Johncat

We're all aware of troubled students- the ones who don't study but are smart, the ones who seem to be on drugs, the ones who are abused, the ones with emotional problems, mental disorders, or learning disabilities. We also know that the Thai schools provide very little in the way of professional support for those students or the teachers who teach them- counsellors, psychologists, social workers, and nurses are few and far between.

What can we do to try to help these students, given that we have so little support and we are not part of the "main system" at many schools? I don't have any easy solutions to suggest myself, though I may have a story or two along the way. What has worked? What can we try?

One thing I am trying to set up in my school is, to give free English lessons to underprivledged kids after school.

I have told the English department at my school, that I would teach for at least one evening a week free of charge to selected students. ( I know of one Thai teacher that does the same )

The English Department would be responsible in selecting the students, to make sure they are genuine hardship cases, that cannot afford private tuition.

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“Not a very few cases have taken place too where these native-speakers abandoned their jobs even before the termination of their contracts. This is because they could not cope with the demands of the teaching job,” Danny said.

“They could not cope with the actual teaching problems and the demand of the work in terms of teacher-learner relations,” Danny said, adding there is also “our deep-seated values of patience, perseverance, loyalty, hard work, resiliency, flexibility, malleability even.”

Danny also said that, “We come here (Thailand) to teach and not as tourists. The whites (Caucasians) come here and go for the teaching job just so they could earn for their stay and adventures.”

He said Caucasians do not even understand or simply refuse to understand the reason why one has to stay in the workplace from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.when you only have a class at 11 a.m. or at 2 p.m.

“We are used to following a certain schedule of reporting to and leaving the workplace. And this we do even if we only have one, our only class for the day, before lunch time.”

“We can be flexible and even do some extra work that the whites and other Asians would normally refuse to do because they say these things are not part of their work or that they do not understand the significance of these things. It's because we are used to doing even odd jobs in our schools there as the need arises,” Danny said.

- ABS-CBN News (Philippines)

Danny sounds like a right pr.....!! The type of person that gives filipinos a bad name!

We have 2 new filipino teachers at my school. You will never see them at weekends at the school, and they only work their contracted hours. Whereas the Western teachers come in UNPAID to get on with their lesson planning etc, because they care about their students not how many hours they work.

I have yet to see any original lesson material used by the Filipino teachers, everything has been copied from me so far.

I know the filipinos are only here for their contract to gain experience, so they can move on to higher paid jobs in Bangkok later.

So cut the cr.. most Westerners care more about their students and school than the filipinos.

I was about to take a TEFL course here in Thailand to help me find a job in teaching English. However, I then started to read around that I would need bachelor's level degree as well as a TEFL certificate.

Can someone please tell me any experience or know if I could get a job teaching with just a TEFL and no bachelor's level degree

Does the school need the bachelor's level degree to be able to apply for a work permit?

I want to know, as my girlfriend's dad is a head master at a school in Thailand and is wanting me to teach there, I will talk to him again as maybe he can get me a job without the degree needed.

Please any help.

Tobey

I work at a school in Issan. My school has just found one Native speaker ( Australian ) and 2 filipino.

The Australian has been given a 10 month contract here. The school arranged his 'B' Visa ( Which was granted ) and tomorrow arranges his work permit. He has NO teaching experience. NO TEFL and NO Degree. But I have seen him in the classroom and he has the makings of a good teacher.

The School tells me that the law says it is up to the school who they hire.

The only requirements are : Degree OR TEFL ( or similar ) OR Native speaker.

The 2 filipinos with Degrees are not very good teachers, and their Spoken English is pretty poor.

If it were up to me I would give preference to someone with a teaching qualification ( TEFL etc ) not to someone who simply had a degree, possibly in some obscure subject which had no use in the classroom

Yes I see students fainting all the time. Most of my students come from a farming background, and when they leave school they go home and work on the farm, many have to do their chores before they go to bed and before they come to school, often without a proper meal. I found the Thai students " look after their own " and will take the sick student to the nurse. If you show compassion they do not understand it as Thai teachers can be very unfeeling !!