Well other than Thailand is somewhat more visable and newsworthy than darkest Africa.

Being that they're Nestle, they should just make their own fish out of chocolate - problem solved!

They've also done nothing to stop the child slave labour in the coffee and chocolate industry.

I think you've confused my "immersion only fails in a 45 or 50 minute class three times a week" with "immersion only fails entirely" and with "immersion should never be used as a tool." Which I never said at all.

I stand by my belief that trying to teach 13-18 year olds English using only English in three fifty minute classes a week is a fool's errand, and neither Cambridge nor the British Council, nor any other respectable, accredited institution would disagree.

You may think they wouldn't disagree, but what evidence is there to suggest that? Every publication they release is designed to be delivered 100% in English, even courses written for specific learners, such as the English for Spanish learners courses by Cambridge, although having footnotes in Spanish, are designed to be delivered by the teacher entirely in English.

You may find it easier to get through the material that you have prepared by using the students native language, but how is their learning effected by this?

Is this a rhetorical, or would you like me to answer it? Because I can and will, but I'm not sure you're actually looking for an answer, because anyone who has spent significant time as a public school language instructor would know the answer to this. Especially the answer to your second question. And do you mean effected or affected (I'd think the latter, but before I am incorrectly pedantic, I want to make sure you're not referring to the learning's end state)?

Obviously I am talking about the end state of their learning as that is when you should know how successful your teaching has been. So, do students taught in total immersion learn less than those given some translation? Have you researched this?

"Today I finished the intensive DELTA at IH Newcastle. L1 in the classroom is a topic we looked at during the course. What they teach you at DELTA level blows everything you learn at CELTA level out of the water (including the overreliance on ritualistic practice). With my new knowledge, in short, I would say let learners use L1, especially at beginners level. Don’t force learners to speak – let them speak when they’re ready."

http://eltblog.net/2014/11/07/controlled-use-of-l1/

You can also read more about the topic here.

http://chiasuanchong.com/2012/08/01/the-celta-trainers-diary-part-1-and-using-l1-in-the-classroom/

As Caitrin has explained earlier, courses and materials were originally designed for students coming into an English speaking country. They were also designed with the expectation that all your students would have different L1s. You are therefore shown that it is possible to teach without using the students' L1. If you got the impression that this was seen as the ideal then that was either a mistake on your part or the trainer's personal view- it is not Cambridge or British Council's policy.

A lot of research has been done on total immersion. Most seem to disagree that it is the best way to teach but it's difficult to say it has "proven" to be less successful because of all the variables at play.

e.g. "The results show that while students in English immersion programs perform better in the short term, over the long term students in classrooms taught in two languages not only catch up to their English immersion counterparts, but they eventually surpass them, both academically and linguistically."

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/march/teaching-english-language-032514.html

Well apart from the problems already given by other posters there is the point about who and where the foreign teachers come from. I have some friends who come from Africa, India etc. and they are here teaching English. They may be okay at written English but their pronunciation/accent is a real problem. While I was holding conversation (only) class in a vocational college one of the points I mentioned was that of various accent. My friend from an African state, had finished his English Proper (grammar etc) class I asked him to join us. 75% of what he said was not understood. I feel that if a school is going to teach English, and any other language for that matter the teacher be standard native speaker.

the teacher should have a teaching decree, not just be a native speaker

Insisting on B.Ed degrees will instantly kill English learning in Thailand.

In Canada a teacher makes 45-55k a year. How are you going to convince that person to pay their own way to Thailand and get a job that pays 12k ?

With a TESL, I can teach ESL to non English speakers in Canada, why isn't that good enough for here?

Because you will be teaching TEFL at a language school in Canada that needs to ensure you are up to scratch to ensure its survival. If you are crap all the students will leave and it will go out of business. People with a 4 week "qualification" left pretty much to their own devices in a government school is a totally different situation. I doubt there are many 4 week TFFL or TSFL courses which make you qualified to teach Spanish or French at a high school in USA or the UK.

I'm glad the source of this article was Coconuts, it has eased the Mind-Blown experience at least a little bit.............

D​ont want to rain on your parade its headlines in the Unmentionable other English language paper

Still its utter madness!

Both articles make it pretty clear it's a long-term plan and it is something that should be aimed for. Of course it is better to use well-trained local teachers than rely on foreign teachers forever. The headline that Coconuts uses is typical of the sensationalism of gutter rags.

Hi All,

What is the URL to do it online?

Thanks NS

https://extranet.immigration.go.th/fn90online/online/tm47/TM47Action.do

I've not had much luck in filling the form. The site is painfully slow in ways I've never experienced before. Each character I input takes many moments to register, then freezes the tab I'm in. It took nearly 1/2 hr to fill it all out, and then it said I got the captcha wrong, even though it clearly matched (must've been a timeout or something).

The next try I had at it, I copy/pasted my info from a notepad doc to avoid the agonizing wait after each character entry - unfortunately, it still happened. I eventually gave up and will be going to IMMI next week.

Anyone know which immigration office in Chiang Mai to go for 90 day reporting if on ED visa? I did my extension of stay at airport, but I think 90 day reports are at Promenada?

The site runs fast in internet explorer. For some reason it's getting worse and worse in other browsers.

What's next?

How it is with athletes?, soccer teams?, concert musicians?, music groups?, snooker professionals?, darts players, racers?

Have all a Work Permit?

Many earn more than 50,000 baht per hour.

Crack down on them too?

If they are staying long- term then yes of course they need to get work permits. There are performer's visa for those staying for a few nights- visiting sports teams, djs etc. Have you not heard of numerous musicians in the world struggling to get into country x or y because of previous criminal convictions? Do you think they are applying for tourist visa in those countries? Do you have the same disdain for the US, Uk, Canada, Netherlands and numerous others for forcing people to get the same visas and not just allowing everyone to come in on tourist visas and indulge in whatever other work they fancy?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/arts/us-visa-rules-frustrate-foreign-performers.html?_r=0

Sorry to see his free speech curtailed. His idea to fight fire with fire, speaking the same language as the Islamists, would have had a more positive effect on the peace process than appeasement. Bending over for these religious creeps does not work, it just emboldens them(if in doubt look to the N European models). No, they must be smacked, and smacked hard, every time they perpetrate violent acts in the name of their deity. Non violent solutions such as burning down mosques is a particularly savvy plan, in that when the mosques that bred and fomented the hate and rage no longer exist - the brainwashing will cease also. Win win.

Do you honestly believe that?

Do you really not see the appalling consequences of such insane actions?

Burning down a place of religious worship is a violent act and one that will only lead to bloody violence on a greater scale.

The conflict in the South is not a religious one, it's main focus is upon independence/autonomy based upon historical sense of injustice [rightly or wrongly].

Yes there is a religious element to it in that the opposing sides are of different faiths, but faith is not at the root of the violence.

I have nothing but contempt for those who resort to violence to achieve their aims, but the sheer stupidity of burning down Mosques will only fuel their cause and result in even worse atrocities.

And yes, that is possible..

Another liberal telling us it is not about religion.

You can look for all the excuses you like and keep telling yourself people should just be nice to each other. It won't make any difference.

They keep using small reasons as an excuse to murder people but it always has Islam at the root. And don't bring up the old 'but some victims are muslim' because they are invariably killed because they betrayed some principle of the murderers belief.

We now live in a world where they shout demands and murder people almost at will with little repercussion because everyone else is scared that any verbal retaliation will result in more murders. Even here, if anyone dare question it, liberals like you are quick to jump on them.

The recent fiasco when those young men got killed by the Army is another good example of what is wrong. What an uproar in the local councils and the media that brought about - but where is the similar uproar for the hundreds of innocent, decent ,schoolteachers and others when they get brutally murdered in cold blood ?.

Bottom line is that if these people were Buddhist, it would not have this terrorist problem. A muslim will never go against another muslim to help a Buddhist. They are conditioned from birth that everyone else is an infidel and Allah would not forgive them.

These kind things are ALWAYS about religion. I wonder how many thousands (or millions) in this world are yet to die before enough is enough and people dare to face up to it.

The traditions and culture of my home country are now ruined because of this stone age, brainwashing religion. I hope the same does not happen in Thailand.

Which culture would that be? The Celtic culture being ruined by the Romano-British. Or the Romano British being ruined by the Saxons? Maybe the Vikings ruining Saxon culture? Or did you prefer the spread of French culture in the middle ages? What about the spread of American "culture" through Holywood etc. How do you figure Muslims have changed English culture more than any of those periods considering they make up only about 5% of the population?

Why are there so many members on this site who would rather insult other members than debate the topic. Not matter what the history of any country with past invasions, the facts show most wars are religious and supported by the zealots. Now lets get down to real discussion and leave the pettiness in the schoolyard.

OK. Following is some background reading for you to digest .You may come to the conclusion the conflict does not mirror what’s going on in the M.E, that members constantly align their comparisons (Arab Islamic extremism, though as conflict continues possibly so) more like Thai specific related issues. Look forward to your thoughts.

http://www.slideshare.net/ikhwanng/history-and-politics-of-the-muslims-in-thailand

http://www.defence.gov.au/adc/docs/Publications2012/SheddenPapers12_120306_ConflictinThailand_Nurakkate.pdf

http://www.academia.edu/1474667/Islam_and_Muslims_in_Thailand

The problem is the bigots will agree that yes the history is different. But they will say as soon as the area gets any form of self-determination they will bring in Sharia law and want to expand their territory because that's what all Muslims are like and what the Quran tells them to do etc. etc.

Foreign investors can see what is going on in Thailand, they dont need the media to tell them.

Yet the Laos economy has grown 7+ % every year for the last 15-20 years despite their being very little media freedom there. And western countries have given a lot of aid to it despite it's er lack of democracy. So much hypocrisy.

Not quite Gandhi, or the Dalai Lama huh.

Yu'p amazed that a monk is saying this stuff, Now is there some justification to his extreme comments? Some would say yes there is.

Innocent people are murdered down south that have nothing to do with the problem of Thailand's annexing the south and they are seen as fair game by some of these people; ie monks, school teachers, nurses, government workers, police, soldiers, men women and children have fallen victim to these people.

So what would you suggest to do about it? The softly softly approach? Fight fire with fire? Negotiations, give back the annexed land? infiltrate the extremist and gaol them indefinitely?

The thing is, One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter, now that's ok if you only target combatant's, but when civilians are deliberately targeted then that is terrorism in my opinion.

But there is a common denominator in this issue and that is Islam and the requirement's of Muslim's of their teachings in the Quran of how to treat non Muslim's.

Now this is NOT an anti Muslim comment, simply an opinion after becoming familiar with the teachings in that book.

Yeah sure not anti-muslim just the truth. Have a look through this and see if you can see a great difference between them. Can you easily tell which are from the Quran because they are much more violent or harsh towards unbelievers.

1. Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the [holy man] who represents God must be put to death. Such evil must be purged.

2. I decided to order a man to lead the prayer and then take a flame to burn all those, who had not left their houses for the prayer, burning them alive inside their homes.

3. I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your streams will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword. I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am God.

4. Fight them until there is no more [disbelief or worshipping of other gods] and worship is for God alone.

5. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

6. Whoso fighteth in the way of God, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward.

7. Make ready to slaughter [the infidel’s] sons for the guilt of their fathers; Lest they rise and posses the earth, and fill the breadth of the world with tyrants.

8. [God’s messenger]... was asked whether it was permissible to attack the pagan warriors at night with the probability of exposing their women and children to danger. The [holy man] replied, "They [women and children] are from them [unbelievers]."

9. Then I heard God say to the other men, "Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! Kill them all – old and young, girls and women and little children.”

10. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them.

11. Keep [my holiday], for it is holy. Anyone who desecrates it must die.

12. The punishment of those who wage war against God and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement.

13. If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death.

14. It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he had made a great slaughter in the land...

15. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

16. I shall terrorize the [heathens]. So wound their bodies and incapacitate them, because they oppose God and his apostle.

17. A [holy man’s] daughter who loses her honor by committing fornication and thereby dishonors her father also, shall be burned to death.

18. So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captive and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them.

19. Everyone who would not seek God was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

20. And when We wish to destroy a town, We send Our commandment to the people of it who lead easy lives, but they transgress therein; thus the word proves true against it, so We destroy it with utter destruction.

21. But if [a girl wasn't a virgin on her wedding night] and evidence of the girl's virginity is not found, they shall bring the girl to the entrance of her father’s house and there her townsman shall stone her to death, because she committed a crime against God’s people by her unchasteness in her father's house. Thus shall you purge the evil from your midst.

22. The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say, "O [believer]! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him."

23. If your own full brother, or your son or daughter, or your beloved wife, or you intimate friend, entices you secretly to serve other gods, whom you and your fathers have not known, gods of any other nations, near at hand or far away, from one end of the earth to the other: do not yield to him or listen to him, nor look with pity upon him, to spare or shield him, but kill him. Your hand shall be the first raised to slay him; the rest of the people shall join in with you.

24. God’s Apostle said, "I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but God."

25. Cursed be he who does God’s work remissly, cursed he who holds back his sword from blood.

26. God said, "A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. [Prophet], you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But God desires killing them to manifest the religion."

27. Anyone who blasphemes God’s name must be stoned to death by the whole community of [believers].

28. When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) [your religion]; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them [a tax]. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek God's help and fight them.

29. Anyone else who goes too near the [Holy Place] will be executed.

30. Killing Unbelievers is a small matter to us.

If you hold an 'event' you advertise it and promote it. Stands to bloody reason. Making people aware of an event allows them to decide if they want to attend - they are not being forced to.

Going to a beer garden doesn't mean you must drink beer! Soft drinks, shakes and water etc, as well as food are also available, whilst you watch the evenings entertainment.

The pious and righteous are becoming increasingly indignant with every passing day.

A garden that is run by a bar or pub that sells all kinds of alcohol is fine. You can advertise and market that event.

If it is an event specifically run by one alcohol brand and/or that alcohol is promoted or marketed above others then that is where they will run foul of the advertising legislation.

That is good news and good to hear. I hope he stays for ten more years. The country is actually functioning, well, at least as well as can be expected here. Sure as heck better then under the so called "democracies" that paraded through here the last 20 years. Screw the western govts and their opinions, they should look to their own broken govts before telling others how to run theirs. Some groups don't work well nor actually want nor need "democracies". This country worked quite well in the 1970's and 80's under the various Generals in charge, well, enough to take off as an "Asian Tiger". People tend to forget that. Things only went pear shaped when so called "democracy" was implemented and one corrupt and purchased "democratic" govt after another took charge and raped the populace. Keep the Generals, the people are happier and the place actually works.

The people are happier you say.

Tell that to the fishermen, rice farmers, rubber farmers, small mom and pop shops along the sois who are having their businesses demolished and various other Thai people and lets see if they agree that the people are happier. The only people that are happier are the elites.

At least he's consistent in the rubbish he speaks. The Thai economy was at it's worst in the 70s and 80s. It did far better in the 60s and 90s but why let facts stand in anyone's way.

Doesn't seem like i can get the link to work but if you search for Thailand’s Economic Growth: A Fifty-Years Perspective (1950-2000) you'll see the true picture.

Well the reason you don't find any post like that is because it is not a living but surviving, but good for you to be able to live on such a budget and happy for you to have such a wonderful understandable gf

I take it you mean understanding. Still don't understand why you would call her that. He pays the majority of the bills. I feel sorry for you if the only girls you've met are those who expect 5 star luxury but are willing to contribute nothing towards it.

Yeah she's a real Looker, Her face says, I Want I Want, Now!!!

Japanese and their bargirls. For a while i thought the majority like pretty girls. After research they have no problem purchasing some unsightly ones too. The main thing is they like the PALE skin...................hahahaa.

She said they'd known each other 19 years. So they met when he was 65 and she was 29. She probably looked a lot better then. And as others said probably didn't expect him to live so long.

all he's doing is paving the way to give amnesties to all the PDRC protester leadership who broke various laws during their campaign.

He does however seem to agree that for reconciliation to be seen as an olive branch, unfortunately such amnesties may well be the only way to mover the country forwards and close the huge gap that still exists politically, and socially.

Should Thaksin ever be given one? not a chance, it would simply be back to square one, but some people need to be prepared for such a possibility, as the change that will come when the inevitable happens, may see to this.

Anyway, that's for the Thais to decide, their rules, their laws, their flaws and their mistakes.

Is it going to be " The Thais" to decide? Will there be a referendum to decide if Suthep's mob and/or Thaksin is given amnesty?

Lessee... Was Mr. Abdullah Abdulrahman a member of the Red Shirts or the Yellow Shirts in this domestic and politically motivated bombing? After all, millions of baht have been paid in rewards to the police for solving the case and it was declared to be motivated by domestic politics.

I get confused so easily...

His captors haven't decided yet. That is why he won't or cannot divulge the motive.

Brokenrecord. Do you think that everyone who drinks alcohol,or takes drugs for that matter, goes out and kills people? What sort of narrow minded miserable specs do you view the world through. do you want to ban driving cars and riding bikes too? tou should move to North Korea mate you might fit in there.

I agree that the world would be a better place without cars and motorbikes, along with alcohol and cigarettes. It's unfortunate that society has been designed or conditioned to see these things as necessities for living or for having a good time.

...I doubt that is how 'it went down'.....

...wonder if that is the same soi and same dog that almost attacked my daughters and I a few years ago....

...it behaved like a mindless killing machine and was only stopped by the owner at the last second....

The news article states that the dog was but 7 months old so I seriously doubt that it could have been the dog you accuse of attempting to attack you and your daughters.

Please read the article before inserting your foot into your mouth!

I seem to remember an article when the dog was first killed saying that they saw the dog run into the alley then saw the Russian running away and that the dog was dead so he "must" have done it. Now suddenly he walked up to the dog and stabbed it in clear view of the owner and no doubt a few other upstanding citizens. I A little suspicious. I'd hate to say that it sounds like they found out the Russian has some money and are looking to extort him....so i won't.