BugJackBaron

I thought Rayong is where that big oil refinery is, must be a few people using English out there.

Engineers and upper managers in international companies who need to meet with Japanese or other foreigners learn enough English of course. But not the average person in CK Plaza (the shopping mall here). Even at Nissan , I think they have very few staff with reasonable English. But this is not a tourist province or centre like Pattaya so there is less need....

Hmmmm

Since I first came here in 1979 I have been aware that the Thai government authorities wanted to teach the Thai children English language.

Here we are, 36 years later and the Thai children and the citizens of Thailand, over all, still remain very, very sloooooooow learners.

Of course there are more Thai people speaking English now as it is a percentage factor based on English being the most common language spoken by everyone, so some of it will rub off ...so to speak.

Most bar girls learn English faster than the educational system teaches the Thai children English language

Meantime, after nearly 40 years of successive Thai government administrations continually promoting the English language in their educational programs the success rate is dismally low.

Why is that??

What is it about the Thai mentality of every Thai person that seemingly blocks their ability to learn the English language...or they struggle with it immensely.

As pointed out by the majority of teachers, the children do not want to learn or they are totally disinterested.

Either way, they are failing

Give them a "D" and ignore their protests.

Cheers

I am a NES teacher and have a Thai gf with pre-intermediate level English.

My Thai is improving so fast as almost nobody in the province (Rayong) speaks English - with rare exceptions of course. Certainly nobody else in her family. People out here just don't need to know it. So it goes.

I've been doing this for 8 years now. Started off working for a Russian company who sent me students. I stated Upper Intermediate and above which was adhered to.

Made $15 US/hour. Had more students than I really wanted as I wouldn't work on weekends and then no more than 4.5 hours a day. Each lesson was 30 minutes only.

After 4 years went private and charged $22 US/hour. This worked fine until the Ruble tanked (from 32 to 60+ per $). By choice I now have only one student.

I received my ESL Cert in 2005 and worked in a school in Mexico for 3 years before working with the my students who mostly come from Russia but also Ukraine, Italy and Israel. I cannot speak other languages except a smattering of Spanish, hence my students needing to be at least Upper Int.

I also did some proof reading charging $5US/page

There is a webpage in Russia (in English) where I saw on-line teachers asking up to $45US/hour but unfortunately I don't have that info any more.

What I did with my students was based on what they wanted to learn. I scanned articles that were of interest to them (e.g. lawyering stuff for lawyers, engineering stuff for engineers, music trends for teens etc).I also used current news articles but tried to keep away from the political stuff.

I didn't hand out certificates as it was only me, myself and I but it sure helped to supplement my income.

I know of this webpage but I don't know any teacher here making anything more than about 10 bucks an hour. When the bottom fell out of the Russian rouble a couple of years ago, a lot of online business also took a dive.

Same thing happened with the Chinese. Yes, you can supplement your income but as for a full time job (I have one friend who has tried this since 2008 on a retirement visa), you are unlikely to make any more than an average school job in Thailand.

You may also want to consider that for a Moscowvite who wants to study at a convenient hour, say 8pm in Russia, what this means for you.

Yes, teaching at midnight here. I have another friend who didn't care about a social life but would that work for you?

I got a job in Burapha University a few years ago by finding the Humanities Building (yes,knowing some Thai here

does help!).I then located the head of the English Program. I had a short but cordial meeting and gave my resume.

A couple of months later I had a job.

That being said, may I ask why you want a university job? The pay is dismal - about 27,000 after tax, and unless you have

a pension or extra income you will probably need to supplement it with extra work. The conditions were extremely chaotic as in

they didn't even have an office for all of the teachers nor textbooks until weeks into the semester.

The only nice thing is that universities will often give you a nice 4 day schedule and the students are often keen and motivated.

I stayed just one year and now teach Business English for MUCH better pay.

This has shocked his neighbors, one of whom is my girlfriend's mother.

Though I never spoke to him, he was well-liked

and even waved to me a couple of times as he passed me in the street.

Scary stuff.

I'm a little surprised about Vientienne as their breads soups and pies (at a small cafe in centre of Town popular for lunch, what name?)

were as good as in the West. I had a really good French meal there many years ago too.

Agreed about most of Thailand. Probably the best bet would be Chiang Mia , Phuket or Bangkok for French restaurant even if they are not Michelin standard

Mission impossible !!!

There is not one French restaurant in Thailand that comes close to the French standards that Michelin uses on nominations for a star or having a recommendation !!!

The only restaurant in South-East Asia that had a Michelin nomination for a recommendation in 2013 was in Vientiane, Laos, "Aria", an Italian restaurant for their culinary arts and their wines. It was only a nomination !

For (French) restaurants...

The standard in Thailand is NOT: "good, better or the best"

but it is: "terrible, less terrible or the least terrible" !!!

Hey anyone checked out their new location on Thapraya Rd not far from View Talay 1/2 ?

Imagine if you were abandoned in some place in China with no ability to speak Chinese. And most of China is not as tourist

friendly as Thailand. They may be uncouth but they don't deserve this.

Isaan in general is considerably cheaper than Bangkok. OK I concede that supermarket prices are similar, but tell me where in Bangkok can you get gents haircut for 40 baht?

In Patgtaya the lowest haircut price I have seen = 100 Baht.

So color this Cheap Charlie impressed.

Was the cut competent?

I have that problem mostly with celery. Too much going in the trash. You can't buy a tiny portion of it and how much of it can you eat? I don't even buy cucumbers as they are so common in restaurant meals, that's enough.

One thing about frozen berries which I didn't realize until I saw a tip on a website.

It said just eat them directly frozen.

I hadn't thought of that and had thawed them before.

Thawed they lose a lot of flavor. Directly from frozen ... very good.

I never eat in restaurants......frozen berries, I have a package in the deep freeze since 1 year. I put them direct frozen in the yoghurt.

Blueberries. But the taste is nothing in compare to these my mother took from the forest when I was a child.

Right. Frozen berries are better than thawed frozen berries. It's really true. Not going to get berries direct from the forest here!

right, but what I wanted to say mainly is that these frozen berries are crap, they even were crap before they were frozen.

triple the size of the real one, but less than 10% of the taste. It is like forest strawberries vs. the huge supermarket one.

No going into the forest in Thailand isn't an option, even I am sure there are delicious things there.

What if you live in the forest?

I have business contacts with Russians who I know and trust. One tells me that what we see now is just the tip

of the iceberg - probably the Russians still in town bought package tours before the financial crisis. The next wave

will be a trickle.

Logical.

Kale or simialr dark-green leafy vegetables are availble in Thailnad and, marianated, are one of the most delicious

side-dishes I have had in Thailand. Wish I knew the Thai name...

Probably a great source of iron...

The standard of Western breakfasts in tourist-trap Jomtien is appalling. Better British breakfasts can be found in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Better English breakfasts can also be found in London and Manchester.

This is a thread about breakfasts in Jomtien.

Duh!

And I gave my opinion. This was just a side-rant. Doubler Duh!

Kai Loua

in tourist-trap Jomtien is appalling. Better British breakfasts can be found in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Bit of a silly comment.

I suppose given your name any meal would be great after a few changs.

It's obvious you have forgotten just how good western grub is in western countries.

Only fools judge a book by its cover.

Have a nice breakfast in Bangkok or chiang- Mai.

Nah, I just judge a book by its first few pages . Enjoy your ham and eggs.

Wow what a gruesome story. Absolutely horrible, but nothing surprises me here. These kinds of stories occur all the time. It's even worse to hear about the theft of his belongings after he died, absolutely sickening.

Best advice is NEVER EVER cross a road in Thailand, always use the overpass or occasionally, underpass.

Even the local temple cat who is quite a smarty can be seen using the overpas

Kai Loua

in tourist-trap Jomtien is appalling. Better British breakfasts can be found in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Bit of a silly comment.

I suppose given your name any meal would be great after a few changs.

It's obvious you have forgotten just how good western grub is in western countries.

Kai Loua ( heated egg interior in a cup) from the friendly sidecart vendor for 10 Baht.The standard of Western breakfasts,

in tourist-trap Jomtien is appalling. Better British breakfasts can be found in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Rayong the town is as dull as dishwater but there is a Lamtong mall if that is your thing.It is mostly

a jumping off point for trips to Ko Samet and other destinations.

Funny this, I befriended a Norwegian over here and he constantly pestered me for money, always said he'd pay it back on a certain date then didn't.. in fact it would usually take a fair few weeks of pestering him to get it back... found out I wasn't the only one he did this to either, in fact every mutual friend we had lent him money and then he'd mess them around paying them back.

So my advise to handle these "friends":

Loan them a few amount, of course they fail to give back, but they will avoid yourself.

Means you paid a few amount to be quit of these unpleasant "friends".

Wasn' t that the advice of a gangter to a young protogee in a certain movie set in New York? Anyone recall the movie? I think it came out in the 90s

I'm not sure what the story is. There was a sign saying they would close from Dec 12-16 and

sometimes they open only in the afternoon...

Is This the Best Spaghetti and Meatballs in Pattaya?

Not if that photograph is anything to go by.

Your "disinterested" review sounds like a badly written paid promotion.

It was meant to be a relatively comprehensive and honest review written quickly after a good meal and a couple of wines; I wasn't concentrating on being poetic I have no connection to the restaurant or owner and I fail to see how it is very different from

other review threads that run in this forum.

Recently, I had a hankering for old style spaghetti and meatballs which is of course not the usual fair in many restaurants here - even Western ones.

So I was pleasantly surprised to find great spaghetti and meatballs in a

cozy and convenient corner of Jomtien.

The restaurant is called Mama Da Food and Drink and has recently upgraded its menu and location while still maintaining the friendly family atmosphere people remember from its previous location.

Specifically it is now located next to La Merenda which is across from the Rumpo Complex on Jomtien beach 2nd Rd.

The menu is quite extensive and offers European food such as Makaroonitaatikko( a Finnish item) , cheeseburgers as well as typical Thai

entrees. I chose the Spaghetti and meatballs and a short time later was

enjoying a well seasoned dish with noodles cooked just right and a tasty tomato sauce for a very reasonable price, The service was swift and friendly and the level of English very good. To wash it down , I chose a good red wine for just 70 Baht a glass. Beer at low prices is also offered but my partner chose a Gin and Tonic which was piquant and not watered down (like many places do) for a mere 100 Baht.

In addition they offer a very good Wifi connection for those who need to check Facebook as well as free pool. It is open from around 11 in the morning to late at night every day. All in all, it is excellent value for money and worth a trip from anywhere in Pattaya.

Hm

Just a few weeks ago I was trapped in the ironically named "Makestic " on soi Banchana in Jomtien.

It was scary and it took the local maintainence team 30 minutes to

get the doors to cooperate and open.

I have read that modern elevator systems(ours has got to be 30 years old and has broken down many times)

have safety systems that allow them to get to the next floor and automatically open in the

event of power failure. Does anyone know if any of these systems are actually in

use in Thailand?

Yes, they are in use in the condo I own in Jomtien. Experienced it myself , the elevator goes down to the next floor and doors open.

Cool. I wonder what

the status is of view talays like 1 and 2 that are fairly old but too popular....

Hm

Just a few weeks ago I was trapped in the ironically named "Makestic " on soi Banchana in Jomtien.

It was scary and it took the local maintainence team 30 minutes to

get the doors to cooperate and open.

I have read that modern elevator systems(ours has got to be 30 years old and has broken down many times)

have safety systems that allow them to get to the next floor and automatically open in the

event of power failure. Does anyone know if any of these systems are actually in

use in Thailand?

I'm not sure about that one but I like the "undiscovered" nature of the place. Long gone out of favor but

worth it for a cheap meal.