CrunchWrapSupreme

19 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

And how does this refer to Teaching in Thailand?

It's there in my OP. Many of us teachers in Thailand rely on online ESL teaching for a second source of income. Also retired expats. Much of this online teaching has been done in China, and is now in jeopardy.

2 hours ago, tonray said:

My neighbor is busier than ever...he spends 8 or 9 hours a day teaching Chinese kids online.....

Glad to hear. Seems the Chinese govt's final decision about what to do with the companies is up in the air, for the time being.

Some are saying the companies are furiously getting their last month of subscriptions done, before the hammer comes down. Others are saying that with enough resistance, the govt might reverse course. We all know how business vs. govt works here in Thailand. When business runs into a prob, fat envelopes usually solve it. ????

Regardless, it seems many are quitting and now flooding the non-Chinese ESL platforms. ????

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/05/chinas-harsh-education-crackdown-sends-parents-businesses-scrambling.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/5/31/bb-as-china-cracks-down-on-ed-tech-it-wrecks-ipo-prospects

https://medium.com/education-worldwide/chinas-crackdown-on-online-english-schools-the-beginning-of-the-end-41a78d406d77

So, who's on VIPKid/DadaABC/Magic Ears and is feeling the heat? Several of the expats I'd met out in Issan farang bars were.

What have you been hearing? What are your plans now?

On 8/5/2021 at 7:38 PM, ripstanley said:

In the last 2 weeks we have had 2 days with 8 hour power outages.

Sorry to hear. Here we have 1-2 outages in a week, for about an hour at the most.

I'm teaching online and we give our kids a full normal schedule. They're supposed to be ready at their phones to participate in Line Groups, for each class as if it were a usual school day. We have lessons prepared and sometimes tell them to watch a YouTube, sometimes we've filmed it ourselves, or we give them a Google Form to fill out, or we have a live Line Meeting. It works quite well, I can see 8-12 of my students on screen at once. But unfortunately, many just aren't showing up.

Doubt it's connection probs. Most of the moo bans I've seen around have these mini cell towers next to the electrical poles. You know they've got good Internet for their YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram or whatever, otherwise they'd all be rioting by now.

It's the rainy season, and after the first few weeks of heavy rain, there's now been a lull in which some of our favorite fungi have been allowed to grow. Time to head to the mountains for some much needed exercise after all this pandemic inactivity. Don't think the Covid will get to us up here, though we did have spiders and snakes to contend with.

Yup. There's been an obvious rift between some members of my extended fam. Those who managed to snag sponsors, and those who didn't. You can tell who's in a better mood, and who's trying to now eke a living selling food by the side of the road.

While I sympathize with the latter's plight, as many are hurting like this right now, I don't have much sympathy for all that time in BKK they had. Time they had to develop their English and social skills, and much better attitudes, which would've led them to forge quality relationships.

13 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

but he has tried to move the ball forward, while the regime can't even find the ball

Indeed. Whatever the details, it appears he had vaccines on the way, while the govt could not. Tremendous loss of face.

But for whatever reason, the govt could easily get their hands on the Chinese vaccines and their questionable efficacy. Even my HS students know what's up. They tell me, why only the Chinese vaccines, and not the good ones? Because maybe there's something to be gained from one, and not the other?

Yet all the while, cases continue to go up, and people are dying.

36 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Sure there will be a positive TAT spin on it later

Well look at that impressive CV of his. Surely they weren't going to let one of the HIGHEST QUALITY TOURISTS just go like that?

13 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

They may be paying $15 an hour, but things are getting so expensive in the US, it is to the point of stupid. Finding a decent apartment or house to rent? Stupid. Cost of labor to get anything done? Stupid. Medical care? Stupid. Groceries? I end up spending $250 to $300 for two or three bags of groceries every time I shop there. 

 

Did I mention the nearly militant attitude of the women? Or the general sense of joylessness? Stupid. 

 

Few want to admit it, but inflation is out of control in the US. Thanks. Not for me. Not for less than $1,000,000 a year. 

$15/hr starting, I'm sure my wife with her experience and work ethic will soon move up to more. K-12 ESL teaching, for which there is increasing demand, commands $60-70k. I'll also get a retirement plan, which I won't get here. We'll have the family home, so minimal housing costs. It's also the Midwest, far cheaper than other places in the US.

Yup, not arguing many of your other points. Getting work done on your house in the US is stupid. Scam artists and high costs. Amazing how it is here in Thailand. Family here knows some guy who'll send someone over to have it done well and cheap. Back in the States, I'll just have to do it myself. American women? Of course. That's why we find Thai ladies to import. Haha.

I really miss the roadtrips with grandparents when I was young. The parks, monuments, roadside motels. Looking forward to doing that again with the wife. Eh, America with all its faults is still packing them in for some reason. The Indians can't stop packing into Silicon Valley, making that place unlivable. Not because of the Indians themselves mind you, haha, but because they've driven up the housing costs. YouTube's been getting blasted with how-tos on how to get past the immigration interviews. Though their English is still lacking, as is that of the children they bring over, so more work for me.

Hey, not knocking Thailand or anyone who wants to stay. Again, I'd consider it myself if I was more up there in years, and already had a retirement plan or better source of income, but I don't. A better path toward that for me would be going back home.

Much fake news and rumors are often spread by the aggrieved themselves, to garner sympathy, exaggerate the attacks, and gain support for going after the attackers.

I doubt any of the protesters are actually plotting a coup. But now let's spread that rumor, and next time they're out in the street, they're now conspirators to be jailed.

I'd consider Thailand permanently if: 1) Retired with a good pension, 2) Solid, well paying job here, 3) Some kind of lucrative online business, as some have mentioned, 4) Nothing home to go back to. None of those apply to me.

I'm in my mid 40's, and still wish to advance my career in teaching. That can't be done here in Thailand. I'm maxed out at the govt school level out here in Issan. Great relaxed country living, though at a low salary I can't keep making forever. I have high qualifications, but they're not exactly what the picky intl schools want. Nor do I care for that insufferable, hi-so attitude I got working in BKK private schools.

K-12 ESL is on the upswing in the USA with increasing immigration. I'd recommend this to any American teachers here looking to return. Make sure you've got a degree or some other certification in education, and get your state teaching license. Study for the Praxis exam. And for the love of God, don't go back to any of the screwed up coastal states. Haha. Though the States aren't completely screwed. Thankfully my family saw the writing on the wall, and escaped our failing coastal state for the midwest years ago. That's where me and my Thai wife shall be returning to.

My Thai wife can't help but notice the American news in which $15/hr jobs are going unfilled. 500 baht, more than most make in a day. One of my friends back home just started working for a supermarket, and they've already given him full time. That was the holy grail when I was in retail years ago, which they didn't hand out lightly. Now they're dying for workers and max hours.

I'm lucky to have a Thai wife who really wants to work, with a hotel and restaurant background, and I can see her going far. She sees the time we continue to spend here as wasted money she could be making, sending some back to the fam. We've giving this about another two years, by which time things should've hopefully recovered back home, for the most part.

Well, in the news I keep seeing these events in which people try gathering to enjoy themselves socializing and drinking alcohol. ???????????????? You know, I really miss it myself. But then for this, the police soon arrive and take them all to the station to pay hefty fines. ????‍♂️???? Darn, they were supposed to have stayed in their condos and hotel rooms and just put on the Netflix. Hmm, yes. Can't see this sort of arrangement sitting too well with tourists.

7 hours ago, cncltd1973 said:

Don't forget the strong ties between CP Corp and China. That connection carries its weight in gold in Thai politics

Some of my HS students even know about that. They say they no longer go to 7-11. Plenty of mom and pops to be supported here in the small town anyway.

23 minutes ago, thesetat2013 said:

when something happens bad it's caused by a western foreigner.

Heh, Thai style man. Saving face.

Truck crash? Brake failure.

Shooting? Gun cleaning accident.

Farang falls from Pattaya balcony? Oh, GF was already asleep, and he was drunk.

CCTV catches group going into an alley, then one was murdered? Oh, it wasn't any of them, the killer got away.

No vaccines? The companies aren't sending them, they have shipping issues, production issues.

A school I worked for changes nearly their entire foreign staff every year. The kids aren't learning, because they can never get any good foreign teachers.

Just admit fault? Never.

On 7/28/2021 at 7:34 AM, Gudge said:

dirty filthy farangs were gathered together flouting the Covid rules

Filthy farangs flaunt the funds to be fined, flatly not those first to the Fatherland, whose funds are finished.

I'm a teacher. I first came here with an MA in Education and a few years' experience in America. I thought this might get me into the intl schools. It didn't. They're quite picky, and particularly go for UK certs, like PGCE, QTS, IB, Cambridge, etc. But I have something comparable? No bueno señor. There's a few American style intl schools, but they too want particular American things, like Common Core.

Thus, I wound up with 65k teaching at a BKK private school. Totally not worth the hassle. Mountains of meaningless paperwork. Spolied rich kids to be given high scores for playing games all day. Excruciating hi-so attitudes. All a complete farce. Then there's the BKK cost of living eating your salary, and the horrible daily commute.

So now I'm back out in Issan, making 45k at a govt school, about the highest you can get for such a place. I supplement this by teaching online after school, and now make my previous BKK salary, but without all that hassle and BS. It's a great deal.

Back to the topic, the online teaching I do is mostly just conversational practice, for about $10 USD an hour. You could get around $30 by teaching more specialized areas like test prep and STEM, and get well over your 80k target, like that guy in Laos who frequents here. I'd do that, but what I do now is sabai sabai laew.

So people in the thread have been saying, how can you stay here doing your online work, without a proper visa? Well that's why we've got our regular teaching jobs, me and many others out here. Heh. Cheers.

1 hour ago, Cake Monster said:

Thai male ego again

" Dont you know who I am ? "

We all do now you Egotistical, Infantile T###

Hehe. Like tailgating and aggressively passing us, on these two lane country roads.

Wrapping their vehicle around a tree or pole tends to solve that problem.

On many occasions, a Thai lady, wife or GF, takes out a loan in her name, based on her credit, for property or a vehicle. The understanding is that her farang will make the payments, though his name's not on anything.

On the bad side, he has no legal rights to the stuff, and must lose what he's put in when he walks away. But on the good side he can make a clean break, not obligated to keep paying.

Thus, it's really up to the Thai lady to think long and hard about taking such a loan. Is the relationship likely to pan out? Will they both make an effort to hold it together? She loses the farang, she loses the gravy train.

Sure, there are many scumbag farangs who screw things up and leave the poor lady holding the bag. Though there are also Thai ladies who become hell to deal with, and think the farang will just keep paying regardless.

7 minutes ago, robblok said:

Yes they are you see that in the newspapers. Sure Thais do it too but you can't deport someone from their own country. Thais just get fined.

It's bad enough they don't wear masks, and go to their secret parties and bar meetups. They also find it necessary to draw immense attention to themselves. For instance, at a new Taco Bell. Still waiting for him to be deported.