Teaching IT skills in Thailand (and particularly in Udon Thani or environs)

[Vaughan Green]

Hello everone.

 

.Any IT people out there, please listen up.

 

I have thought of what may be a promising solution to many of my, and my wife's, problems, and any old IT staff who feel unwanted by the industry they love....

 

I am out of work in the UK, made redundant at 63. Impossible to find a job at my age, without a lot of hard work, training and preparation and research.

 

My wife is similarly idle, and living with and helping her mother.  I will teach IT courses in Thailand. My wife will be my interpreter. We can live in any city we feel like in Thailand.

 

We could even run the business from her mother's village using Skype or whatever... (she just, fortuitously, had broadband installed in her mother's house!) so it's if she wants to work with me we could set her bedroom up as an office. Doesn't take a huge space.

 

Could teach in a classroom or via remote teaching software.

 

She will learn English, and about Computing, and I, in turn, will learn Thai and how to speak to Thais in Business English, and "IT Thai", and also how to teach English, and make very good money while we do it.

 

The Thais are very reluctant to admit they are way behind on the IT front. It stops the country from progressing, this loss-of-face, they will not admit publicly, especially to a farang.

 

The ones I have encountered do not seem to understand computers much, and secretly want to train themselves in the subject, but cannot admit it to themselves, or even their closest family...

 

It's some kind of what seems to be 'inverted pride'.

 

I have enough experience to teach people Windows and MS Office skills, and also analysis/design/workflow/programming.

 

I could even train shop assistants how to sell their computers. Every computer store I have been in South East Asia has been in dire need of staff who know much about what they are selling. Many of them seem to flounder around keyboards and actual PCs and prefer to use their phones to communicate.

 

They're so hung up on phones that they have no idea about what's possible with a properly configured network and suite of databases/email/good telecoms and good sales and tech support.

 

A very good, old friend of mine worked in Thailand in the late 90s in the same technologies I am experienced in, and he lived like a Prince.... he'll know who he is

 

He taught the (extremely bright" Thai programmers in his place.

 

It's a field ripe for investigation.... I feel like I just won the lottery. I'm pretty certain I could hook up with some like-minded IT people, I'm going public with this, but feel free to debate this plan as hard as you like.

 

Bring on the dialectic.

 

...anyway, read this link, It says it all.

 

http://www.teflasia.com/teacher-talk/teaching-ict-computers-in-bangkok/

 

...no idea when it was written, but the bloke mentioned "diskettes" so either Thailand is still stuck in 1995, or they're using very old, trusted and established solutions.

 

Yes, there are a lot of truths in there about how the Thais keep hold of people... I am now wise to this game. A contract, or no work.

 

Yours, waiting to be shot down in flames... :-)

 

Vaughan (feeling full of positivity and all that, yet prepared for the best logical critiques you can throw.).

[tonray]

You lost me with the tiny font and excessively long monologue.

 

Ok....you want to teach IT skills to Thais...look up SIAM computer first. Every Thai I know who needed skills in Excel or Word or basic computing for work went there to get taught in Thai by a Thai instructor. And they also cross-sold them English lessons by an NES speaker. 

[The manic]

The young generation of Thais are IT savvy.

[rijb]

3 hours ago, The manic said:

The young generation of Thais are IT savvy.

And they prefer smart phones, not desktops, etc.

[jenny2017]

The Thais are very reluctant to admit they are way behind on the IT front. It stops the country from progressing, this loss-of-face, they will not admit publicly, especially to a farang.

 

She will learn English, and about Computing, and I, in turn, will learn Thai and how to speak to Thais in Business English, and "IT Thai", and also how to teach English, and make very good money while we do it.

 

 Please keep us updated how you got your work permit. 

 

    

[Vaughan Green]

On 09/09/2017 at 7:57 AM, jenny2017 said:

The Thais are very reluctant to admit they are way behind on the IT front. It stops the country from progressing, this loss-of-face, they will not admit publicly, especially to a farang.

 

She will learn English, and about Computing, and I, in turn, will learn Thai and how to speak to Thais in Business English, and "IT Thai", and also how to teach English, and make very good money while we do it.

 

 Please keep us updated how you got your work permit. 

 

    

Many thanks.

 

Maybe my optimism is a little misplaced.

 

I need to do more research, which I can only really do if I'm out there.

 

I will most certainly report back on any progress I make with this.

 

Vaughan

[tso310]

Hi Vaughan

 

I retired at 60 last year after working my whole life in IT, UK and overseas. Outsourcing has killed the once thriving UK IT industry. I don't blame the Indians, its the short sighted accountants that now work for companies that is the root cause.

 

Many years ago I used to know a TEFL guy in Bangkok. He had a lot of private high end clients from some very large well known companies. What they wanted was a discreete way of bringing up their language skills without their colleagues knowing so as to save face. Perhaps ths is the way to go as I'm sure that there are many, dare I say older, execs out there that are defficient in IT knowledge/skills and would like to increase it discreetly.

Just an idea. 

[Vaughan Green]

On 16/09/2017 at 10:54 AM, tso310 said:

Hi Vaughan

 

I retired at 60 last year after working my whole life in IT, UK and overseas. Outsourcing has killed the once thriving UK IT industry. I don't blame the Indians, its the short sighted accountants that now work for companies that is the root cause.

 

Many years ago I used to know a TEFL guy in Bangkok. He had a lot of private high end clients from some very large well known companies. What they wanted was a discreete way of bringing up their language skills without their colleagues knowing so as to save face. Perhaps ths is the way to go as I'm sure that there are many, dare I say older, execs out there that are defficient in IT knowledge/skills and would like to increase it discreetly.

Just an idea. 

Thanks so much for this advice.

 

The first hurdle I can see to jump is that I wouldn't know how to contact these guys...

 

I guess I'd have to spend the time out there and build my network first.

 

There have been further developments in my situation, everything has suddenly gone to pot, and I'm reviewing my options.

 

Vaughan

[patyh]

5 hours ago, Vaughan Green said:

Thanks so much for this advice.

 

The first hurdle I can see to jump is that I wouldn't know how to contact these guys...

 

I guess I'd have to spend the time out there and build my network first.

 

There have been further developments in my situation, everything has suddenly gone to pot, and I'm reviewing my options.

 

Vaughan

 

To get a computer, most Thais go to places that build computer for them and they tend to trust their advice a lot. You don't see a lot of people building their own computer. From where I came from, it was very common for teens to build their own computer, pick their own parts etc. You do not get that kind of culture in Thailand. 

 

Teaching IT skills is one thing, but have you researched what are the skills people are actually looking for? Most Thais get by with basic use of Microsoft Productivity Software and then learn as they go. Such skills get passed down from one to another in the offices. 

 

The best way for you to make a living though would actually be to, set up a software development house first. Thais like farang working on their website/software/app.. It makes them feel better?