fozzy58uk

As usual most of the posters replying here are the "all TEFLers are dickheads" brigade, with no actual knowledge of the requirements to be a teacher in the western world.

We all know that some TEFLers have "circumvented" the system by lying about their quals etc.

However it is untrue that if you can't legally teach in Thailand then you cannot teach in your homeland.

The qualifications required for TEFL teaching in Thailand are way higher than those in the UK.

I do not have a degree and thus am not able to satisfy the legal requirements in Thailand at present, but did teach there for many years previously when the rules were different and was then allowed to continue due to the "grandfather" system.

Back in the UK I teach ESOL in Colleges and Universities with an RSA CELTA but no degree. Many recruiters ask for a degree and a DELTA but that is what they would prefer and they are perfectly willing to take lesser quals, especially if the teacher has a good c.v. and references and especially hit them with a good demo lesson. Of course the better paying jobs go to those with the best quals but the demand far exceeds the number of teachers.

The various TEFL sites on the internet have dozens of TEFL positions in the UK, far more than can be filled by degree and DELTA holding candidates. Most of the work is in London and other major cities. So accommodation costs can be a problem.

You can also sign up with Protocol National or a similar organisation and you can get sub teaching work in schools. You will need to obtain a DBS, basically a police check, Not my favourite type of employment, if you think Thai teens are unruly, you will be eaten alive by the UK comprehensive school teenagers.

Rates of pay are around £16-20 per hour TEFLing or £100 plus for a day subbing in schools. If you can a fully contracted job with a good language institute you can look for £25,000 plus and benefits.

Private work is also an option and of course internet teaching is becoming increasingly fashionable.

Never understand all you girlies who say, ooohh you made em lose face time to go home.

I had several scrapes in Thailand over the years, if you are a pussy they will walk over you, if you behave like a modern western man with your womenfolk they will walk over you.

If you show em you are the king of the heap they will respect you.

The mistake westerners make in Thailand is to behave with Thais like they would a westerner. Act like a Thai, you are the man of the house, be it.

I got my discount by taking out a 1 year renewable contract, the proviso was that if I left before the contract ended I would have to refund the difference to the full price if I wanted to leave earlier, or pay up the full year whichever was cheaper for me. Very agreeable terms and I stayed there 5 years eventually.

Spent 4 nights there a few years back, having paid my bill in a bar I was leaving the bar when the mamasan screamed I hadn't paid and had me stopped by some motorbike boys on the street. Having only had 3 beers I was sober and tried to explain quietly I had paid and even tipped the cashier. She went nut and said she would call the police, at the time I knew no better and asked her to do so. They arrived and off she goes like a banshee, screaming and wailing and hurling insults. I explained to the very polite officers I had paid and even tipped the cashier. They asked the cashier who sheepishly stared at her feet and obviously fearful of her jobsaid she didn't remember. The police said pay up or we take you to the monkey house, as the Soi 9 nick is commonly known. Again, stupidly I refused the police shrugged there shoulders popped me on the back of the truck and off we went. There followed anther screaming an wailing session in front of a very polite police captain at the station who asked me to pay, Again stupid pride got in the way and I refused, he asked if I was sure and having affirmed my decision said if I refused again I would be locked up. I refused and was indeed locked up.

The farang cell held around 15 men. it was of of open construction with bars, concrete floor no beds or mattresses, the toilet area was a small walled off section with a 3 foot surrounding wall, Hole in the floor as a toilet and the big urn of water for washing. Food was provided twice a day, a very small plastic ziplock bag of rice and a similar one of some type of thai curry, and two small bottles of water a day. You could if you had cash pay the guards to bring you in a burger at a huge premium . The holding cells for the thai men and thai bar girls were next to it, most of the girls were in for gambling and were good fun the guys were a dangerous lot, quite a few fights broke out and a few druggies had some screaming fits going cold turkey which were usual stopped by them being beaten unconscious.

After two days of high and mighty self righteousness and indignation I had had enough, and when the bar girls were released in the morning I paid one to take a message to my mate to come and get me out. A few hours later he appeared with a huge grin on his face and told me that I could n't be released for 2 more days as I had to be signed out by the same guy who locked me up and he was off for the weekend.

Finally the captain comes back from his weekend break and around noon I am brought before him.Guy spoke excellent English and actually graduated from Sheffield Uni, he asked me was I willng to pay and apologise to the mamasan, that stuck in the craw a bit but he said it was necessary for her to save face.

I ageed and he sat with me and we chatted while they picked her up. He said would you like me to call your friend to bring the money. I said ,no need it's in my pocket. He laughed and said OK. She turns up I paid her and grovelled a bit, she flaunts out. I turned to the captain and said , how much do I need to pay for my release. He said nothing you are free to leave as you are innocent.

I said if you believe I am innocent why did I spend 4 days in the monkey house. He said , in court you would have been found guilty as it would be your word against hers and she would no doubt have found witnesses. I asked why he thought I was innocent, he said only a pig headed principle Englishmen would got to jail over 180 baht. I saw the captain on the street may times after that and he would also smile and wave.

May that be a lesson to you all.

Rather like the chicken and the egg, or the tourists cause prostitution arguments.

Songkran many years ago was very different but who started the water fights. Thai kids did , they loved em and perverted the old way of Songkran, the idiot farang (sic) among the tourists then saw them enjoyed it and copied it. Most expat farang avoid songkran like the plague, I know I did during my16 years working there. You were a target for the corner street gangs, older Thais just gave em a withering look and were left to pass peacefully or received a 'proper' respectful blessing if they allowed it.

The hundreds, nay thousands, of Thai road deaths over my many years there were not caused by idiot farangs but by idiot Thais.

The most appalling thing I ever saw at Songkran was when an emergency vehicle was stopped in the street by a group of Thai youths , who then opened the rear doors and hurled a bucket of water over the patient in the vehicle.

On another occasion, i had arranged my visa run to miss Songkran, I had a bucket of water poured over me as I left my accommodation by the reception staff soaking me and my luggage 3 days before Songkran, when I asked why they said , I wouldn't be in town and they didn't want me to miss the fun.

On my return as the train pulled into the station kids were hurling water through the windows,.... you can guess the explanation.

miss pronounce following misspell now that has to be the laugh of the day.

My favourite noodle dish is a white one with a blue design which I found on a market stall a few years back........ whoops

Phat kee mao, a very hot version of phat see eww which is a famous thai hangover cure. I recommend it without the hangover though.

So Joe. Lets say for example you received 2 tourist visas from Vientiane and went and got a 3rd from another country could you go back on your 4th to Vientiane and they would consider it as your 1st from them.

Since they look at back to back visas from them getting a visa from another location would break the chain of visas.

Not sure I would call it the 1st visa but it would start a new chain of visas.

Having been in said situation and having failed to get situation resolved. It's almost certain no embassy or consulate will not look at the previous two from Vientiane and come up with the same answer, you are not a 'tourist' under their definition of tourist and will insist you obtain the correct visa for your situation.

Unfortunately for some folk, there is no correct visa, as they don't fit any category. Over 50, retired, married to Thai, Thai family etc.

BTW I managed 6 back to back before I was presumed to be working by the consulate staff and red lined.

This came around first time 10 years or so ago, at that time I was teaching in a Thai Government school. With a little digging around with some Thai friends we found that the idea was proposed and initiated by a retired Thai school director and her cronies.

I forget now how many teachers there were in Bangkok alone but it was a substantial number.

The course cost 20,000 baht, with 25 on a course that was 500k a week per course.

Massive earner. Submit plan to Ed ministry, half for you half for me.

Big smiles all round.

I refused to go but some friends were forced to go by their schools at risk of losing their jobs.

They were taught to count to 40, how to say hello, be krieng jai and never to say anything bad about Thailand , the king blah blah blah.

Times are hard time to bring out this lovely earner again.

Ker ching and welcome to Thailand.

What a total prick. I lived in Thailand for 16 years. It was glorious for the first 5 and went steadily downhill. When I left Thailand many of my friends could not believe it. They all thought I would stay here the rest of my life. But as I became more and more aware of the REAL Thailand and it's vicious nasty underbelly I realised that it for the dunghole it really is.

We all know the British police have never fitted any one up nor have there ever been any corrupt coppers in the UK. The rich in UK are treated just like the poor.

Haha.

The difference is the RTP have always done these things without being questioned

The boys in blue however have mastered the art of skullduggery while under massive scrutiny.

Whose eyes are being opened here?

Perhaps the General had a word with call me Dave to ascertain the best way to fit people up and get away with it.

Why are people complaining this perfectly sensible safety strategy which is already in place in Europe and the USA.

How dare farang come into our wonderfully safe paradise and complain about this.

If they buy the correct visa which costs a mere 1 milllion baht per week then they wil of course be exempt as they are QUALITY tourists.

Trinity college London are reputable.

http://www.trinitycollege.com/findacentre/

This link will help you find an exam centre.

http://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=2094

here is a link to see which exams are necessary for citizenship and visas.

I am sure a quick call will verify exactly what you need.

Hope this helps.

Quick edit on reading further down the second link page it states the test is speaking and listening only and this meets Home Office requirements.

What I find surprising is , there have been English teachers in this country for I don't know how many years .

If the system and the teaching was on such a high standard , I would have thought that all English teachers here now would be Thai nationals.

I was a teacher in Thailand for many years. A large proportion of my ex-students have excellent jobs in multi-national companies in Thailand and in Europe and the USA.

There are not enough QUALIFIED or at least DEDICATED native speaking English teachers in Thailand mostly due to the pathetic wages on offer and/or the ridiculous hoop jumping necessary to acquire a WP.

Of course it is easy enough to marry a Thai national get a visa and work illegally, or get a retirement visa on dodgy grounds (any long standing expat knows how to do this) and work illegally.

Pay peanuts get monkeys.

QED.

There never has been a restriction on back to back to tourist visas announced.

Only visa exempt in/out visa runs are being restricted. As far as I know there are no changes yet for them.

Don't wish to argue, but I am one of many now at home after having a tourist visa application refused because of too many back to back tourist visas.

Considering that 99% of Thais are flabbergasted when a farang can actually eat authentic Thai food, it is hardly amzing that they believe we can't cook it.

@ JL Crab

I repeat I mean no ill will to anyone. Your response seems to me to show the very fact that you know you may well be next. Perhaps not personally but others in the visa pigeon hole that is currently safe.

Enjoy the life you presently have, I certainly hope you do. I have many friends in similar situations. I would hate to see them split from their families or have their hard earned retirement plans thrown into disarray.

I always thought my future lay in Thailand but unfortunately that was not the case.

It was a blow but not insurmountable. I miss my friends greatly but I will survive and I wish them all the best of luck in this time of uncertainty.

Further to my previous post, many TEFLERs work illegally without WPs on non imm visas based on marriage or retirement.

Watch out they will be coming fo you next.

Will they kick out all genuine marriage and retirement holders to 'get'  the illegal TEFLERS who have made a life in Thailand.

Keep looking over your shoulders. 

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

I read with great interest from people who have no idea of the qualifications necessary to teach in the UK spouting that a first degree is necessary to teach in the UK.

I am a TEFLER, I have a CELTA but no degree. I teach in colleges and uni in the UK. No problems at all.

My sister who left school at 16 with only CSEs not even O levels has been teaching in the UK for quarter of a century. She is also on the board of directors at her present school and last year was voted the best teacher at primary level in the county.

One of the few countries in the world that I am supposedly unqualified to teach English is Thailand. Piffle.

Visa running was also stable for many many years, that is my point. Just because it is stable today is no guarantee it will be so in the future.

I hold no ill wishes to anyone, I would just like some members of TV to come down off their high horses and just be thankful that their circumstances allow them, at present, to live as they choose.

Be careful you don't jump out of the frying pan into the fire. I have recently returned to UK after 16 years in Thailand because Thailand was getting worse for me. With a family you must remember to take into account the lack of free education and health care in Thailand and the extra costs this will entail . While I sometimes miss the weather and undoubtedly my many friends, I am pleased I made the decision to return.

I am not a Thailand knocker, I greatly enjoyed my years in LOS and look back on them with great fondness.

Whatever you decide, all the best.