koralynne

Just look at the drama serials on TV. Look at the actresses, or at least, the "stars" of the show. I'm sorry, but facts are that they look nothing like the dark-skinned girl-from-Isaan types. Local men prefer fair-skinned ladies. Even dark-skinned local men prefer fair-skinned ladies. And what men like, they girls want to be. This is Thailand's concept of beauty, like it or not. People from the west may call this racism, but to the locals it's simply that they consider fair skin a beautiful quality. Fair skin is not only a desirable quality to Thais, it is a desirable quality for Asians, from China (ancient paintings depict women with fair skin) to Korea (have you seen how fair the pop starlets are) to Japan (geishas paint their skin white, to make a point). Racism is not the issue.

That's not to say that even if a girl has fair skin but bad facial features, she would still be considered beautiful. Fair skin to the locals are what boobs are to Caucasians. If you have a pretty face but have small boobs, that's fine. But if you had a pretty face and big boobs, even better. So to the Thais its like this. If you had a pretty face and are not so fair, that's fine. But if you had a pretty face and fair skin, even better.

Personally I prefer fair-skinned ladies (I'm Chinese, that's why, sorry). But it's not so much about being fair-skinned than it is about clear, clean, healthy looking skin. I've had not-so-fair girlfriends before, but they were of a shade of golden brown, not dark-dark.

One thing to note. There's a difference between being tanned and being dark, Tanned is ideally that nice, golden, glowing shade that happens when a fair-skinned person go under the sun. Dark is, well, dark, the result of genes, and that's what the locals dislike.

This is "dark."

This is "tanned."

And this is "fair."

The director who agreed to hired me issued me a warning of sorts, telling me that if any parent should mention to the school that they didn't like the idea of an asian teaching their children, the school would have no choice but to pull me out of the school.

So much for education in Thailand.

Hi all,

I actually managed to land a job as a science and english teacher in a high school, and am getting paid at the same rate as the other "natives."

Thanks for all your feedback and opinions.

Wish me well.

I will not continue to lament the situation as it is; I am unable to change the industry as a whole, even if I can prove my English to be just as proficient as any "native-English" speaker. I will accept the circumstances as they are.

That said, I will take up the suggestion of some of the posters to go knocking on doors and take my chances. If any of you are able to help me with regards to findling a job, please drop me an e-mail at koralynne (at) live.com

Thanks, all.

Are you in Bangkok?

As the last poster said, go in and see them. Call them and keep checking. You may have to take a relatively low paid job if cash is a problem while you search for something more secure.

The language schools have openings most of the time and with summer approaching there is likely to be a fair amount of movement of teachers and they may need substitutes.

Yes I have been in Bangkok since June last year. I've actually been working as a substitute teacher ever since teaching academic subjects like Science, Math, and even English. But as mentioned, what I really want is to teach English as a foreign language.

So what concrete action steps can I take? I need to find a job rather urgently.

It is a fact that even with your background and education abroad, being from Singapore is a strike against you. Not being white hurts your chances too (even if you were from the USA or Australia it would reduce your chances.

The MoL in Thailand sets standards for the minimum wage that can be paid in occupations other than teaching and reporting that stack the deck in favor of some countries and against others. Until recently, if you were from Japan or the US, you HAD to be paid more than other nationalities to get an extension of stay from TM. Meaning that most companies would hire an Aussie or a Brit before they would hire a Japanese or a yank. (All of those countries now have the same 50k/month minimum)

So yes, it is true, you will find it harder to even get an interview if you are Singaporean/Chinese. I personally LIKE diversity in who I hire and try to look around for what is out there, but when it comes to the company bottom-line I'll usually pay the "market-rate" based upon nationality.

Many people would disagree with your opinion of Filipino's in education. It usually isn't the same level of English as a Native Speaker.

The same can be said about Singaporeans (but I happily grant that any university-level education in a native English speaking country can help overcome some of the innate English issues that many Singaporeans have!) On a side note --- it is relatively common to be raised in the USA and not have English be your "first" language, and the same is true in Singapore. I believe the "English First" system in Singaporean education is relatively new (1987?) but the real policy in Singapore still seems to be "bilingualism".

http://www3.telus.ne.../singapore.html someone's academic article from 2005 ....

Conclusion

Despite the fact that language planning in Singapore has been successful in achieving Government's sated aims, there are a lot existing issues and potential problems underlying the bilingual policy. In order to clarify these issues and solve these problems, not only the Government but also the policy makers, and most important of all, the teaching profession should co-operate with each other. Local teachers should take a more active role in influencing language policy. It is because as front line practitioners, they have direct experience on the needs and difficulties of students. Through the co-operation between teachers and policy-makers, more effective and indigenized language policy, curriculum, methodology and teaching materials could be designed.

If I saw your CV and saw a degree in English, Linguistics, or Education (or a Master's in Biz) I would probably call you in for an interview just because I like diversity. With a Bachelor's in Business I'd probably not call you in just based upon nationality. I know that may sound bad, but a general degree with no relevance AND not coming from a "Native English" speaking country. Remember also, that I do have a clientele to keep happy.

But a TESOL certificate and a degree (in whatever field) is the basic requirement for people wanting to teach English as a foreign language. Why do I specifically need a degree in English, Linguistics, or Education? Because I'm not white? Meaning that I would need more relevant and superior qualifications than white people when competing for the same position?

Bottom line is that the English proficiency of the average, university educated Singaporean is nowhere inferior to anyone from a "native-speaking" country, bilingualism notwithstanding. I'm quoting some negative examples here of course, but why should some whites with no degree nor a TEFL certificate who come to Thailand for the cheap booze and women get the job compared to a serious applicant like myself?

I had completed a TESOL course in June last year expecting to land a job teaching English in no time. What I got instead were ugly experiences with racial discrimination, not being able to land a single position teaching English due to my ethnicity or nationality. For the record I am a Singaporean of Chinese descent. I hold a bachelor's degree in business from Australia, and I completed the SIT TESOL certificate course which was hosted by AUA in Bangkok.

Sent dozens of e-mails looking for work. If I got replies, they'd ask me where I was from or request for a photo. Needless to say, I'd get no replies thereafter. "Native speakers from UK, USA, Ireland, Australia....etc only. If you do not come from these countries please DO NOT apply." Some of the schools I talked to were more frank, they told me it was unlikely for me to find a job because I wasn't white. "Even if you don't have a degree nor a TEFL cert, as long as you're white, young, slim, or better still, good looking, you'll find a job easily," one caucasian director of a school told me. The often quoted reason for hiring whites only is because Thai parents who enrol their children in language schools want their children to be taught by white people, or Thai people go to language schools expecting to be taught by white teachers. Most of these schools are run by caucasians, caucasians who are from countries which had racial issues in the past; issues that have been resolved, more or less. Yet, they tell me they can't hire me because I'm not white. It's not their call, they say; it's just that they have to cater to their Thai customers who want white faces exclusively.

Subsequently I found that Filipinos face the same issue in Thailand. They get hired, but at outrageously lower salaries even if they are holding the same job positions as their caucasian counterparts, which is completely unjustified. I hate to compare, but Singapore is the only Asian country with English as the medium of instruction in all schools, from primary to tertiary education. The lingua franca in Singapore is English. Our mother tongues, in my case, Chinese, is officially designated as second languages by the government. Secondary education here (the equivalent of high school and preparatory schools) offer exams in the form of the Cambridge GCE 'O' and 'A' levels. If Thailand insists on playing the "native speaker" card when hiring people to teach English, then techinically speaking, Singaporeans should fit the bill perfectly. Then again, it's apparent to me by now that schools insistence on native english speakers have almost nothing to do with the language proficiency, but the face value of its teachers. Why then, would Eastern europeans whose first langauge is not English find jobs so easily?

In any case I am still looking for a job to teach English, as it is what I took the TESOL course for. I hope the moderator of this forum, Scott, or any other forum members can help.

Regards, all.

Granted it may be bad timing now, I still can't sit around in Singapore and wait. I will be arriving in Bangkok on Tuesday but can only stay for about 10 days. I have to do something. What can I do? Stop e-mailing and start calling? Go knocking on doors?

Dear all,

I completed the SIT Graduate Institute TESOL certificate hosted at AUA Language Centre recently, and since then I've been desperately looking for a TEFL position in Bangkok and elsewhere in Thailand. I have since returned to Singapore after the course, and have been sending e-mail after e-mail after e-mail, to no avail. Altogether I must have sent at least 40 e-mails in the past one week, with no more than 3 replies saying they would get back to me if something comes up.

I'm really desperate. I'm convinced I'm not getting any job offers because I'm not a white caucasian from a western country. I'm from Singapore, actually. I have a bachelor's degree from Australia, and, along with this TESOL certificate, should qualifiy me very well for at least an entry level TEFL position.

I don't know what to do. It's been suggested that it's best for me to be in Thailand when looking for a TEFL job. So what do I do? Do I go turning up at schools uninvited? Wouldn't that be an unproductive way of looking? Does being outside of Thailand lessen my chances of getting a position?

I really could do with some help here. Anyone working for an agency or school, please kindly help.

Hi all,

I'm in urgent need of someone who can help me translate a personal letter from English into Thai, some 800 words long. Can anyone help?