Firelily

This is a kind of visa in NZ or in Australia..... not in Thailand.... or if it is, well you are the first one who has ever heard of it.

Super Simple Songs have a bunch of songs reinforcing some basic sentence patterns. Search for them on youtube.

There is no need to patronise me, thanks.

I was simply telling others about our recent experience regarding the work permit renewal and the teaching licence hoping it helps someone.

Could get you into some good International schools when you in the know with some people from these schools. Meanwhile half the pay in a Private School will have to do- 30-45K depending on exp. Double it you get into an international school. Chok Dee

Yes I guess I could if I had a passport from one of those countries where native speakers supposedly come from.

All our applications have been stuck in the system for two years. Some even more. That includes Thai teachers as well! In fact, I don't know a single person who has received a teacher's licence. I'm quite sure nobody has even touched those stacks of documents, probably they are in a box somewhere. I'm not hoping or expecting or thinking anything, I'm pretty sure Thais will keep the show running one way or another, can't really see them taking our work permits away or the whole system of bilingual programs (which is by the way built on teachers with degrees unrelated to education, most of the time) is going to collapse. By the way, new non-Bs are being extended beyond the initial 3 months validity and work permits are being granted now just like they were a few years ago. The only difference seems to be the police fingerprinting and the mandatory syphilis test (a <deleted>? for me for sure).

does the basic BUPA insurance cover dengue infection, or do they have a get-out-of -it clause somewhere? it is one of my biggest worries. every year at least one of my students end up in hospital.

btw, my neighbourhood was clouded in some chemical pouring out of a very noisy tube, really thick white smoky substance, took half an hour to settle. is that the mosquito repellent? I always think it is but never know for sure.

My problem is, my degree says "M.A in teaching English as a foreign language", and I have been told to expect problems because of that. However, colleagues who applied at the same time and possess a slice of paper with the magic letters "B.Ed." are stuck just the same.... so, your guess on this issue is just as good as mine.....

Pakeha: my understanding of the teacher's licence is the following - submit all documents, sign a paper your clerk gives you, and wait at least two years. at least that's where I am at the moment. I got a work permit recently because my school attached a sheet of paper saying that the application for the licence had been submitted and is in progress (is it??!) .

funny they make a fuss about the tourists, and at the same time, my employer refused to register an address change in my work permit two years ago when I moved house. our clerk said it is way too much hassle, can only change once, if I move again, I am badly stuck (couldn't explain why??), not important anyway, my old address can stay. so, all my 90-day reports and paperwork are years outdated.

what's being enforced at the moment if you rent a house long term? do the landlords have to register us? I am totally in the dark here.

It's not only government schools that squeeze 40+ six-year-olds into one classroom with one teacher (no assistant, nothing). Parents PAY for this sort of privilege in famous private schools.

If I had more than 60 eyes staring at me at the same time, I would run away and never look back. It is not only impossible to get anything positive out of a situation like that - I think it borders on criminal negligence.

Troehr - no need to get annoyed - as far as I know, it may be different in different provinces. What is impossible in Chiang Mai may be easily doable somewhere else.

It may be lack of connections, but my school (in Chiang Mai) has not been able to secure work permits for teachers who only have graduate diplomas or similar but no bachelor's, despite trying several times for several years. They seem to be strict and consistent. Other schools may be more successful, I have no idea if it is possible to go through the system somehow.

"Why do you think someone would need to lower their expectations to hire me for something which is my profession and I am good at?"

So, you think my reply, quoted here, is offensive. It is not my own opinion or preference or choice that Thai schools hire a native speaker with a degree in philosophy and no teaching experience whatsoever rather than a non-native with a degree in teaching English and years of experience. Debatable? Of course. Feels like hel_l? Certainly. You want to bang someone's head into a wall after the 10th interview? No doubt. But it does not change the facts. You can't start banging those heads and demanding an explanation like you did from me, quoted above. It is a valid question. But, for the sake of your mental sanity, just get used to the reality here. I was offering advice based on what I have seen over the years. Yes, if there is a hole to plug quickly, a non-native speaker who is only available for 6 months or so is more than invaluable. I got lucky, that's how I started, as a compromise, and then I was watched closely for a year before positive feedback from parents and colleagues convinced management that my accent can be overlooked after all, and I was allowed to stay on. There are some schools that are very strict, others are lenient, but we will never ever be considered the top choice.

Six months and non-native teacher, well there is one very specific case when someone with this background would be a godsend - if a teacher drops out during term, and an urgent replacement is needed, most schools lower their expectations a little. You just need to be in the right place at the right time.

Why do you think someone would need to lower their expectations to hire me for something which is my profession and I am good at?

If you want to go on the offensive, why not, I can only tell you what I see in everyday life around me for years and years.... if a principal has 2 months to hire a new teacher, they will be picky, they may prefer a certain age or accent or gender for example, if they have two hours, they will take the first applicant who looks reasonably ok.

I am a non-native teacher myself and I would have lots to tell, but you know what, I don't care if you swim or sink or whatever, because your attitude just stinks, it is not right for Thailand.... these reactions won't get you very far in a Thai school with its conservative hierarchy.

Good luck, anyway.

I remember driving past a sign to Dokmai garden on the way to Ob Khan national park / gorge, not very far from the canal road. no idea how far down the soi or exactly where, but thereabouts.

from their website: Latitude and longitude for GPS owners: N18 40.634 E 98 52.749 that should help with google maps too

Six months and non-native teacher, well there is one very specific case when someone with this background would be a godsend - if a teacher drops out during term, and an urgent replacement is needed, most schools lower their expectations a little. You just need to be in the right place at the right time.

eucalyptus oil. or vinegar. these 2 things remove just about anything.

Aidenai: and I would have nothing against that after grade 4 or so, when they don't need that much "mothering" and personal connections anymore.

When I hear teachers complaining about too many classes / subjects, I always wonder what it is like for an average prathom 1-2-3-4 kid to have ten or eleven different subject teachers (English, Thai, Maths, social, art, music, scout etc etc), having to adapt to all these adults' different expectations, personalities, communication, reward and punishment schemes, accents. hel_l it would creep me out if I had ten bosses, all with slightly different takes on what I should be doing and how! How do these kids have continuity in their days? coherence? Cross-references to what they did a few hours before? The teacher won't even know if someone was sick in the morning and needs to be taken care of, or whatever. Won't even know if someone's absent or having a long toilet break. It's like a stupid conveyor belt assembly system. It's not designed for people. I am happy to be a homeroom teacher, staying with the same children full time, teaching all the subjects, really relating to them. Maybe their maths or art is not taught with perfect precision.... but, are we teaching subjects, or are we educating children?

Sorry I am slightly off topic. I would rather quit the job then jump around from class to class like a homeless person, not having anyone to relate to. I pity everyone who needs to do that and suffer from it.

I got a 9 on the IELTS a couple of years ago, my big problem was that they froze us to death here at the British Council in Chiang Mai, it can't have been more than 15 degrees in the room. It was extremely difficult to concentrate, write essays with frozen fingers etc. Would never have thought that this could be the biggest challenge at a serious exam!

(I am not Thai.)

is it really unbelievable that some people never drink? if someone said that to you during the interview, would you think he / she is lying??

I have no idea if it is legally prohibited in all government schools or not - someone else may be able to answer that.

In the private school where I work, it is in the teachers' contracts that physical punishment will result in immediate termination.

Before anything else, I think you need to find out how often it happens (does this teacher go on a rampage on a daily basis or was in an unfortunate one-off?), and what the policy is in your daughter's school. If it is clearly spelled out that they have a policy against smacking, you need to follow a different route than you would with an administration that supports such practices. It is easily possible that your daughter's teacher goes against her own school's policy but everyone is choosing to turn a blind eye. Seen that before.

By the way, I teach 6-year-olds, I am yet to see one that works more happily and diligently if yelled at, intimidated or abused. I would also be extra careful with anyone who has an absent or deceased parent, or a messy background. Personally, I would do my best to make sure it won't happen again. Not all Thai schools are such a garbage dump. If she is broken now, she may learn to hate school forever and then you will have a big mess to sort out.

Hope you can sort it out one way or another, good luck.

As far as I know varies from school to school, we get 10 paid sick days per year, non-cumulative, and you are expected to have a doctor's certificate even for a single day off. Obviously if you have been around for a while, you won't get fired for being sick longer but I guess it will be all unpaid. A day off every now and then for personal reasons is acceptable. But absenteeism seems to be BIG DEAL for Thai administrators, for sure an easy way to find yourself outside the gate even if you are doing a good job. I am not sure Thailand is the right place for your colleague.... his attitude sucks. Any school and especially the students deserve better.

Would it be possible to name and shame the school that is going ahead with hiring this thug?

this is the Chiang Mai forum so I thought self-evident that.... Chiang Mai?

it happened in September 2009.