markg

I felt it in Phuket Town area.

It felt stronger than the 2004 quake

To the OP - it depends where you want them to be when they are at university age. I know this may be a long way off for you at the moment but I think you SHOULD think about it.

A Thai school prepares children for a Thai university and then life within Thailand. And there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that.

However, if you are considering a 'first world' university then the local school system here will not equip them for that.

Ask the local Thai school what exams the students leave school with and see if that enables them to get into a university in your home country. It won't be.

The longer you leave it, the longer it takes to equip them with the critical thinking skills required in first world universities.

As for international schools 'having to teach Thai by law to get licensed' - yes - it is, i believe, 90 minutes a week. You don't really spend all that money to send your non-Thai kids to an international school if you want them to learn Thai.

You spend the money because you want them to have the education you had (or wished you'd had!)

I work here and have a rolling one year visa (and work permit) that gets renewed every May.

My current stamp lets me stay until May 2015.

My passport was filling up so I got a multiple entry re-entry stamp in it for 3,800 baht.

Whilst in the UK I decided to get a new passport so as not to have to renew it inconveniently from LOS

I re-entered Thailand with both passports. The new one was duly stamped in and Immigration noted that I am entitled to stay until May 2015 from my old passport. (Now with the corner cut off)

I know I can go to Immigration and get my visa / stamp moved over to my new passport.

Can I also get my multiple re-entry permit transfered too? I have been told by admin at work that I cannot.

I do have a couple of overseas trips planned between now and May 2015 and dont really want to pay for more re-entry stamps.

Could I just exit and re-enter with both passports until May 2015 or would that be frowned on ?! In May I could then get the visa/stamps moved over to my new passport.

The local authorities said they closed this scam down a couple of years ago due to all the complaints.

It is only the 2nd time in 10 years.

Over the years I have either told them my address or spoken in Thai

This was the first time that no address was asked for (Just Phuket Town zone) and the driver made no attempt to speak to me. Guess they thought I was a tourist. 

Just thought I would post my experience of my recent arrival at Phuket international airport. 

1. Arrived from outside Thailand so had to go through immigration.

2. HUGE queues at immigration - the hall was literally packed.

3. As you enter immigration hall, the very last counter is for 'visa on arrival' and there are some advertising hoardings there. Behind the hoardings, a very nice chap will take 4 USD off you (120 baht) and let you use the visa on arrival desk thereby cutting the line. Nice.

4. Got a taxi from the first desk on the left as you come out of customs. (It had 3 letters in the name, like PMK or something similar)

5. There were no taxi touts waiting inside the airport. Only the proper taxi drivers in a kiosk. Very relaxing not having to push through the hoards of touts

6. I paid 650baht for a taxi into Phuket Town. At no stage did anyone actually ask me where in Phuket town.

7. The taxi driver had to sign out of the airport and this was all being checked by the military. Presumably this will stop illegal taxi drivers ? 

8. The driver never spoke a word to me in either English or Thai, so I never spoke to him. After 10 minutes or so, we stopped at a Travel Agency. (I wish I had taken a photo) and the driver literally jumped out of the car and walked quickly away. I know this scam so wasnt too bothered. A very nice lady tapped on the window and asked in English which hotel i was staying at. I answered her in Thai that I was going home and she quickly called the driver who seemed pretty angry, and we drove off. As we were reversing out, there was a taxi (same company) in there with 2 confused looking Asians in the back (possibly Korean) getting the full on treatment from the Travel Agency about their hotel being no good etc. 

It is an old scam and I am aware of it so just posting this for other people who are not.

The Military have done a lot for Phuket and I was surprised that this scam is still going on.

It was late and I was tired after a 15 hour flight so didnt get enough details to report it officially. 

I used the Taxi Service counter just inside the airport last night.

Prices are clearly displayed and you pre-pay.

Queue of 2 people in front of me.

Taken by a uniformed driver in a new and clean car (possibly a Camry)

Driver drove at a sensible pace.

650 baht to Phuket town.

It must be a 1 hour/80km round trip.

I don't think that is anything like excessively expensive.

I gave him a 100baht tip for driving sensibly.

10 years ago it was 450 to 500baht.

The OP's point is that meter taxis should use the meter and this is a valid point, however, the pre-pay taxi service is there and it is a viable alternative.

The airport bus to Phuket town is 50THB. You paid 750THB for the same trip. Perhaps you enjoy paying a 1500 (one thousand five hundred) percent markup for being a farang.

I don't.

Your nickname is noted.

There is no markup for being a ''farang'' at the Taxi Service counter. Thais would pay the same. You can't compare the airport bus with a taxi. One is door to door and the other isn't. Paying extra for a more convenient service is normal in life. The airport bus sets off god-knows-when and the nearest bus stop is 3km from my house which means I then have to fanny about getting a motorcycle taxi. Frankly, for 650baht plus discretionary tip, I just can't be bothered. 650baht is not really that much money and for a service that sets off immediately, drives safely and provides me with a door to door service in a comfortable car with aircon and leather seats.

I am interested in this as have the same car.

I find the grip of the stock tyres worrying.

165 x 14 (stock) is a bit too puny and i'm looking at going up to 185 or 195 x 15

Did the OP or anyone else fit 185 or 195s and if so is there any feedback?

I found some good info and pictures of aftermarket wheels and tyres here http://mirageforum.com/forum/showthread.php/385-2013-Mirage-Aftermarket-Wheels

Absolute no brainer mate. Take the international gig.

A private language school paying 55k...........does that include paid holidays and sick pay too?

The 77k of the international school will make a BIG difference to your lifestyle. PLUS - that is actually quite a low salary for an international school in Bangkok, so once you get established out here in Thailand, you will be able to move on after a year or so and earn over 100k.

With a language school, you will be earning 55k (if you are lucky) in 5 years time.

Will the international school be much harder work? For sure. But you trained as a teacher so you kinda know what to expect don't you?

Once, with Thai gal in tow, got a taxi from Don Muang to Suk 11 for an agreed to 600thb for the two of us.

Literally just done that journey, DM to Soi 11. On the meter, its 220, plus the toll road fees, less than 300 baht. You were ripped mate.

Flew into Phuket. All the taxi booths were charging 650 flat rate to Chalong. I jumped into a meter taxi. There is a BIG sign up saying you pay the meter plus 100 baht. It's very clear. The meter displayed 380 baht, so i paid 480 in total.

Now here's the thing. The 100 baht is an airport surcharge, so the actual fare for that distance on a meter is 380. These flat fee guys charging 650 are having a laugh. We need meter taxis in Phuket and we need them now.

(On a Bangkok note, I believe the days of ALL taxi drivers taking you and putting on the meter, are quickly vanishing. I got a cab from DEPARTURES at Suvanabhum, he drove 100 yards whilst we argued about him putting the meter on. He stopped. I got out and immediately into another cab who put the meter on. The first guy drove away empty as the cops moved him on. Fool.)

Having worked as a TEFLer and at an international school I can honestly say that the workload at an international school is far higher.

That is in no way meant to be a slight towards TEFLers. It is just my opinion based upon my experience.

Also in my experience, as I've mentioned earlier in this thread, the level of responsibility at an international school is much higher than when I was TEFLing. The buck for most things stop with the homeroom teacher, whereas when I was TEFLing, the buck stopped with the THAI homeroom teacher - ergo, far less responsibility for me !

That being said, there are SO many things that I find are better (for me) at an international school.

In no particular order.

1. No cancelled lessons. Ever. Not for marching practice, flower making, candle making, Krathong making, furniture moving, display board making or any other BS. Not ever. Ever.

2. All students speak English. There is no misunderstanding due to language, about exactly what standards are required.

3. We don't care how important you say your uncle's second cousin is. Your kid is in detention tomorrow night. Pick him up at 5pm.

4. If your kid doesn't work hard in class, do homework, or thinks he can mess around for longer than, oh, about 2 days, you will be called in, he will be put on report and we will suspend him if he doesn't improve.

5. If your kid gets a low score in a test, then that is the score that will appear on his end of year report. No retests. No erased scores.

6. 70 percent is an acceptable score. It won't go up because your child drew pretty pictures on the test paper.

7. When I'm teaching, your kid will be silent. I will indicate when the time has come for them to speak politely to the class or their work group. No ifs, no buts. (That NEVER happened when I was TEFLing except for periods of 3 or 4 minutes during tests)

8. I will go to the ends of the Earth to improve your kid's education. I expect you and them to reciprocate.

9. I will not answer my cell phone to you after 6pm. It's not that I don't care, it's just that it's unreasonable.

Personally, I think it would be more beneficial if they were screening for hepatitis or HIV, syphilis is still a curable disease.

I had a blood test for a newly issued work permit about 3 years ago. I asked why they were testing for syphilis and was told by the doctor that actually, it's a covert HIV test. You can have syphilis but not have HIV but apparently you will always test positive for syphilis if you have HIV.

Here's the thing though............you can't pass on HIV in normal, daily circumstances, like say, working as a teacher....................

So it appears that foreigners with HIV are discriminated against, because the Thai teachers are not checked for HIV. And Thailand certainly does have a high number of people with HIV.

(I haven't got HIV by the way - I'm just sayin')

Kinda thought we'd got rid of this back in the late 50's..........

This guy here has been paid by the Thai Government for years and has told them how to change things.

Nothing gets done.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cehd/insideout/2011/05/thai_education_expert_fry_deli.html

http://www.slidefinder.net/r/reform_education_reform_your_country/32491423/p5

It's not easy to make changes. I know this.

I've said this before and I'll say it again.

1. The Thai ruling elite have NO reason or desire to improve the education of this country.

2. Education is part of the social fabric of any country, and Thai society, broadly speaking, does not encourage critical thinking or analysis. It survives on parental piety and subjugation.

3. The Thai education system is designed to turn out good Thai citizens. One generation from now, they will wonder why they didn't address the implications of being a global citizen.

If student-centred learning was brought about, and students were given critical thinking skills instead of rote-learning skills, then the whole smoke-and-mirrors / house of cards / emperor's new clothes, would fall apart. And the ruling elite can't have that. So they will continue to have their kids educated abroad whilst paying lip service to educational improvements back home.

That's the whole shocking truth of the matter.

As a simple example, we had a student come to our school to take the entrance exams. She spoke English reasonably well. I asked her which test would she like to sit first, English, Maths or Science. She couldn't answer the question. She appeared to be unable to comprehend this level of choice being given to her. That's because in her 12 short years on this planet, she's never had to make a decision.

We have in the classroom a ''naughty student chair and desk so as work is not interrupted, the offenders peers decide whether the offender sits or stands and I review the situation every 5 minutes or so via a show of hands as to whether the punishment time period is over or not.

OMG. That's just wrong on so many levels.

Exactly Lucifer - the ONLY reason teachers should test students is to find out what they are good or bad at, and change their teaching accordingly. (Tests are NOT for just filling in a spreadsheet at the end of the year)

Streaming is good in theory, but in practice.................why stop at just maths, language and science. WHy not the whole subject spectrum.

Here are some questions.

Imagine you have two streams for language. A student, Nok, is at the bottom of the top set. She is trying her hardest, paying attention, doing extra homework and study and she is just about making it in the top stream. Then, one day, a student arrives from another school and he is much better than Nok. There now isn't enough room for Nok and the new student to study in the top set, so Nok gets pushed down into the bottom set. What does that do for her confidence?

Here's another one. How often do you change the sets? Once a year? Pah ! For whatever reason, a kid finds himself in a lower stream. He then has to wait a whole year before being put into the higher stream? Uh oh!

I've worked in schools that have both mixed ability classes and streamed classes. Nothing ground breaking here but guess what, behaviour in the lower streamed classes is much worse than the upper tier. And guess what also...........no one wants to teach the bottom tier classes. You end up having a high teacher turnover, OR you end up putting a teacher in there that just doesn't want to be there - so they just go through the motions. Not good for the students.

From a classroom behaviour point of view, it's much easier to use positive reinforcement in mixed ability classes because the well behaved students demonstrate the desired behaviour. They also demonstrate the academic standard that can be achieved. The lower ability kids really do up their game and try harder. In lower tier classes, they just don't try as hard because they don't have to.

I've read Gardner. Don't forget, it's just a theory !

I'm sorry Culicine, but you test every two weeks and don't record the results...........

Erm....... Well, I can tell you work in a Thai EP programme.

An accreditation organisation would ask you this.

What is the point of your tests? How are you tracking student progress? Show us how you are checking student knowledge (paper tests are merely ONE small way of doing so). Show us how you are giving feedback to the student about their progress. Show us how you are using differentiation to teach to all levels in the class. Show us how you let the students know what they can do to improve their knowledge. Show us how your are communicating with the parents.

Lots and lots of tests certainly satisfy Thai school management because they appear to think tests on their own have some use.

If OFSTED saw this, you'd get seriously reported as inadequate. I'm not joking.

Can I ask you this. How often do you take the students out of the classroom to practically apply their mathematical knowledge to everyday scenarios so that they can see the benefit of learning maths. Your answer should include phrases like 'at least 3 times more than I give them a paper test'.

Practically demonstrating their knowledge IS the test - but it's just not on paper!

I've been in a Thai school EP for many years as a mathematics teacher and we also have quite a heavy workload. I have 24 x 50min periods, start at 7.30-4.30. We have a horrendous amount of paperwork - class evaluations, score books, daily lesson plans, etc. Then there are monthly staff meetings, gate duty, parent teacher meetings etc. I test all my students weekly, giving me about 100 quizzes to mark per week. So those without experience of teaching in such a program should refrain from comments about the lower workload in Thai schools. I've been teaching 12 years so I manage to get all this done, mostly, during working hours. Yes there are some schools were teachers just go in and teach, then can go home, but I don't think these are in the majority.

That's an awful lot of testing you are doing. Why do you need to test so much?

As a matter of interest, what do you do with the scores?

At our school, we do two tests per year. The rest of the year we use Attainment Target Levels which allow us to use continuous assessment of student ability and to modify our lessons immediately.

Many schools think a written paper test, where the scores are noted on a spreadsheet, actually mean something.

They don't. It's just paperwork.

Scores are only meaningful if they are used to improve the way the teacher delivers his lesson to that particular child.

I would serioulsy question any school that required me to mark hundreds of tests per week.

I can assess a student's abiltiy perfectly well using continuous assessment.

I don't waste my time on such nonsense as weekly tests. (I teach in Secondary by the way. Weekly spelling tests for primary have some use, though I would use peer-to-peer marking for them)

Would you guys do this work if let's say, their was a new law stating that No teacher at an International school could get payed more than 70,000 baht a month?

Would you still do it?

I keep telling people - it's not how much you earn, it's how much you can save living the lifestyle you want.

For example, I have a friend in the UK who is a qualified teacher with 4 years experience. He earns 34,000 pounds per year living in London.

Thats about 140k Thai baht per month before tax. Lets say about 110k after tax. He pays nearly 50k a month in rent. That leaves him 60k a month.

Which is not a million miles away from someone earning 70k a month in Thailand at this point.

Personally, I eat out for every meal and have a good drink up once a week, have a nice house with a maid/cleaner coming once a week.

Dial that into your London salary and you're just about spent up for the month.

On your (ficticious) 70k a month Thai salary, you're still streets ahead.

I definitely save more than my UK counterparts here for the same lifestyle I'd say.

Oh, and i don't have to pay to go on holiday.

I live in the place where people pay to go on holiday..........!

There's an old adage along the lines of 'you don't go into education if you want to be rich'.

Education is a calling.

Earning enough to make it comfortable makes it that little bit easier.

I'll never be monetary rich, but I also never count down the days to pay day.

Hope that helps.

If what you're really asking is '<deleted>, that seems like a whole load of work' then you'd be right. It is.

It is a substantial amount of work indeed -much more than your average 40 hour week working in an office. However, that is offset by 'ridiculous' holidays.

I have two things to say to people who begrudge the holidays teachers get.

1. It all averages out over the course of a year. I work a lot longer in an average week than many white collar workers

2. If you like the holidays, become a teacher. All you've gotta do is get a decent degree in a recognised subject from a good university, do a couple more years post-grad work, then start out on the bottom rung of the ladder. After about 10 years, you can consider that you've made it ! Easy really........................

So,I guess that the workload at these 'good' international schools matches that of State schools in the UK?

So,I guess that the workload at these 'good' international schools matches that of State schools in the UK?

Yeah..........pretty much.

Some of the better State schools, and many of the private schools too. The same rules, curriculum and accreditation is used.

I can easily get a crb from the UK. If that is enough.

I don't think you can 'easily' get a CRB check from the UK. The CRB check is done by a UK based employer to find out about a prospective employee. You cannot apply for one yourself.

As an individual, you can get a 'subject access check' which states clearly is NOT a police check, but it kinda is and that is what I used in 2006 when they were asking for them.

There is some recent information here http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/554416-recent-experience-non-b-visa-run-penang/ from 11th May 2012. No mention is made of a police check.

Nor here either http://www.phuketvisa.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=article&Id=538608332

As I've said before, I've never heard a Police check being part of getting a non-B for a Phuket school in the last 5 years. They did have a bit of a strop on immediately after the John Mark Karr incident http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_Reich but as is the Thai way, it quickly blew over and was all forgotten about.

The most important document from the Phuket labour office is the 'WP3' form. Once that has been signed and paid for, you're good to go.

Different labour offices use different rules.

I think they maybe realised that it's inconvenient for many people to get to BKK in person to do a Thai police check.

Never heard of it being needed in the last 5 years in Phuket Scott.

I am a peripatetic teacher (part time, traveling to each school for work) at both The Regent's and St. Andrews. I was required to get the police background check. It was free, painless except for the time spent going to and from Bangkok twice.

And herein is why it's a bit rubbish. How does someone who lives in, say. Had Yai, manage to 'nip' up to the police station in Bangkok during working hours............twice?

I got my own police check from my own country about 5 years ago and have never been asked to produce one since, and I've changed schools twice in that time. One hurdle we never found out how to jump over was this; in the USA a 'police check' could consist of one done at County level or by the FBI. The latter takes about 6 weeks minimum I was told. South Africans could only do it in their home country by submitting finger prints, in person, at the South African Embassy in Bangkok - again, very inconvenient for anyone who doesn't live near BKK.

I find it extrememly unlikely that the Police in Bkk have the time or resources to submit a check request to every police department in every country in the world.

Are they really relying on you to submit to them every country you've visited? Rather trusting isn't it? I suspect someone convicted of something in, say, Sierra Leone, might forget to admit they'd ever been there. Their 'police check' would then come up clear.

I've worked at schools who routinely send teachers for Non B visas to Penang or Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Vientienne. None have been asked for a police check in the last 4 or 5 years. All got their visas.