jonclark

"...Or, don't follow example of grownups who are still acting like children," Thaksin said." Um...care to elaborate Mr. Taksin???

Interesting reading this; for my two cents worth, Tuk - Tuk drivers are part of a criminal ring, so they behave like criminals nuff said.

Poor bloke and his wife, hope the tuk tuk driver is made to pay his hospital bills, cause I'm sure if the boot was on the other foot, the Canadian would be 'asked' to pay medical expenses.

Its about time the Thais were able to decide for themselves. I disagree to most of this and I have been married to a thai for 6 years.

Visas have been mis-used for many years. Retirement visas should be limited to the age of the expats pension age, eg UK at 65. You cannot be retired at 59, just escaping into another country for whatever reasons because you have nothing to do in your own country.

The other visas like teaching should be contracted for term times or for the academic year. It is strange that none of these teaching expat experts return to there country and sit in Thailand forever. Surely they go home to see they family or is it they dare not go home and there family have to come to Thailand to see them.

Also in the UK now we have gone to a points system for work permits. I dont see lots of Thais getting in to the UK through method. Why cannot Thais do the same and let people in on a similar system.

Johnswift - Why should people not have the option to retire to another country at 59 or even 49. Surely if you have been a big shot banker, engineer, doctor etc and have worked your pretty socks off and accumulated a nice pot of dosh, why shouldn't you have the choice to retire at an age of your choosing, to a country of your choice if they are willing to accept you? Thailand already stipulates you must have x amount in the bank to qualify.

As for the teaching suggestion, utter rubbish, how would this effect school, If contracts were limited to terms or academic years, how would schools retain teachers?? The summer holiday for Thai schools is three months long, how would the teachers support themselves?? Do you think its fair to expect people to be unpaid for 25% of the year and still return?? Or do you think they should be paid to go home?? Also many schools need there teachers to be in Thailand during the summer holidays for extra classes for new students.

Personally I think that this is one of those typical government games to try to satisfy all parties. On one hand they have 'relaxed' businesses (Annex 1 and 2 ??) which foreigners can work in, but on the other hand are presenting more stringent regs to allow foreigners to work in them. Probably to prevent and influx of foreign bankers etc, so that the thais get the lions share of the jobs in the new businesses which open.

Have you failed to tell us something?

Are these all native english speaking teachers.

Or is it many different groups some native speakers some not?

Is there a probblem with undermining authority, or lack of respect for leaders?

Please tell us more I am interested?

I see by your post you are Filipino yes.

Is this s Filipino issue with the school?

Please give us more info.

Most of the teachers are Filipinos, with a mixture of native speakers and Europeans.

I am a native speaker. The teachers employed by Chula Uni are being treated in the same manner and are as pissed of as me.

No, there is no problem about respect for leaders. Our "leaders" are from the UK and Australia and should be ashamed of themselves for being a part of the deception going on.

They actively look for Filipino teachers, but some schools will only accept teachers with white skin, so they have to employ a certain percentage of them.

UPDATE: We are expected to start work on Monday, but only 20 teachers have been to immigration to get their non B visa. They paid 2000 pesos (4 month contract) and were told to come back next week. The rest of us are in the dark...not one teacher other than the 20 has been contacted to go to Imm.

"They paid 2000 pesos (4 month contract) and were told to come back next week. "

oops! Native speaker saying 2,000 pesos??? huh? suppose you mean 2,000 Baht to make clear the veracity of your thread

Does it matter if the OP is Filipino or US, at the end of the day, he / she deserves to be treated honestly. Good luck sorting yourself out. Always try to get a job direct with a school.

This isn't really about red or yellow. That is just a title given to each group by the media which has stuck. Personally I think the 'reds' are fed up with being poor. Whenever i travel out of Bangkok I am struck by the level of poverty which exists, the shacks, that serve as homes, the old women collecting trash so they can make enough money to eat, the school children who walk miles in the sun or don;t have enough money to buy lunch etc. etc. I'm sure all posters here could add their own examples.

These people and the children of these people need hope that their lives will improve, that there is a brighter future, and that is what the 'red' camp offers them, a voice and hope. Sure its easy to see how their desperation has been manipulated. But, manipulation and hope is better than no hope at all.

A government that offers these people hope and delivers, would be massively popular. Let the middle and upper classes shoulder the burden. They can afford it comparatively. Will i be ridiculed for make such a Utopian statement, of course TiT. But in my view this is the crux of the matter. I don't believe that the farmers etc. of the red camp want to bring down the country in a blaze of revolution.

I think they want their rightful share of hope and opportunity. Put simple this is a fight between the 'haves and have nots'

Agree with most of your points.

So why didn't takki (who still claims to be the champion of the poor and the champion of democracy)put some solid structural reforms into place which would ultimately help the rural poor to have greater real and sustainable opportunities in life? He didn't, he just used them!

The most obvious example is a massive improvement in education:

- Availability

- Buildings, resources

- Teachers required to teach up country for ? years before they can qualify for higher salry, promotion, etc

- Transport, food, and more...

At one stage takki was the education minister, he lasted for just a few months, full of wild claims about reforming the world - nothing happened. (Just like his wild claims that he could and would fix all the Bkk traffic in six months.)

(And please don't tell me about the 1million Baht fund for each village, this way also vote buying).

To be fair, it should be said that other governments (all parties) before takki should also have put structural reforms in place. They also didn't take action.)

Yes, it's so sad to see the glaringly obvious problems being paid merely lip service by individuals in order for them to thrust themselves into positions of power.

I think those in power are scared of the masses and look to keep them downtrodden and subservient. A scared and uneducated populace is far easier to control than a well educated and confident group of voters. Khun Taksin and company aside, I hope the poor majority get the recognition and opportunities they and their children deserve. If the government actually delivers and provides tangible and real changes to the they way Thailand is run and administered.

Will the red or yellows do this - No. It would nice to see a third party, with a proper ideological principle join the fray.

This isn't really about red or yellow. That is just a title given to each group by the media which has stuck. Personally I think the 'reds' are fed up with being poor. Whenever i travel out of Bangkok I am struck by the level of poverty which exists, the shacks, that serve as homes, the old women collecting trash so they can make enough money to eat, the school children who walk miles in the sun or don;t have enough money to buy lunch etc. etc. I'm sure all posters here could add their own examples.

These people and the children of these people need hope that their lives will improve, that there is a brighter future, and that is what the 'red' camp offers them, a voice and hope. Sure its easy to see how their desperation has been manipulated. But, manipulation and hope is better than no hope at all.

A government that offers these people hope and delivers, would be massively popular. Let the middle and upper classes shoulder the burden. They can afford it comparatively. Will i be ridiculed for make such a Utopian statement, of course TiT. But in my view this is the crux of the matter. I don't believe that the farmers etc. of the red camp want to bring down the country in a blaze of revolution.

I think they want their rightful share of hope and opportunity. Put simple this is a fight between the 'haves and have nots'

Any chance of adding in islands (Koh Chang, Samet, Tao) Always nice to check the weather before you book your weekend away

This is a scam pure and simple. Call the MoE and also let Ramkanheng Uni know their degree / diploma isn't worth anything, in terms of getting a teachers license, see what response you get. Preferably in writing. Sure St, Theresa s' may offer a course, but i bet it isn't the only one. Think this through a single institute offering the only fully accredited course in all of Thailand for all foreign teachers - Nope utter junk.

Interested to know what your principle thinks teachers with PGCE should do??

A fool and his money are easily.......(you fill in the gaps)

I have to disagree with parts of the previous post based on my own experience. A Thai Government school can be an excellent place to work, but you need to remember that it is you how has to change or adapt to fit in. This is where many people fail and end up 'doing a runner' .

If you can teach and get the students to learn and actually put in the time and effort (also learn to speak Thai this is a massive aid to getting along with you Thai collegues in other departments) a government school can be a great place to work.

The first year will be the hardest, and the longer you stay the easier it gets. Will some people dislike you - Yes, but it is the same as any job, in any country in the world.

At the end of the day. It is up to you to put in the time and effort and prove to your employers that you are worthy of the extra dosh you get paid. Because you get paid extra you may also be asked to do extra things, classes for Thai teachers, the odd induction program for new students etc. Nod and smile when asked to do these things, becuase its part of your job. Thai teachers have a lot of responsibilities, extra duties etc that take up their personal time and for which they get no extra pay. SO be warned. Nod, smile and get on with it.

If you think it is any easier in International schools, if anything it is harder as the expectations and levels of profesionalism are way higher, and your western collegues, just like Thai collegues won't put up with any crap. And most importantly you need to know your stuff or you will be found out very quickly - What is the difference between IGCSE Paper 1 and Paper 3?

If you're new to teaching a language school is the way to go, but make sure you have it in writing, 100% crystal clear what the language school will provide you with regarding visa and work permit, who will pay and importantly WHEN these important documents will be processed. If you are not legal you have very little recourse to legal aid should you ever need it (bottom of the food chain) Also make sure all salary issues (date of payment, how you are being paid [check, cash, bank transfer] amount, hourly rates, taxes etc). Most problems in a language school come from these issues.

It sounds like you don't have too much experience, so i would recommend looking at a couple of language schools, and once there try teaching at different age groups until you find your niche. Kindergarten are for me personally a complete nightmare, but other teachers are great at it.

Start in a language school, find your niche after a year honing your skills look for a job at the right level for you and put in the hours. If you are any good at your job, it will be recognised and in a few years you'll be enjoying long summer holidays on a beach somewhere

Good Luck

I was not saying that a government school is a bad place to work. I enjoyed my two years in an EP program. The OP was asking if western teachers can fit in at various types of schools in Thailand.

Thai teachers and government school administrations don't respect foreign teachers of English. Nothing in your post indicates that you ever received that respect. The Thai teachers are very jealous of foreign teachers who lack proper teaching credentials and who are paid much more than Thai teachers. They also don't understand that classroom management styles are different in the West. As a result, the Thai teachers and the administration dislike foreign teachers. Many of them don't hide their animosity. They do recognize, for the most part, however, that there are really almost no Thai teachers who can properly teach English, other than grammar. Oh, and BTW, they think they are better at English grammar than the foreign teachers.

Just to clarify - Yes i did get plenty of respect from all the staff at the school, did they bow down before me, No and i wouldn't want them to; but they were always interested in what i was doing and asking for advice, teaching ideas, and how the department could move forward.

All I can say is that respect is earn t, sure many Thai teachers are jealous, and given the dross that is presented in a shirt and tie as an 'English Teacher' who can blame them. But the OP needs to understand that respect can be gained, like all people Thais recognize dedication and hard work and if your students do well and progress, and you interacts with the school as a community you will succeed.

Schools are communities - if you teach and return to the office and then leave school at the earliest opportunity every day, sure people will notice and you won't be part of that community. So expect to be ostracized.

Attend assembly every morning, speak to teachers in other departments, smile at people, ask if other teachers want help, if a teacher is absent fill in for them, get to know the male teachers, go out after school drinking with them, ask thai teachers to teach you thai, start up an after school club (movies, cartoons, map reading) anything as long as the instruction language is in English it will work and have value.

I set up a science club, doing simple experiments, elephant toothpaste, menthos and coke etc. Students and teachers loved it.

Good luck

I have to disagree with parts of the previous post based on my own experience. A Thai Government school can be an excellent place to work, but you need to remember that it is you how has to change or adapt to fit in. This is where many people fail and end up 'doing a runner' .

If you can teach and get the students to learn and actually put in the time and effort (also learn to speak Thai this is a massive aid to getting along with you Thai collegues in other departments) a government school can be a great place to work.

The first year will be the hardest, and the longer you stay the easier it gets. Will some people dislike you - Yes, but it is the same as any job, in any country in the world.

At the end of the day. It is up to you to put in the time and effort and prove to your employers that you are worthy of the extra dosh you get paid. Because you get paid extra you may also be asked to do extra things, classes for Thai teachers, the odd induction program for new students etc. Nod and smile when asked to do these things, becuase its part of your job. Thai teachers have a lot of responsibilities, extra duties etc that take up their personal time and for which they get no extra pay. SO be warned. Nod, smile and get on with it.

If you think it is any easier in International schools, if anything it is harder as the expectations and levels of profesionalism are way higher, and your western collegues, just like Thai collegues won't put up with any crap. And most importantly you need to know your stuff or you will be found out very quickly - What is the difference between IGCSE Paper 1 and Paper 3?

If you're new to teaching a language school is the way to go, but make sure you have it in writing, 100% crystal clear what the language school will provide you with regarding visa and work permit, who will pay and importantly WHEN these important documents will be processed. If you are not legal you have very little recourse to legal aid should you ever need it (bottom of the food chain) Also make sure all salary issues (date of payment, how you are being paid [check, cash, bank transfer] amount, hourly rates, taxes etc). Most problems in a language school come from these issues.

It sounds like you don't have too much experience, so i would recommend looking at a couple of language schools, and once there try teaching at different age groups until you find your niche. Kindergarten are for me personally a complete nightmare, but other teachers are great at it.

Start in a language school, find your niche after a year honing your skills look for a job at the right level for you and put in the hours. If you are any good at your job, it will be recognised and in a few years you'll be enjoying long summer holidays on a beach somewhere

Good Luck

Well, it would seem that as no amnesty will be forthcoming, we had all better get ready for a fight. At least Taksin has given us a heads up of his plans so all involved (public, politicians, police and military) have plenty of time to prepare.

What a great start to the New Year.

The PM is correct that the sentence should be served. And as TV members have already pointed out Sondhi should also do likewise.

So come on Takki and Sondhi be men, and do your time. I'm fairly sure that if Takki had done his time, he would have been out by now.

Imagine the public outrage if a similar incident had happened in the UK or Europe. The Bas***d would be hunted down.

There is defiantly something sinister and worrying about the turn of events and the increasing frequency of these events. I wonder if this incident has been reported on French TV.

As an expat living here it is increasingly frustrating to watch these events unfold, but to be powerless to do anything.

My deepest sympathies to the familiy . I guess this is a Christmas that they will never forget, unfortunatly not the unforgettable holiday they were hoping for. Wonder if they are hanging around for the New Year?

I don't think people are opposed to nuclear power in theory. But, i'm sure many people feel oppossed in practice. There are a large number of questions to be answered such as costing - construction, running, and dismantaling, location, and compensation for affected communities, waste disposal and transportation.

I would imaging building a reactor needs large volumes of water to cool it (i'm not an expert) so it would need to be near a water supply (river, lake, or sea) consequences of spillages??

Having watched the fiasco at Ma Phut Industrial estate , the plight of the locals and the cutting corners on EIA etc. It doesn't fill one with confidence.

But Thailand does need to secure it own energy needs for at least the medium term to drive its own development and there is no reason why Thailand can't make nuclear power work.

Thailand has many dedicated, skilled and dutiful people here, (who often get overlooked as most of people only encounter those at the other end of the spectrum).

Wish the British governemnt would be so generous with adding on extra holidays. If your reading Mr. Brown an extra three days this new year would be much appreciated.

I never understood why in Britain they insist on having the longest break in the middle of winter. Make Xmas and new year normal working days and give people extra holidays to take when they like.

It's because the weather in winter is so similar to summer, it actually makes no difference. But seriously it's because we are / were a traditionally Christian country, hence the christmas break.

Why are so many people against water throwing? Yes, it is sheer madness, i agree but let your hair down, get wet and have some fun.

If you don't like it, well tough nuts, be miserable on your own.

Extra Holidays - Fantastic, please remember that the average working man (factory staff, bus drivers etc.) only get about 1 week a year paid holiday, so this is likely to be a big bonus for them.

Why are there so many moaners complaining about this, not the same group who write complaining letters about too much Christmas music in the letters section of the Bkk Post by any chance.

Wish the British governemnt would be so generous with adding on extra holidays. If your reading Mr. Brown an extra three days this new year would be much appreciated.

Having worked for many moons in a thai high school I can tell the lads at the MoE this - Most of the Maths and Science teachers don't have the slightest idea about english. So first they need to learn the basic vocbulary and then be taught the correct usage of the vast lexis of science. Most students refer to chemistry as 'Chemmy'.

This will however give the schools more opportunity to hire Indians ( for maths and science) - Cheaper and better educated while at the same time offering little somchais' parents the opportunity for him to study on a special MEP course fo X amount of baht per year - which makes up the massive shortfall most schools now incure as ALL secondary study should be free now. (Pity the budgets haven't increased to compensate this).

My daughter recieved a certificate as she waived her right to a free education. She had no idea and we got a bill for 2500 baht.

Irresepective of the hows and whys of the whole thing, at least now the mother of the engineer will at least have some peace, as i'm fairly sure that she has been unwillingly thrust into a diplomatic row and the glare of the media spotlight and now hopefully she can retire and get on with her life.

As for the pardon. Maybe his majesty, was just sick of the whole thing tit for tat bulls**t and just wanted to end it. Either way I think all both Thai and Cambodian should be grateful for his release and as hopefully an end to this diplomatic farce is reached.

It'll be interesting though to hear the thoughts of the engineer when he returns to Thailand.

Bloke must have amnesia

"...He praised the red shirts for their perseverance, sacrifice and non-violent stance, adding that only through non-violent struggle would victory be won.

Next he'll be claiming he's the Dali Lama..

"....."Return democracy to the people, return wealth to the people and dignity to the country," he said..."

Any guesses whose wealth he is talking about

Personally I reckon we just stick Takki and Abhist in a room, give them each a baseball bat and whoever is left standing after 5 minutes gets to run the country for the next 5 years.

Sivarak, 31, an employee of the Cambodia Air Traffic Service which controlled air traffic in Cambodia, rejected an allegation that he sent the flight plans of Thaksin to Thai Embassy's First Secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai.

"I knew the first secretary only for about two years and rarely contacted him," he told the court.

On the day that Thaksin arrived in Phnom Penh, that diplomat telephoned him and asked whether it was true that Thaksin arrived in the Cambodian capital.

"I am authorised to know that kind of information, so I checked it with a Khmer staff who confirmed Thaksin had arrived. That staff even gave me a copy of the flight plan," he said.

Sivarak said he did not pass on the copy to Kamrob.

Two other employees from the Cambodia Air Traffic Service testified that Siwarak asked them about the flight schedule.

Sivrak, was taken into court under heavy security.

Interesting......

Would a staff member of a certain Embassy in any given country be allowed to phone someone he knows at the airport and check about a specific aircraft ?

In other words: would a Chinese Embassy (or North Korean, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Germany, UK....you name the country) staff member -morally- be allowed to phone a chap he knows at a Washington DC/New York, London, Paris airport and ask him specific details about a certain aircraft ?

And....if that chap would deliver information to that certain Embassy staff member.....would that be espionage....spying ?

I know the Intelligence Services, around the world, are doing so on a daily basis....but a "normal" staff member of an Embassy ?

Interesting question but not so easy to answer.

LaoPo

I think my mother once called at the airport and asked if an airplane has been landed already.

That's not the point.

Everybody, including your Mother, can call an airport if a certain plane has landed; nowadays one can look at the website of an airport if a plane arrived or took off and at what time, apart from private planes; that info is usually knot known/available to the public.

It's about trying to get information about a certain -private- aircraft (and he did) and if someone specific was on board of that aircraft and pass that same information to a third party (in this case the Embassy of another country).

There are still many airports in the world where one will be thrown in jail if you would take pictures of planes...let alone pass information of planes to another nation's embassy.

LaoPo

Whilst I agree with these sentiments, Takky is still a Thai National, who is a wanted man. Maybe the poor bloke was just tryingto be a good citizen and advise the Thai embassy of the where abouts of a wanted Thai citizen. If the staff of the HK embassy had done their job propertly and detained Takky when he annulled his marriage then maybe this poor bloke wouldn't be in jail now.

Having previously worked in a government high school for some considerable time, and having seen the massive age gap that is appearing with many of the teachers approaching retirement age. I'm fairly sure that in the next five years a large number of teaching positions will become vacant.

But, during my tenure, we had a number of university 'teacher trainees' attend the school for about six months. At the end of the six month period nearly all the trainees, after having experienced, the work load and general bulls**t that existed vowed never to become teachers as the pay was in no way comensurate to the job. In bangkok especially you have lots of bright young graduates, full of energy and ideas, who want to teach, but at the same time and quite rightly, want a decent wage.

If you want good teachers, to fill the vacancies - Increase the starting salary to about 15'000 B and build more classrooms.

I never read the nation but a question to those who read it.Do they actually have articles other then anti-thaksin crap in their editions?

Errr..... No not really

....."Earlier, police identified 5,365 areas in Bangkok as risky spots. "But after we introduced more safety measures in those areas, the number of crimes there have dropped," Pongsa-pat said..."

5'365 risky areas!!!! - seems like that's MOST of Bangkok covered then. Maybe it'd be easier next time to identify the less risky areas. Love the idea of training motorcycle taxis (and scrap metal workers) to help police prevent crimes - Police must be under the illusion that these are the salt of the earth, hard working honest characters that would report any crime, rather than tryiong to get a cut of the action themselves.

Good job. They also need to get rid of those so called fruit drinks....you know, the ones with 20% real juice, and then pumped up the rest of the way with water and HFCS. Probably worse for you than coke. Same goes with the green tea, with 25% HFCS. Horrendously sweet and deadly.

Sorry to sound dumb - but what is / are (a) HFCS. Only ask cause my daughters live on Green tea drinks.