Firelily

I know I am not exactly on topic, but it sort of hurts that having had so much horrible experience with Thai teachers of English, many farangs / native speakers will automatically assume that all non-native teachers of English are useless and have substandard English.

As for the topic of this thread.... I really don't know what to advise, it is horribly difficult to "unlearn" the incorrect patterns once a young adult is out of school and gets some exposure to real English. It will take considerable time and effort to get rid of the crap. As a parent, maybe I WOULD do all the homework for her just to save her from learning incorrect patterns. No matter if she fails her tests and exams (can she fail them at all??) And in the meantime, I would speak as much as I can with her, send her to summer camp, weekend classes, watch movies, anything that helps.

(Disclaimer: I didn't really think this through thoroughly, so there may be a gaping hole somewhere in this "solution".)

I'm a qualified teacher with over 10 years of experience but I would have no clue how to deal with 40 seven-year-olds in a meaningful and positive way without an assistant. Please make fun of me.

In Chiang Mai, there was a one-hour video in English (also Chinese and Japanese I think), then the test in English at the computer. After I finished, the program also explained all the items that I had got wrong.

The video wasn't very helpful, I should have spent more time studying the book with all the signs because many questions were focused on those, and many of the signs are very different from the ones at home (some mean the exact opposite, too). There were 2 questions that came up twice. I did pass on the first attempt - lucky.

I started with the same salary as all the other English teachers at my school. (I am not a native speaker, just a qualified teacher.)

I do speak Thai, otherwise it would have been impossible. It was just a warning for anyone who doesn't.

I guess they make more of an effort during the high season, otherwise they would be out of business.

I was at Ban Farang a couple of weeks ago - ok, it was off season. There are no farangs or English-speaking people on staff, you can only communicate in Thai. They were making faces when I asked about the restaurant (it was open but they couldn't be arsed to actually cook), and they were generally very very unhelpful, one of my worst experiences in Thailand in 8 years.

They may get their act together for the high season, but I was wondering, why do they bother.

The thing is, I guess there aren't many other options in Khun Yuam.

Well I just got back from the NEW and out in the middle of nowhere Imm. office in Bangkok... Well they denied my visa extension because no teachers license.

Sorry to hear that.... but why isn't your school taking care of the paperwork? I'm not one for school-hopping but I would run FAR away if my employer dumped the paperwork on me.

My experience is that Thai teachers of English as well as Thai parents still (mostly) teach "see-ay-tee cat" kind of reading. I would say you probably only stand a chance of proper phonics instruction based on the sounds of the letters if your son has a farang teacher, whether in a government or a private school.

In the meantime, starfall.com is the best online resource that could be used to plug the holes until better arrangements can be made (it uses American pronunciation, though.)

I worked in Taiwan for over a year, 9 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. (teaching, not office hours, with minimal preparation time!), no work for me on weekends though. A couple of days as public holidays, six days off for Chinese new year (including a weekend of course), NO school holidays whatsoever for teachers or children, ever. We worked Christmas, new year, you name it. Worth it for the money only, but then after a year, I literally collapsed with exhaustion and spent 2 days virtually unconscious with a friend in Bangkok, fever, chronic fatigue. I would never do it again, it left me totally shattered and spent. I couldn't go anywhere near a school for a few months.

I try to remember this "work ethic" whenever I am upset that we only get 5 weeks off per year in Thailand. I really wish I was allowed to take some time off summer school as unpaid holiday though, after all these years. I feel very very tired.

The "funny" thing is, you cannot teach more in China or in Thailand than you can in an easy-going 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. school system in Europe. Both children and teachers just spread out the same finite amount of energy and concentration. You end up with the same achievements after a lot more energy and hours of input. Sometimes less is more.

If a student fails a test on Monday, what are the chances that they are appropriately prepared and significantly improve by, say, Wednesday? I would be strongly in favour of retesting if it took place at the end of the term break, on the first day of second term. I am a very conscientious teacher and work hard, but I would not sacrifice a single minute of my holiday to retest someone just for the sake of a farce.

That lengthy list above by a99az is way outdated, my school has contact details from at least 6 years ago, for a start.

I'm a little mystified at some of these long holidays, do you guys have two terms of 20 weeks, or are they a little shorter?

I'm not in Waree - but I would think schoolbus services are similar across town. My main concern as a teacher is that the first children get picked up shortly after 6 a.m., and the schoolbus leaves campus at 5:30 p.m. The duty teacher on the bus does not get home before dark. If your child is the last one to be dropped off.... I think it is simply cruel that children, especially kindergarten or lower primary kids, only go home to sleep. But of course many Thai parents think they are giving the best possible to their kids. If I had a kid, I would get them out of school at 3:30 sharp, or hire someone to collect them.

2 weeks off for teachers, 3 weeks for students.

Children need to be taught how to use the internet to answer questions or read up on topics they are interested in. Otherwise, they will just get lost in the amazing mass of information and misinformation. Or, simply end up copy-pasting the first hit on any topic for an assignment or project. Using the internet efficiently is one of the most important learning and life skills. The world has changed.

In my classroom, the computer is hooked up to a projector. This has made a huge difference to some of our activities.

Generally speaking, I don't think we can force change. It will have to come from inside. Farang teacher trainers have a crucial role here. I've worked with some wonderful young Thai teachers who got a good education in college and do teach the children to ask why, get them to work in groups, help them learn hands on, from real life experience. We have learnt a lot from each other and can have endless discussions - because the relationships are based on respect.

We cannot possibly walk into a foreign country, put our feet down, shake our heads in disbelief, and point out all the things that we think are totally wrong without any empathy, acceptance or understanding. Not even when we think everything is totally wrong. It is essential to choose our battles carefully, too. And then work hard, show respect, get accepted, and propose new ideas and changes in a subtle way, maybe twist it so that a Thai colleague or boss thinks it was their idea to start with. Climb back through the window when pushed out the door at the first attempt, if it is an important battle to be fought, but do so with an apologetic smile.

That's the only way that has worked for me, anyway, and as I see it, all new colleagues coming with a more aggressive attitude have ended up frustrated, miserable and hating Thailand.

> I tried in there today, and was told that the only way to get a visa for Burma now was to go to the Embassy in Bangkok. I guess things have changed.

I got the same reply a couple of months ago. agencies are not allowed to submit visa applications anymore.

The teaching assistants are very poorly paid Thais in bilingual or government schools, and quite poorly paid Filipinas or Thais in international schools, as far as I know. Or are there any international schools out there who employ qualified native speakers as assistants?

Last year I was asked to certify the photo of one of my students, who was the same age as your daughter. It was accepted by the British consulate / embassy. I am an EU citizen. I had to sign a form, fill in my passport number, and declare how long I had known the child. I had to write something like "This is the true image of X.Y." on the back of his photos.

HTH.

I was informed last week that my school had been requested to submit teaching licence applications all over again (starting from scratch, despite the first application over 2 years ago).

But then, this happened before August 10th.

As far as I know, the rules leave it up to school principals to set the requirements on hair.

Is this the Thai-only letter that was sent as registered mail and I had to go to the post office to pick it up? I couldn't make sense of it and have forgotten about it. How important is it to find the piece of paper and try to decipher it?

Just in case it helps anyone in Chiang Mai - my visa and work permit were extended for another year last week without any fuss. I don't have a license, even though my school applied for one exactly 2 years ago with all the necessary paperwork. I was also told that the area educational office is after Thai teachers' licenses at this stage, they are looking at transcripts and refuse to acknowledge teaching degrees issued by certain colleges. It is said to be a messy nightmare. Someone must be getting rich enrolling Thai teachers into additional courses so that they can "upgrade" their degrees.

Since I am a non-native speaker, I had to take an IELTS test (3 years ago), but to this day I haven't been able to find out which authority or department insists on having my scores. The native speakers haven't had any tests.

Personally, I am be concerned that if we have a holiday now, then we may have to do a 30-week second term without a break. That would be a killer. Students are barely alive by the end of January anyway. (Not to mention their poor teachers.)