jdwphuket

Wow, thanks very much for a very comprehensive answer!

To answer your questions:

I want to study around six hours per week, preferably spread over weekdays although I'd consider weekends if there was no choice. The number of hours would depend on the cost of the lessons, to an extent...

I live in the Rachadaphisek area, close to Phra Ram 9 MRT. Am willing to travel on the transport network to get to the teacher, though if they could come to me that would be cool.

I want to improve my conversation, listening and reading comprehension.

I'd prefer to study privately.

I would be willing to buy lessons in blocks.

Could you perhaps send me the contact details of some of the good private language teachers you know?

Thanks

Dan

(Sorry this is long)

Sadly there is no P/6 exam given by the thai government anymore for foreigners . It's another type of proficiency testing, but. ..

Be that as it may; I know a LOT of private thai teachers who might meet your needs.

The question is; what (other than improving your 'effluency' <sic> sorry meant fluency in thai) do you want from the classes? If indeed your thai is at the level you self-assess it to be , you probably want a more custom tailored class than the bais stuff. Also there are more than enough P/1-P/6 practice test books out there at the government bookstores to self test and see what your strong areas are and what things you need to work on.

Never the less;

Here're a few questions which need to be gotten outta the way first. Questions which any potential thai teacher would need to know to 'custom fit' a class for you;

*Do you have your own study materials, or expect the teacher to provide them?

*How many hours a week and at what times are you intending to study?

*Where is a convenient location for you to meet and study?

*Do you want conversation based only, reading and then question/answer stuff to gauge your comprehension, writing exercises or a combination of all of it?

*Would you be interested in studying with a small group of foreigners with similar desires in language acquisition and a similar level of thai, (a LOT cheaper), or do you prefer one on one (more expensive)?

*After a sample lesson would you be willing to buy 'blocks' of time (say 10 hours at a whack at a discounted price) or do you prefer to pay hour by hour?

I couldn't even begin to recommend a teacher without getting those questions answered. Then again even perusing the T/V classified ads yields no shortage of alleged thai teachers, and I’m sure a quick Google would turn up even more.

Strangely enough (or not ), rates vary widely. I've seen 'em as low as 150baht an hour up to a mind wobbling 750baht an hour! While in the US, a higher price point usually means a higher level of quality, I have not found this to be the case here by any wild stretch of the imagination.

In fact, some of the most expensive private thai teachers I've met here have abso-tively posi-lutely no business even attempting to teach thai to foreigners. (They’re about as qualified as the plethora of foreigners here who have no business teaching engrish to the thais, yet do anyway). Seein as there is no vetting of ability or standardized teaching in the private thai language sector, (as most do it ‘under the table’ as far as taxes, companies, etc) anyone, including their uncle Somchai and/or his pet soi dog, can simply teach thai to foreigners by handing out cards, or making flyers.

My research has shown that the privately taught thai language sector is by far the most sketchy area in the entire niche market of foreigners learning the thai language. Bang-4-the-baht varies wildly, quality of materials is haphazard at best, and there is even less recourse than offered at a welll known private thai language school (which is next to nonexistent) if things don’t work out and you want customer satisfaction. Even hooking up with a known private thai language school is no guarantee that you’ll get quality results. It really is a crap shoot out there as far as finding a thai teacher whose ability, personality and teaching materials mesh with your goals.

The best private thai language teachers I’ve met operate almost 100% by word of mouth, their current and former students refer others to them, and if they advertise at all it’s very little. The best one’s also have prior experience in the “teach thai to foreigners” field, something I feel is a necessity if a thai person’s gonna get into the business.

Good Luck. ..

Hi all,

I'm looking for a good Thai teacher in Bangkok. My Thai is fairly advanced - I can read and write and speak pretty well. I just want to improve my fluency now and possibly study for the P6 exam. Can anyone recommend a good Thai teacher or school for a student at my level? If they're cheap, that would be a bonus!

Thanks.

phuket is an island, after all, has an international airport and sea port - one of the safest in the whole thailand.

you should not worry that much, all the international hotel chains will protect their investments

I'm not so sure a bomb couldn't go off in Phuket. In the event of some sort of insurgency, the red shirts might try and bomb a major tourist area like Bangla to kill the tourism industry and starve this staunchly Democrat region of income. Is that really so far fetched?

I think the situation in Thailand has deteriorated to the point where civil war is a real possibility. Do you fear for your family's safety? Or, at least, its financial security? Are you thinking of leaving Phuket for this reason? Do you know anyone who already has?

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a good Thai teacher who does private lessons at reasonable prices in Phuket? I am at quite an advanced level in speaking, reading and writing and am looking for a teacher who has some experience teaching advanced Thai.

I live in Phuket Town. I would be prepared to travel a bit but it would be better if the teacher lived here or was willing to travel here.

Thanks in advance.

German expat Wolf Kesselheim was stabbed to death on Wednesday, apparently for honking and shouting at a guy who cut him up on a motorcycle. A couple of weeks before that, another German guy was shot dead in Chiang Mai after 'flipping the bird' at a Thai man at some traffic lights. Has something like this ever happened to someone you know in Phuket? Have you ever been threatened after honking or getting angry at someone on the road here? I want to know how common this is. Scary stuff.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm really looking for restaurants though. For example 'Restaurant X in Kata serves caterpillar som tam' etc.

Go to one of the local markets, you can get plenty of wierd food at the local markets.

Hello all,

I'm trying to find out where in Phuket you can order dishes with 'weird' ingredients. By 'weird' I mean things you wouldn't get in the West and that a lot of Western people might be repulsed by. Such as insects, organs etc.

Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Thanks.

Find the lady that puts down piles of rice for the soi dogs. Follow her and try to get to the rice before the dogs do.

Where does this lady do this?

Thanks for the ideas. Do you know which beach is particularly good for clams, shells etc?

Get a job!

Many jobs provide free food.

Also, at low tide, you'll notice many Thai people out collecting clams, shells, crabs, etc.

As well as people often seen picking the edible wild plants along the road. HOWEVER: please be aware that the black smoke you see billowing from many Thai people's vehicles ends up feeding those wild plants next to the road and they are very high in sulfur content.

Better to pick them in the jungle or away from any road.

Also: you may notice many Burmese workers carrying a slingshot in the back pocket. They shoot lizards and birds. As well as out catching frogs after the rain.

Easy to get free food in Thailand, but you have to work a bit for it.

Erm, no, not a troll, I genuinely want this information... I don't really understand what your post is supposed to mean.

This has to be a troll, most balloon chasers deny that they do it

Hi all,

I'm trying to compile a list of places it's possible to eat for free in Phuket. My definition of 'free' is quite loose. This might mean bars that put on free food for customers, even if you still have to pay for the drinks.

You can also eat free samples at Villa Market, though obviously you're not going to fill your stomach doing that...

I also hear they put on free food at the Big Buddha in Chalong, too.

Can anyone help me out with my list? Bars, clubs, shops, churches, temples, whatever.....

Many thanks

The article doesn't suggest the man caught swine flu in Phuket, it just says he came down with it while here. It leaves the possibility that he caught it here open, and why not? Are you saying that's impossible? The public health official quoted doesn't seem to have any evidence that the guy didn't catch it in Phuket. He's just saying "we don't have swine flu here so he couldn't have caught it here". That just sounds like fire fighting talk to me.

I'm sure the government would much prefer the Gazette to keep quiet about news like this. If the Gazette fell into line and didn't bother reporting a possible swine flu case in Phuket, there'd be people complaining that the Gazette was just some censored rag (as many already do).

Great - of all the headlines they could have chosen they had to go and use this one - searches for Phuket are going to bring this one up fast because of the "Swine Flu" searches elsewhere.

If he did not get it here, he is no longer here, and there are no related cases how is this news?

Does the Gazette not get that we are in an economic downturn and we need every advantage we can to survive it - such irresponsible reporting only harms the island.

If people were being infected here for sure report it if you must but this is just an attempt at sensation journalism at its worst - only good thing to come from it is that the Gazette will probably get an increase in their hits on their website. No doubt another news story next week to say they hit XYZ number of visitors this month

There are so many nails going into the coffin wood is now the minor part

Do you believe everything the public health office tells you? Just because some guy says the Hong Kong guy definitely didn't get swine flu here, doesn't mean he's right. If he started showing symptoms while on the island, it's possible he caught it here.

Besides, the Thai authorities have an obvious interest in playing down reports of swine flu in Phuket.

The Gazette's job is to report what is of interest to its readers. If someone may have caught swine flu in Phuket, people have a right to know.

Newspapers have a duty of care to their readers to be sure of the facts - the story stated that "officials" said that it had not been caught in Thailand yet there was no evidence to suggest the opposite - so why the sensationalist headline? Could it be because of a headline "Confirmed man did not contract Swine Flu in Phuket" is not going to get any visitors to their website.

If a person starts showing the systems of Malaria after visiting Iceland do you want to suggest he could have caught it there?

Do you have evidence of Swine Flu in Phuket? If not why jump to the conclusion that officials are playing it down - could it not be the simple case that there are not any cases on the island? There are after all thousands of places around the world that have no reported cases.

As a reader of the gazette i am interested in them getting facts right - not making mileage about a worldwide scare for their own benefit

Hi,

I'm writing an article about wheelchair accessibility in Phuket for the Phuket Gazette. I'd be really interested to hear from and possibly interview any wheelchair users either living here or who have spent some time here. If you're able to help, please PM me.

Many thanks

Dan